Another Oil Crash Is Coming, and There May Be No Recovery | Bloomberg Business

February 24, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It’s time for oil investors to start taking electric cars seriously.

In the next two years, Tesla and Chevy plan to start selling electric cars with a range of more than 200 miles priced in the $30,000 range. Ford is investing billions, Volkswagen is investing billions, and Nissan and BMW are investing billions. Nearly every major carmaker—as well as Apple and Google—is working on the next generation of plug-in cars.

This is a problem for oil markets. OPEC still contends that electric vehicles will make up just 1 percent of global car sales in 2040. Exxon’s forecast is similarly dismissive.

Can a Vision Board Help Your Business? |All Business

February 24, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Have you ever heard of (or used) a vision board? A bulletin board or poster board with photos, magazine images and other visuals pasted on it, vision boards are used to help people focus on achieving their goals. While the idea might sound pretty “out there,” visualization techniques have helped many athletes improve performance, and lots of legendary salespeople swear by them.

Visualization and vision boards can work for you, too, according to a survey by TD Bank that polled over 500 small business owners. Nearly half (46 percent) of those surveyed say they started their own businesses in order to follow their vision—but they didn’t stop there.

This House Costs Just $20,000—But It’s Nicer Than Yours | Co.Exist

February 18, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

For over a decade, architecture students at Rural Studio, Auburn University’s design-build program in a tiny town in West Alabama, have worked on a nearly impossible problem. How do you design a home that someone living below the poverty line can afford, but that anyone would want—while also providing a living wage for the local construction team that builds it?

In January, after years of building prototypes, the team finished their first pilot project in the real world. Partnering with a commercial developer outside Atlanta, in a tiny community called Serenbe, they built two one-bedroom houses, with materials that cost just $14,000 each.

New Ford Fusion skips over potholes | Money CNN

February 18, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Ford’s new 2017 Fusion Sport sedan will have a high-tech feature that will allow the car’s wheels to essentially skip over potholes.

Aside from being uncomfortable and jarring for drivers and vehicle occupants, potholes can destroy tires and seriously damage expensive rims and suspension components.

Pothole damage can also be costly, with urban drivers spending more than $500 a year, according to Ford (F), citing research by transportation group TRIP.

The new Fusion V6 Sport sedan will come equipped with a computer controlled shock absorber system that will automatically stiffen when sensors detect that a wheel is rolling into a pothole.

The giant heads of US presidents sit crumbling in a field in Virginia | BBC Newsbeat

February 17, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In a small field in the US, the giant effigies of 43 presidents sit crumbling.

The 18 to 20ft (5.5m-6m) busts are all that remain of Virginia’s Presidential Park, which were inspired by Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

They cost about $10m (£6.9m) to create. Image caption The park was inspired by the iconic faces of Mount Rushmore

But it went bust (pardon the pun) in 2010 due to lack of visitors.

Despite being asked to destroy the concrete heads, a local farm owner called Howard Hankins rescued them.

He moved them to his 400 acre farm where they stand today. The busts weighed up to 9,000kg each so it wasn’t an easy task.

10 Reasons New York Is ‘Greener’ Than California | Live Science

February 17, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Frank Sinatra, the epitome of cool, said that if you can make it in New York City, you can make it anywhere. But what if you can’t make it there? Well, then, you’ll probably run away to California, like so many others before you.

With its ample sunshine and eco-friendly reputation, California does provide New York with some stiff competition when it comes to doing what’s right for the environment. But while Cali may have the, like, totally organic-free-range-vegan-gluten-free reputation, New York has done more to lead the way to a cleaner future. With its no-nonsense attitude and nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic, New York has been turning the Golden State green (with envy) by making serious greenbacks and by doing a great job of going green.

Attention: These 3 Triggers Get (and Keep) a Crowd | Page 19

February 16, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Imagine perusing 174 newspapers a day. Don’t bother imagining, actually—you already do it! In an age of information overload, here are 3 behavioral-science-based tricks to draw in your audience. Every day the average human is exposed to the informational equivalent of 174 newspapers. Two decades ago, people brushed with only 48 newspapers’-worth of information—less than a quarter of what we’re bombarded with now. At this point in our digital evolution, we’re all familiar with the purists’ lament for the simpler, less informationally encumbered days of yore. And it’s a fair eulogy, too. So much of our daily lives are commandeered by this ad or that notification clamoring for our attention from the glistening stage of an e-device. Even our reading material screams in ways that a canvas-backed book never could.

How to Turn Your Idea Into a Product (and Launch It!) | Business News Daily

February 16, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Every product out on the market today started as an idea in someone’s head. From a mobile device to a software platform or a kitchen gadget, most items you can purchase came to life through the process of invention.

The road from concept to finished product can be a long one, and those who travel it often face numerous obstacles and setbacks. But armed with the right information and resources, you can put yourself on the path to bringing your invention to market. Here’s what you need to know to get started.

5 Great Medical Innovations Of The Past Few Years |Cool Business Ideas

February 16, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When we look back on history, we often judge how far we have come by looking at the advancements we have made in medicine. Things like the polio vaccine, the discovery of penicillin and open heart transplants show us how far we have progressed. And while it may seem like these major innovations are few and far between, there are actually some major medical innovations happening all of the time. Below are just 5 of some of the best medical innovations of the past few years.