Stimulus Talks Brighten With a New White House-Approved $916 Billion Aid Package | Inc.com

December 11, 2020December 10, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The chances for a badly needed stimulus bill getting passed as early as next week have improved for the first time since the election.

On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin unveiled a $916 billion stimulus plan that would reauthorize the Paycheck Protection Program, the crisis-era small-business refundable-loan program, and issue $600 stimulus payments to individuals. It also offers increased liability protections for businesses and funding for state and local governments–yet it fails to offer any support for supplemental unemployment benefits.

Mnuchin announced the plan, which was approved by both the White House and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in a telephone call with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). She quickly decried the plan for its absence of unemployment funding but cheered the offer as a cause for optimism.

Facebook hit with massive antitrust lawsuit from 46 states | TechCrunch

December 10, 2020December 9, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A huge collection of states filed an antitrust lawsuit Wednesday accusing Facebook of suppressing its competition through monopolistic business practices. Forty-eight attorneys general across 46 states, the territory of Guam and the District of Columbia are behind the lawsuit, with only South Dakota, South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia declining to join.

The lawsuit, which looks at Facebook’s actions throughout the company’s history, alleges that the company bought competitors “illegally” and in a “predatory manner” in order to grow and preserve its market power. The suit cites Facebook’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp as prominent examples.

Uber Gives Up on the Self-Driving Dream | WIRED

December 10, 2020December 9, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

IN 2015, THEN Uber CEO Travis Kalanick pulled off a bold talent raid when he poached some 40 roboticists from the National Robotics Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon. The move reportedly left the world-class engineering university reeling, and it seemed to signal that the world’s hottest startup was on the cusp of making self-driving cars a reality.

Now, that self-driving unit is no more, and the estimated timeline for robotaxi domination has extended well into this decade. Uber said Monday it would sell off the self-driving unit that was the result of that raid, the Pittsburgh-based Advanced Technologies Group. The 1,200-person unit will be acquired by the self-driving-tech developer Aurora. Uber will invest $400 million in Aurora as part of the deal, bringing Aurora’s valuation to $10 billion and tripling its workforce. Uber’s current CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, will also take a seat on Aurora’s board.

Getting in Your Zone: 5 Ways Entrepreneurs Prime Their Mind and Body for Optimal Productivity | Entrepreneur

December 9, 2020December 8, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As entrepreneurs, we don’t get to punch our time cards at 5:00 p.m. sharp. In reality, we are always on the clock thinking about our next pitch, marketing plan, or capital raise, sometimes during the most inopportune times. It’s time to start realizing the value that lies within taking care of ourselves, or dare I say – even taking a break. A break does not have to mean a long vacation. Small adjustments throughout our day can let us recalibrate and make sure that we take care of ourselves before trying to build the next great business. These vital self-care routines have been proven to help elevate the performance and mental health of all kinds of people from entrepreneurs to athletes.

1. Get some rest

Ironic, I know. How can more rest make me more productive? #TeamNoSleep! As we go through school, we get into some habits that don’t carry over into the real world. “All-nighters” during finals week seem to be a normal thing, as we stay up until the wee hours cramming those last few slides just in case it can grab us a few extra points. Entrepreneurship is a very different world. Our test questions come in the form of presentations, conversations, negotiations, and so much more. If your mental clarity is not where it needs to be, the opportunity is as good as gone. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults should get anywhere from 7-9 hours of sleep every night. That might sound crazy, but you will definitely feel the difference after a good night’s rest. Don’t be afraid to experiment with some products that may help you get that sound sleep faster, like chamomile tea, melatonin, or even CBD. Focus on your rest, re-energizing, and mental clarity — your body (and performance!) will thank you.

Rethinking The On-Demand Workforce | Getentrepreneurial.com

December 9, 2020December 8, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In this era of chronic skills shortages, rapid automation, and digital transformation, companies are confronting a growing talent problem, one that has the potential to become a strategic bottleneck. How can they find people with the right skills to do the right work at just the right time? The half-life of skills is shrinking fast, and many jobs now come and go in a matter of years. Not only that, but major demographic changes are under way: Boomers are aging out of the workforce, and Millennials and Gen Z are taking over, bringing with them very different priorities about who should do what work—and where, when, and how it should get done.

To help companies address these challenges, a new generation of talent platforms—such as Catalant, InnoCentive, Kaggle, Toptal, and Upwork—has emerged. In contrast to Uber, Amazon Mechanical Turk, and TaskRabbit, these platforms offer on-demand access to highly skilledworkers, and our research shows that their number has risen substantially since 2009, from roughly 80 to more than 330. Much of that growth took place during the past five years alone. Today almost all Fortune 500 companies use one or more of them.

Wheel Driver aims to put a ratcheting tool in your pocket

December 8, 2020December 7, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Ratcheting tools certainly make it easier to tighten and loosen stiff bolts and whatnot, but they’re not always that easy to stuff in a pocket or clip to a belt. That’s why the compact Wheel Driver “luxury palm ratchet” was created.

Manufactured by Spanish tool company Micaton Ergonomics, the Wheel Driver does indeed look like a miniature car wheel. It has an aluminum central body with multiple titanium bits stored inside, and a tire-like rubber grip ring going around the outside.

Wearable inflatable SeeArch pops up for open-water rescues | New Atlas

December 8, 2020December 7, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you should become separated from your solo sailboat, kayak or other watercraft out on the open sea, staying afloat isn’t the only challenge – you also have to be seen by your rescuers. That’s where the wearable, inflatable SeeArch is made to come in.

Created by Canadian entrepreneur Neil Darroch, the SeeArch is intended to be worn along with a third-party personal floatation device. When not deployed, it sits stuffed inside a fanny pack-like pouch that is worn around the user’s waist.

“River Flowing” Museum | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

December 7, 2020December 6, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Following an international architecture competition, 3XN, B+H and Zhubo Design have been commissioned to co-design the Natural History Museum in Shenzhen, China. The building’s unusual form is likened to a river flowing over the delta by the architects and its green roof will slope downward into a ramp to allow visitors to stroll on top.

Due to be located next to a picturesque lake in the same district of Shenzhen as RMJM’s upcoming New Pingshan Eye, and earmarked to become on of the area’s “Ten Cultural Facilities of the New Era,” the Natural History Museum – aka Delta – will measure 42,000 sq m (roughly 450,000 sq ft).

Southwest warns 6,800 employees they could lose their jobs | CNN

December 4, 2020December 3, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

New York (CNN Business)Southwest Airlines warned 6,800 employees Thursday they may be furloughed in the spring, the airline told CNN.

If the layoffs do take place, they would be the first in the carrier’s nearly 50-year history.

The total includes 2,551 ground crew members who handle baggage, cargo, and restocking planes, as well as 1,176 customer service agents, 1,500 flight attendants and 1,221 pilots. The airline said the cuts would take place on March 15 or April 1 for different groups of employees