Full self-driving is coming for all Tesla owners with a subscription | Mashable

December 21, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you want your Tesla to drive itself down some streets and on the highway (with you still at the wheel, paying attention, of course) you need to put down some serious cash for the Full Self-Driving (FSD) mode. But in 2021, there might be more options.

Instead of paying $10,000 to add FSD mode to the Tesla advanced driving system, called Autopilot, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted Sunday about subscription access. That means anyone with a Tesla could pay month-to-month for the driving mode. It’s currently in beta with a select group of Tesla users and that’s it.

It’ll open up to more people at some point in 2021. Even though Musk had previously mentioned a rollout by the end of 2020.

Walmart one-ups Amazon: You don’t need to leave home to return packages for free | CNN

December 21, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Walmart is attempting to solve one of the biggest pain-points of online shopping — the dreaded return — with a new service.

The retailer announced Monday that it will pick up items shipped and sold by Walmart.com from customers’ homes through a new partnership with FedEx (FDX). Walmart said the “incredibly convenient” option is free and will remain in place beyond the busy holiday shopping season.

To use the new service, called “Carrier Pickup by FedEx,” customers have the initiate return process on Walmart’s website or app, schedule a date for pickup and print a label. Then it will be picked up by a FedEx employee.

Why do cats meow? | Live Science

December 18, 2020December 17, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Every day your cat walks into your office, looks at you indignantly and utters a despondent “meooow.” You may not speak cat, but her meaning is clear: “You haven’t fed me yet, you monster!”

House cats are unique in the way they use their voices to communicate with their human companions — they rarely meow at one another. So what makes our feline friends so chatty with us?

The answer has to do with domestication, experts told Live Science.

What Do You Need to Open a Business Bank Account? | businessnewsdaily.com

December 18, 2020December 17, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Find out which documents and licenses you’ll need to bring with you when you apply for a business bank account.

To open a business bank account, you will need your articles of incorporation, employer identification number and personal identification documents.
You can set up a business checking and savings account.
A business bank account is necessary to keep your business and personal finances separate.
This article is for small business owners who are interested in opening a business bank account and want to know what they need to get started.

Business bank accounts help you manage your business finances in a professional manner and separate those funds from your personal finances. Opening a business bank account requires more effort than opening a personal account. There are documents to gather, names to be determined and licenses to get in order. Learn why you should have a business bank account and what you need to do to open one.

How to Focus on Goals and Get Rid of Distractions | Life Hack

December 17, 2020December 16, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Have you ever had one of those days where you’re sitting at a screen trying to just tick something off your to do list and finding yourself completely unable to just focus on the task at hand? Maybe you’re on Facebook or falling down the rabbit hole of news, social media, and the countless other distractions the Internet presents instead of trying to focus on goals for the day.

You’re not alone. More than 84% of us are plagued by procrastination at least sometimes[1]. For me, procrastination is the leading reason I used to so frequently get to the end of the week without having achieved what I wanted to. That ultimately meant putting in more hours on the weekends and evenings when I’d rather be spending time with my family or working out and investing in my physical and mental health.

That was the core motivator for me investing two years in experimenting with different tools and tactics to improve my focus.

Amazon wants to scan your body to make perfectly fitting shirts | Fast Company

December 17, 2020December 16, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

For just $25, Amazon wants to make you a custom T-shirt. And a virtual body double.

This week, the company unveiled a brand called “Made for You” that creates made-to-measure clothes. The initial product, a T-shirt, can be personalized to your taste and measurements, and more products are coming. This is Amazon’s latest bid to make itself a fashion destination, and if the company chooses to double down on this made-to-measure technology, it could have significant impacts throughout the industry.

A (Very) Quick $120 Million: Supersonic Flight Takes A Bold Step Closer To Reality | Forbes

December 16, 2020December 15, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Nearly every aviation nabob out there will tell you that the next time we see supersonic air travel, it will more likely be aboard a business jet than aboard a commercial airliner. Aerion Corporation, a leader in supersonic jet development, caused a stir in the private jet world with a bold announcement back in 2004 seeking to create a joint venture to design and build a new supersonic business jet. After a great deal of interest, the original aircraft was revisited and upgraded to the current Aerion AS2 proposed project in 2014: An 8-10 passenger, natural laminar-flow winged aircraft that will be designed to blaze a trail in the skies at 1.4 Mach (um, that’s over 1,000 mph) over a minimum planned range of 4,750 NM (about 5,466 statute miles, besting the range of a subsonic Gulfstream G500).

Top 7 Ways to Improve the Live Chat Experience for Your Customers | AllBusiness.com

December 16, 2020December 15, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Consumers today prefer live chat over more traditional channels to handle customer service issues, according to J.D. Power. It’s become a quick and efficient way of resolving problems—or at least, it should be. If your live chat isn’t being handled right, it can lead to frustrated customers who will leave your website and never return. To keep customers happy, here are seven ways to improve your customers’ live chat experience:

79% of Consumers Say They’re Comfortable Shopping In Stores | Small Business Trends

December 15, 2020December 14, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Some 79% of consumers say they’re comfortable shopping in stores this holiday season according to a survey by Square and Wakefield Research. A further 40% of consumers say they will at least do half of their shopping in-store.

The findings of the survey dispel fears by retailers that this holiday season will see a drop in in-store purchases. This as 56% of retailers are expecting many consumers to not shop in-store at all. More importantly, 52% of those surveyed are more likely to support small and local businesses this holiday season than the past year.

How to Engage Customers in a Remote Society | business.com

December 15, 2020December 14, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Local business is continuously getting more competitive, which means getting noticed can be more difficult, especially in a society where most consumers aren’t interacting with businesses in person.

If you are looking to grow your local business and get more customers, you will need to consider expanding your company’s reach. There are multiple ways to make this happen, including learning how to market your company better. Expanding a business is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, know-how and a good product or service, but there are time tested techniques that still work even in the current climate.