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Wall St Week Ahead Black Friday puts consumer spending in market's glare with stocks near recordsWILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — Dior Conners led Appalachian State with 19 points and Myles Tate made a jumper from the free-throw line with 25.1 seconds left as the Mountaineers knocked off Sam Houston 66-63 on Wednesday night. Conners shot 4 of 9 from the field, including 2 for 5 from 3-point range, and went 9 for 10 from the line for the Mountaineers (4-2). Tate scored 17 points, going 6 of 14 from the floor, including 3 for 6 from 3-point range, and 2 for 4 from the line. Jackson Threadgill had 11 points and shot 4 for 11, including 1 for 3 from beyond the arc. Lamar Wilkerson led the way for the Bearkats (3-3) with 22 points. Marcus Boykin added 11 points, five assists and four steals for Sam Houston. Dorian Finister also had 10 points and seven rebounds. Threadgill scored nine points in the first half and Appalachian State went into the break trailing 33-30. Tate scored a team-high 10 points for Appalachian State in the second half. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .In their 49-year history, the Seahawks have been held to seven points or fewer 75 times, according to Pro Football Reference. Only once have they won — Thursday night in Chicago against the Bears, 6-3. One other time they tied, the infamous 6-6 overtime game at Arizona in 2016, which is the only tie in Seahawks history. Only 54 times has Seattle been held without a touchdown in 775 all-time games. Only three times have they won — Thursday night, and 9-6 wins at Cleveland in 2001 and at Detroit in 2006. Had the Seahawks lost in Chicago, it would have been one of the uglier defeats in recent team history, given that the Bears had lost nine in a row coming in and had lost their previous three games by a combined 60 points to the Lions, 49ers and Vikings. That it took all the Seahawks had to hold off the Bears, not securing the win until there were 11 seconds left, had many tabbing it as the proverbial ugly win. But to coach Mike Macdonald, what the effort said about his team was a sight to behold. The Seahawks faced the challenge of traveling on a short week, coming off two devastating losses that dropped them from first place in the NFC West and controlling their destiny to second place and needing a lot of help, and with the result of the Bears game itself having somewhat negligible meaning to Seattle’s postseason hopes, which rest largely on the Rams losing to Arizona and then beating LA next week and/or hoping for the strength-of-victory tiebreaker to break right. The Seahawks survived all that to get what was their sixth win in seven road games this season. "Well, the guys are put in a tough spot," Macdonald said Friday. “You're not guaranteed, you're not holding your own destiny, so what are you going to go play for? How are you going to go on a short week, go across the country, go play the right way, battle adversity throughout the game, stick together, and fight through it? How are you going to do all of that when playoff implications aren't necessarily on the line? “That tells me our guys are connected, they're tough, and they're playing for one another. I think that's pretty awesome." They did it behind what was statistically one of the better defensive performances in team history. The three points allowed tied for the 20 th fewest in team history; Seattle has had 19 shutouts and have now allowed just three points 21 times. Seattle has won all 40 of those games. And the 179 yards Seattle allowed were the 23 rd fewest in team history. The Seahawks have lost only twice when allowing fewer — a 16-3 defeat to Tampa Bay in 1998 when the Bucs got 156 and a 28-7 defeat to Kansas City in 1985 when the Chiefs gained 165. It was also the fewest yards allowed by Seattle since 2017, when the Giants gained just 177 in a 24-7 Seahawks win. Seattle needed every bit of that defense, though, with the offense managing just two field goals, gaining just 265 yards and garnering a season-low 11 first downs. It was the sixth time in the past nine games Seattle has been held to 289 yards or fewer, all far off what is still the season average of 331.9 per game, built on some explosive early-season performances. That led to Macdonald being asked Friday if the offensive performance was “alarming." Macdonald said, “I wouldn’t call it alarming," noting the circumstances of the game played a role in the offense growing conservative as the game wore on. “It wasn't up to our standard on our production and how we want to operate," he said. “But we did do the things we needed to do to win the game. We played a little bit of the field-position game in the second half. We finally flipped field position ... the game kind of declared (itself) there in the second half on how we had to play. “So, we slowed it down a little bit and it became a field-position game, which it'd been in our territory in most of the games. I would have liked for us to be able to get it out in some of those situations. But when we did, in the latter part of the game going into the last drive, that was big for us to make Chicago have to go 30 or 40 yards instead of just 10 or 15." The victory improved Seattle’s record to 9-7 and also assured that Macdonald will finish with a winning record in his first year as an NFL head coach. But as Macdonald noted, the goals were higher, and it’s whether those can be reached that will determine how successful this year turns out to be. “We wish we would have won more," he said. “We want to win every time we step on the field. But, to be sitting here with a week left and still have life, we've done some things. I felt like we've grown. Fallen short several times, but we've gotten up and dusted ourselves off and kept moving forward." Walker could be back if Seahawks make long postseason run The Seahawks on Thursday placed running back Kenneth Walker III on Injured Reserve with a high ankle sprain. Players on IR have to sit out four games, which means Walker could return if the Seahawks advanced to the NFC championship game. Macdonald said he thinks that could be realistic. "I would love to see him come back ready to roll," he said. “Let's go have that problem come NFC championship time. We've got to get there first, but I know I'm sure holding out hope to see him again." Seahawks preparing to play next Saturday Macdonald said the Seahawks should find out on Sunday if their game against the Rams will be on Saturday or Sunday of next weekend. None of the games for next weekend have yet been assigned dates with the league waiting to try to highlight games that have playoff implications. There are two time slots for Saturday and there has been some assumption that if the Rams-Seahawks game is winner-take-all it could be handed one of those, which are at 1:30 p.m. or 5 p.m. Pacific Time. The rest of the games will be on Sunday at the usual 10 a.m. and 1:25 p.m. slots, with one game at night (there is no Monday night game). Macdonald said the Seahawks are planning as if the game will be on Saturday and ready to adjust if needed. “Right now, we're operating under the assumption that we're going to be playing on Saturday because that's the earliest we can play," he said. “We have a secondary plan if we play Sunday. Right now, we're operating as if we're going to play on Saturday."11 Nordstrom Beauty Deals That Make Stunning Gifts

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: MahaYuti's Landslide Win Raises Questions On Muslim Cleric's MVA Endorsement And Hindu Polarisation

An annual roadshow is helping kids from remote Australia realise their dreams of becoming a scientistDozens of us crowd around the coffee shop’s tables, eyes glued to our phones, waiting for something — anything — to come through. Our cube-shaped bags clutter the floor of the Tim Hortons at Dundas St. W. and Spadina Ave., a popular waiting spot for food delivery couriers. An occasional “ping” cuts through the idle chatter, jolting us to attention. I snatch my phone, hoping for a notification — but my screen is blank. It’s another courier’s order and he’s already bolting out the door, bag in hand. It’s my first week working as an courier and despite it being peak time for deliveries on a Thursday afternoon, I haven’t received an order in over three hours. I turn to the driver next to me. Is my app malfunctioning or am I doing something wrong? After all, the app’s city map shows I’m in a “hot spot,” a high-demand area during high-demand hours. He shrugs. He spent $10 on his to the city, he tells me, and has only made $8 on Uber Eats all day. “Too many drivers and not enough orders,” he says. Toronto’s sidewalks and congested streets have never felt more crowded with food couriers. Spurred by a pandemic surge in delivery app usage, the food courier workforce has ballooned, increasingly made up of newcomers and for whom few other job options exist. In 2023 alone, Statistics Canada says the workforce for delivery apps like Uber Eats grew by a . Toronto Star reporter Ghada Alsharif spent six weeks working as a Uber Eats food courier. In taking a job as a delivery worker for Uber Eats, the city’s most popular food delivery app, I joined the ranks of an oversaturated workforce, where on any given night, a surplus of food couriers outnumbers the available orders. Behind the boom lies a troubling trend: couriers’ pay and behaviour are governed by opaque algorithms that determine wages based on hidden criteria. Using artificial intelligence technology, these platforms keep drivers tethered to the app, waiting unpaid for their next order. For drivers, the results are unpredictable and too often unfair. Data obtained by the Star shows Uber Eats’ platform can offer two food couriers different wages for the exact same trip. Labour advocates charge that the app collects data on driver behaviour and can use it to decide who it can pay at a lower rate, allowing the company to pocket the difference and boost its revenue. This concept is widely referred to as algorithmic wage discrimination. “The app has total control over how a worker gets paid,” says Veena Dubal, a University of California law professor whose research focuses on the gig economy. “Minimum wage and the idea that hard work should lead to economic security, can be — and are being — destroyed by these A.I. systems.” The Ontario government’s legislation aimed at for digital platform workers won’t take effect until 2025 — and even then, workers say it will fail to address the most of gig work. Uber says my experience as a food courier “was atypical” and didn’t match that of an average Toronto delivery driver. The company denies allegations of algorithmic wage discrimination, stating that it does not use a driver’s “past behaviours” to determine who it can pay at a lower rate. Uber says it’s transparent with drivers about potential earnings. The company says delivery workers choose the platform for its flexibility and their ability to “earn money on their own terms.” I worked as an Uber Eats courier for six weeks. I wanted to understand the costs behind the convenience of app-based delivery and gain insight into how gig work is evolving as algorithms call the shots. Many of the food couriers I worked alongside were young international students struggling to earn an income while they make their way through school. Others were refugees or undocumented workers, navigating precarious lives. Of the dozens of workers I spoke with, almost none of them have permanent status in Canada. Most were afraid to speak openly about their experiences with Uber Eats or other apps they deliver for out of fear of jeopardizing their livelihoods. I rented an electric bike and set out to complete at least 100 orders. The goal was to collect independent data that could shed light on how drivers’ wages are determined. But I soon discovered I’d get far fewer orders than expected, a struggle many couriers say is becoming all too common. After my first 20 hours on the Uber Eats app as a food courier, I made just $28.98. In my first weeks delivering food there were hours and even days when I wouldn’t get a single order. Hot spots on the app could change at any moment. When I followed the prompts and biked to one of these locations, like in Liberty Village, it vanished the moment I arrived. A new hot spot appeared on the other end of the downtown core at Yonge and Dundas, nudging me to wait on sidewalks crowded with couriers competing for the same jobs. The more time I spent on the app, the more I felt like a player in a game where I couldn’t figure out the rules. But every courier I met had their own theory on how to beat the game. Some swear by logging in and out of the app to trigger more orders. Others insist on keeping the app open at all times without interruption. Many advise ignoring the heatmap altogether and heading to quieter areas with less competition. Some say to keep biking around instead of waiting in one spot for too long — “the app will think you’re taking a break,” they say. One thing became clear: chasing orders was part of the job. “This is the gamification of work,” said , economist and director of the think tank Centre for Future Work. Employing and data scientists, Uber has talked about how the company has experimented with video game techniques and other tactics to incentivize drivers to stay on the road for more hours. However, Uber told the Star this characterization was “misleading,” and that its data science team was “focused on making offers more transparent and improving the Uber Eats app.” As soon as I logged into the app, I was met with flashing heat maps signalling high demand areas, performance goals tied to rewards programs and countdown timers pressuring me to accept rides while I was in the middle of biking in rush hour traffic. I noticed that I was more likely to get orders if I was constantly on the move. To test this theory, I logged on to the app and stayed in a hot spot for seven hours. Not a single order came through. When asked about this experience, Uber Eats said it “does not require a delivery person to be moving to receive trips.” I changed my strategy and biked in circles around the city during peak lunch and dinner hours. More orders came in this way than when I’d stop and wait at hot spots. Over six weeks, I spent 140 hours and 22 minutes on the app in search of work. But I was paid only for 15 hours and 49 minutes — the time Uber Eats determined I was actively delivering orders. One courier I met on the road was a 28-year-old from India who had been delivering food for over a year trying to pay off his MBA tuition. Unable to find a steady job, he worked on multiple delivery apps, but said it wasn’t uncommon to go six hours between receiving orders. Sometimes, he earned less than $10 over an eight-hour workday. “I’m OK to do hard work, but I’m not making any money,” said the driver. What are the conditions like as a food delivery courier? Toronto Star reporter Ghada Alsharif spent six weeks delivering Uber Eats to find out. Like most of the couriers I spoke to, he asked not to be quoted by name for fear that he will face repercussions from delivery platforms or jeopardize his chances of finding better opportunities in the future. Having work appear scarce creates a sense of competition that makes drivers less selective of what orders they take, said labour relations lawyer Ryan White of Cavalluzzo LLP. “This feeling of scarcity might lead delivery workers to think, ‘If I don’t take this assignment, even if it’s not an assignment I want ... someone else is going to,’ ” White said. Uber spokesperson Keerthana Rang said it’s “difficult to comment on experiences a specific delivery person has because many factors play a role in earnings, like time of day, demand in the area, weather.” Delivery workers “control where and when they work, they are free to use other apps at the same time as they’re on Uber, choose which deliveries to accept, and they can deliver using their own vehicle, by bike, or on foot.” I felt anything but in control. As I spent more time on the app, another change occurred. Instead of simply allowing me to “accept” an order immediately, the app started prompting me to request to “match” with it, meaning the app would first determine whether I was the best fit for the delivery before giving me the job outright. More often than not, I’d lose the match to another driver. The power to choose was not mine. Uber says “there are a number of factors that determine how a match is made, including the proximity to the merchant and estimated delivery times.” One driver suggested I rush to the restaurant as soon as I got a “match” request, in a bid to be the closest to the location when the app made its decision — more guessing, more waiting. Often, after a few match requests were given to other drivers, finally receiving an order I could accept felt like a small victory — one that kept me eager and engaged. Control for drivers is an illusion — it’s really “all in the hands of the apps,” White said. “Workers don’t get to determine their terms and conditions of employment and they don’t get to set the prices that they’re working for.” Toronto was the first city in the world where Uber Eats operated, launching onto the food delivery scene in 2015. On a bitter February evening in 2022, a group of Uber Eats delivery workers gathered at Wychwood Barns Park near St. Clair Ave. W. and Christie St. Soaked in freezing rain, they huddled together to test an algorithm that had become their boss. They ran a simple experiment: logging into the app simultaneously mere inches apart, they strived to document how pay varied for identical orders. When one driver received an order, they took a screenshot capturing the pay and details before declining the job. If one of the other drivers was then offered the order, they did the same thing, creating a side-by-side comparison. The Star analyzed the data of six delivery workers collected by Gig Workers United, a network of app-based couriers advocating for better workers’ rights. Out of 21 assignments offered to at least two drivers in the group, all but one — 95 per cent — revealed pay discrepancies for the same job. For one delivery, from a Harvey’s at St. Clair and Bathurst to a location near Casa Loma, the first driver was offered $6.81. The second was offered $6.18 — a nearly 10 per cent pay difference for the same delivery. In many cases, the pay difference for identical deliveries was less than 10 cents, an amount that may go unnoticed. But given the thousands of drivers and orders around the world, if Uber were to “skim off a few cents” from each delivery, the difference could result in “millions ... of dollars in profit across millions of rides globally,” Dubal said. Dubal has spent more than a decade researching the ride-hailing and gig economy and how these platforms affect workers’ rights, livelihoods and legal protections. Her research, which includes interviews with drivers and analysis of their pay patterns, has found the business model the couriers participate in ultimately relies on an imbalance of power and information. Artificial intelligence technology determines what an Uber Eats worker gets paid. Platforms like Uber use these complex algorithms to streamline customer service while maximizing profits and also dictating worker pay, speed and behaviour. It has fostered a system, Dubal says, where workers performing the same task with the same skills under identical conditions can receive different pay. Dubal’s research documented this alleged algorithmic wage discrimination among rideshare drivers in the San Francisco Bay area, comparing the fares they received to what other drivers got. The data from the Toronto food couriers’ experiment, she says, adds to a growing body of evidence that “proves that Uber Eats has created a system where workers do not earn the same amount even if they’re doing the exact same thing.” “This upends the notion that there should be and is an assumption of equal pay for equal work.” Uber has denied the app uses an individual worker’s past behaviour to set different wages. “Uber Eats does not send lower-paying upfront offers to a delivery person with a history of accepting them. Anything written in your story otherwise would be false,” Rang said. The Uber spokesperson said that any variation of earnings between drivers for the same trip “is likely due to the technical limitations of GPS. “GPS Satellite visibility, location settings, and device orientation are some of the reasons why phones next to each other might have different geolocation results.” According to Dubal and Stanford, Uber Eats is applying a concept similar to one it popularized: consumer price discrimination, sometimes called dynamic or surge pricing, where customers are charged different prices based on what companies think they’re willing to pay. Now, critics say it appears it’s being used to set couriers’ wages. This raises serious concerns, particularly given the vulnerable demographics of many workers, Stanford said. Among the couriers I spoke with was a refugee from Eritrea unable to work legally in Canada, who said he had no choice but to rely on income from food delivery apps despite earning dismal wages. “I do this or I die,” he said. In February, Uber reported its first annual net profit since the company went public in 2019. The company booked a net profit of $1.9 billion in 2023, compared with a loss of $9.1 billion in 2022. Uber says the company’s “profitability has come from the ever-growing volume of trips, which has resulted in our revenues growing faster than our costs.” Hours after announcing its first-ever annual profit, Uber’s CEO told investors on a conference call that the company is increasingly focused on offering drivers’ orders and rides based on their “behavioural patterns.” “I think what we can do better is targeting different trips to different drivers based on their preferences, or based on behavioural patterns that they are showing us,” said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, saying it will lead to shorter wait times for customers, happier drivers and a more efficient system. “That is really the focus going forward: Offering the right trip, at the right price to the right driver.” Landed immigrants accounted for nearly 60 per cent of people who provided either personal transport or delivery services through an app or platform in 2023, according to data from Statistics Canada. Toronto was the first city in the world where Uber Eats operated, launching onto the food delivery scene in 2015. Uber was competing against other companies such as DoorDash and Hurrier. To ensure there were enough couriers available at all times to meet customer demand, delivery platforms offered workers incentives to keep engaging with their apps. Companies offered “boosts,” which multiplied courier earnings if they delivered food in areas seeing a surge in demand, recalls Brice Sopher, who has spent nearly a decade as a bike courier in Toronto. “Uber paid so well in the beginning that you didn’t even care about tips — it was that good,” said Sopher, who is also the vice-president of Gig Workers United. When the pandemic hit, the use of online food delivery platforms surged as customers were confined to their homes and restaurants shuttered their doors. In June 2020, Uber scrapped a payment structure that had offered couriers clear pay based on pickups, drop-offs, distance and time. It was replaced by algorithmic pricing. Drivers could no longer see how their base pay was being calculated. For example, I have no way of knowing why a 2.5-kilometre delivery earned me $4.06 before tip, while a nearly identical 2.3-kilometre delivery paid $6.08. Uber maintains the changes made wages more transparent. Before accepting a delivery, drivers can see fares, including estimated tip, trip distance, estimated time to completion and locations for pick-up and drop off. “The delivery person is in control in determining whether they wish to choose or decline the offer,” Uber’s spokesperson said. The upfront fare and estimated time calculated by the app often failed to account for delays beyond my control, from waiting for food that wasn’t ready at the restaurant to climbing flights of stairs at a condo tower because the elevators were down. When these incidents happened, my deliveries took longer but my pay stayed the same — this meant I would be earning less money per hour. Uber said it aims to “minimize delivery person wait time by adjusting expected merchant preparation time based on actuals.” Demographics of the gig-economy workforce have also changed. Data shows that the surge of ride-hailing and delivery gig workers has been driven largely by newcomers. Landed immigrants accounted for nearly 60 per cent of people who provided either personal transport or delivery services through an app or platform in 2023, according to data from Statistics Canada. One courier I spoke with, a 19-year-old university student from India, came to Canada in search of a good education and better living standards. Instead, he says he’s barely scraping by, struggling to pay his tuition at Niagara College. These days, he considers himself lucky to make $50 on a weekend shift. He searched for work for six months. “When I couldn’t find anything I started doing Uber (deliveries) full-time,” he said. With low barriers to entry, app-based delivery jobs can be appealing to newcomers who are often shut out of other jobs in the labour market, Stanford said. High levels of immigration “combined with the weakening of the labour market, means there are more people willing to do this lousy work than there were two years ago,” he said. “They’re desperate and the platforms take advantage of that.” Over six weeks, I hustled to complete 56 orders. I spent more than 140 hours glued to the app and biking around the city in hopes of coaxing an order out of an algorithm, and made just $243.82, plus another $73 and change in tips. This money is being donated to charity. In the end, I earned a shocking $1.74 per hour online. Uber says the average delivery person in Toronto is engaged four times more on an hourly basis than I was during my six-week experiment. And the company reports that the median driver earnings in Toronto in late 2023 was $33.35 per “engaged hour.” Uber says earnings “must be calculated against engaged time” because a delivery person can have multiple food-delivery apps open at once to optimize their earnings. Even by that standard, my earnings fell short. I made approximately $15.41 per engaged hour before tips, below Ontario’s $17.20 minimum wage. The per-hour pay fluctuated on each order. For one delivery, I made the equivalent of $34 per hour. On another, a paltry $6.95 per hour. In fact, on roughly half of the orders I delivered, I earned the equivalent of less than minimum wage. The effort didn’t even cover my expenses. Renting an e-bike alone cost me $460 for those six weeks. Food-delivery apps keep drivers tethered to the phones, waiting unpaid for their next order. The Ontario government has brought forward legislation meant to improve working conditions for gig workers such as food couriers and ride share drivers. The Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act will require companies to provide workers with a description of how their wages are calculated, and will guarantee gig workers earn minimum wage — but only for engaged hours. But the legislation, introduced in 2022, does not come into effect until summer 2025. “It is important that the government get this right, which includes consulting with workers, digital platforms, the legal sector, and other affected stakeholders,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour said. Some cities have taken steps to regulate platforms such as Uber. City staff had recommended limiting how many drivers could work for the app-based ride-hailing companies at 80,429. That proposal is now in doubt. City staff had recommended limiting how many drivers could work for the app-based ride-hailing companies at 80,429. That proposal is now in doubt. Earlier this month, Toronto city staff the number of rideshare licences in a bid to address the ride-hailing industry’s negative impacts on traffic, emissions, and public transit. A staff report concluded that drivers’ median income, when accounting for all the time spent on the app, was just $5.97 an hour after costs such as fuel and insurance — a figure Uber disputes. The city’s executive committee voted to to the drawing board. Other cities, such as New York City, have focused on guaranteed wages for drivers. By paying drivers a guaranteed wage, Stanford said the hope is that this will dissuade companies from courting a surplus of workers to compete for orders. Critics say that delivery apps for years have gotten around paying drivers minimum wage by misclassifying gig workers as independent contractors — excluding workers from the full set of rights they would otherwise be entitled to as employees. Organizations like Gig Workers United and RideFair TO have been advocating for gig workers to be classified as employees, which would grant them access to essential benefits, including employment insurance and minimum sick days. App companies have pushed back saying this would undermine couriers’ flexibility to work across multiple platforms and to set their own schedules. Sopher, who has worked on more than one app at once, described the experience as “degrading.” “It’s like working two or more jobs at the exact same time and still not making enough money,” he said. “You only do it because you have to.” In Uber’s 2023 annual report, the company said its business “would be adversely affected if drivers were classified as employees, workers or quasi-employees instead of independent contractors.” Dubal warns that the ripple effects of this algorithm-driven system, in which drivers have minimal protections, extend far beyond food delivery. This same technology is already playing a significant role in managing jobs in some distribution warehouses, from scheduling shifts to assigning tasks and even reportedly firing employees. For six weeks, I knew I had the option to log off whenever I wanted, to step away from the relentless chase for orders. But for a growing number of workers, their primary — often sole — source of income is determined by an app, with wage rates and assignments beyond their control. Sopher, who has all but given up on delivery work, fears that if companies like Uber continue to misclassify delivery workers “you’re going to have a permanent two-tier employment regime in Ontario.” “It’s all of the worst parts of being an employee and all the worst parts of being an independent contractor rolled up in one.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder and host Charlotte Hornets couldn't look much different going into Saturday night's contest. The Thunder have won four games in a row since falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup championship. "It's the extra plays that put you over the edge," Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. "We know that. We have a bunch of players that are hungry to do that." The Thunder had a huge second half to overcome host Indiana for a 120-114 victory Thursday, sparked by Gilgeous-Alexander's career-high-tying 45 points. Nine of his points came in the final minute, including a clutch 3-pointer. "That's what the work is about," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It went in because I took the shot. I'd like to think I've grown a bit. Trusting my work. It's about continuing to push forward." Gilgeous-Alexander has led the Thunder in scoring in seven of the last eight games, including back-to-back 40-plus-point performances. His latest outing might have been one of his best. "That was a masterpiece," Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. "He just had total control." Gilgeous-Alexander has taken his scoring average to 31.1 points per game, ranking second in the league. Charlotte guard LaMelo Ball is fourth at 30.1. Charlotte has dropped six consecutive games and 14 of 15. The latest struggles for the Hornets came with Thursday's 113-110 loss at Washington, which has fewer victories than seven-win Charlotte. "We're going through a little bit of adversity right now, and I think this group is banding together," Hornets coach Charles Lee said. "They're competing harder and learning how to get through it. I have total faith that we will continue to push through and keep getting better every day." Either Miles Bridges or Ball has been Charlotte's top scorer in four of the last five games. Ball has eclipsed the 30-point mark twice since returning to action from an injury. The Hornets figure to be regaining some of their post presence with Mark Williams and Nick Richards both in action. Yet Bridges is picking up much of the rebounding slack, leading Charlotte on the boards in three of the past five games. Williams has played in eight games -- all losses -- since missing all of October and November while coming back from an injury. His 16-point outing on 8-for-11 shooting in 26 minutes at Washington might be reason for encouragement. Richards' role has been reduced as he has played no more than 17 minutes in five of his last six outings. The Hornets seem to have swingman Brandon Miller back in the regular rotation. He posted 18 points in 36 minutes at Washington, where he was 6-for-21 from the field. "Defensively, he'll give us a boost," Lee said. "Offensively, with his ability to shoot. ... I think he's one of the better catch-and-shoot players on our team and he's always able to create and play-make for other guys." Miller has played only three games in the past 2 1/2 weeks, shooting a combined 9-for-34 on 3-pointers in those outings. Four of Oklahoma City's last six opponents have failed to reach the 100-point mark. The Hornets have scored more than 110 points in only one of their last six games. --Field Level MediaTaylor Swift is sparking more rumors that another Eras Tour movie is on the way. The 34-year-old singer is currently in the middle of her final weekend of shows and she had a full film crew following her during night one of the Vancouver stop. Taylor performed the first of her final three shows on Friday (December 6) at BC Place in Canada. Fans on social media have noted how the show had extra film crews, including cameramen on stage throughout the night, a flyover camera, and additional tracks on the floor to allow cameras to seamlessly hover around the stage. While some are wondering if Taylor will be making a second concert film with the updated 2024 set list, including the Tortured Poets Department songs, others think that she is preparing a documentary about the tour. We have recapped everything that’s coming up for Taylor in her career and personal life after the tour ends.

Share Tweet Share Share Email Printed Circuit Boards are crucial for almost any type of modern electronic device as they connect the components and make sure the devices work smoothly. However, it is not easy to understand how they actually work and how to find a reliable manufacturer if you have no idea how they work. This article provides some of the essential information and helps you understand how important such a small thing can be for any device. Types of PCBs First, you need to understand the different types and what kind of electronic devices they are suitable for. For example, there are single-sided PCBs, which are good for simple devices but might not be used for some more complex appliances. As such, you can use double-sided PCBs which provide everything you might need. However, if you are looking for a PCB for high-performance electronics, you should choose multilayer PCBs as they incorporate multiple layers of conductive material. How to Find the Right Manufacturer? This is quite an important question regarding how to find the right and reliable manufacturer. You need to make sure that the manufacturer can handle your production needs and designs so that you do not encounter unpleasant situations or arguments. Set your needs clear from the very beginning. Another important thing you need to keep in mind is to find someone for both PCB fabrication and assembly , as this is much safer and easier if one company manages both. Make sure they do quality inspections to ensure high-quality PCBs and also do not forget to communicate regarding the deadline of the delivery. Key Steps Many wonder what the process of PCB fabrication looks like. Here you can see that everything starts with the designing of the PCB, and this is usually done by computer software, and that design is then applied to the board using a special film. As the PCB connects different components , small holes are drilled making this possible. Once this is done, a solder mask is added to cover the circuits and prevent any damage, and then a protective coating, such as gold or tin, is applied to some of the exposed parts for durability. Latest Trends in PCB Manufacturing As PCBs are essential for electronic devices, and they are becoming smaller and smaller each year, one of the most important trends is to make smaller boards, which make electronics more compact. As this requires paying attention to small details, nowadays the focus is on better automation and using machines for faster and more precise work. Still, they try to use eco-friendly materials in order to reduce environmental impact and accept their responsibility of doing everything they can to save the environment. PCB fabrication is an extremely complicated process that is nowadays advanced with the help of technology and robots. Many people do not know anything about what this process looks like, but now, after reading this article, you will be able to recognize different types of PCBs and know some essential steps in how they are made . Related Items: Manufacturing Techniques , PCB Fabrication Share Tweet Share Share Email Comments