Shonteff first became associated with the spy genre at the height of Bondmania when he introduced the world to Charles Vine in The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World (aka Licensed to Kill) in 1965. (Yes, the movie whose Sammy Davis, Jr. theme song is energetically sung by all the Circus staff in Tomas Alfredson's 2011 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy!) Star Tom Adams reprised the role in two Sixties sequels which Shonteff sat out (Where the Bullets Fly and Somebody's Stolen Our Russian Spy), but Shonteff clearly felt a close attachment to the character, because he revived him under slightly altered names (for legal reasons) throughout the rest of his career with ever diminishing returns. The 1970s saw first Nicky Henson and then The New Avengers' Gareth Hunt essaying the role of "Charles Bind" in spy spoofs No. 1 of the Secret Service (1977) and The Man from S*E*X (1979), respectively, while 1990 found Michael Howe playing a Lamborghini Countach driving No. 1 in the nigh unwatchable Number One Gun. Just prior to No. 1 of the Secret Service (which one-time Bond contender Richard Todd steals as the urbane villain Arthur Loveday), Shonteff tried his hand at a serious spy movie adapting Len Deighton's Spy Story, the unofficial fourth "Harry Palmer" movie. 

But his finest hour in the genre may have come in 1967 when he updated the Sax Rohmer "Yellow Peril" femme fatale Sumuru for the spy craze, with Goldfinger's golden girl Shirley Eaton once more altering her skin color to play the Asian supervillain. Nope, there's nothing remotely PC about any of it, but if you can get past the appalling casting conventions of the time, The Million Eyes of Sumuru is a thoroughly entertaining Eurospy romp! It stars Eurospy stalwart George Nader (Jerry Cotton himself!) and Dr. Goldfoot foil Frankie Avalon as the intrepid agents who go up against Eaton. Amazingly, the New Beverly will be screening a 35mm IB Tech print of this cult classic!

Now let's be greedy and hope that perhaps this Shonteff celebration will continue into March with screenings of The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World, Spy Story, and the two Big Zapper movies. (The Big Zapper was Shonteff's female private detective turned spy, an Emma Peel wannabe who could shoot lasers out of her... well, it was the Seventies and it was Shonteff, so you can guess.)

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Florida is a case study in how investing in public higher education can pay off for students and their families.

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Appendix I - Software "EMF-estimator" v8.0.32 and v8.64

Interoperability design guidelines for personal connected health systems: Healthcare Information System interface

Resolution 77 - (Rev. Hammamet, 2016) - Enhancing the standardization work in the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector for software-defined networking

Resolution 95 - (Rev. Geneva, 2022) - ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector initiatives to raise awareness on best practices and policies related to service quality

Requirements for resource management in cloud-aware telecommunication management systems

Requirements for service management in cloud-aware telecommunication management system

Interface for synergy management of cloud and software-defined networking-based networks - Protocol neutral requirements

Shared information and data model (SID) for network operation cost management

New Appendix on shared E.212 Mobile Country Code (MCC) 999 for internal use within a private network

New Annex G - Assignment of shared E.212 mobile country codes (MCC) for trials

New Annex B - Criteria and procedures for the assignment and reclamation of shared ITU T E.218 terrestrial trunk radio access mobile country codes ((T)MCC) for networks and their respective terrestrial trunk radio access mobile network codes ((T)MNCs)

Low power protocol for wide area wireless networks

Quantum Key Distribution Networks - Software Defined Networking Control

An Energy-aware Survey on ICT Device Power Supplies

GSTP-NTSU - NT software upgrade for one image

U4SSC - City Snapshot - Hareid, Norway

FSTP-VS-SDCA - Application of software-defined cameras in the surveillance industry

TR.Reqts-SAN - Requirements of semantic-aware networking for future networks

Service model and architecture of downloadable mobile multi-CA/DRM solutions for delivering CA/DRM client software to secondary devices

Deep learning software framework evaluation methodology

Technical framework for the shared machine learning system

Architecture and protocols for software-defined cameras

Requirements for artificial intelligence based machine vision system in smart logistics warehouse

Shared uses of telecommunication infrastructure as possible methods for enhancing the efficiency of telecommunications

One network area roaming

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List of Signalling Area/Network Codes (SANC)

Security guidelines for home area network (HAN) devices in smart grid systems

Security services using software-defined networking

Security framework and requirements for service function chaining based on software-defined networking

Interworking between session initiation protocol (SIP) and bearer independent call control protocol or ISDN user part

Protocol for time constraint Internet of things-based applications over software-defined networking

Software tools for speech and audio coding standardization

Transmission of start-stop characters over synchronous bearer channels

DNA-testing company 23andMe (Nasdaq: ME), once an industry leader that attracted millions of customers, including rapper Snoop Dogg and investor Warren Buffett, has announced significant cuts to its operations, with plans to lay off 200 employees or roughly 40% of its workforce. The company also said it will discontinue development of its therapeutic programs. Here’s what to know about the latest development and what led up to it.

Board exodus

The latest move comes as the company looks to stabilize after facing significant challenges, including the resignation of all seven independent board members in October.

Data breach

Last year, 23andMe suffered a massive data breach when hackers accessed the personal information of 6.9 million users. The incident led to a class-action lawsuit, which, in September, 23andMe agreed to settle for $30 million.

The problem with SPACs

In 2021, 23andMe went public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. It later expanded into drug-discovery and weight-loss sectors. However, as DNA test kit sales declined, so did its financial health. By fiscal 2023, it reported a $312 million net loss, with its stock down 98% since going public, currently at about $4 after a reverse stock split in October 2024.

Separate reports have found that things have often not ended well for companies that took advantage of the pandemic-era SPAC boom, which led to billions in losses for investors and a number of bankruptcies for companies.

What’s next for 23andMe and its employees?

The layoffs are expected to result in $12 million in severance, termination, and transition-related costs and are part of a broader plan to streamline the business and achieve annual cost savings of $35 million.

The company says it is exploring various strategic options for its therapeutic programs, including potential licensing agreements and the sale of assets in its development pipeline.

“We are taking these difficult but necessary actions as we restructure 23andMe and focus on the long-term success of our core consumer business and research partnerships,” said Anne Wojcicki, cofounder, CEO, and chair of the board, in a statement.

Shares of 23andMe were up almost 6% to $4.87 on the news, which was announced late yesterday. The stock is down more than 73% year to date.