How Supreme Ventures Mobile Betting App may revive Lotto or Super Lotto Gaming

“We expect that our customers will receive the app favourably. For now, we are focused on ensuring a high success rate for the games offered on the app and to roll out additional games currently offered by SVL in the future.”

President and CEO of Supreme Ventures Limited, Ann-Dawn Young Sang commenting on the launch of betting on the SVL Mobile Betting App.

Finally Jamaican can place bets via the SVL (Supreme Ventures Limited) Mobile Betting App.

This after having secured gaming regulator approval in March 2019, with the app launching back in February as pointed out in the article “SVL Looks To Cash Cows To Popularise Mobile Betting App”, Published Friday April 12, 2019 by Avia Collinder, The Jamaica Gleaner.

So how does this app work?

Supreme Ventures Mobile Betting App - Convenient betting to avoid long lines

Subscribers to the app will have access all day to placing bets except at 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. daily. Clearly, unless you are obsessed, you cannot place bets while asleep.

But this app is for those who love betting but dislike being seen at a betting shop all the time or going in a line to place their bets.

The app has SVL's 2 most popular games:

1.      Cash Pot

2.      Money Time

Placing bets will be via top-up, not the Mobile Money option I had anticipated as predicted in my Geezam blog article entitled “Supreme Ventures JustBet Mobile sees winnings Quisk-ed to NCB Account”. 

You can add a minimum of JA$100, with up to JA$650,000 top-up on the accounts at SVL agent windows and other locations named by the company. You can wager with limits as follows:

1.   Monthly top-up - JA$100,000 to JA$650,000

2.   Daily wagering - JA$50,000 to JA$325,000

Users can also keep track of their bets, as they are stored on their unique profile. They can receive your winnings via Quisk as noted in the article “SVL Testing Mobile Betting App, As BGLC Tackles Online Gaming Regulations”, published Friday May 4, 2018, The Jamaica Gleaner or via retail centres and lottery agents. 



For now, its Cash Pot and Money Time, both of which generated ticket sales of $36 billion and prize-money payout topping $25 billion in 2018.

Supreme Ventures Mobile Betting App - Lotto or Super Lotto reminder

Good to note that SVL, despite expecting the death of Lotto games as predicted in the article “Supreme Ventures Prepping For Lottery’s Inevitable Decline”, published Wednesday May 30, 2018 by Neville Graham, The Jamaica Gleaner still managed some impressive numbers in 2018:

1.      JA $43.48 billion in Ticket sales

2.      JA$19.48 billion (inclusive of horse racing)

3.      JA $2.1 billion in profit

“We are expecting an increase in revenue by making the game more convenient, so our players never miss a draw once they have the app and are fully registered and verified. So, obviously, more bets will be placed as a result,” said President and CEO of Supreme Ventures Limited, Ann-Dawn Young Sang.

Interestingly, the app alerts you of every game as well as your winnings. This is something sure to excite many who have heard stories of Jamaicans winning large sums of money in the Lotto or Super Lotto, only to be unable to claim it as they either forgot or lost their ticket.

Supreme Ventures is also clearly planning for the future, with plans to track analytics via their Mobile gaming app as pointed out in the article “Supreme Ventures Wants Data From Its Customers”, published Friday June 22, 2018, The Jamaica Gleaner  possibly to use the data to create other games that may involve geo-location or even event betting.

So this app may not only get the reluctant introvert to become a games, but also rejuvenate Lotto or Super Lotto by becoming a reminder on your phone.

How Jamaicans can get great Summer products from Samsung

Samsung is known primarily for their smartphone. So what does Samsung have that good for the Easter that is not a smartphone? This article will attempt to partial answer that question.

Easter Gifts form Samsung - QLED TV

First on the list we placed the television selected by Times magazine as one of the “best inventions of 2018”, the 4K QLED as explained in Samsung new QLED TV 2018 Television Lineup features Bixby and Ambient Mode.

This recognition highlights features such as its “Ambient Mode” option that mimics the TV with the wall and “Invisible Connection” that eliminates annoying cables and concentrates them in an ingenious box.

Samsung's new line of 4K QLED models features 'Ambient Mode' that shows works of art, weather reports or personal photos when not in use. The QLED TV 2018 includes the models: Q9F (75 "), Q8C (55", 65 "), Q7F (55", 75 "), and Q6F (55", 65 ").

Easter Gifts form Samsung - Galaxy Watch

For those who love being fit and stay connected at the same time, there are Samsung wearables. If you want to train and monitor all your movements in a modern way, your best ally will be a smartwatch. Galaxy Watch, the latest smartwatch from Samsung, evolved into a watch that can act as a personal trainer, monitoring around 39 different activities, measuring stress and monitoring sleep, among other functions.

The enhanced battery life of Galaxy Watch of up to more than 80 hours eliminates the need for daily charging and helps consumers keep up with their busy schedule. Samsung’s signature circular bezel and rotating design, it’s more than an aesthetic.

It’s an intuitive way to control your watch. You can choose between two different sizes, a large number of straps and over 60,000 watch faces from the Galaxy Apps Store. The Galaxy Watch has a high-res AMOLED display with an integrated touch function. It has military grade durability, and Corning® Gorilla® DX-plus glass for added strength and scratch resistance.

Easter Gifts form Samsung - Soundbar NW700

Nowadays, televisions give you excellent audio quality. However, there are elements that contribute to improving the experience as a spectator, such as the Samsung soundbar, which allow you to enjoy a wonderful sound system when watching the games of the day, movies or series.

For example, the Samsung NW700 model is the ideal choice as a perfect complement to your TV, this due to its features and easy installation. This sound system has seven speakers that move simultaneously, providing clear sound and powerful bass.

Thanks to the modern wide-range tweeter that the NW700 soundbar has, you can experience the same audio quality no matter where in your room you are.

Easter Gifts form Samsung - Black Edition

A new kitchen for Easter just in time for Summer Bar-b-Q is a gift that will surprise a wife, a mother or a newly married couple. Through its Black Edition collection - composed by refrigerators, microwave ovens and washing machines - Samsung opted for an innovative design trend using black, printing in its creations the elegance and sobriety that stylize the home spaces.

The Samsung Black Edition series gives a sophisticated touch through steel lines that magnify a metallic texture. In addition, it has fingerprint coatings to avoid excessive marks and ensure a surface that can be easily cleaned.

Easter Gifts form Samsung - Hot Blast

The microwave oven is the right hand in any modern kitchen.

With Samsung Hot Blast microwave oven, the gift will be more than perfect because not only will it become a useful tool in the kitchen, but also the consumption of energy will stop being a concern at the time of cooking.

You can follow a balanced diet by preparing different dishes in the microwave, and also save up to 40% energy consumption without having to unplug it, thanks to its ECO mode function.

Easter Gifts form Samsung - Wind-Free

Have a very cool Easter and Summer with the best cooling technology without increase your electricity bill. From now on you can save up to 65% of electricity consumption while maintaining the ideal temperature at home without the need to turn the equipment on and off constantly.

Wind-Free ™ technology is one of the most outstanding innovations as explained in Samsung Wind-Free Air Conditioners is Cooling without the Breeze.

After reaching the desired temperature with Fast Cooling mode, it maintains the ideal temperature without any direct airflow, dispersing cold air through micro-holes for a natural cooling effect, thanks to Wind-Free technology ™.

How Jamaica plans to fight Dengue with Sterilized male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

“We are projecting to start releasing by March 2020. We have about a million in the lab. If you go there now, you would witness the mosquitoes going through the processes. We keep them in cages and feed them on human blood from the Blood Bank and other blood as well.”

Sherine Huntley Jones, head of the Vector Control Programme within the Ministry of Health

There have also been a number of suspected deaths from the illness. Thus the Government of Jamaica has decided to pull out the equivalent of a Neutron Bomb.

They've decided to release sterile mosquitoes to halt the reproduction of the female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carries and spreads the disease as reported in the article “Gov’t To Release Sterile Mosquitoes To Combat Dengue”, Published Wednesday February 20, 2019, The Jamaica Gleaner.

The statistics so far looks grim. As of February 8, there were have been:

1.      1,166 suspected, presumed or confirmed dengue cases since the start of the year

2.      1,023 suspected, presumed or confirmed dengue cases in 2018

So come 2020, the Government of Jamaica will release 500,000 sterile male mosquitoes into the environment per week. The idea is that will mate with the female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes responsible for spreading the deadly dengue virus and produce stillborn eggs that never hatch.

So how is this being done?

How male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are sterilized

Sterilize Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is basically making it so that their reproductive organs cannot fertilize the female mosquitoes.

According to Sherine Huntley Jones, head of the Vector Control Programme within the Ministry of Health, there are three (3) ways to sterlize the mosquitoes:

1.      Gene manipulation

2.      Irradiation

3.      Wolbachia Bacteria

Jamaica has chosen the Irradiation, as it is more suited to quick mass production of 500,000 sterile male mosquitoes per week. “Jamaica is using the radiation methodology. At the National Public Health Laboratory in Kingston, we are into mass production of mosquitoes. We are now standardising our procedure for mass growing, with the intention of rearing enough males so we can sterilize and release them,” said Sherine Huntley Jones, head of the Vector Control Programme within the Ministry of Health.

This makes it more like a factory production line where batches of them can be made and quality control procedures can be performed to makes sure they are all sterile, as pointed out by Sherine Huntley Jones, quote: “Jamaica is using the radiation methodology. At the National Public Health Laboratory in Kingston, we are into mass production of mosquitoes. We are now standardising our procedure for mass growing, with the intention of rearing enough males so we can sterilize and release them.”

With a million already being processed for sterilization, Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton is counting on them to do a better job than fogging. Clearly they cannot keep using the same approach, as it is not working, as pointed out by Minister Tufton, quote: “We cannot engage the same approach to tackling and controlling the mosquito population, like fogging and applying chemical to water. We visited Cayman and looked at their mosquito-control centre. They told us the mosquitoes used to literally bite cattle till death. Mosquitoes are not so much of a nuisance [there] anymore”.

So are there any potential hazards to the environment?

 Sterile Mosquitoes and Reproduction - Females can potentially mutate

Sherine Huntley Jones was speaking with The Gleaner at the Spanish Court Hotel, Valencia, during a seminar titled ‘Mosquito-Borne Diseases: Dengue Fever Impact on the Workforce and Communities’.

The event, put on by the Manpower and Maintenance Services Limited and held in collaboration with the Caribbean Health Management Consultants Ltd and H&L Agro, was fairly well attended.

Good to note here that it is the females that bite and transmute; males merely fertilize the females, hence the reason why they are being targeted. “Males do not transmit disease. Males do not bite. When you hear we are releasing mosquitoes, do not panic! The females are the ones that bite. They need the blood to develop eggs. So we will release the males with view of them mating with wild females to reduce the population,” Jones pointed out.

Albeit there is no danger as it related to irradiated mosquitoes as pointed out in the article Scientist Says Nothing To Fear From Release Of Sterile Mosquitoes, Published Wednesday February 20, 2019, The Jamaica Gleaner. 

But here is the problem.

Mosquitoes and Parthenogenesis – Mutations possible to adapt to decline in males

The female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is not the only mosquito in town; a new breed is already in the island as pointed out by Minister Tufton, quote: “So what we do is go out, collect samples, breed them, and dissect them. Through the unit, we have discovered that there is a new species of mosquito in Jamaica, which we never knew of before. So we have to apply different methods to control it”.

Albeit different breeds of mosquitoes cannot interbreed, it might be able to interbreed with the sterile males and reproduce. This is because for some insects, they can reproduce asexually, needing only the stimulation of sexual contact to reproduce i.e. male courtship stimulates them.

This method of reproduction is called parthogenesis and is common among Greenflies, stick insects, aphids, water fleas, scorpions, termites and honey bees (Folden, 2018). Albeit it has not been seen in mosquitoes, scientists are yet explain how other insect and animals evolved to develope this trait.

The examples listed are all capable of reproducing without males, using parthenogenesis. In the case of the honey bee, the use of parthenogenesis has evolutionary benefits, as they elect to use parthenogenesis when the local population requires more workers, or more queens.

The possibility exists that millions of years ago, during their evolution, the female gender of these insects and animals that are capable of parthenogenesis developed this trait due to a response in a drop in their male sex partners. Albeit mosquitoes have never faced this problem as honeybees doe, being as they are not communal creatures, they can potentially evolve this capability due to deliberate generic mutation if their reproductive system senses a threat to their continued existence.

Thus, albeit unlikely, the mosquitoes over time, may evolve a mechanism to basically switch from sexual to asexual reproduction and thus thwart irradiation and other threats to their existence.

Being as they reproduce so fast and the Aedes aegypti have a live cycle of 1.5 to 3 and produce on average 100 to 200 eggs per batch (Dengue virus Net, 2019), this evolutionary adjustment may occur rapidly, allowing them to adapt possible in less than 1000 or iterations or life cycles.

Thus by 2025, they may be back at it again, this time reproducing via parthenogenesis, having recovered from the initial shock of their numbers being depleted by irradiation. Such insects, once they interact with each other, can be induced to fertilize their eggs without male gamete.

If the females adapted to irradiation in this way, by 2025 they could continue to reproduce irregardless, producing females that can self-fertilize via parthenogenesis and pass on this trait to their young.

References:

1.      Dengue virus Net. (2019). Retrieved from http://www.denguevirusnet.com/life-cycle-of-aedes-aegypti.html 

2.      Folden, S. (2018). ANIMALS THAT DON'T HAVE A MALE FOR REPRODUCTION. Retrieved from https://animals.mom.me/animals-dont-male-reproduction-9838.html

How Samsung removing Plastic Packaging can Spur Jamaican Organic Waste Recycling

“This is not the first move into sustainable packaging the company has made; Samsung has been introducing environmentally friendly packaging to its notebook computer line since 2018. Going forward, Samsung looks to expand this ‘eco-conscious packaging’ initiative into its wider product lines, including its mobile devices, wearables, TVs, refrigerators and other home appliance products,”

Samsung in a news release declaring that they are banning plastic packaging. 

Plastic Bags are a problem. So too is plastic packaging...and at least one company is taking action

Samsung Electronics is implementing sustainable packaging practices for its products to reduce plastic consumption and waste as reported in the article “Samsung Electronics Adopts New Product Packaging Policy, Steps Up Commitment To Sustainability”, published Thursday February 14, 2019, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Samsung has already begun the switch to more environmentally-friendly packaging since 2019 for all products in their portfolio, as pointed out by Samsung in their Press Release, quote: “Additionally, in order to further support full-cycle sustainability, Samsung has committed to only use sustainable forest management-certified paper materials in its packaging and manuals by 2020”.

Samsung will replace plastic with the following alternatives:

1.      Moulded pulp trays

2.      Recycled paper containers

3.      Recycled plastic and bio-based bags

4.      Fossil fuel-free materials like starch for bags

So why is this happening?

Samsung and Plastic Packaging - Imported products still packaged in Styrofoam

This is very good to hear as according to information out of the United Nations, since the 1950s:

1.      8 million tons of plastic end up in the world’s oceans each year

2.      8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced

3.      1% of that figure comes from renewable, non-fossil fuel-based resources

Thus countries like Jamaica banning single-use plastic bags, straws and Styrofoam is a response to the growing threat of plastic to our Environment and sectors that are dependent on the environment, such as the Tourism Sector as noted in my blog article entitled “How the Jamaican Plastic Ban is creating Entrepreneurs but Styrofoam Alternatives needed”.

But as I had pointed out in that article, a lot of single-use plastic and Styrofoam is still coming into Jamaica in the form of imported products that are packaged using these plastics. Jamaica has no power to ban them, so they have to act on conscience.

So what caused Samsung to make this announcement?

Samsung and the EU - Largest market means Organic packaging in demand

Samsung is clearly patterning their moves after the European Union.

Earlier in October 2018, they had declared that they would also be banning Single-use plastic within their country by 2021 as reported in the article “Single-use plastics ban approved by European Parliament”, published 24 October 2018, BBC.

The European Union happens to be their biggest customer outside of the US of A. For them, this is not just out of concern over the environment, but out of fear of their products being banned from this large developing market that seems to like their products, especially the S9 that I had recently test driven as noted in my Geezam blog article entitled “Samsung Galaxy S9 Hands on –Matryoshka doll in a Mercedes 300SL”.

In their press Release, Samsung also said, “This commitment to sustainable practices in product packaging is part of a wider series of midterm initiatives put in place by Samsung to transform the way the company manages its resources.”

Whatever their motivation, this may also be good for Jamaica as well, as we can get into the making some of these alternative packaging solutions.

Moulded pulp is a fusion material that uses no wood fibres. It incorporates waste by-products such as sugar cane residue, basically making it possible to recycle everything from wood waste cuttings and sugar cane trash or bagasse and even paper to make packaging....

Jamaica now needs to gear up for another new initiative - collecting and recycling paper to make packaging!

Alternatives to Whatsapp for Jamaicans as Facebook Messenger, Instagram to merge soon

Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg has plan to make WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram communicate seamlessly as reported in “Facebook to merge WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram messaging”, published JANUARY 25, 2019 by Queenie Wong and Lori Grunin, CNET.

While Whatsapp is ad-free and has E2EE (End to End Encryption), Facebook Messenger and Instagram are not encrypted.

Knowing Facebook, this is just another way to add data to their social Graph and sell it to Third party Advertising companies.

Or worse, with the CIA, the FBI or even GCHQ as predicted in my Geezam blog article entitled “WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger may be sharing E2EE Keys with the NSA”.

So are there alternatives to Whatsapp?

Alternatives to Facebook merging WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram

Actually there are three (3) alternatives as laid out in the article “3 WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger alternatives”, published February 15 2019, by Jason Cipriani, CNET:

1.      Signal

2.      Telegram

3.      Apple iMessage

The previous 2 work on Android devices.  All these options sport E2EE and come with VoIP calling.

However Apple iMessage is great once you have an Apple device. At least you get FaceTime and iMessages from a close group, itself a great security feature.

Telegram is especially handy, offering encrypted chats with self-destructing messages. Of the two, it has the same look and feel like Whastapp, making users feel quite at home. It is both app and browser based and its messaging feature, called Secret Chats, allows the sender of a message to enable and disable E2EE for each conversation.

Signal is possibly the simplest and best. It is renowned for its E2EE, which is applied by default on all conversations. And yes, it was indeed endorsed by Edward Snowden.

Still, I wouldn't mind if all of these apps could make calls to landline as opined in my Geezam blog article entitled “Microsoft, Signal E2EE needs Free Local, International Mobile and Landline Calling”.

So, are you ready to jump ship?

How Jamaicans can watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2019

There’s just a day to go until GalaxyUNPACKED 2019!

The event takes place on February 20^th in San Francisco and will introduce the world to the newest additions to the Galaxy family, revealing an exciting future for the smartphone as Samsung celebrates 10 years of leadership in mobile innovation.

If you can’t make it to the event in person, don’t worry! You can still watch the action unfold live from the comfort of your own home at 11 a.m. PST via any of the links detailed below.

Samsung Galaxy UNPACKED 2019 - Samsung, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube

The Samsung Galaxy Unpacked2019 celebrates a decade since the launch of the first Galaxy and will present a new device designed to satisfy today’s Smartphone market, so consumers can do more of what they love. Here is the link for the YouTube Channel to watch:

Tune in on Facebook

Visit Samsung Global’s Facebook page when the event begins.

Tune in on Twitter

Visit Galaxy Unpacked's Twitter page when the event begins.

The future of mobile will unfold on February 20, 2019. #SamsungEvent pic.twitter.com/MHvwrt7Rf4

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) February 11, 2019

Don’t forget to follow all the latest news about the Galaxy lineup on the Samsung Newsroom Galaxy page.  Visit Samsung Newsroom when the event begins.

How smartphone Apps collect MAC address, IMEI and Android ID to sell to Advertisers

A new day is coming for users of Social Media and companies that profit from our data.

California has plans to implement European-style privacy law that would allow customer to know what Social Media comapneis and Websites know about them a noted in the article “California Governor Wants Users To Profit From Online Data”, Published Thursday February 14, 2019, The Jamaica Gleaner.

The coming law would require that companies:

1.      Tell customers upon request what personal data they have collected and why

2.      Which categories of third parties have received it

3.      Allow consumers to delete their information and not sell it

But...what if you wanted a slice of the action? After all, those free social media services are paid for by these Silicon Valley tech giants collecting your data...so why can you not get a cut of the profit?

Apps and device signatures - Third party advertisers making billions from your data

This seems to be the arguement of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is seeking to do just that as noted in his first State of the State speech Tuesday January 12^th 2019, quote: “Companies that make billions of dollars collecting, curating and monetising our personal data have a duty to protect it...... California’s consumers should also be able to share in the wealth that is created from their data.”

Tech companies, for example, sell the data to outside businesses that send targeted ads to users. This data is often collected from apps that collect the data even when you opt out of their advertising and access to your Smartphone as noted in “These Android apps have been tracking you, even when you say stop”, published February 14 2019 by Laura Hautala, CNET.

According to research from the International Computer Science Institute, some 17,000 Android apps are collecting your Smartphone’s unique device signatures:

1.      MAC address

2.      IMEI

3.      Android ID

This data allows these apps to create a permanent record of the activity on your device. They can then resell this data to third party advertisers who can continuously send you advertising. By right, they are only allowed by Google to use the Advertising ID assigned to developers for their apps.

But according to research from the International Computer Science Institute, less than 30% of these 17,000 Android apps surveyed follow Google's best practices for developers.

You can clear your Advertising ID in much the same way you can clear browser cookies as explained in my blog article entitled “How to Delete Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera browser history on an iPhone”. 

Clearing this Advertising ID could stop advertisers from building up data about you over time. But you can't reset other identifiers, like the MAC address and IMEI.

How smartphone data is used by Advertisers - MAC address, IMEI and Android ID track you forever

The MAC (media access control) address is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) in your Smartphone.

It is used for communications at the data link layer of a network segment for internet connections with devices such as Wi-Fi routers. MAC addresses are used as a network address for most IEEE 802 network technologies, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) is a 15- or 17-digit code that uniquely identifies mobile phone sets. The IMEI code can enable a GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) or UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service) network to block a stolen phone from initiating calls. 

The Android ID can be reset, but only if you run a factory reset of your device to erase data before you resell a Smartphone as described in my blog article entitled “How to erase personal information from your Android smartphone before selling”.

If this is even a bit true, advertising networks can send you advertising as long as you have the phone. So ultimately something has to give; either you accept giving up your privacy for free services while Silicon Valley makes billions from studying your personal data or they share the profits with you....as the “Free” services have to be financed one way or the other.

Quitting your Smartphone may be good for you in the long run to combat Smartphone addiction as explained in my blog article entitled “How to deal with Smartphone Addiction as Wearables trend indicates it is getting worse”.....but I doubt you'll be doing that anytime soon....