 |
|
|
|||||
Elusive street artist Banksy appeared to confirm Monday that a new mural in London, depicting two children lying down and pointing up at the sky, is his latest work. The artist posted two photos of the artwork on his official Instagram account Monday, hours after its appearance on a wall on the side of a building in Bayswater, west London sparked speculation over whether Banksy was behind it. The black and white mural, painted above a garage, depicts two figures dressed in winter hats and boots lying on the ground, with one of them pointing a finger upwards. An identical image appeared at the foot of a tower in central London on Monday, but the graffiti artist did not post that version on his account. Banksy began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England, and has become one of the worlds best-known artists. His paintings and installations sell for millions of dollars at auction and have drawn thieves and vandals. While his work is often critical of government policy on migration and war, the latest artwork did not seem to carry an overt political message. In September, he made headlines with a mural showing a judge holding a gavel looming over an unarmed protester holding a blood-splattered placard. That piece, which appeared on an external wall of a Royal Courts of Justice building, was swiftly covered up and authorities said it had to be removed out of consideration of the building’s historical significance.
Category:
E-Commerce
Google‘s corporate parent on Monday announced an agreement to buy data center energy specialist Intersect for $4.75 billion as part of its effort to secure the vast amounts of electricity needed to power artificial intelligence technology. Alphabet, which depends on Google’s search engine and other online services for most of its revenue, is buying out Intersect in its entirety after purchasing a stake in the San Francisco-based startup a year ago. Intersect had previously raised $2.1 billion from Google and other early investors. After the acquisition is completed during the first half of next year, Alphabet intends to allow Intersect to operate independently while continuing its efforts to secure the energy sources needed for the sprawling data centers being built to power the AI services rolling out from Google and rivals such as OpenAI. The power-hungry data centers, which are being likened to AI factories, are fueling a backlash in communities where residents have been interpreting their steadily rising electricity bills as evidence that they are helping foot the boom for a technology boom that could still go bust. Intersect focuses on finding ways to increase and diversify the supply of energy in an effort to keep hold down power costs. It’s already working on a data center for Mountain View, California-based Alphabet in Haskell County, Texas. Google’s inroads with AI have helped increase Alphabet’s stock price by more than 60% so far this year, generating an additional $1.4 trillion in shareholder wealth.
Category:
E-Commerce
Barnes & Noble is on a roll, and its not slowing down in 2026. The bookstore has confirmed plans to open 60 new locations across the country in 2026. For Barnes & Noble, the move is part of a major comeback thats been years in the works. After the company saw a sales peak in 2008, it spent a decade watching sales dwindle as customers moved to other retailers (especially digital booksellers like Amazon), ultimately leading the retailer to shutter 150 stores. In 2019, the company was acquired by the UK’s Elliott Advisors and taken private. But since 2023, Barnes & Noble has annually added dozens of new locations across the U.S. A post-pandemic boom in the bookstore economy and an influx of new readers from online communities like TikToks #BookTok have helped the store crawl its way back to bookselling dominanceand this latest announcement shows that the growth is more than a passing fad. The retailer’s latest expansion plans were reported earlier by USA Today. Where will the new Barnes & Noble locations be? In a statement to Fast Company, a Barnes & Noble spokesperson confirmed that the company is looking to add 60 new stores before June 2026 across 10 locations, though the representative declined to share specific addresses or opening dates. The locations include bookstores in the following states: Ohio Texas Florida Illinois Colorado Washington state California Virgina Georgia D.C. How #BookTok made reading cool This new expansion plan is on par with Barnes & Nobles annual growth levels over the past few years. In 2023, it opened around 30 new stores, followed by 61 in 2024. According to the spokesperson, 2025 was the company’s most impressive year yet, notching an additional 67 stores. Barnes & Nobles newfound success is part of a larger return to the stacksand return to reading as a hobby, more generallypowered, in large part, by readers on TikTok. As younger communities discover popular reads through their #BookTok recommendations, everyone from retailers to libraries are seeing a rise in readership. Back in February, a Barnes & Noble spokesperson told Fast Company, Since the rise of BookTok during the pandemic, bookstores have seen a significant surge in popularity, especially among young people. Our stores have become popular social spots, offering an experience that online shopping simply cant match. BookToks popularity is having ripple effects in other areas, too. Some public institutions, like the Milwaukee Public Library and Columbus Metropolitan Library, are riding this wave by building their own presences directly on TikTok. And companies like the book tracking app Goodreads and publisher Harlequin have both recently adopted new branding thats designed to appeal to the TikTok crowd. While BookToks effect on booksellers and libraries mightve initially seemed like a brief phase, Barnes & Noble’s consistent expansion and strong sales appear to signal that reading is officially cooland profitableagain.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||