Why Your Patent Is Probably Worthless | Entrepreneur

March 6, 2020March 5, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Getting a patent issued typically costs at least $10,000 and can easily cost upwards of $20,000. Most inventors who patent their inventions hope to get their money back after their invention begins selling in the marketplace. In reality, it rarely works like that. A very high percentage of patents never recoup their filing costs. Put more bluntly: They never generate any income, let alone what it cost to get the patent in the first place.

I’ve been helping inventors commercialize their product ideas and inventions for the past two decades. One of the biggest complaints I hear from inventors is that their patents are basically worthless. These inventors are frustrated and deflated. They’re out of the game, because they’ve spent so much time and money on a single invention — an invention that will never produce them any revenue. They won’t, or can’t, try to bring another, better idea to market because they’ve wasted their resources.

7 Eleven Runs Trial For Futuristic Store | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

March 5, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Convenience stores that rely on technology instead of cashiers to keep things ticking over might sound like a futuristic notion, but there are a number of such concepts being tested around the world. 7-Eleven is the latest to enter the fray, today announcing a trial of a new store in Texas that will be unstaffed with customers left to their own devices.

The store is located at 7-Eleven’s headquarters in Irving, Texas, and will be available only to the company’s employees, with a view to rolling it out to the general public if things go well.

Nike’s Space Hippie shoes boast the company’s lowest carbon footprint

March 5, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A lot of raw material goes into the making of footwear, so the less that can be used, the better for the environment. Nike’s new Space Hippie shoes were designed with that in mind, as they’re composed largely of recycled materials.

Not unlike the Adidas x Parley, the Hippies’ uppers are made mainly of a woven yarn, that is in turn made up of 100-percent recycled materials obtained from sources such as water bottles, discarded T-shirts, and yarn scraps. Even when other materials besides the yarn are taken into account, the uppers are still reportedly 90 percent recycled content by weight.

AT&T TV is a cable-like streaming alternative for cord-cutters | Mashable

March 3, 2020March 2, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Streaming was supposed to help us cut the cord, but all it’s done is create new problems for folks who want to catch live TV. Most available options are either too expensive or can’t fully recreate the experience of sitting on a couch, aiming your remote at your TV, and settling in for a couple of hours of lazy channel surfing.

AT&T might just have the solution, though.

After a trial run in about a dozen markets, the company is launching its new AT&T TV streaming bundle nationwide on Monday. It’s not a traditional cable or satellite subscription, nor is it a direct competitor to streaming alternatives like YouTube TV or Hulu with Live TV. Instead, it finds ways to mix the two with its own box, its own remote, and its own pricing structure.

Plant-based fish and new packaging: How Bumble Bee tuna is trying to make a comeback | CNN

March 3, 2020March 2, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It may not seem like the best time to be in charge of Bumble Bee.

The canned tuna industry has faced all manner of scandals over the past several years. Along with its competitors, Bumble Bee was implicated in a price-fixing scheme four years ago. Bumble Bee agreed to plead guilty for its role in the conspiracy and to pay a $25 million criminal fine. And last year, the company filed for bankruptcy, blaming its “recent and significant legal challenges.” It has since been acquired by FCF, a Taiwanese fishing company.

Keeping Time: Leap Years and the Gregorian Calendar | Live Science

March 2, 2020March 1, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used by most of the world. Also called the “Christian calendar” or “Western calendar,” it is internationally accepted as a civil calendar by all but a handful of countries. The Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582 primarily to fix errors in the Julian calendar mostly having to do with leap years.

In the Julian calendar, named after Julius Caesar, every fourth year had 366 days rather than 365. Roman astronomers calculated that a year — the time it takes the Earth to revolve around the sun — had a duration of 365.25 days. This method of adding a “leap day” every fourth year averaged out to this determined value.

If You Listen, Your Employees Will Step Up | Business News Daily

March 2, 2020March 1, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The best way to make your employees feel important and valued is to listen to them.

Incorporating an employee listening strategy is a great first step to making your employees feel important.

Once you incorporate this strategy, you have to make real changes to the culture of the company.

Heathrow’s third runway blocked due to Paris climate accords | Fast Company

February 28, 2020February 27, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The project to expand London’s Heathrow airport was first proposed in 2009, and it has had a turbulent journey since. It was initially backed by a Labour government, canceled a year later, revived, then backed by a Conservative government in 2018. Proponents have touted the plan as a source of extra jobs, additional air routes, and fewer delays. The U.K. Department of Transport has estimated an economic benefit of £61 billion, or $79 billion, over the next 60 years.

But now, in one of the most concrete displays of global climate goals, a Court of Appeal ruling deemed the plan “legally fatal,” on the basis that it conflicts with the climate accords. It’s the first time that the Paris Agreement has been the rationale for a significant ruling anywhere in the world.

11 Ways to Handle Stress Wisely | Life Hack

February 28, 2020February 27, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As the number one killer of men and women, stress is the root cause of many diseases, from cancer to heart disease. Left unaddressed, stress has a crushing force that, over time, can lead to ugly repercussions. From frequent headaches to regular fatigue, symptoms will come pouring in if you don’t learn how to handle stress wisely.

We can’t always prevent or avoid stress, but how you conduct your lifestyle can radically reduce it. Instead of viewing every problem as a massive explosive strapped to your body, it’s worth it to slow your thoughts down and recognize that nobody is a superhuman.