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cordoniantrash · 4 years ago

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the seas within me

Hello one and all! There’s my day 4 submission for the Choices 12 Days of Fictmas (It’s my 2nd year doing this! Can you believe?!) . Huge thanks to @leelee10898 and @emichelle for hosting this year and to @grenadineandsunshine for betaing this one (along with all my works here tbh)!

Title from Notos by The Oh Hellos. Here’s some angst I guess?

Book: Distant Shores

Pairings: Oliver x f!MC

Rating: G

Warning: none

Words: 2770

It was snowing when they arrived. The rising sun at their back had splashed colour on the white piles of freshly fallen snow at their feet while the distant sea breeze froze them in place. Claire felt something tug at her heart. There was something about this place, an almost indescribable tingle, a feeling of a feeling, which reminded her of him. She felt like she could close her eyes and find him there. It was absurd. They haven’t even had the chance to spend a winter together. All her memories of him, of them, are tethered to the waves, the ever present salt in the air and the unrelenting heat of the sun. So why can she almost hear his voice in this cold, snow-covered place?

“Huh. Expected something fancier.”

Claire felt the corners of her lips turn into a frown. It was becoming a steady companion in this hare-brained scheme. Her frown deepened when that indistinct tugging faded at the sound of his voice. It took some effort to unclench her jaw and her fist. To bite back the venom in her retort. It wouldn’t do to annoy him out of helping me. And so, stealing herself, Claire took a deep breath and repeated the mantra that began the moment she agreed to this plan.

Just until I get back.

Just until I find them again.

Find him again.

“What time’s that tour supposed to start again?” she asked instead. Robert, ignoring the too long stretch of silence between them, stepped into her line of sight. Claire carefully wiped her face clean of emotion. Uneasy allies they might be, but she’ll be damned if she let him glimpse a crack, however small. Being betrayed once was enough for her.

If only the compass worked like last time! Suppressing a sigh, she turned back to the estate. She’d been optimistic when they reached out to touch the compass. After all, all it took for her to travel that first time was a simple touch. The devastation when nothing happened nearly sent her to her knees in the middle of the museum. It was only a slight consolation to find out that Robert had expected the same thing.

A breeze ruffled past them, the air fresh and bitingly cold. Claire rubbed her numb nose, her frown forgotten. At the corner of her eye, she saw Robert trying to hide his shivering. Claire suppressed a smirk.

Silence once again stretched between them. A bus full of students pulled up near their rented car. Claire couldn’t help but smile at the little faces peering from the windows, all of them bundled up despite the light snow. The adults with them did not seem to mind the cold as much. Tightening her hold on her hand warmer, Claire tried not to feel jealous.

Maybe we got used to the Caribbean. Too used. Man, I really want to go back.

“Well,” Robert sighed as a staff member opened the door of the estate. “Here’s to hoping, I guess.”

“D’you think this’ll work?”

Robert glanced at her. Claire took it as her queue to walk.

“His family had the compass before some descendant of his thought it’ll be a good idea to donate it to the museum. If there’s anything that can explain why it’s not working now, it’s probably here.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Robert paused, letting the last of the children run past them. “All those records of you as a captain must mean we got back.”

Claire frowned, “And what about you?”

Robert’s profile seemed to blend with the snow clouds ahead.

“That’s what we’re here to figure out, isn’t it?”

Vice-Admiral Sir Oliver Francis Cochrane KCB (born c. 1722-24, Durham, England—died unknown) was an English naval officer most known for his short but successful maritime career where he had earned the moniker of “The Pirate Hunter” and his much speculated and scandalous personal life. Decades after his last known sighting, he had become a well-recognized literary romantic icon.

Despite his early moniker of “The Pirate Hunter”, Cochrane had occasionally worked with pirates, particularly with the crews of Captain Edward Mortimer and the much disputed Captain Claire Velis. Whereas association with pirates is enough grounds of treason, Cochrane retained his position and rose through the ranks of the navy for his work in exposing the crimes and treason of other naval officers, most notably, his own father Francis, often with the help of Mortimer, Velis and their pirate crew.

Excerpt from High Seas and Piracy: A History of English Maritime Advances

The compass was silent.

Claire turned it over, as she had done again and again since she entered her hotel room. Robert had mumbled something about rum and a free bar before awkwardly hightailing out of the lobby. Claire felt too rung out to even think of a quip about pirates and alcohol.

The golden finish of the compass seemed to glow in the dark room, mocking her with the faint possibility of a return. Outside, the Christmas decorations glitter amidst the darkness and the sea breeze.

The tour hadn’t gone exactly as planned. For them, at least.

Not for the first time, doubt crashed and tumbled in her mind. Apparently there was a reason poets after his time found Oliver so fascinating. As someone who knew him, loved him, stayed and fought at his side, whose hands were stained with his blood—

Claire closed the compass with a snap.

Her heart felt heavy, an anchor dragging her down further into despair.

Charlie had made a name for herself, doing what she loves in freedom.

Charlie, who while being wily and nimble, ultimately could not outrun an empire.

Edward, doing more good and ascending into hero hood, depending whose side you ask.

Edward, who despite his strength and loyalty, was betrayed and handed over to the British.

Oliver, the successful navy officer. Loving father of two.

Oliver, who never got to rise to the ranks he deserved, who became a widower, ultimately becoming a figure of tragic romance, his final fate unknown.

All of them were shining brightly.

All of them doused before their time.

If I go back could I change things? Can I lift them up, move them forward? Or will they run aground because of me?

The edges of the compass dug into her hands, forming indents where hands softened by inactivity pressed into the compass’ sides.

Or will I just make things worse?

To return would mean chaos, but to stay where she was supposed to belong felt hollow.

Should she even go? Either way, it will turn her world inside out. She’d cause them all grief one way or another, the family she had in this present and the family she found back in time.

The tour guide’s words echoed in her mind:

“He left England a hero and an eligible bachelor to boot. Almost a decade later he returned a father of two small foreign looking children and claimed himself a widower. His ever loyal crew refused to shed light on what happened during those years at sea.”

Claire blinked. Tasting salt on her lips, she hastily wiped away the tears that splashed onto the compass.

Outside, the fairy lights continued to twinkle. Their rhythmic pulsing at odds with the raging sea within her.

What happened after I left?

Oliver Cochrane was a creature of contradiction. Of chaos, one might even say. On one side, he was an exceptional officer, a step away from becoming an Admiral before he mysteriously disappeared. On the other side, he was an excellent example of British hypocrisy.

Throughout his career, Cochrane toed the line between audacity and treason.

He had exposed numerous corrupt navy officials, while he also worked with pirates. What’s more, he had a rather well-known love affair with a pirate captain.

Records at that time proclaimed the affair short-lived, painting Captain Claire Velis in a rather unflattering light but contemporary evidence now opposes that idea and posits that the identity of his deceased wife (whom historians have precious few documents about) was none other than Captain Velis herself. Common consensus among society (and among historians) was that the mysterious mother of Cochrane’s children was the pirate captain herself. Further cementing Cochrane’s strange status in both 18th century Britain and in history.

This personal life aside, his apparent friendships with Captain Edward Mortemer and Captain Charlotte “Charlie” Smith was so prominent that one of the most salient theories to ultimate fate after his disappearance was that he himself became a pirate when he last left England’s shores, a contradiction to one so hailed for his honour and morals.

Excerpt from Cochrane: Behind the Myth

***

“Oh, hello dear.”

Claire turned and almost collided with a smaller figure. The tour guide from yesterday was standing in front of her. A glance at the pin on her blazer identified the older woman as Tina. In smaller letters under the name was the word CURATOR. Claire hastily stepped back.

The curator smiled.

“Aren’t you one of the people on the tour yesterday? The names Tina,” she said as she offered her hand. Claire found herself smiling as they shook hands.

“Uh, Claire Velis. Nice to meet you,” as soon as the words left her mouth, Claire felt herself freeze. Damn it! The hell was I thinking!

Tina’s eyes seemed to sparkle, “Claire Velis, you say? My, what a coincidence!”

Claire blushed.

“My parents were fans,” she mumbled.

“I’ll say!”

“Uh… yeah.”

“You must have loved the mention of your namesake then?”

Claire arranged her face into a smile.

“Right. Yeah. It was very interesting.”

“You know, I’ve always wanted to meet Captain Claire,” at Claire’s wide eyes, Tina let out a tinkling laugh. “Of course, I never thought it’ll be a namesake, but here we are. In fact, you look quite a lot like her drawings.”

Claire swallowed, “Is that so?”

Tina nodded, “Oh, would you like a cuppa? I noticed you were very interested in the tour yesterday. Besides, it’s almost the holidays,” she leaned in, smile growing. “We’ll have some tea and some mince pies as well! What do you say?”

“Oh! I wouldn’t want to impose –“

“Oh, pish posh! It’s no imposition at all, dear. It isn’t often we get tourists here, you know what I mean? Usually it’s always field trips and the like. Sometimes academics, if we’re lucky. Besides, tea is just the thing when it’s this cold out. ”

Claire followed the curator inside the building, bewilderment and relief making her mind buzz.

As they passed by an open doorway, Claire felt something tug at her.

A familiar tug.

Claire stopped in her tracks.

The room looked similar to the public exhibitions, with glass boxes in pedestals displaying some artefact or another. The feeling, however, was leagues away from the public rooms.

It was tugging me here.

“Oh, what a lucky find!”

Claire jumped. Tina smiled as she leaned toward the doorway.

“It’s a special display, see? We’re going to show it to the public soon.”

“W-what’s in this one?”

Tina glanced at her, eyes twinkling again. “It’s a collection of Oliver Cochrane’s personal effects. Or what’s left of them. Would you like a peak?”

“I—are you sure?”

“Of course, dear,” Tina’s eyes seemed to droop. “Captain Claire may not have had the chance to see it. At least a namesake can. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Throat suddenly dry, Claire offered a nod.

“Let’s go then!” Tina exclaimed as she entered the room.

Claire stepped forward.

The world seemed to blink.

“Claire? You alright? Hang on, I’ll call the nurse –“

“Wha—no, no, please. It’s fine.”

Tina’s eyebrows furrowed. Claire straightened, pointedly ignoring the twinge in her temples. The headache had taken her by surprise.

So different from the first time I travelled.

“—here, just sit down here for a moment.”

“I’m really fine—“

“Of course,” Tina smoothly interjected. The curator seemed to regain some composure. “But better safe than sorry, yes? I’ll get the nurse, dear. Be back in a jiffy.”

Claire sighed as Tina left the room, exchanging a couple of words with the security guard before waving back at Claire and rounding a corner.

Claire shook her head and looked around the room.

She froze.

There was a necklace inside the display in front of her (not the one she was currently wearing. The one that belonged to her grandmother). No, this necklace was obviously old and weathered besides. The shine of the silver peeking behind dark spots. The label under it calls it a Cochrane family heirloom.

And it was the same exact copy of the one hanging on her neck.

Except she wasn’t wearing this necklace when she travelled for the first time.

Outside, the waves crashed and crested. The snow kept falling.

Going forward will mean turbulent waters and uncertain winds.

But a ship cannot sail in becalmed waters.

Inside her, hope surged.

1752

“Will that work?”

“Well, we haven’t been twiddling our thumbs while you were off smooching with high society.”

“Charlie.” One word contained an entire conversation’s worth of chastisement. Charlie shrugged but fell silent.

Edward sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know. But it seemed like the compass is lacking a catalyst of some sort.”

“A spark if you will.”

“That’s not a guarantee.”

“No. We’re groping in the dark here. But there has to be something that can work on this side.”

Oliver sighed. “I suppose it’s better than nothing.”

Charlie smiled, “That’s the spirit. We’ll get her back here yet.”

Oliver’s lips curled into a shadow of a smile.

The compass was humming.

Claire and Robert stand amidst a partially shattered exhibition room. Security alarms had just started blaring while some artifacts seemed to pulse with light. Beside her, Robert looked tense. But Claire felt calm. There seemed to be some form of energy in the room for the compass to actually come to life.

“Well. Here we are. Just in time for Christmas too.”

“Yeah. Whodathunk?”

“Certainly not me, Velis.” A particularly loud alarm blared. They both winced. “You ready?”

Claire took a deep breath. “As I’ll ever be.”

“… do it then.”

There was a flash of white light.

A moment later, the doors burst open. The staff looked around in shock and bewilderment. The room was in chaos, that much was clear.

But there was no one inside.

When I was younger, I used to pretend my mother was a mermaid. My older brother had indulged my fantasies and our imaginary mermaid mother would become a fixture in my make believe plays. On the days, months and years that bordered the beginnings of our fleeting visits and even shorter holidays, I, an imaginative child prone to wild fancies, would sometimes believe my own story.

Before I understood what really was going on, I used to ask Father of her fate. He would humour me, a twinkle in his eye as he told me she was lost at sea, a romantic fate that contrasts with the pitying looks thrown our way when Father wasn’t looking.

Perhaps it was one of his favourite sayings that stuck this particular fancy within me. After all, he always told Eddie and me that the sea was in our blood. My older brother, ever the man of reason, took that quite literally and followed in our Father’s footsteps, becoming a sailor as soon as he could. Experiencing adventures that our parents surely had. Whereas I was content enough to experience adventure through the page, whether through my brother’s letters or my own pen.

But sometimes, when I look out to the sea, I can’t help but wonder if there was any truth to my childhood fancies. But that probably is just sentiment talking. Father had always remarked that my stories should set foot on a stage of some kind, something that Aunt Adelia and Uncle Axton would heartily agree with.

Over the years, I had often wondered at the irony of a navy officer’s daughter having pirates as aunts and uncles. An unforeseen consequence of being the Pirate Queen’s progeny, I’d imagine.

Perhaps Mother was a mermaid masquerading as a pirate. Or perhaps it’s the other way around.

All I know is that being lost at sea, for all its romance, does not quite fit my parent’s fate.

I hope—no. I know—they must have found each other.

The sea is in our blood, after all.

- Excerpt from the diary of Marcelline Somerset née Cochrane, Viscountess of Ashbourne

A/N: This surprisingly had a lot of number wrangling that didn’t make the text (rip my last braincell - don’t get me started on the research and the excepts). Also had a bit of a crossover with The Unexpected Heiress (haven’t played it yet). Anyways, lemme know what you guys think!

My Taglist: @grenadineandsunshine @captain-kingliamsqueen @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @gardeningourmet @lilaccatholic @kingliam2019 @killianoconnells @teenytinytanya08 @mirandatwodots @princesskennarys @princess-geek @loveellamae-blog @dcbbw @los-cafeteros @whovianwriter @vaticanwaltz @typicalweirdbookworm @wildchildchey @mkatschoicesblog @flutistbyday2020 @cmestrella, @lovablegranny @maxi-ride

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Readers: @mom2000aggie @sfb123 @bbrandy2002 @debramcg1106 @desireepow-1986 @speedyoperarascalparty @hopefulmoonobject

#choices 12 days of fictmas #12 days of fictmas 2020 #emgee tries to write #Distant Shores #choices distant shores #choices ds #oliver cochrane #oliver x mc #playchoices #choices: stories you play

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vesti-usa · 3 years ago

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Разлив нефти в Тихом океане близ Калифорнии простирается уже на несколько миль и, как ожидается, достигнет некоторых пляжей

Согласно сообщениям, в субботу крупный разлив нефти в Тихом океане у побережья Калифорнии растянулся на несколько миль и, как ожидается, достигнет некоторых пляжей в Южной Калифорнии. По оценкам телеканала KCBS-TV в Лос-Анджелесе, с платформы Элли вылилось около 3000 баррелей сырой нефти. По данным Торговой палаты района Лонг-Бич, морская буровая установка находится в ведении компании Beta…

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#Калифорния #Океан #пляжи #Разлив нефти

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scifigeneration · 7 years ago

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Driverless cars are already here but the roads aren't ready for them

by Mark Wilson

The recent deaths of a woman struck by a car Uber was testing in driverless mode and of a man whose Tesla Model X crashed when his hands were off the steering wheel because he was letting the car do some of the driving may shift the debate over autonomous vehicles.

Those tragic fatalities are raising overdue questions about whether people and places will be ready when this new technology moves from beta-testing to a full-throttled rollout.

As an urban planner who has analyzed how technology affects cities, I believe that driverless vehicles will change everything that moves and the stationary landscape too. Until now, the public and governments at all levels have paid too little attention to how letting these machines drive themselves will transform urban, rural and suburban communities.

The Tesla Model S electric car that crashed into a fire engine in Culver City, California, in January 2018. KCBS-TV via AP

Critical juncture

Driverless vehicles are closer than you may realize to moving out of testing mode. General Motors, for instance, plans to start producing ride sharing models as soon as 2019.

But public awareness and consumer acceptance will take far longer, perhaps decades. It will depend on the machines’ safety record, plus the time it takes to implement legal and political changes like enacting local laws governing the use of self-driving cars.

This shift requires everyone from automakers to consumers, insurers to planners and officials at all levels of government to work together. Being proactive about guiding this technological change is essential. Rather than waiting until it happens or leaving it for the last minute, now is the time for education, thoughtful discussion and planning.

This juncture resembles what happened when automobiles replaced horses and the internet gained traction. In those cases, the technology changed how people lived, worked and got around. And the transformation occurred before the public or governments were ready.

When the internet first became popular in the 1990s, few people – if anyone – predicted the social and behavioral changes in store.

Likewise, the advent of motorized transportation more than a century ago completely changed cities, towns and suburbs. Replacing horses with the internal combustion engine demanded wider, better roadways and the invention and proliferation of traffic lights, gas stations, automotive dealerships, public parking lots and private garages. Governments had to regulate who could drive and which vehicles were roadworthy.

Driverless transportation, likewise, will demand new infrastructure and laws as it changes commuting and travel patterns in ways that few communities are contemplating today. Depending on what happens, the results could be positive or negative.

youtube

Filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan delved into the angst and anger Americans felt toward early automotives in the documentary ‘Horatio’s Drive.’

Picture this

Ideally, self-driving vehicles will make it easier for people who can’t drive for any reason. These vehicles also promise more relaxed and productive commuting and excursions for everyone else.

Additionally, they could make the roads safer. Almost 6,000 American pedestrians and more than 37,000 drivers and passengers die in car crashes every year. Despite the two recent fatalities tied to autonomous driving, it’s likely that this number would be lower without people in the driver’s seat.

If these contraptions stoke ride-sharing growth, traffic may subside and pollution may decline. The amount of space occupied by roads and parking could shrink.

More homes and businesses will make do with smaller garages or none at all. Entrance ramps and other prime real estate hogs will be repurposed. Pollution will probably decline if in all likelihood most autonomous electric vehicles run on electricity, rather than gasoline or diesel and they draw a rising share of power from wind and solar energy.

Just think about what your community might be like. Picture wider sidewalks, new cycling and jogging lanes, and additional green space. It’s no wonder that urban planners are already pondering the possibilities.

Unanticipated consequences

Yet this technology might have serious downsides.

What if autonomous vehicles were to drive about empty, rather than parking? That would increase congestion rather than abate it. Public transit use could decline once commuters have the freedom to do whatever they wish aboard their vehicles. If they become more tolerant of longer trips to work, driverless cars could potentially increase sprawl.

The truth is, no one knows what to expect. While engineers have been developing the technology for decades, social scientists, politicians and government officials have only recently started to grapple with its repercussions. And public opinion and engagement is further behind.

Leaving everything up to market forces and consumer whims could possibly create more problems than autonomous vehicles would solve. That’s why I believe in taking the planning side of the transition to driverless vehicles off autopilot.

Mark Wilson is Professor and Program Director, Urban & Regional Planning, School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

#technology #autonomous vehicles #Electric Car #urban planning #futuristic

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jandjsalmon · 7 years ago

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Favorite story from jugandbettsdetectiveagency, believe-that-you-can-my-friend, bughead4days, gay-for-rey1999, bugheadotp, betsforsythetrash, xxbettysgirlxx and bettyjonescooper?

I was wondering if I’d lost my random fic requester Anon. Glad to see you still here. This is quite the list - and I’ve answered a couple of them already - but I’ll do the rest for you. This really just over emphasizes how much I actually read. lol. Thanks for the ask, Grayface.

@jugandbettsdetectiveagency - I answered Here.

@bughead4days - I answered Here.

@gay-for-rey1999 (aka @juglovesbetty) - I answered Here.

@believe-that-you-can-my-friend is a goddess and I love SO many of her fics (like La Petite Mort was one of my very first absolute faves) - but I personally believe she wrote this particular fic FOR me (even though she’s never said that - let a girl dream, dude!) - this one is my favourite Vera!fic: Fruit Punch Lips & Leather Jacket Dreams (2/2 - M)

@bugheadotp - She’s written a lot but I really like Jones Industries (5/? - M)

@betsforsythetrash - this was tough because I really love KCB - but I think my favourite of her fics is: Jughead’s New Neighbor (1/1 - T)

@xxbettysgirlxx - I have a soft spot for Everything We’re Not (6/? - E) even though I’m beta reading her brand new fic… I’m sure that one will eventually overcome my EwN love - but not yet. ;)

@bettyjonescooper - You’d make me choose which one of my girls Sez’s fics I like best? That’s like choosing a child! Um. I’m completely unbiased here - even though I’m betareaing it - but my favourite has gotta be What Fools These Mortals Be - Shakespeare and Bughead = Perfection.

#bughead #bughead fic recs #bughead fanfiction #jandy's library of favourites

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spotifymod1-blog · 6 years ago

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Lastfm - Your Online Music Community

Last.fm is a music community website that acts as internet radio. Last.fm was founded in the year 2002. The present website is from the merge of Audioscrobbler and Last.fm in 2005. Last.fm was acquired by CBS Interactive for $280 million on May, 2005. This social media website uses a music recommender system called Audioscrobbler to build profile by previously listened song. Members can create their own internet radio stations and playlists using music from many of audio tracks on this websites music library.

Last.fm won the Europix award for 2002 and in 2006 this website was awarded the Best Community website at BT Music Awards. Last.fm generates revenue from online advertisements, user subscription fee and announced that it would charge users from March, 2009.

Development:

Last.fm made an update on July, 2006 released a new software application for playing radio streams. The friends system was updated to include two-way friendship. Last.fm localized its website into the languages: German, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish and Chinese (Simplified).

CBS Interactive acquired this website on May, 2007 for $248 million. CBS Radio announced that Last.fm radio stream would be available from KCBS-HD2 in Los Angeles, KITS-HD3 in San Fransico, WWFS-HD2 in New York City and WXRT-HD3 in Chicago City. Registration is free and to access the website, but to use its radio service a subscription fee of 3 pounds per month.

Current usage:

Last.fm acts as an internet radio and also with social networking feature. It works by learning from user's music choice. It statistically learns which music genre the user prefers to listen. It needs an application to be installed in order to obtain statics for which music genre you often listen.

Last.fm works by music player plugin that works on user's system. The plugin collects user frequently listened music genre from users music player. This information is displayed on member profile. Members can download selected music tracks. At present more than 100,000 tracks are available for free download. From January, 2007 this website introduced "Free The Music" model by which users can stream music tracks from the website up to 3 times. "Free The Music" is still in beta stage and available only in US, UK and Germany.

User benefits:

Members of this website can get the following benefits from using it:

Members can get music tracts of their interest. With the scrobbler system that makes you discover new music tracks based on your interest. Social networking feature is offered that connects you to other member having similar music taste. Members can recommend a music tract to others. As huge music collection is available, so you can get any music tract available. You can download free music from this website. Last.fm has lots of information on artists, albums, tracks and you can choose to listen music to your interest. Technical explanation: Registering at Last.fm you make the most of it. After registration is complete, Last.fm asks you to download software. This software works as plugin for most media players to collect information about music you listen. Last.fm software installation asks you for user name and password. It then searches for supported media players installed on your system. You can select the media player you use to install the plugin.

The media player plugin collects song information when it reaches half or 120 seconds. It then submit the data to your profile. In your profile, you can get information like weekly top artists, similar music tracts you may like and also other members with similar music interest. More detail Click Spotify Premium APK

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payment-providers · 7 years ago

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New Post has been published on Payment-Providers.com

New Post has been published on https://payment-providers.com/headline-news-from-paymentsnews-com-august-14-2017/

Headline News from PaymentsNews.com - August 14, 2017

Headline News is brought to you by Glenbrook Partners. Glenbrook provides payments consulting and education services to payments professionals worldwide!

ON THE WEB

The NRF Expects Eight in 10 Small Retailers To Have EMV Terminals by Year’s End – Digital Transactions News – “Smaller retailers haven’t yet closed the EMV-acceptance gap with big ones, but they are making progress on installing EMV chip card readers at the point of sale, according to findings from a recent survey for the National Retail Federation. “

How Mastercard Is Targeting Millennials – Wall Street Journal (Paywall) – “Mastercard has set its sights on millennials. Martina Hund-Mejean, Mastercard Inc.’s chief financial officer, says the company is positioning itself to take advantage of a shift toward greater use of credit cards by millennials as they become more confident about managing credit and debt.”

WhatsApp beta shows early signs of UPI based payments integration – techradar – “Since demonetization, digital payments have been gaining more and more importance in India. Popular apps like Hike Messenger and Truecaller had recently introduced digital payments on their platforms. Now, Facebook owned WhatsApp is soon going to launch UPI based payments in its app. UPI stands for Unified Payments Interface and it has been developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).”

OCIE Publishes Risk Alert Summarizing Observations from Recent Cybersecurity Examinations – Bryan Cave blog – “Despite maintaining robust policies and procedures, the majority of the firms examined came up short when it came to preparedness for responding to a data breach. In particular, less than two-thirds of the advisers and investment companies examined had a defined plan for responding to a data breach and notifying clients. “

Barclaycard pilots Alipay payments in eight retail stores across UK – Banking Technology – “Barclaycard is launching a pilot that enables merchants in the UK to accept in-store Alipay transactions. The pilot will commence on 14 August 2017 in eight retail stores across the UK, with Barclaycard providing the POS solution for payments via Alipay.”

LaterPay brings its media payment technology to the US – TechCrunch – “LaterPay, meanwhile, is supposed to make the payment process as frictionless as possible. Users don’t even have to enter any payment information when they buy their first piece of content — they don’t have to make a purchase at all until their bill reaches $5. As a result, the company says that 78 percent of article purchases made through the LaterPay platform take 10 seconds or less.”

SEPA instant payments threaten card schemes in Europe – Cards International – “Real time payments are already live in some domestic markets, and from November 2017, SEPA instant payments will be available across Europe. This cross border payments facility comes as a challenge to card schemes, as it represents the creation of a pan-European alternative to cards.”

UnionPay International Collaborates with the Largest Commercial Bank in Kenya to Enhance Payment Innovation – Payments Afrika – “UnionPay International announced that it has deepened its cooperation with Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), the largest bank in Kenya. First, the two will jointly issue the first UnionPay card with the mobile QuickPass function in Kenya this month, supporting the upgrade of the local payment industry through product enhancement. Second, with the official website of Kenya Airways supporting UnionPay Online Payment, hundreds of online merchants will be enabled to accept UnionPay by next January.”

M-Pesa founder shares lessons learned from ten years of mobile money – NFC World – ““There are three key lessons we have learned,” Joseph says. “First, a supportive regulatory framework for enabling payments is essential in any market where you plan to launch services. Second, the service itself needs to be reliable, simple and accessible, delivered through a well-trained, widespread agent distribution network. Finally — and perhaps most importantly of all — for your service to be adopted, your customers need to trust your brand with their money.”

AWS CloudHSM Update – Cost Effective Hardware Key Management at Cloud Scale for Sensitive & Regulated Workloads – Amazon Web Services blog – “Today, building on what we have learned from our first-generation product, we are making a major update to CloudHSM, with a set of improvements designed to make the benefits of hardware-based key management available to a much wider audience while reducing the need for specialized operating expertise. “

PAYABLE IS A BILLION RUPEE STARTUP AND GROWING – Readme.lk – “Incubated out of Ceylon Business Appliances Ltd (CBA), PAYable is a free mobile app for both iOS and Android that works with a Bluetooth card reader, thus enabling merchants and vendors to accept credit and debit card payments from customers. This essentially turns that smartphone or tablet into a portable Point of Sales device.”

Bitcoin just passed $4,000 – TechCrunch – “So what happens next? No one knows. Bitcoin could crash 50% to $2,000 tomorrow or spike to $5,000 – and I don’t think anyone who truly knows crypto would be surprised at either option. Everyone has a different opinion – some say the bubble is oversized and should have popped months ago – others think that bitcoin is currently just a fraction of what it could eventually trade at.”

ON THE WIRES

PULSE Study: Debit Fraud Loss Rates Decline After Chip Cards Introduced – “According to the 2017 Debit Issuer Study, commissioned by PULSE, one of the nation’s leading debit/ATM networks, U.S. financial institutions substantially increased issuance of chip debit cards in 2016 and experienced reduced fraud losses. Since the fraud liability shift for most debit transactions took effect in 2015, an estimated 80 percent of U.S. debit cards have been converted to chip cards. The study also found that fraud loss rates dropped by approximately 28 percent in 2016 compared to 2015 levels.”

ALDI Delivers to Your Door With New Instacart Partnership – “ALDI products for delivery in as little as one hour. Starting later this month, ALDI will launch the service in Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles, with potential for future expansion.”

GLENBROOK PAYMENTS EDUCATION EVENTS

Understanding the accelerating pace of change in the payments industry has never been more important. Get the knowledge you need fast at one of our two day Payments Boot Camps. Our one day Insight Workshops follow each Boot Camp and are deep dives into key topics. Take a discount for attending all three days. Here’s our fall schedule:

Payments Boot Camp, October 3-4, 2017, San Jose, CA, Logistics

Payments Boot Camp, October 17-18, 2017, NYC, NY, Logistics

Payments Boot Camp, December 5-6, 2017, Palo Alto, CA, Logistics

Global Payments, October 5, 2017, San Jose, CA, Logistics

Digital Payments, October 19, 2017, NYC, NY, Logistics

Innovation in Payments, December 7, 2017, Palo Alto, CA, Logistics

For more, click here. We hope to see you soon!

Bring your colleagues along! Group discounts are available. For more information or to learn about our private workshops conducted at your location, contact Glenbrook’s Russ Jones.

UPDATES FROM GLENBROOK

Note: Headline News is compiled by Glenbrook Partners. Throughout the day, as we spot interesting developments, this post is updated. Do you have news to share? Tell us here: [email protected]!

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