Janet Yellen tells Congress US could hit debt limit in mid-JanuaryAfter working together in the “Cyberpunk 2077” game, actors Keanu Reeves and Idris Elba are re-teaming on screen together as voices in the third “Sonic the Hedgehog” film opening in December. Elba played the role of Knuckles in the second film and scored his own “Knuckles” spin-off series earlier this year. Reeves joins the fray as Shadow with the new film. Speaking with , the actors themselves confirmed their interest in continued collaborations with Elba suggesting “Shadow Knuckles” as a title for a new team-up project to which Reeves responds: “No, Knuckles and Shadow” and Elba says back: “Shadow Knuckles sounds like a band.” Elba was also asked if “Knuckles” Season 2 or “Sonic the Hedgehog 4” would be Elba’s next work in the franchise, he says: “Oh, wow, is there a Sonic 4? You know more than me, my guy. I would say I’d love to do it. Any chance to understand the characters a little bit more, in the different episodes ... If [the filmmakers are] in, I’m down.” “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” opens in cinemas on December 20th with the film reportedly on track for a $55 million opening weekend domestically.
MP Brown Burke expresses mixed feelings over St Andrew South SOE
Google and the US government faced off in a federal court on Monday, as each side delivered closing arguments in a case revolving around the technology giant's alleged unfair domination of online advertising. The trial in a Virginia federal court is Google's second US antitrust case now under way as the US government tries to rein in the power of big tech. In a separate trial, a Washington judge ruled that Google's search business is an illegal monopoly, and the US Justice Department is asking that Google sell its Chrome browser business to resolve the case. The latest case, also brought by the Justice Department, focuses on ad technology for the open web -- the complex system determining which online ads people see when they surf the internet. The vast majority of websites use a trio of Google ad software products that together, leave no way for publishers to escape Google's advertising technology, the plaintiffs allege. Publishers -- including News Corp and Gannett publishing -- complain that they are locked into Google's advertising technology in order to run ads on their websites. "Google is once, twice, three times a monopolist," DOJ lawyer Aaron Teitelbaum told the court in closing arguments. Presiding judge Leonie Brinkema has said that she would deliver her opinion swiftly, as early as next month. Whatever Brinkema's judgment, the outcome will almost certainly be appealed, prolonging a process that could go all the way to the US Supreme Court. The government alleges that Google controls the auction-style system that advertisers use to purchase advertising space online. The US lawyers argue that this approach allows Google to charge higher prices to advertisers while sending less revenue to publishers such as news websites, many of which are struggling to stay in business. The US argues that Google used its financial power to acquire potential rivals and corner the ad tech market, leaving advertisers and publishers with no choice but to use its technology. The government wants Google to divest parts of its ad tech business. Google dismissed the allegations as an attempt by the government to pick "winners and losers" in a diverse market. The company argues that the display ads at issue are just a small share of today's ad tech business. Google says the plaintiffs' definition of the market ignores ads that are also placed in search results, apps and social media platforms and where, taken as a whole, Google does not dominate. "The law simply does not support what the plaintiffs are arguing in this case," said Google's lawyer Karen Dunn. She warned that if Google were to lose the case, the winners would be rival tech giants such as Microsoft, Meta or Amazon, whose market share in online advertising is ascendant as Google's share is falling. The DOJ countered that it simply "does not matter" that Google is competing in the broader market for online ads. "That is a different question" than the market for ads on websites that is the target of the case, said Teitelbaum. Google also points to US legal precedent, saying arguments similar to the government's have been refuted in previous antitrust cases. Dunn also warned that forcing Google to work with rivals in its ad products would amount to government central planning that the court should reject. If the judge finds Google to be at fault, a new phase of the trial would decide how the company should comply with that conclusion. And all that could be moot if the incoming Trump administration decides to drop the case. The president-elect has been a critic of Google's, but he warned earlier this month that breaking it up could be "a very dangerous thing."
Welcome to Christmas and New Years limbo, where the time is made up and the date doesn’t matter. There’s a limited number of releases this week, because Hollywood just shuts down for the last month of the year, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few surprises. If you’re not a football fan, you may not have known that Beyoncé did a halftime special for the Ravens vs. Texans game on Christmas (that’s right, Netflix does football now too). In said special, she performed some of the songs from her Cowboy Carter album live for the very first time. If you’re a member of the Beyhive who wasn’t willing to sit through a football game to watch Queen Bey perform, Netflix released a stand-alone special of the performance today. And, for those wondering, Netflix did, indeed, manage to host two whole live events on Christmas day without its typical buffering issues. It’s been a Netflix week! The highly anticipated second season of Squid Game finally dropped, ironically resulting in many across the industry working during Christmas and continuing the trend of . Reviews have been mixed due to it being painfully obvious that Seasons 2 and 3 were meant to be one complete story rather than split in half, but our critic . If you’ve already finished your binge, check out how . Nicholas Hoult has yet another film out on demand, this time alongside Jude Law and Jurnee Smollett. The film’s been met with early acclaim, and is based on a true story (and adapted from Kevin Flynn’s novel The Silent Brotherhood) centered on a string of bank robberies in the Pacific Northwest. You may have seen it during its brief theatrical run when it released on December 6 but, if you missed it, it’s available for purchase now. That’s, well... that’s pretty much it for this week. You can check out the few titles that are available on PVOD up above in the New and Notable section and, if you haven’t caught up just yet, there are a few options from last week that are still noteworthy. The Simpsons Christmas Special, O C’mon All Ye Faithful springs to mind! You can check out our if you’re not sure if you want to spend your precious lounge time on it. Don’t forget that What If...? Is dropping new episodes weekly, and that Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and Creature Commandos are in the middle of thier runs as well!
Delivering Optimized, Outbound-Focused Contact Center Solutions for Modern Businesses LAUDERDALE LAKES, Fla. , Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- outboundIQ www.outboundiq.com proudly announces its accreditation as a Five9 Certified Implementation Partner (CIP), a distinction that reflects its deep expertise in optimizing and streamlining outbound-focused contact center operations. With a team of seasoned Five9 veterans, expert programmers, and industry thought leaders, outboundIQ is uniquely equipped to help businesses of all sizes unlock the full potential of Five9's Virtual Contact Center platform. Optimized Solutions for Complex Contact Center Needs outboundIQ specializes in providing expedited, outbound-focused contact center implementations, integrating advanced features such as inbound and outbound Voice, SMS, Chat, Email, Salesforce Integration, and other third-party app integrations. Clients can also leverage ongoing optimization engagements and monthly retainers for strategic consulting designed to support long-term, outreach-focused success. "Who better to handle your domain configuration than the experts that understand the outbound contact center world. To be an outbound expert, you must know 3 things; how to configure the domain front end, how the architecture interprets that design, and how carriers respond to your dialing behavior as a result of the build. outboundIQ has the advantage of deeply understanding all 3 things. Our experts are seasoned professionals that will guide toward the best build for your business. You tell us about your business, your needs and your processes, and we will build you a domain fit for purpose. outboundIQ offers best in class Domain Optimization, Implementation and Consulting for customers of all sizes and complexity. Due to our methodology and proprietary automations, we are able to bring our customers' projects to life within accelerated timeframes." - Jessica Clay , VP Support and Services "We launched our business in June and were fortunate to connect with the incredible team at outboundIQ early on. Navigating the world of outbound calling and building efficient prospecting systems isn't easy, but the entire team at outboundIQ brought our vision to life seamlessly. They implemented our ideas quickly and executed them flawlessly. Since partnering with them, our contact rates have significantly improved, our conversions have increased, and our overall business is thriving. We're deeply grateful for this collaboration and look forward to continuing our work together on future endeavors!" - Tim, Lit Financial "I genuinely don't know enough ways to thank the entire outboundIQ team. I inherited a domain riddled with mistakes, tangled beyond belief, and I had essentially planned to scrap the whole thing and start over. That's when this team, led by Jessica Clay's brilliance, took over to understand exactly what I wanted to create and completely revitalized my domain. We are all beyond thankful as they continue to consult for us to this day and I see no reason to stop. Thank you, Jessica, Jason, Rudy, Bruno, Sandy and everyone who gets the pleasure of working with these domain geniuses!" - Michael, Lifetime Home Remodeling A Holistic Approach to Outbound Excellence Creating a competitive, consumer-focused outreach program requires more than just advanced technology. As outboundIQ explains, a thriving contact center functions like a high-performing racing team: outboundIQ's professional services team brings these critical elements together, ensuring clients achieve best-in-class outbound operations that prioritize consumer experience while maintaining a competitive edge. A Call to Collaboration With its new CIP certification, outboundIQ invites businesses to explore select partnership opportunities and projects to reimagine their contact center operations. Whether through expedited implementations or ongoing strategic consulting, outboundIQ is committed to driving measurable results for its clients. About outboundIQ outboundIQ delivers optimized, outbound-focused contact center implementations, combining years of Five9 expertise with cutting-edge strategies to help businesses achieve exceptional outreach outcomes. As a Five9 Certified Implementation Partner, outboundIQ provides tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of modern organizations. About Five9 Five9 is a digital enterprise's leading cloud contact center and software provider. The Five9 Intelligent CX Platform is reliable, secure, compliant, and scalable, designed to create exceptional personalized customer experiences. www.five9.com Media contact: Sandy Tafur Phone: 404-660-5314 mail: sandy@outboundiq.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/outboundiq-achieves-certified-implementation-partner-cip-status-with-five9-302339797.html SOURCE outboundIQ
HP Enterprise Earnings Beat Estimates. It’s ‘Doing AI ‘In a Disciplined Way.’ - Barron'sAP News Summary at 5:04 p.m. ESTNorth Macedonian political party demands ban on TikTok after at least 17 students injured
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