Monthly Archives: October 2020

Small Swedish Town Becomes Home To Urban Development Experiment | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

Posted on October 30, 2020 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Stockholm-based architecture firm Anders Berensson Architects has unveiled designs for the Tibro Train Tracks, an ongoing urban development project to transform an abandoned track area in the Swedish town of Tibro into an innovative hub for urban planning experiments. Commissioned by the municipality of Tibro with support from the ArkDes Swedish Center for Architecture and Design, the practice-based research project explores the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, which calls for sustainable cities and communities. Under the direction of SDG 11, the Tibro research project aims to find new ways of sustainably revitalizing small, rural towns.

Located in southern Sweden, the small town of Tibro is best known for its furniture industry and local manufacturing. As a result, the architects opted to highlight the town’s history by taking an inventory of the machines and industrial features that could be adapted into site-specific projects and interventions.

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Tagged Anders Berensson Architects, Swedish Town, Urban Development Experiment

Polar’s New Fitness Smartwatch | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

Posted on October 30, 2020 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Polar has a new fitness-orientated smartwatch, and it’s not for the faint of heart. The Polar Vantage V2 is designed for hardcore fitness fanatics and athletes, with a massive range of in-depth features that will appeal to people whose lives revolve around exercise, but will baffle someone who reluctantly goes to the gym a couple of times a week.

The follow-up to the Polar Vantage V, the Vantage V2’s aluminum case is 21% lighter than the Vantage V at 52 grams, water-resistant to 100 meters, and comes in three colors: Black, green, or a cool grey-lime. The screen measures 1.2 inches and has a 240 x 240-pixel resolution, while the battery will last for 40 hours normally, or 100 hours with an extended battery mode active.

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Posted in News and Views

Tagged Fitness Smartwatch, Polar’s New Fitness Smartwatch, smartwatch

REE demonstrates its wildly innovative vehicle platform of the future | New Atlas

Posted on October 29, 2020 by knjohn | Leave a comment

When we first encountered REE’s ultra-modular EV chassis, we struggled to know what to make of it. Speaking to CEO Daniel Barel, we couldn’t seem to pin down any specifics. What is it? A flat, modular vehicle chassis in which all steering, suspension, motor, gearbox and braking functions are bundled up into removable, replaceable “corner units” in the wheels.

These corner units have built-in electronics so that every single function can be fully electronically controlled. It’s not just drive-by-wire, it’s steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire, everything-by-wire. So you can put a steering wheel and pedals in if you want, but it’s just as happy to take instructions from an autonomous drive system, or heck, even a remote control. There’s no difference as far as the chassis is concerned.

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Posted in News and Views

Tagged innovative vehicle platform, REE, skateboard chassis

The iFixit iPhone 12 Pro teardown is finally here | Mashable

Posted on October 29, 2020 by knjohn | Leave a comment

If you’re interested in the iPhone 12 Pro’s innards, you may want to block five minutes out of your day to watch iFixit’s new teardown video.

The smartphone repairability experts over at iFixit published an iPhone 12 Pro teardown that offers a detailed look at how the new Apple device is held together on the inside. Among other things, it confirms something we already knew: The battery is a downgrade from the iPhone 11 and isn’t any better than the one in the regular iPhone 12.

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Posted in News and Views

Tagged Apple, iFixit, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro teardown

Harley-Davidson’s ebike is here, just don’t call it a Harley | CNN

Posted on October 28, 2020 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Harley-Davidson, an aging brand that has faced shrinking sales over the past year, is starting an ebike company that it hopes could help it connect with a younger audience and grow its business.

Serial 1, the new Harley-Davidson venture, revealed the first glimpse Tuesday of its electric bicycle, which it says will be for sale in the first half of 2021. Harley-Davidson (HOG) originally showed off photos of a concept electric bicycle in January 2019, but the company will be a minority shareholder in Serial 1, and venture capitalists will own the majority of the new brand, though Serial 1 declined to reveal the investors.

Harley-Davidson has also launched an electric motorcycle, Livewire, to help reach new customers, but will keep that full-fledged motorcycle under the Harley name.

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Posted in News and Views

Tagged ebikes, Harley-Davidson, Harley-Davidson's ebike

The war against plastic is distracting us from pollution that cannot be seen | Live Science

Posted on October 28, 2020 by knjohn | Leave a comment

The war against plastic may be overshadowing greater threats to the environment. In a collaboration with experts from the environmental sciences, engineering, industry, policy and charities, we have written a paper in the journal WIREs Water which highlights concerns that relatively easy action against plastic pollution can conveniently mask environmental apathy, and that people are being misled by alarmist headlines, emotive photographs, and “greenwashing.”

Plastic is an incredibly useful and versatile material on which much of modern society relies, yet it has become one of the most topical environmental issues of the day. Over the past few years, plastic pollution has encouraged action from individuals, organizations and governments at levels similar to some of the greatest threats to the environment, such as climate change and biodiversity loss.

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Posted in News and Views

Tagged environmental issues, pollution, war against plastic, war on plastic

How a Microloan Can Help Your New Small Business | businessnewsdaily.com

Posted on October 27, 2020 by knjohn | Leave a comment

If your new small business needs a short-term, low-interest infusion of funds, a microloan could be exactly what you’re looking for.

Microloans can help small businesses launch and grow through small-dollar lending.

Though they’re generally considered a great way to build a credit file for your business, very few lenders in the U.S. offer microloans.

Unlike some business loans, microloans can be used for a wide range of items or needs.

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Posted in Tools and Information

Tagged Microloan, short term loans, small business loans

What Is Analysis Paralysis (And How to Overcome It) | Lifehack

Posted on October 27, 2020 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Have you ever taken so long trying to solve a problem that you just ended up going around in circles? How about trying to make a major decision and just freezing up when the time to decide came?

You might have found yourself gathering too much information, hoping it will help you make the best decision—even if it takes you too long to do so. This probably led to many missed opportunities, especially in situations where you needed to act on time.

Nobody wants to make the wrong decision. However, delayed decision making can have a hugely negative impact on all aspects of your life—from your personal relationships to your career. Delaying important decisions can be the worst decision of all.

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Posted in Tools and Information

Tagged Analysis Paralysis, How to over come Analysis Paralysis, problem solving, solve a problem

Ocean Cleanup launches its first ocean plastic product: sunglasses | Fast Company

Posted on October 26, 2020 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Late in 2019, the Ocean Cleanup crew returned from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with its first load of plastic waste harvested from the ocean during a pilot test of its trash-fighting technology, proving that it could skim plastic off the surface of the water. But then came the next hurdle in the company’s yearslong quest to prove its effectiveness: how to recycle that plastic so it didn’t become waste again.

“It was actually quite a challenge, because this material has sometimes been out there for decades,” says Boyan Slat, CEO and founder of the Ocean Cleanup. “A lot of this stuff is quite brittle, quite degraded. It’s also very mixed. You see half of it being fishing nets, the other half being more rigid objects, like bottles and crates. So turning it into a usable material was quite a journey. When we announced that we were going to do this late last year, we didn’t know whether we could do it.”

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Posted in Tools and Information

Tagged Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Ocean Cleanup, sunglasses

They Were Rejected On Shark Tank And Today Are Making Millions | Forbes

Posted on October 26, 2020 by knjohn | Leave a comment

The investors from TV’s Shark Tank aren’t going to want to see this. Here are ten ventures turned down on the show, that have become great successes.

Cellhelmet

Cellhelmet provides protective cases for your most precious possession – your cell phone. Since being turned down on Shark Tank, Cellhelmet has gone on to create a whole suite of mobile device accessories including charging solutions, power banks and screen protectors. Their products can now be found in 3,000 stores, and they have offices in both the US and China.