(NewsUSA) - The most-anticipated match of the club soccer season approaches, as Liverpool takes on Real Madrid in the Champions League Final, May 28th at the Stade de France. Combined, these two have won the Champions League an astounding 19 times.

Liverpool currently sit as -170 favorites to hoist the trophy, while Real Madrid offer Champions League odds of +140.

Money Moving In on Madrid

La Liga champions Real Madrid proved themselves as the comeback kings of the Champions League this season. They stunningly overturned a last-minute, two-goal deficit in the second leg of the semifinal vs. Manchester City. In one of the most enthralling matches in the tournament's history, striker Karim Benzema scored the winning penalty to clinch Real's first UCL final since 2018.

Now, the 90-minute odds are gradually moving in Real Madrid's favor -- opening at +275, Real dropped in price to +250. (Another extra-time thriller is viewed as slightly less likely at +270.)

Los Blancos have one of the winningest managers in Champions League history, Carlo Ancelotti. His side have been on cruise control since clinching La Liga with four games to spare. Currently, Madrid's entire starting eleven is available for selection.

Fatigue, Injuries Cause Line Movements

Liverpool opened at -105, but have been expending energy in search of an unprecedented quadruple trophy haul. Liverpool's boisterous German manager, Jürgen Klopp, has constantly rotated his squad while juggling multiple concurrent competitions.

On the other hand, Madrid should have fresh legs, and analysts at the sports-betting website PointSpreads.com suggest that is why money backing Madrid has flooded in, moving Liverpool down to their current +105 winning odds.

Liverpool won the FA Cup final last weekend -- a penalty shootout victory over Chelsea -- but their second trophy of the season came with a cost. Leading scorer Mohamed Salah and key center back Virgil van Dijk left early with injuries.

Ballon d'Or Contenders on Both Sides

Real Madrid's Benzema, the imminent La Liga golden boot winner, will undoubtedly be on the shortlist for the prestigious Ballon d'Or. Liverpool's Salah and Sadio Mane have also played themselves into the conversation and Salah is the Premier League's joint-leading scorer. With no shortage of world class talent on display, bettors responded by taking the over.

Despite over 2? goals sitting at -135 odds, the last three Champions League finals finished with two or fewer goals. 

Reissue: June 15, 2022

(NewsUSA) - (NewsUSA) -Despite being recognized as one of the most valuable assets in an organization, corporate data remains one of the least measured or understood. While decision makers have more access to data than ever before, there's little way to make sense of it. New research delves into the difference between executives who are data-driven, and those who are just data-saturated.

Talend's recently published 2021 Data Health Survey1 demonstrates clearly that business leaders understand the importance of data -- two-thirds report that they work with data every day. Yet, 78% of executives say they face challenges using their data, and 36% say most of their decisions are not based on data. Companies know that the path to the future depends on using data, but despite years of investments in modern data infrastructure, they struggle to put that data to use.

To survive in today's economy, every organization must become a data company. This is easier said than done. Only half of executives highly rate their company's ability to deliver even the basics: timely, accessible, complete, and accurate data.

Data management companies have been offering to solve these problems for years, but their solutions are focused only on the mechanics of data. Focusing on simply moving and storing more data means some of the basic components of data management are lost -- where is data coming from? Who has access to it? How accurate is it? To become data-driven, leaders need to know more about their data.

"Our relationship with data is unhealthy. Only 40% of executives always trust the data they work with, and more than a third of executives are still making decisions based on gut instincts," says Christal Bemont, CEO, Talend. "The reality of data is falling well short of the industry's vision. Data management, which largely focuses on moving and storing data, doesn't consider the overall health of data. Therefore, in trying to manage data, companies are in fact creating digital landfills of corporate information. This must change. Our vision of data health is the future because it recognizes fundamental standards for quality and reliability are critical for corporate survival."

Talend envisions data health as a holistic system of preventative measures, effective treatments, and a supportive culture to manage the well-being of corporate information actively. Data health will include monitoring and reporting capabilities to help organizations understand and communicate -- in a quantifiable way -- the reliability, risk, and return of this highly critical business asset.

The data integrity and integration company's customers report that focusing on data health delivers positive business results. "Without access to quality data on time, we could have never achieved the scale of analytics we are currently in," says Ranadip Dutta, solution architect manager at Lenovo. "We now have flexibility along with scalability."

For more information on the Talend Data Health Survey and data health, click here.

From March 24th to April 8th, 2021, Talend led a survey via Qualtrics of 529 global executives -- with titles ranging from director to the C-suite -- from medium and large companies making more than $10 million in annual revenue to assess their ability to make data-driven decisions.

(NewsUSA) - Snibble, a next-generation social video platform that targets today's young adults, is partnering with NewsUSA TV to expand and cross-promote content and linear streaming in the U.S. and Canada.

Snibble offers YAs what they want -- snackable videos and the ability to discover, share, and comment on them with friends in real time. Surveys suggest that approximately 70 percent of Gen Z prefer engaging with many short videos versus committing to a longer video.

"We are a fusion between the best of a video platform and a social media platform," says Blair Currie, CEO of Snibble.

Generation Z (youth ages 16 to 24 years) have never known life without mobile internet. At this age, especially in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, young adults are seeking ways to connect with friends remotely, and short videos have become the social currency of this generation, Currie explains.

Snibble allows viewers to see, comment, recommend and share personalized content, and presents a reasonable amount of hyper-targeted advertising in a fair trade for their attention.

Snibble attracts top advertisers to a place that lets brands play when young viewers hang out, which improves returns on advertising investment.

To expand and showcase the Snibble platform and content, the company has partnered with NewsUSA TV, a division of the NewsUSA branded content agency. NewsUSA offers video content on Roku through a range of channels, including The Junior Network by NewsUSA TV. The Junior Network partnership with Snibble benefits both parties by expanding audience reach and access to content.

Snibble's content comes only from top providers, including Daily Fix, Omnia News (BBC), Brut, Cheddar, Huffpo, USAToday, Glamour, GQ, and People are Awesome.

The Junior Network by NewsUSA TV helps leverage this content to Gen Z not only online but also through Roku and Amazon Fire, as well as iphone and mobile apps. The content also is available in completed Linear HLS Stream format for syndication.

In addition, NewsUSA TV offers content in Business Briefs, Health News, Entertainment News, and Travel News on its Roku channel.

Visit snibblecorp.com for more details about Snibble and NewsUSA.com/media-widget for details about NewsUSA TV.

(TVA) - If your mental image of a robot in the home is limited to Rosie from the Jetsons, it's time to change your perspective.

Small, efficient robots from the innovative home robot company Trifo offer a new take on home help, with an artificial intelligence twist.

"Our vision is to create a family of home robots that takes care of the home so people can live better and focus on what's important," according to the company. The Trifo robots are designed to focus on the indoor home environment. Each is equipped with an artificial intelligence system that has sensing, perception and decision-making capabilities. Trifo robots are able to continuously adapt to their environments using advanced AI technology.

Lucy Ultra Edition, the flagship product of the Trifo line, is a compact, round robot that comes packed with features to make your life easier. Some of Lucy's standout features include:

- Dual vision. Not quite x-ray vision, but Lucy's 1080P HDR color camera combines with a Time-of-Flight depth camera that creates a colorful 3-D map of your home in Lucy's brain; this helps navigate even in low-light conditions.

- Obstacle avoidance. Lucy easily avoids the annoyance of getting stuck or trapped by household objects; unique visual and depth perception keep her clear of objects as short as one inch.

- Home protection day and night. Lucy provides full-time home protection with day and night vision. Privacy concerns? Data from your home is stored and processed in the robot herself, not in the cloud or on servers.

- Smart work. Lucy's adaptive technology allows her to learn her surroundings, following routes that adapt to the environment while avoiding off-limits zones, and alert you to unusual motions in the house when you aren't at home. Lucy is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can integrate her with other smart home features. Lucy's intelligence evolves over time, so she makes your life even easier the more you use her.

- Deluxe cleaning. Lucy vacuums, but she mops, too, with a dustbin/water tank combination that sends an alert when the water level gets low.

- Pet sitting. If you have a furry friend at home, Lucy takes the angst out of cleaning up pet hair and larger dirt from muddy paws. A built-in air freshener is a bonus that helps keep pet odors at bay. Also, check out the interactive laser toy to keep your pet entertained.

Visit trifolucy.com for more information about the potential of advanced AI robots for home use.

(NewsUSA) - As the world continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of the internet in our daily lives has grown exponentially. While many trends have come to light, one that stands out is the need for faster internet speeds in regions that have seen an influx of new residents. According to Pew Research Center, 4.9 million Americans left cities for suburbs or rural areas in 2020. Those who are moving from cities into more remote regions have become accustomed to high-speed connectivity and expect a similar internet experience in their new homes. 

America's digital gap

Rural areas across the country continue to face challenges when it comes to high-speed internet. According to the FCC, nearly 15 million people in rural America do not have access to high-speed internet. Terrestrial-based ISPs are unwilling or unable to serve these communities due to infrastructure limitations. Consumers in these regions therefore depend on satellite internet for staying in touch with friends and family, work, ecommerce, medical appointments, education and more. Additionally, as some companies adopt a remote work policy, more and more employees are exploring moving their families into areas where cable and fiber are unavailable. Consumers in these rural areas need faster internet to support their daily digital activities.

Internet from space connects rural America

The satellite industry has made tremendous progress in terms of its ability to deliver faster internet speeds to unserved or underserved areas. For example, the introduction of tools that allow consumers to manage their satellite internet plans' data consumption is a helpful way to optimize internet speeds. One of the ways this is done is to give the consumer the ability to control the quality of their streaming experience to use more or less data. By streaming lower- resolution content, consumers are able to better manage their monthly data allowance, which is delivered at a particular speed, depending on the type of plan they have selected.

More and more consumers in rural areas are taking advantage of internet services from satellite internet providers today. People using satellite internet today include small-town residents, network engineers and small-business owners, to name a few.

The future of the internet in rural America

Driven by innovation, satellite internet has the capability to connect more people across remote parts of the country, empowering consumers to live where they want and still be able to benefit from connectivity.

Companies such as Viasat are developing new satellites, such as its ViaSat-3 constellation, that will provide satellite internet plans with more data, higher data thresholds, faster speeds, higher-quality streaming and enhanced service reliability.

The digital gap is closing, but there's still work to be done. For more information on how Viasat's satellite internet is helping close America's digital gap, click here. 

(NewsUSA) - Every day, data and analytics touch our lives in ways that we can't begin to imagine. As an example, it can be seen when you log on to a video call, pay for your train ticket, or order your cappuccino using your phone. Or view spending trends on your bank account using an app or website. Data analytics are also at work in ways you don't see -- ways that make your life easier, safer, more convenient, and more fun -- especially when it comes to getting where you want to go. Indeed, data analytics reduce your travel time, manage traffic congestion, and create safer and more accessible ways to use public transit.

When you're waiting to catch the bus or jump on the commuter train to get to work in the morning, your phone app may tell you whether your ride is on schedule -- and exactly how many minutes until the next bus or train arrives at your stop. When you visit a new city, do you use apps to figure out how to get to your hotel or from one landmark to the next? Data analytics and smart apps make all this possible. Similarly, when winter weather hits and roads need to be cleared, data and analytics can help cities send extra drivers to harder hit areas needing to be cleared using real-time data and also let you know when your street will be plowed.

Smart technology helps improve many aspects of your daily life. Check out these examples of the hidden technology from EastBanc Technologies that helps make your life just a bit easier.

TRANSITiQ: People want to have a clear view of all available travel options and predicted travel time, and cities want to increase accessibility and use of public transit. With TRANSITiQ and the power of data, users can see stations, routes, service alerts, and even enable location-based push notifications. Notably, TRANSITiQ technology enables accurate predictions of arrival times to stops along transit routes. And by integrating Bluetooth Beacons, cities can help visually impaired riders to safely navigate the transportation system. TRANSITiQ also gathers crucial business intelligence for municipalities, including performance reports and other relevant statistics.

CABiQ: Trying to hail a cab during rush hour, or after that night out, can be frustrating. But with phone apps and other new smart tools at their disposal, operators and drivers can pinpoint hotspots and easily determine where and when to place their cars -- thus optimizing services and helping passengers find their rides quicker. These tools leverage CABiQ technology to analyze historical and near-real-time data about vehicle locations and ride demand, enabling them to map underserved areas as well as popular destinations and pickup points. CABiQ not only benefits cab drivers and their customers; it also provides crucial information to cities to help them with regulation of local taxi services: A central feature of CABiQ is the ability to gather timely and accurate information about every trip and report it to the municipality for analysis and enforcement.

SNOWiQ: Today's unpredictable, and often extreme, winter weather demands a rapid response from busy cities whose residents expect roads to be plowed quickly and efficiently. Simply put, cities need to minimize the impact of inclement weather on daily commutes and doings by getting snowplows and other machinery on the road as quickly as possible. We've seen how Uber and Lyft have changed ride sharing. SNOWiQ makes it possible for cities to also be responsive to peak times and high-demand areas and use additional contractors to shore up their snow-clearing fleets. With SNOWiQ, cities can optimize snow removal to reduce truck idling time and save money -- and residents will know which routes have been cleared, which ones are next on the schedule, and when it's safe to travel again.

INSPECTiQ: Meeting the inspection and permit-issuance demands of a major city can be a challenge for local authorities but INSPECTiQ technology makes the task just a bit more manageable. The technology enables municipalities to streamline how they manage inspections of housing and construction projects by providing a convenient way to dispatch and track inspectors. Armed with tablets running GPS-enabled INSPECTiQ-based apps, inspectors carry out their duties and report their findings, while administrators have easy access to real-time tracking of progress and inspector location so they can maximize productivity and minimize response time for urgent inspections.

Like SNOWiQ, INSPECTiQ adds flexibility to municipal forces and boosts the gig economy. Local governments can train citizen inspectors and, when demand peaks, use the technology to scale their municipal forces and optimize service delivery by bringing in additional contractors on behalf of the government.

The next time you need to hail a cab or jump on a city bus or need a plow to clear your snow-blanketed street, rest assured that data analytics will help make it happen. Smart technology is already everywhere, making daily life just a little bit more enjoyable.

(NewsUSA) - Online technology has many potential benefits for children and teens, but recent news about online platforms contributing to physical and mental health issues highlight the importance of educating youth about smart internet use and good digital citizenship.

Some of the problems associated with excess internet use include: increased depression and anxiety, self-harm, cyberbullying, body image issues, and obesity.

Other effects include sleep and vision problems.

Finally, some parents report that their children and teens are becoming disconnected from real-world relationships with friends and family.

Managing online time and blocking access to inappropriate content can help address these problems without losing the benefits of internet access.

The OurPact app is a free tool for parents to help them not only protect their children online, but teach them how to be savvy internet users themselves.

Key features of the OurPact app include:

• Multitasking. The app is customizable with separate management preferences for different children, or harmonious control of multiple devices used by a single child.
• Rule-making. The App Rules section of OurPact lets parents know all the apps installed on their children's devices. Parents can block specific apps, or set different rules for different apps, educational vs. games or social media.
• Timing. The screen time allowance feature encourages personal responsibility by allowing children to budget screen time throughout the day on their own, or parents can set the budget.
• Blocking. Excessive texting can interfere with homework or mealtime; OurPact allows for limiting iMessaging and SMS using schedules, allowances, or manual blocks.
• Filtering. A web-filter feature gives parents peace of mind by keeping adult content off iOS child devices.
• Locating. The app can serve as a family locator that works for families of any size, and can serve to keep tabs on kids' whereabouts, coordinate pickups, or find lost devices. Parents also can set up geo fences around specific locations so they are alerted when a child reaches school, home, or Grandma's house.

In addition, OurPact allows parents visibility into their child's online activity via automated screenshots -- periodic, on-demand, or private gallery -- encrypted for maximum security.

OurPact is available via the App Store and Google Play. Visit ourpact.com to learn more and sign up.

(NewsUSA) - Data and analytics touch our lives every day. Sometimes, it is in ways you see, such as when you log on to a video call, pay for your bus ticket or order your latte using your phone. Or view spending trends on your bank account using an app or website. Data analytics are also at work in ways you don't see -- ways that make your life easier, safer, more convenient, and more fun -- especially when it comes to getting where you want to go. Indeed, data analytics are working tirelessly behind the scenes to help you reduce your travel time, make getting from point A to point B easier, manage traffic congestion, and create safer and more accessible ways to use public transit.

When you're waiting to catch the bus to work, your phone app may tell you whether your ride is on schedule -- and exactly how many minutes until the next buses arrive at your stop. Did you ever wonder how the apps know all this? When you visit a new city, do you use apps to figure out how to get from one landmark to the next -- or your lunch stop along the way? Data analytics and smart apps make all this possible. Similarly, when winter weather hits and roads need to be cleared, data and analytics can help cities send extra drivers to harder hit areas needing to be cleared using real-time data, so you know when your street will be plowed.

And it's not all about logistics. Smart technology helps improve many aspects of your daily life: your job, school, community center, parks, and all kinds of entertainment. Check out these examples of the hidden technology from EastBanc Technologies that facilitates daily tasks and activities -- making your life just a bit easier.

TRANSITiQ: People want to have a clear view of all available travel options and predicted travel time, and cities want to increase accessibility and use of public transit. With TRANSITiQ and the power of data, users can see stations, routes, service alerts and even enable location-based push notifications. Notably, TRANSITiQ technology enables accurate prediction of arrival times to stops along transit routes. And by integrating Bluetooth Beacons, cities can help visually impaired users to safely navigate the transportation system. TRANSITiQ also gathers crucial business intelligence for municipalities, including performance reports and other relevant statistics.

CABiQ: Trying to hail a cab during rush hour, or after that night out, can be really frustrating. But with phone apps and other new smart tools at their disposal, operators and drivers can pinpoint hotspots and easily determine where and when to place their cars -- thus optimizing services and helping passengers find their rides quicker. These tools leverage CABiQ technology to analyze historical and near-real-time data about vehicle locations and ride demand, enabling them to map underserved areas as well as popular destinations and pickup points. CABiQ not only benefits cab drivers and their customers; it also provides crucial information to cities to help them with regulation of local taxi services: A central feature of CABiQ is the ability to gather and report timely and accurate information about every trip to the municipality for analysis and enforcement.

SNOWiQ: Today's unpredictable, and often extreme, winter weather demands a rapid response from busy cities whose residents expect roads to be plowed quickly and efficiently. Simply put, cities need to minimize the impact of inclement weather on daily commutes and doings. We've seen how Uber and Lyft have changed ride sharing. What if it were possible for cities to also be responsive to peak times and use contractors to shore up their fleet? With SNOWiQ, cities can optimize snow removal to reduce truck idling time and save money -- and residents can know which routes have been cleared, which ones are next on the schedule, and when it's safe to travel again.

FoodTruckIQ: Food trucks are all the rage. And for good reason. Many of the morsels concocted by these mobile eateries are innovative and positively delectable. So, when you hanker for your favorite food truck fare, how do you find it when its location moves? An app, of course. Behind the scenes, tech is working hard to help you make it easy to find your next lunch -- whether it's trekking cross-town to devour your favorite burrito or seeing what new trucks are parked by your work today. Tech can even help cities avoid turf wars that can happen over prime locations. How do such food truck apps come to be?

Food truck vendors submit logistical information to data scientists, who analyze the information and then share the processed data with developers who build and manage the apps. FoodTruckIQ is the brains behind your next mobile meal.

So the next time you head out to meet a friend at your favorite food truck, need to hail a cab or jump on a city bus, or need a plow to clear your snow-blanketed street, rest assured that data analytics will help make it happen. Smart technology is already everywhere, making daily life just a little bit more enjoyable.

(NewsUSA) - The idea to build giant LED screens is not a new concept.

Historically called "Megatrons or Jumbotrons," they have been used to generate buzz and a visual identity for properties and in some cases to generate the majority of the revenue for the buildings they are affixed to.

Nowhere has this been more evident than in Times Square. Like the neon signs and painted wallscapes before them, these LED signs were the beginning of a new era, a generational embrace of new technology affixed to hundred-year-old bricks, windows and recycled steel skeletons whose entire purpose has been to engage and elicit a response, a feeling and a call to action from the world around them.

The recent trend of working from home that was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic clearly illustrates the need for fluidity in the way corporations, individuals and landlords have to work together to promote and ensure health, safety and satisfaction within commercial and retail real estate environments.

An example of a project that is currently under construction in New York that is embracing this concept, is 1568 Broadway, "TSX."

The project includes three digital and two static signs on the fa?ade, one of which is being built with an open-air stage overlooking Times Square, as well as full audio capabilities in order to make it the new epicenter of Times Square, where something equally iconic as the ball drop can occur year-round.

According to the development team, "TSX Broadway will provide a single brand with the most powerful marketing tool in the world, the most technologically advanced signage and lighting package in New York City. There will be an 18,000-square-foot LED sign wrapping the podium, and a full-building fa?ade lighting system that will activate the entire 46-story tower as a branded beacon."

Imagine a commercial tenant experience where you are able to wake up in one of several overnight suites, an iPad or other connected device enabling you to operate different functionalities in your room, book a time at the fitness center and order breakfast, all before heading to your office.

At lunch, you head out and are constantly engaged both consciously and subconsciously by lighting, sounds, smells, images, and digital messages in the elevators, lobbies and as you emerge outside on the building's fa?ade itself.

All of this coupled with beacon technology, geo-fencing and rapidly progressing programmatic media capabilities ensure that tenant engagement will be even more consistently and intuitively woven into the fabric of our daily lives as we return to the new post-COVID normal.

With all these layers of technology working synchronously with brick and mortar, brands and sponsors will be better able to monitor, track, modify and manage media campaigns.

This immersive and experiential centered approach to real estate can be used in all types of real estate environments, utilizing technologies that prompt a shift away from the "look at me" effect and towards engagement, that is, "how does it make me feel?"

The time is now to begin integrating the various technologies at our disposal simultaneously.

By operating this type of real estate model, implementing and innovating rapidly across vertical technology sectors, we can collapse the time table from conceptual to the new normal and write the narrative for how real estate, media, and technology cohabit in the world of our future.

Matthew A Knee is president of GCG Media Services.

(NewsUSA) - Transportation technology is critical to the American economy, as are the skilled technicians who help maintain steady supply chains and get goods where they need to go.

The demand for transportation technicians is surging. However, many students planning their futures and individuals considering career changes don't realize the opportunities and the potential for success in transportation technology and repair.

Often underestimated as "blue collar," or "grease monkey" jobs, today's transportation technicians are actually high-tech "new collar" workers who depend on their computer skills and fluency with the latest in digital technology.

"A modern car runs on approximately 100 million lines of computer code, more than twice that of the NASA space shuttle," says Mike Pressendo, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer for TechForce Foundation.

"Now, with electric vehicles set to become more common than ever before, the list of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills transportation technicians need continues to grow. These are skilled, well-paying, technical jobs that literally keep America rolling."

According to a 2021 survey, 62 percent of high school students want to forge their own educational path, with 29 percent saying that the pandemic's financial impact makes them less likely to attend a four-year college. Unfortunately, many students don't know about the tech-school career options available to them. A staggering 63 percent said they wish their school provided more information about different types of fulfilling careers.

The TechForce Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), has created the first and only social network designed and gamified for tech students and professional technicians to connect with each other, schools, industry and employers. TechForce connects students and career changers to a career guide, available at TechForce.org/CareerGuide. The TechForce social media also showcases the "Because I'm a Tech..." campaign, which features a diverse group of technicians sharing their stories of successful and secure skilled technician careers.

TechForce's social network supports the growth and placement of skilled technicians, with opportunities for career exploration, scholarships, free technical training and events. The online platform also connects schools with industry resources.

"Next-gen techs are digital-native, yet there was no commercial-free digital environment for them to connect with peers, showcase their talents, check out employers and compete for points, status and prizes," according to TechForce CEO, Jennifer Maher.

"TechForce is the first and only social network of its kind, full of engaging content and designed by GenZers for GenZ as the place for aspiring and working techs to explore and advance their careers."

For additional information about TechForce's social network, visit JoinTechForce.org.