Why Small Businesses Should Ignore California’s Prop 24 | Inc.com

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

California’s landmark data privacy law only went into effect this January, but thanks to the will of voters, an entirely new law will soon go into its place.

On Election Day, more than half of the state’s voters approved Proposition 24, a ballot initiative that would create a new state-run data privacy agency tasked with ensuring companies follow the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), a new law that would supersede the state’s existing data privacy law, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The latest effort was spearheaded by real estate developer Alastair Mactaggart, with input from tech giants like Twitter.

When lawmakers passed the CCPA two years ago, it was hailed as the strictest law in the nation. It was also costly, with California businesses responsible for footing an estimated $55 billion in compliance costs.

Uber has its highest close since IPO | TechCrunch

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

Uber shares surged 7.38% to close at $48.18 following news that a vaccine candidate is 90% effective at preventing COVID-19, and could start coming to market in a matter of months.

The announcement by drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech sparked widespread optimism and helped boost shares across industries that have been weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic, including services like ride-hailing.

Uber’s share pop is notable beyond this one-day vaccine-news boost. This is the highest close for Uber since its public market debut in May 2019. This is also the first time since June 2019 that shares closed above its $45 IPO price

How to Watch Apple’s November Mac Laptop Event | WIRED

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

WEREN’T WE ALL here just a couple weeks ago? Hanging around on the internet waiting for Apple to show off some new hardware?

Indeed, we were. Apple has already staged two hardware release events this fall: one for the Apple Watch and iPads and one for the four new iPhones. Now the company is inviting us all to join its executives at its corporate headquarters in Cupertino, California, for another big reveal, the third of the season.

We expect this week’s event to center around Mac laptops and desktops. Apple has already announced its plans to gradually transition its computers away from Intel processors and toward its own custom silicon chips, with the first Apple-cored Macs arriving at the end of 2020. So here we are. Which computers will be the first to make the leap? As reported by Bloomberg last week, the 13-inch MacBook Air and a couple of MacBook Pro models will likely be the machines where the new processors make their Mac debut. (Apple’s custom silicon already powers its iPhones and iPads.)

15 Ways to Spot a Toxic Work Environment Before You Take the Job | Entrepreneur

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

When you apply for a job, you want your resume and interviews to showcase your experience in the best possible light. The companies you’re applying to are no different. From intro calls with hiring managers to the interview with your potential future boss, everyone you talk to wants you to see the best parts of working there — and maybe wants to gloss over the not-so-great parts.

Every job is going to have positive and negative aspects to it, but a toxic work environment could have serious ramifications on your mental and physical health.

In a July article in Harvard Business Review, Manuela Priesemuth, a professor of management at Villanova University who studies workplaces, wrote: “My own research has shown that abusive behavior, especially when displayed by leaders, can spread throughout the organization, creating entire climates of abuse. Because employees look to and learn from managers, they come to understand that this type of interpersonal mistreatment is acceptable behavior in the company. In essence, employees start to think that ‘this is how it’s done around here,’ and this belief manifests itself in a toxic environment that tolerates abusive acts.”

Leadership Lessons From Steve Jobs | Getentrepreneurial.com

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

Everyone knows Steve Jobs ; or, at least, they know of its existence. Or, of the innovations he made in the world of technology.

Steve Paul Jobs, such his full name, perhaps never imagined the global impact generated by being a leading entrepreneur in the computer world: he was the creator of sophisticated and easy-to-use products, the founder of Apple, a world leader in its sector.

His different biographies emphasize the thick line on his character and the way of leading. Everyone recognizes him for having had visionary ideas, which made momentous contributions in the field of personal computers, cell phones and music in digital format.

Undoubtedly, like all great minds, it is loved and hated in equal measure. Bill Gates , his Microsoft competitor, once noted his admiration for the way of telling and creating empathy between the person (Jobs) and the products through their presentations; and many of those who worked alongside him at Apple in those years remember him as a true genius.

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

October 30, 2020October 29, 2020 ~ 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.

Polar’s New Fitness Smartwatch | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

October 30, 2020October 29, 2020 ~ 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.

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

October 29, 2020October 28, 2020 ~ 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.

The iFixit iPhone 12 Pro teardown is finally here | Mashable

October 29, 2020October 28, 2020 ~ 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.

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

October 28, 2020October 27, 2020 ~ 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.