How to Manage Employee Welfare in the Cost of Living Crisis | The Startup Magazine

April 21, 2023April 20, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The cost-of-living crisis, fuelled by a range of economic headwinds, has seen businesses and their employees alike suffer from a severe loss of spending power, with the impact being felt throughout global HR departments.

In the United Kingdom, a record number of households are set to see their biggest decline in income in half a century, and this is set to cause a series of problems for businesses that are dependent on consumer spending power remaining high.

For businesses, the challenge of staying afloat can be a priority, but it’s equally important that you seek to support staff members in need during such a challenging time. Office for National Statistics data shows that seven in 10 adults are actively seeking to spend less on non-essential goods, while over 20% are borrowing more money or using credit on a greater scale than before.

SpaceX Starship: Elon Musk’s big rocket explodes on test flight | BBC News

April 21, 2023April 20, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Elon Musk’s SpaceX company’s mammoth new rocket, Starship, has exploded on its maiden flight.

No-one was hurt in the uncrewed test that lifted off from Texas’ east coast on Thursday morning local time.

After two to three minutes into the flight, the rocket – the biggest ever developed – started to tumble out of control and was soon destroyed by onboard charges.

Mr Musk has said his company will try again in a couple of months.

Snapchat’s AI chatbot is now free for all global users, says the AI will later ‘Snap’ you back | TechCrunch

April 20, 2023April 19, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Snapchat’s AI chatbot is now opening up to a global audience, the company announced today at its Snap Partner Summit. Initially launched in February, the feature originally allowed Snapchat’s paid subscribers to chat with an AI chatbot powered by OpenAI’s GPT technology directly in its app. Now it will be available for free. To date, users have sent nearly 2 million messages per day using the chatbot, Snap noted. With today’s global expansion, the feature is also being upgraded with new functionality, including the ability to add My AI to group chats, get recommendations for places on Snap Map and Lenses, and share Snaps with My AI and receive chat replies.

Microsoft kicks Twitter in the teeth | TechCrunch

April 20, 2023April 19, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Microsoft is dropping Twitter from its advertising platform next week, nearly two months after Twitter announced that it will begin charging a minimum of $42,000 per month to users of its API, which include enterprises and research institutions.

Users began receiving emails about its new pricing details in early March, per a Wired report that observed at the time that the new pricing scheme “prices out nearly everyone.”

With its $2.15 trillion market cap and roughly $100 billion cash on hand at the end of last year, Microsoft obviously has the money to pay Twitter what it wants, so the move appears to be a bit of a statement, even as Microsoft is declining to elaborate further about its decision.

Trader Joe’s Cashier Goes Viral for Unexpected Act of Kindness | Entrepreneur

April 19, 2023April 18, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Everyone has had one of those days when nothing seems to go right.

Now, in a teary-eyed video that’s garnered over 57,800 views, a Trader Joe’s employee is being praised by a shopper for an unexpected act of kindness that turned her day around.

TikToker Danielle Blakey tearfully tells viewers that she will only shop at Trader Joe’s grocery stores from now on, explaining how she went into the store to pick up some items at night after having “a really hard couple of days,” although she didn’t specify what was going on.

“I’m normally really good at like masking my feelings,” she explains to viewers. “Clearly I was not tonight.”

Minimally Invasive Surgical Instruments | Cool Business Ideas

April 18, 2023April 17, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

One of the challenges of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery lies in getting surgical instruments into the patient’s body via a narrow catheter. Scientists have set about addressing that problem, with magnetic instruments that pop into and out of shape as needed.

The experimental MaSoChain (magnetic soft-robotic chain) system was developed at Switzerland’s ETH Zurich research institute, by a team led by doctoral student Hongri Gu. He is now a postdoc at the University of Konstanz.

In a nutshell, MaSoChain incorporates 3D-printed surgical instruments made up of small rigid polymer segments linked by flexible elastic connectors. Each segment has a tiny strategically placed magnet inside. When inserted into a catheter, the components all sit end-to-end in a row, “like a string of pearls.”

Twitter will limit reach of ‘hateful’ content with a label, not removal | Mashable

April 18, 2023April 17, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

You can still find hate speech on Elon Musk’s Twitter. But now, some of it will come with a warning label.

According to Twitter, the company will start rolling out new warning labels on tweets that break its “Hateful Conduct” rules. Tweets with this label will have “limited visibility” on the platform, meaning that Twitter’s algorithm will reduce its reach — that is, fewer people will see the content, as its ability to be found via search or discovered via recommendations will be stifled.

Why don’t hurricanes form at the equator? | Live Science

April 17, 2023April 16, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The fierce winds of a hurricane are known as tropical cyclones in some parts of the world, so you might expect them to sweep across the entire tropics. But there’s one area of the tropics where hurricanes almost never form: the equator.Historical maps of the locations of tropical cyclones (also known as typhoons and hurricanes, depending on the location) would reveal that “it is extremely rare for them to form within a few degrees of the equator,” Gary Barnes(opens in new tab), a meteorologist who’s now retired from the University of Hawaii, told Live Science. (One degree of latitude covers about 69 miles, or 111 kilometers.)

But why aren’t there hurricanes at the equator?

Problems That Can Kill a Small Business | Business News Daily

April 17, 2023April 16, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Money, leadership and employees are just a few problems that destroy small businesses.

Small businesses face potentially devastating issues like poor cash flow, inadequate leadership, disengaged employees and more.
To keep your business alive and thriving, create a financial plan, hire an effective leadership team and prioritize a strong company culture.
Research your business’ competition to market your products or services more effectively and attract customers to your brand.
This article is for small business owners who want to learn about and circumvent common problems that can derail success.

Starting a business comes with inherent challenges and pitfalls. However, even when you’re off to a good start, keeping a company running successfully isn’t for the faint of heart. Many small businesses encounter issues that prove to be insurmountable, leading to business closure and dashed dreams.