DailyPay Ranked Number 185 Fastest-Growing Company in North America on the 2024 Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ – Technology Today – EIN Presswire
Howard Chang, a top biotechnology researcher and longtime professor at Stanford University, will join Amgen as chief scientific officer on Dec. 16, the company said Wednesday.
Chang will also assume the title of senior vice president of research and will report to Jay Bradner, the executive vice president of research and development who currently serves as chief scientific officer. Chang will oversee operations in key research hubs around the world and research into therapies for rare diseases, cancer, inflammation and cardiometabolic conditions, Amgen said.
In Chang, Amgen is getting an award-winning scientist known for expertise in genetics and RNA research, particularly in long-noncoding RNAs. But Chang is also an experienced industry player, whose resume includes co-founding the biotech companies Orbital Therapeutics, Cartography Biosciences, Boundless Bio and Accent Therapeutics.
“Howard is one of our generation’s foremost physician-scientists, with expertise in human genetics and a profound ability to distill complex disease biology into clarified targets,” Bradner said in Amgen’s statement announcing his appointment.
Chang will have his work cut out for him at Amgen, which is facing the impending losses of market exclusivity for best sellers including Prolia/Xgeva, Enbrel, Repatha and Otezla. In a recent report, analyst firm Leerink Partners ranked Amgen among the top five large-cap biopharma companies exposed to patent expirations for blockbuster drugs in the 2025-2030 period.
To make up for declining sales of older medicines, Amgen has been looking both outside and inside the company for growth. Last year, Amgen completed a $28 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics. And it’s been focusing on experimental treatments for immune-system disorders, prostate cancer and obesity, an area of particular interest to investors with the booming demand for drugs like Ozempic.
Chang, for his part, expressed confidence that his new company will succeed. “Amgen holds a storied place in the biotech industry,” Chang posted on LinkedIn. “I’m confident we can push the boundaries of what is possible in science and medicine.”
Chang holds undergraduate and medical degrees from Harvard University as well as a Ph.D. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He completed his residency and a fellowship in dermatology at Stanford and has been on the faculty at the university since 2004.
WTIA CEO Michael Schutzler (left), and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell speak at the WTIA’s 40th anniversary event on Tuesday in Seattle. Schutzler is retiring after leading the nonprofit trade association for 11 years. (GeekWire Photos / Taylor Soper)
The tech scene in Washington looked quite different than today when the Washington Technology Industry Association launched back in 1984.
There was a fast-growing company called Microsoft in Bellevue, and a few other Seattle software upstarts such as AttachMate and WRQ were getting off the ground.
The industry was small and nascent. But a group of folks recognized the potential of a new, booming sector — one that needed support to grow.
The Washington Software Association, which later became the WTIA, was born.
“They sought to unite the industry. They sought to grow the industry,” Ed Lazowska, a longtime computer science professor at the University of Washington, said at the WTIA’s 40th anniversary event on Tuesday. “They sought to convince civic leaders and the citizens that … we could become a national, global power in software. That was their vision, and it worked out pretty well.”
Microsoft has grown into the third-most valuable company in the world. Amazon became the state’s largest employer as it pioneered online retail and cloud computing.
A flurry of other companies, working in software and other tech-enabled industries — Tableau, Zillow Group, F5, Expedia Group, just to name a few — sprouted in Washington and grew into major players.
Now, a flock of newer startups — see the GeekWire 200 list of top privately held companies — is continuing the state’s strength in technology.
The tech industry now represents about 21% of the state’s GDP and has created about 3.5 million jobs in total, according to the WTIA, which has remained a key pillar of the state’s innovation ecosystem.
WTIA operates a nonprofit member trade association and a for-profit corporation providing business services. It also offers health insurance and 401(k) to tech companies and entrepreneurs.
The organization will have a new leader at the start of next year, as longtime WTIA CEO Michael Schutzler announced this week that he’s retiring.
When he took over in 2013, Schutzler helped WTIA shift its focus to accelerating workforce development and helping boost startups, by way of public policy efforts and programs for companies and entrepreneurs.
“We pivoted it to a mission-driven organization, instead of a member-driven organization,” Schutzler said at the event Tuesday. “It was a huge difference.”
Under Schutzler’s leadership, WTIA also helped raise $50 million for computer science education in the state of Washington, and supported more than 150 entrepreneurs who launched companies.
It also created a nonprofit tech apprenticeship program called Apprenti that was spun out and now operates in multiple U.S. states.
Schutzler thanked the hundreds of volunteers and sponsors for their support, many of whom were in the room on Tuesday.
“It’s been an amazing ride,” he said.
Kelly Fukai will become WTIA’s CEO in January.
Kelly Fukai, WTIA’s current COO, will take over as CEO.
Speaking at the event, Fukai called technology the “economic engine that powers our state.” She is focused on helping close the tech talent gap and making sure the industry benefits communities across the entire state of Washington.
“I’m really excited to take this great foundation that has been laid by our team here and all of you in this room, and really deliver at the highest level possible — and just put it on steroids,” Fukai said.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell also spoke at the event Tuesday. He said his peers around the world know Seattle as a city of technology and innovation — and credited the WTIA for boosting that brand.
“I will guarantee you there are mayors that would love to have this kind of presence in their city,” Harrell said.
Lazowska reminded the audience that the WTIA’s impact is not just about tech companies and employees.
“We understand our responsibility to help create a region where everyone can not just survive, but thrive,” he said. “We’re not just about ourselves. That’s really important. We’re about equity, we’re about advancing the well-being of the community in which we live and work.”
Related: Seattle mayor, who sits on a federal AI panel, says he’ll seek ways to work with Trump administration
Microsoft has launched a new book imprint with the aim of printing faster than traditional publishers.Named after an Intel microprocessor, 8080 Books will publish titles focused on technology, science and business.The imprint aims to “accelerate the publishing process, shortening the lag between the final manuscript and the book’s arrival in the marketplace,” reads a company statement.“Technology has quickened the pace of almost every industry except publishing,” it adds. “We know that more important ideas and arguments can travel faster than they do at the moment. Can they travel too fast? Of course, that already happens in abundance, but we seek to strike the right balance.”The first title from 8080, No Prize for Pessimism, by Microsoft’s deputy chief technology officer Sam Schillace, is available now. The book explores the need for optimism when creating technology products.Its second title, Platform Mindset, is written by Marcus Fontoura, previously technical fellow and corporate vice-president at Microsoft, and will be available later this year.The imprint anticipates that many of its writers and readers will be “current, former, and future Microsofties” as well as customers, researchers and policymakers.However, along with Microsoft writers, it hopes to “showcase minds and ideas from outside the company” and is “especially interested in new and nontraditional writers and thinkers”. It is not currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts.8080 also plans to reissue “significant works” and out of print books that remain relevant.The imprint said its initial topics of focus will be “technology and the future; business process and productivity, and societal priorities in law, ethics, and policy.”skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionIt said it will experiment with technology to “accelerate and democratise” book publishing, and is building a “rigorous” editorial process which will involve spotting “meritorious” ideas and arguments quickly, assisting with manuscript development, inviting internal and external reviews and meeting “style and substance standards”.The imprint will “cover the costs of utilising publishing professionals” and donate the remaining revenue to nonprofits through Microsoft Philanthropies.This week, it was revealed that Microsoft had struck a deal with HarperCollins to use some nonfiction books it publishes to train an AI model, with the permission of authors.
For the Second Consecutive Year, Legendary Supply Chain Ranks on the 2024 Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ at #93 – Technology Today – EIN Presswire
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to LinkedinA great image serves as a passport, allowing you to transport to a place and experience its unique essence, distinct textures, colors and light. With their exceptional skill and extensive experience, travel photographer Teal Thomsen and cinematographer David Markun have mastered this art of capturing people and landscapes with their lenses.
You might have seen the married couple’s work with Belmond and Four Seasons hotels, on Netflix’s Dancing for the Devil and in the 2021 Oscar-winning short film Two Distant Strangers. Forbes Travel Guide caught up with the talented twosome during a recent visit to Cognac’s Le Logis (home to Forbes Travel Guide’s L’Académie corporate retreat), where they photographed the 16th-century chateau and surrounding vineyards, to get a snapshot of the duo’s creative process, find out their bucket-list destinations and gather some tips for aspiring photographers.
When the light hits the French countryside just right.Teal Thomsen
What was your impression of Le Logis?
Thomsen: It’s like a fairytale, a storybook chateau surrounded by vineyards on a hill. The hospitality is just absolutely next level. The staff was so kind and welcoming, and the food was amazing.
Markun: They curate such amazing, unique experiences. We ate dinner in different places every night. We had cocktail hour in different locations each time, lunch was in different settings, and they were able to create these beautiful, unique little experiences.
Do you have any favorite photographs or images from your visit?
Thomsen: Definitely not. There are thousands. There are terabytes of footage. It would be crazy to have a favorite. My favorites would be the photos I shot inside the chateau in the mornings because it gets stunning, strong morning light. And then all the exteriors at sunset. Shooting outside during golden hour, David and I ran around like chickens with their heads off nonstop. Like at every angle, the light was stunning.A camera-wielding Markun in action.Teal Thomsen
There’s nothing better than natural light.
Markun: Totally. That dictated a lot of our shoot, and I got to give a lot of credit to Robert [Louey], our creative director, who was adamant that we soak in the light and see it. Teal and I are so used to hitting the ground running. Whatever location, whatever place in the world we go to, we pull out our cameras, and we’re ready to go. Robert’s like, “Sit and watch the light for a bit when you get to Le Logis.” It sounded hilarious, but truthfully, it dictated a lot of our shoot.
Staying there for a few days allowed us to study the light. In the same way, they curated these different experiences, we were able to curate different light patterns and say, “Oh, the pool actually will be better at 4 o’clock, a little bit before sunset.” It was cool to let that be the process that naturally dictated how the photographs came to life.
France is beautiful, and it holds so much magic for people. Is there something that stands out that visually defines it for you?
Thomsen: For me, a lot of it is the light. I had to shoot in Saint-Tropez once, and I just remember the light bouncing off all the warm-colored buildings, making everyone look beautiful. Every person was stunning because the light was hitting them. But also, it has a certain magic because there’s so much history and all the architecture and buildings. There are so many stories within that it lends itself to visual storytelling. Walking around France is different from walking around L.A. You get different kinds of information here.The creative couple captures moments all over the globe, including this one with marigolds in Jaipur.Teal Thomsen
How would you describe your work’s styles and influences?
Thomsen: My goal is to make it feel transportive so you can feel like you were there. I lean toward warmth and natural light in every frame. I tend to go for color, but being transportive is the primary goal, so I’m not shooting wide frames of a landscape or a room. I’m shooting what it feels like to sit there so that you might see the edge of the desk with your coffee on it, the open window with the drapes blowing and the view out the window — not just the view.
Markun: My style of filming is mainly documentary-based. I shoot series and films, travel the world and do different stories. I always like the idea you’re in service of your subject, trying to tell the story through the subject’s eyes.
As a documentarian, your job is to feel the lens, the perspective, feel you’re there, but you’re also trying to do so through your subject. I also pride myself on doing elevated documentaries — not using a Handycam but technology and real cinema tools to tell a story and, not make it larger than life, but bring out the best of it.
Is there a place where you felt photos couldn’t do it justice?
Thomsen: Yes. Namibia, for example. There was no way to fully capture the vastness of the landscapes and how tiny you felt in this desert land. I tried to do it through humans in the frame for scale, but it doesn’t do it justice.
Markun: Steepness is difficult to capture. We often shoot motorcycle commercials in the Himalayas and Ladakh, India. And I’m like, “We’re up at 15,000 feet. How do you make it seem like we’re at 15,000 feet?” And you’re riding on a crazy, single-track road with a gigantic steep drop-off. It isn’t easy to get the perspective to show the sheer intensity of the natural landscape.A stunning shot in Namibia.Teal Thomsen
Any bucket-list destinations?
Thomsen: My bucket list is never-ending, but Bhutan and Antarctica are at the top of my list.
Markun: Somewhere extreme because I love seeing how people adapt. Whether it’s people living 14,000 feet up in Ladakh, India, or people in Alaska riding their mountain bikes in zero-degree weather, or people in Quito, Ecuador, living at the top of a crater, it’s fascinating to tell those stories of people in extreme environments because it gives you another appreciation and respect for humanity.According to Thomsen, don’t just focus on the view.Teal Thomsen
Do you have any advice for amateurs looking for a good travel photo?
Thomsen: Think about foreground, middle ground and background. Don’t just shoot the view. Shoot like what it looks like from where you are. Include a little bit of the window frame.
Markun: Follow the light. Everyone always wants to take a photo in front of the sunset. If you have a really good camera, a backlight and maybe a bounce card, it could look good, but otherwise, it will just be like a silhouette. We take the phone and then say, “Maybe face this way for a second.” And everyone’s like, “Why would I face that way?” But get the good light to hit you for a second, and then boom, this is the better photo. Just trust the light.
Thomsen: When you’re just shooting the view or the sunset, everyone will have that picture. Shoot from your perspective, it’s going to be different.
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Istanbul
CNN
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Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar is one of the most bustling spots in one of the world’s greatest, busiest cities.
Close to 50 million people pass through the 21 gates of the venerable marketplace each year, and up to 500,000 per day during peak season.
This commercial center at the crossroads of Europe and Asia was established in 1461, and over the next two and a half centuries extended to a labyrinthine sprawl of 61 covered streets. There are more than 4,000 shops across 48,000 square meters — that’s the size of about five city blocks in Manhattan.
Traders deal in gold, jewels, leather, fur and spices, as they have done for centuries, and the cacophony raised by the thronging customers reaches to the heights of the hand-painted, vaulted ceilings.
However, through a discreet back door and up some steps, there’s another way to see this most visited of tourist attractions — a new and exclusive rooftop tour, which involves identity checks, waiver forms and safety guidance.
Motorcycle-riding is not advised.
Maureen O’Hare/CNN
Bond at the Bazaar
The many red-tiled roofs of the bazaar — one for each shop — will be familiar to cinema audiences around the world after their star appearance in the epic opening chase sequence of the James Bond film “Skyfall,” from 2012.
As the suited spy, Daniel Craig raced a motorbike along the rooftop walkways that mirror the market’s streets below, but it’s a much quieter scene that greets us when we ascend to the rooftops on a clear, hot Friday afternoon in September.
Up here, we’re alone but for a reclining cat and the occasional seagull taking a rest from flying over the Bosphorus or the Marmara Sea.
Istanbul was the most touristed city in the world in 2023, attracting 20.2 million international visitors, but this is a view of the metropolis still only a select number have seen.
“The Grand Bazaar rooftop was once only accessible to shop owners. They’d go up there to make repairs before winter,” Elif Yildiz Güven, head of the Grand Bazaar’s board of directors, tells CNN. “Since 2020, the rooftop has been open to the public through registered travel agencies and licensed guides.”
However, tours are limited to just 10 people at a time in 20-minute slots, Monday to Saturday, and names and passport details need to be provided 24 hours in advance for safety and security reasons.
Roaming cats are found all over Istanbul and the roof of the Grand Bazaar is no exception.
Maureen O’Hare/CNN
Maureen O’Hare/CNN
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The restoration project
The roof has undergone a multimillion-dollar renovation since its appearance in “Skyfall,” with up to 100 workers a day busy across its vast expanse. Now, keeping the 800,000 tiles in excellent repair is an ongoing task.
“The rooftop hadn’t undergone significant restoration until 2016,” says Güven, but “restoring such an ancient and expansive marketplace isn’t a one-time affair. Istanbul has weathered many earthquakes, and remnants of the 1894 quake can still be seen.” That 1894 earthquake struck close to Istanbul, leaving hundreds dead and causing extensive damage.
“The red tiles were specially made for this project, designed in a semi-circle to help rainwater flow off easily,” she adds.
The bazaar’s original 15th and 16th century structures were built in wood, before one of several fires led to it being rebuilt in stone and brickwork.
We are stood in the central Fatih district on the European side of Istanbul and, gazing round, we can see Asia across the Bosphorus Strait and the seven hills upon which the ancient city of Constantinople was founded. The bazaar itself is on the slope of the third hill.
The tours last 20 minutes and, with your guide, you stroll along the walkways and steps previously only used by shop owners and maintenance workers. Running is not permitted, nor is walking along while filming — the risk of falling is high if you are not paying close attention.
“As you walk, you can spot Nur-u Osmaniye, Turkey’s only fully Baroque mosque. Then, the majestic Beyazit and Süleyman the Magnificent Mosques come into view,” says Güven.
Thie bazaar sits between Beyazit and Nur-u Osmaniye mosques.
Maureen O’Hare/CNN
Gold and jewels
We pause at 5 p.m. as the adhan, the Islamic call to prayer, rings out across the city in a crescendo of overlapping melodies, a sound that is heard five times a day.
“You can also see the fire watch tower and many other historical buildings, and if your eyesight is sharp, you might even catch a glimpse of the Galata Tower.” she adds. The 14th century fortification is one of Istanbul’s well-known landmarks.
Below us, the market is thronged with harvest season visitors, the busiest time on the bazaar’s calendar.
Traditionally at harvest time, “people start to marry their boys and girls,” explains tour guide Barış Partal, and wedding preparations begin. “Here is the place you should buy the gold with best price.”
With so much precious gold beneath us, “safety is very important,” says Partal. “That’s why they have to record every single person’s name, surname, passport number, just in case.”
There is also the “highly valuable stone business, like emerald, ruby, diamond, not just gold.”
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The Central Market was the first part of the bazaar to be built, with a second market constructed a few decades later. “The bazaar area is getting bigger, sometimes getting smaller throughout history because of earthquakes and fires,” says Partal.
The markets’ proximity to the port allowed them to become commercial hubs. “Each street was dedicated to a specific trade, making it easy for visitors to find what they needed,” says Güven.
It was built shortly after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople and is one of the world’s earliest precursors to the shopping mall and one that’s been thriving for five centuries.
To find out more about availability of registered tours, contact the Grand Bazaar through its website or Instagram. Tour prices vary but are available on demand.
Mohanlal is currently on a signing spree and has a massive line-up of exciting films in the pipeline. The superstar is teaming up with National Award-winning director Tharun Moorthy for his next outing in Malayalam, titled Thudarum. The filming of the project, which is touted to be a family drama, was wrapped up recently. As per the latest updates, Thudarum now has a release date. Mohanlal and Tharun Moorthy’s film is set to hit the theatres by the last week of January 2025.Thudarum release date is outIf the latest updates are to be believed, Thudarum is slated to have its global theatrical release, on January 30, 2025. The Mohanlal starrer was earlier slated to be released by the third week of January 2025. However, the makers have decided to push the release by a week, to avoid a box office clash with other major Malayalam and Tamil releases of the month. An official announcement on the same, along with the Thudarum teaser, is expected to be out in a few days.
Mohanlal completes Thudarum dubbingRecently, director Tharun Moorthy and his team confirmed that Mohanlal wrapped up the dubbing for his portions in the film, with a social media post. The superstar, who is extremely busy in his career, completed Thudarum dubbing, before heading to Sri Lanka for the filming of the upcoming Mammootty-Mahesh Narayanan project, which features him in an extended cameo appearance. The superstar and his team are expected to kickstart the promotional campaign of the film, by the first week of January 2025.
As per the reports, Mohanlal is set to play Shanmugham, a small-town-based taxi driver who shares a rare emotional bond with his car, in Thudarum. The Malayalam superstar is reuniting with his much-celebrated onscreen pair, veteran actress Shobana, for the Tharun Moorthy directorial. The Manichithrathazhu actress is reportedly playing the role of Shanmugham’s wife in the movie, which is scripted by Sunil KR. Jakes Bejoy has composed the songs and the original score for the film, which is produced by Rejaputhra Visual Media.
Aashiq Abu, the popular Malayalam filmmaker is set to make a comeback to theatres, with the upcoming multi-starrer, Rifle Club. The movie, which is touted to be an action-drama, features a massive star cast including Dileesh Pothan, Darshana Rajendran, Unnimaya Prasad, Vijaya Raghavan, Vani Viswanath, and others in key roles. Recently, Aashiq Abu took to his official social media handles and announced the Rifle Club release date, along with a new, star-studded poster of the film.Rifle Club release date is outAashiq Abu recently took to his official social media handles and made the big announcement, with a special post that reads: “Rifle Club movie on December 19th worldwide, distributed and marketed by Sree Gokulam Movies.” Now, it has been confirmed that the much-awaited multi-starrer will hit the theatres as the first Malayalam release of the Christmas 2024 season. In that case, the Aashiq Abu directorial will have a box office clash with Unni Mukundan starrer Marco, and Vetrimaaran’s much-awaited Tamil film Viduthalai Part 2, at the box office.
All about Rifle ClubThe recently released star-studded poster of Rifle Club suggests that the Aashiq Abu directorial is a family drama with elements of action. The poster features the wedding of a couple, played by Dileesh Pothan and Unnimaya Prasad, who are seen posing in their wedding attire with two puppies in their hands, along with their friends and family. The guests, played by Darshana Rajendran, Vijaya Raghavan, Suresh Krishna, Vani Viswanath, Ponnamma Babu, Surabhi Lakshmi, and others, are seen posing with wine glasses in their hands.
Even though Rifle Club was initially announced with Soubin Shahir in the lead role, the popular actor-filmmaker is no longer a part of the project. Soubin reportedly made an exit from the film, due to his busy schedule. The Aashiq Abu directorial is jointly scripted by Syam Pushkaran, Dileesh Karunakaran, and Suhas. Rex Vijayan has composed the songs and the original score. Director Aashiq Abu himself handles the cinematography of the film, which is edited by V Saajan.