Phoenix Shopping Festival is Back with a Bang from from August to September 2020

With the festive season just around the corner, Phoenix Marketcity is all geared up to offer its customers an experience of a lifetime with its third edition of “Phoenix Shopping Festival”. Just like the previous two seasons, this year’s edition spans over from August to September 2020 and is filled with shopping, entertainment, amazing food, surprises, winning fabulous prizes and lots more. 

This year, Phoenix Shopping Festival gets more rewarding with INR 1cr worth prizes to be won on shopping, along with the entire mall on up-to 60 percent off. It is pouring deals at Phoenix Marketcity where one can shop for Rs. 10,000 or above and stand a chance to win grand prizes like Hyundai Creta Car, Harley Davidson Bike and much more. There is more when a customer shops for Rs. 50,000 or above stands the chances of winning assured gifts like gold coins, mobile phones, Swarovski products, TV, Fridge and much more. Shopaholics can get their hands on the latest styles of the year at the End of Season Sale and get up to 60% off. Shop from more than 300 luxurious brands and revamp your closet with your favorite outfits, jewelry, footwear, bags and much more. 

Apart from this, Phoenix Marketcity has also introduced contactless parking and contactless dining to ensure minimal human interaction. Contactless Dining is a unique and safe dining experience which has minimized human contact by eliminating the use of high-touch elements at restaurants in the food court. This technology makes the entire process, from ordering to payment seamlessly digital. 

Commenting on the launch of Phoenix Shopping Festival Season 3, Mr. Gajendra Singh Rathore, Sr. Centre Director said, “This Year Phoenix Shopping Festival 3rd edition is pepped up with days of happiness, shopping, and dining. To make sure Phoenix Marketcity is the right place to be this festive season, we are practicing all the preventive steps and have set stringent SOPs that are constantly monitored to give our customers a safe and happy shopping experience” 

This Shopping festival, Phoenix Marketcity is also offering concierge services like the Curbside service for its customers who may want to shop at the mall at the comfort of their homes. Curbside service ensures comfort and convenience to consumers by offering a seamless retail experience designed with safety in mind. The Curbside pickup desk has been set up keeping in mind minimal interaction and trouble-free experience to get the shopping orders picked. Shopping enthusiasts can place their shopping orders through the Whatsapp application platform by just sending a ‘Hi’ on WhatsApp number +91 6366940002 where a personal shopper shall assist customers immediately. The service platform will direct customers to select merchandise and products from their catalogues or through assisted virtual shopping. Customers can shop from the favourite brands and make payments online while easily enquiring about, timings and delivery with a chatbot to respond to frequently asked questions and connect with individual stores for brand related queries at the same time. The orders would be ready for a contactless Curbside pickup at an allotted time. Another modest initiative is Phoenix @ Doorsteps which is basically a home delivery service where customers will get their shopped bags delivered at their doorsteps. 

To ensure safe and peaceful shopping, the mall has been thoroughly sanitized, each customer and staff are mandatorily checked for temperature before entering. There are thermal scanners which scan the body temperature and sanitizing footwear mats at the entry points, frequent sanitization of touch points. In accordance with global guidelines, social distancing is mandatory, as will be wearing masks by both customers and staff throughout their stay at the mall. Sanitizers have been placed at multiple locations and customers are encouraged to use them regularly. The staff too has been trained in enforcing these safety guidelines. In addition to their own safety, the staff & our retail outlets shall ensure that the guidelines are being followed across the mall. Only a limited number of customers are allowed into the mall and inside lifts, escalators at a time. In a mall with 1 million sq ft area, social distancing is practised at its best. Digital transactions are preferred over cash transactions. 

With a host of safety initiatives, Phoenix Marketcity invites all its patrons to be a part of this magnificent festival to shop their heart out. 

About Phoenix Marketcity Bengaluru 

Classified as a “Larger Lifestyle Engagement Destination”, Phoenix Marketcity Bengaluru offers visitors an array of unforgettable experiences. With its truly international look and feel, tastefully done interiors and the best of food, fashion, and entertainment from the world over, Phoenix remains ‘The’ destination for the premium discerning customers of the city as well expats. With over 300 stores, representing an exhaustive mix of International, National and Regional premium brands, the mall offers the most comprehensive and compelling lifestyle shopping experience in Bangalore. More than just a Mall, Phoenix Marketcity, Bengaluru is in fact a veritable melting pot of fascinating cultures, beautiful clothing, and high-end couture. It is a city within a city, an urban space where retail, entertainment and leisure offerings co-exist. 

Discovery Channel and Discovery Plus To Capture Live Splashdown Return of SpaceX Crew Dragon on Aug 2

Discovery and Science Channel announced today it will capture the incredible live splashdown return of the NASA launch of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft after docking the past two months at the International Space Station (ISS). SPACE LAUNCH LIVE: SPLASHDOWN a multiplatform event, will air live on Sunday, August 2 at 22:30 hrs. on Discovery. Viewers can stream the HD version of the LIVE feed starting 23:00 hrs. on Discovery Plus.

This past May, Discovery and Science Channel worked with The Washington Post to document the first crewed mission from the United States since the end of the shuttle program in 2011. This successful NASA launch from Kennedy Space Center was a partnership between NASA and SpaceX, marking the first U.S. crewed mission to orbit on a privately built spacecraft. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley traveled to the ISS in the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, propelled by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. 

Scott Lewers, Executive Vice President of Multiplatform Programming, Factual & Head of Content, Science, said, “With the incredible access of The Washington Post, we spent over a year documenting SpaceX’s journey to become the first private company to launch American astronauts into space and we’re excited to see their safe return back to Earth. Our live coverage will take viewers inside their incredible journey home.”

This live event, capturing the first landing at sea for U.S. astronauts since 1975, is also made in partnership with The Washington Post and staff writer Christian Davenport, whose depth of experience allowed him to gain inside access to key players. Davenport is one of the country’s leading chroniclers of the space industry. His background and experience will add keen insight to the day’s event, as a co-host of the live broadcast. Davenport joined The Post in 2000 and was on a team that won a Peabody Award in 2010 for its work on veterans with traumatic brain injuries and has been on reporting teams that were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize three times. He is the author of two books, “The Space Barons: Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos” (2018) and “As You Were: To War and Back with the Black Hawk Battalion of the Virginia National Guard” (2009). He has also served as a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a fellow at the Alicia Patterson Foundation. 

“The Post has long covered this industry and continues to bring readers in-depth reporting on the new space endeavors with unparalleled access and compelling storytelling,” said Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, managing editor for The Washington Post.  “We are excited to once again partner with Discovery to deliver coverage of this historic event and bring our journalism to a live TV audience.” 

“We are honored to continue our partnership with Discovery and The Washington Post, to share this exhilarating new era in space exploration,” said Aaron Fishman, President of Unscripted at Storied Media Group. "The extraordinary cooperation we have received from NASA and SpaceX are reigniting enthusiasm in space among young and old audiences alike." 

The spacecraft is scheduled to splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean and would successfully conclude NASA and SpaceX’s Demo-2 mission. Temperatures on the return can spike up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit on the exterior of the spacecraft due to the friction caused during re-entry. Regarding the spaceship’s return, SpaceX Founder and Chief Engineer Elon Musk noted, “I think there’s an argument that the return is more dangerous in some ways than the ascent.”

Discovery and Discovery Plus’ live coverage will have unprecedented coverage of the spacecraft’s return as well as expert commentary from current and former astronauts, including Mike Massimino and Garrett Reisman, top engineers and other special guests, including adventurer and avid explorer Josh Gates.

TV personality Chris Jacobs will pick up where he left off as host of the live return. Jacobs has a long history with Discovery network live events, reporting live on-the-ground for EXPEDITION UNKNOWN: EGYPT LIVE as well as serving as the digital host during Nik Wallenda’s tightrope walk over the Grand Canyon in SKYWIRE LIVE and in Chicago for SKYSCRAPER LIVE. Jacobs was host for DISCOVERY LIVE: INTO THE BLUE HOLE, CHOPPER LIVE, GOLD RUSH LIVE and the live broadcast of the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction for Velocity (now MotorTrend). In addition, he is the regular host for TLC’s LONG LOST FAMILY and serves as host of the popular automotive makeover show OVERHAULIN’ on MotorTrend.

Emmy Award-winning journalist David Kerley will also return as part of the reporting team. Kerley reported on aviation, railroads, the automobile industry and space for all ABC News broadcast and digital properties, including World News Tonight, Good Morning America, Nightline, ABC News Radio and ABCNews.com. His work has been recognized with Peabody and Edward R. Murrow awards as well as the prestigious Joan Barone award from the Capitol Hill Radio and Television Correspondents Association.

In addition to watching the return on Discovery at 22:30 hrs, Viewers can stream the HD version of the LIVE feed starting 23:00 hrs on Discovery Plus.Fans can also create photos and videos of themselves in space wearing life-like SpaceX helmets using Discovery’s Space Filter on Facebook or Instagram. Follow Discovery on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter for the latest updates and join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #Splashdown. 

SPACE LAUNCH LIVE: SPLASHDOWN is produced for Discovery Channel by Storied Media Group. Executive producers for Storied Media Group are Aaron Fishman, Todd Hoffman and Michael J. Miller. For Discovery and Science Channel, Executive Producers are Gretchen Eisele, Scott Lewers and Caroline Perez. To learn more, go to www.discovery.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/discovery and on Twitter @Discovery.

About Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 224 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. 

Coders Turn COVID-19 Fighters at TechGig Code Gladiators 2020 Coding Contest

Hackathons

* TechGig Code Gladiators has 15,617+ registrations at two hackathons focussed on limiting COVID-19 pandemic impact

* Guinness book record holder event, Code Gladiators is hosting its seventh edition this year with more than 2lakh+ registrations 

* Code Gladiators 2020 is hosting five hackathons in total, all focussed on new-age technologies like Machine Learning, RPA, Cloud 

Will a computer programme ease the COVID-19 crisis? Going by the heaps of ideas suggested at TechGig Code Gladiators 2020, the answer could very well be - a ‘yes’. 

With the world gripped in the COVID-19 crisis for more than 100 days now, it’s the right time for the coders to join hands with the frontline health staff and pharma researchers to keep the indomitable Coronavirus at bay. 

TechGig Code Gladiators 2020 has recorded more than 15,617+ registrations in two hackathons focussed on finding tech-based solutions to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. They are IBM- 2020 Call for Code Global Challenge and Microsoft HackOnAzure. Microsoft HackOnAzure is solely focussed on finding COVID-19 solutions, while IBM- 2020 Call for Code Global Challenge has two tracks – COVID-19 & Climate Change. The other hackathons at Code Gladiators 2020 include UiPath RPA Hackathon, Automated Multi-Label Classification by Times Internet and the Open Coding Round where the participants can submit codes in any of the 50 programming languages offered.

Participation is free at https://www.techgig.com/codegladiators 

Code Gladiators - the Guinness world record holder programming event - is hosting its seventh edition this year. Code Gladiators 2020 edition kicked off on March 23, 2020, and has recorded 2,35,375+ registrations till now. This edition is particularly interesting because the COVID-19 lockdown has forced most professionals to work from home, giving them more time to participate in this globally acclaimed hackathon.  

TechGig surveyed to understand the participants’ experience at the present hackathon, where more than 68% coders affirmed that they could concentrate well on the hackathons owing to the lockdown. About 62% of participants also said that they were excited about the event’s upcoming online mega grand finale since this is the first time that the event will conclude with a virtual finale. 

 

Elaborating on the Code Gladiators 2020 hackathons, Sanjay Goyal, Business Head, TimesJobs and TechGig said, “Every year TechGig Code Gladiators resolves to find solutions to the real-world business problems posed by the participating IT companies. This year, we found an opportunity amid the despair. Presently when most countries are battling the COVID-19 outbreak, Code Gladiators presents a unique opportunity to coders to find a tech-based solution to limit the virus impact. The other hackathons at the contest are equally interesting where coders are challenged to solve complex business problems using a trending technology such as RPA (Robotic Process Automation).”

Citing some of the solutions as ‘very promising’, Sanjay Goyal added that TechGig’s team and the entire IT industry is keenly waiting for some of these solutions to take shape. The first round of registrations at Code Gladiators 2020 is presently on and will conclude on June 22, 2020.

Win $10 million prize for building a best power saving bulb

The US Energy Department has declared a contest in which the company that makes the best power saving bulb will get a prize of $10 million. The contest winner will also receive consideration for federal purchasing agreements and will have a head start at cracking a vast consumer marketplace. The Energy Department will also award $5 million to the creator of an LED reflector lamp.

The L Prize has attracted significant attention in the lighting industry. Currently, 60 watt incandescent lamps represent 50 percent of all the lighting in the United States, with 425 million sold each year. The Energy Department says that if all those lamps were LED equivalents, enough power would be saved to light 17.4 million American households and cut carbon emissions by 5.6 million metric tons annually.

So far, Philips is the only company which has submitted its entry. The company has developed a led based bulb which uses one-sixth energy of a 60 watt incandescent bulb. "Philips is confident that the product submitted meets or exceeds all of the criteria for the L Prize," Rudy Provoost, Chief of Philips Lighting, said in a statement to New York Times. Philips has delivered 2,000 prototypes of its bulb to the Energy Department for testing.

Apart from few changes, the incandescent bulb continues to be similar to the Thomas Edison creation. But now the incandescent bulbs will be outlawed by new energy standards that go into effect in 2012. LED bulbs are now available but they have limited output and high prices.

The energy department has made certain criteria for the competition. All bulbs must be able to provide as much light as 60 watt incandescent bulb in 10 watt. The bulb must also last for more than 25,000 hours - about 25 times longer than a standard light bulb. Also, at least 75 percent of the bulb must be made or assembled in the United States. Philip's prototypes currently meet up in all criteria.

Speaking about the contest, James R. Brodrick, Manager of the Solid State Lighting Program of the Energy Department says that these will be the most publicly tested bulb ever. "We've probably eliminated almost 25 products that were horrible," said James R. Brodrick, manager of the Solid State Lighting Program of the Energy Department. "We test LED bulbs today that claim on the package that they're equivalent to 40 watts, but are really like 20-watt bulbs."

Kevin Dowling, Vice President for innovation at Philips Solid State Lighting Solutions, is confident that the LED light bulb can become an affordable option. "Over the long term, we can absolutely get the cost down to the $20 to $25 range," he said.

Agencies

Win Big Prize Money at Facebook Developer Contest

Facebook would become the first social networking site to showcase apps in Hindi as it calls for entries in English and Hindi to showcase web development skills in two categories of Facebook apps & Facebook Connect Integrations

The day for which the Indian developer community had been waiting has finally arrived. Facebook, whose mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected, announced today the launch of ‘Facebook India Developer Contest’ – a contest for Indian developers to showcase their web development skills by creating Facebook applications and Facebook Connect Integrations. The contest began on July 2 and ends on September 11, 2009 and is located at www.facebook.com/developercontestindia.

This is the first time Facebook is organizing a developer contest in India. Entries will be judged on originality, business potential, social utility, usefulness, expressive features, intuitiveness and potential of the application. There are three cash prizes; $4000 for the first place, $2000 for the second place and $1000 for the third, in each of the two categories.

To enter the contest, participants are required to create a Facebook platform application for use on the Facebook site or Facebook Connect integrations in English or Hindi and register their application in the contest’s homepage. The contest is open to Indian residents over the age of 16 with a facebook.com account

Ruchi Sangvi, engineer and manager of the Facebook platform said, “India ranks second in the number of software developers with 3.9 million software developers; we are very excited to engage with the developer community. Facebook has experienced a tremendous growth in India. Through the contest, we hope to see many rich experiences that leverage the social graph and empower Facebook users to share and connect.”

Facebook Connect enables people to combine their Facebook experiences with any participating Website, desktop application or mobile device. When websites incorporate Facebook Connect, Facebook’s more than 200 million active users around the globe can automatically import profile information and bypass the need to build a friends’ list from scratch. More than 10000 websites have incorporated Facebook Connect since its general availability in December 2008.