Epic Drought in California Unlikely to Ease | Scientific American

June 20, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

California will remain in the stranglehold of drought at least until September, even as a climate system in the tropical Pacific Ocean that would have brought rainfall to the parched state appears to be weakening, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s monthly climate update released yesterday.

Weather watchers had been hoping that an El Niño, which occurs when an area of the tropical Pacific Ocean warms by at least 0.5 degrees Celsius above normal, would bring moisture to the West Coast

Adobe’s iPad Stylus and Ruler Bring Digital Design to the Physical World | WIRED

June 19, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Adobe, long a maker of creative software, has finally ventured into the realm of the physical and unveiled the stylus pen and digital straightedge it teased us with last year.“We noticed that when people want to be creative, they stop using our tools and start using pen and paper,” says Michael Gough, Adobe’s VP of experience design says. “From architects to graphic designers, when creative professionals first think of an idea, they usually ditch the mouse and sketch it out by hand before honing their creation digitally. It just stimulates a different part of the brain when you’re actually drawing.”Adobe solved this problem with Ink and Slide, a stylus and straight rule that come packaged together. They work with a pair of iPad apps specifically created to take advantage of the new tools’ capabilities.

Dr. Oz’s 5 Controversial ‘Miracle’ Diet Pills | LiveScience.com

June 19, 2014June 19, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

This week, Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” sat down to explain to senators why he, as a surgeon and popular doctor, promotes what some experts have called unscientific claims about “magical” weight-loss products on his show.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. — chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance — led a panel on Tuesday June 17 that targeted weight-loss diet products that their manufacturers claim will help consumers burn fat but have little or no reputable scientific data to support such claims.

What Do I Do If My Sale Won’t Close and I’m Experiencing Delays? | AllBusiness.com

June 19, 2014June 19, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Your customer said he was interested in buying from you and now you’re experiencing delays. What do you do when your sale won’t close? Here’s how you can restart your sales process and ideally get the sale.

Polite persistence. Your prospect told you he would get back with you in a week. A week goes by and there’s no response. What do you do? Contact your prospect no more than once a week. Caller ID is not your friend. All people have to do is see your name come up too many times and they’ll never want to speak with you.

Assume innocence. You may not reach your prospect when you call. You should leave a message that is strategic. It must allow your prospect to save face for not calling. You give them a plausible reason for the delay.

Money: Facebook’s Final Frontier. Why Payments, Not Virtual Reality, Are Its Next Holy Grail | Fast Company

June 18, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Digital advertising is a booming business, with the market expected to approach $200 billion annually by 2017. But you know what makes it look like pocket change? Banking. McKinsey reports that banks pulled in $1.3 trillion in payment fees two years ago. Facebook is extremely tight-lipped about its interest in this market. COO Sheryl Sandberg snapped off a crisp “Nothing new to announce,” when the question came up during April’s earnings conference call, and company representatives expressed confusion as to our interest. But even JPMorganChase CEO Jamie Dimon and American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault expect Facebook and Google to be a future rival of their mega-banks.

The source of the hubbub is a Financial Times report this spring that Facebook is close to securing a license in Ireland to market e-payment services in Europe and developing economics. With the license in hand, Facebook could facilitate users sending money to loved ones; conduct foreign exchange; or store money digitally or on a plastic card. In theory, it could even open the way to a crypto currency like Bitcoin.

Amazon Expected To Launch First Phone In Seattle | Forbes.com

June 18, 2014June 23, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It’s June in Seattle, which means gray skies and clouds are the backdrop for a Wednesday morning when Amazon is expected to unveil its long-rumored smartphone. On Wednesday, Jeff Bezos is set to validate the whispers behind the badly-kept secret, something that hasn’t created this much buzz for the online retailer since its founder and CEO teased drone delivery service late last year.

In an event from the city’s Fremont Studios later today, Bezos will likely detail his company’s foray into the hotly-contested mobile handset market, a move that may possibly expand Amazon’s influence over consumers and further pit it against technology giants like Apple and Google. The presentation, which will not be broadcasted by Amazon, is set to kickoff at 10:30 a.m. PST, and will be followed from Seattle by Forbes in a liveblog below.
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For Better Conversations, Replace ‘How Are You?’ With This One Phrase | Entrepreneur.com

June 18, 2014June 18, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

We’ve all dealt with bad listeners. You know the signs: They nod their head, but fail to look you in the eye. They talk over you. They ask you the same question twice, or worse, they don’t ask you any questions at all.If you’ve never had this experience, you might be the bad listener. And that’s bad for business.To build trust with other people, you have to let them know you’re interested in what they have to say. One way to do that is to ask the right questions, says Jacqueline Whitmore, etiquette coach and founder of The Protocol School of Palm Beach.

How Data Beats Intuition at Making Selection Decisions | Scientific American

June 17, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When we make selection decisions – whether it is choosing a date, a potential business partner or a job candidate – we try our best to make accurate judgments about the potential of the people we are considering. These decisions, after all, have long-term consequences. A first date could turn into a long-lasting romantic relationship; a potential business partner could be a lifelong colleague; a job candidate could be someone we work with for years to come.

Yet, too often, we find ourselves asking, “What went wrong?” We may have spent a lot of time with the person and conducted multiple interviews and assessments to then realize, a few months later, that the person we chose is just not right. This is no rare event. For instance, data shows that traditional hiring methods produce candidates that meet or exceed the expectations of the hiring manager only 56 percent of the time — about the same result one would get tossing a coin.

Comcast is turning your home router into a public Wi-Fi hotspot | Money.cnn.com

June 17, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re a Comcast cable customer, your home’s private Wi-Fi router is being turned into a public hotspot. It’s potentially creepy and annoying. But the upside is Internet everywhere.It’s been one year since Comcast CMCSA started its monster project to blanket residential and commercial areas with continuous Wi-Fi coverage. Imagine waves of wireless Internet emitting from every home, business and public waiting area.Comcast has been swapping out customers’ old routers with new ones capable of doubling as public hotspots. So far, the company has turned 3 million home devices into public ones. By year’s end it plans to activate that feature on the other 5 million already installed.

Upright for Bad Posture | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

June 17, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

UpRight, a small, comfortable wearable device and app to improve posture and well-being, is today launching a 60-day Indiegogo campaign to begin production and distribution. The UpRight posture device uses multiple sensors and advanced algorithms to achieve unparalleled accuracy. The UpRight unit will also come with a mobile app to control the device.

Unlike similar devices which require an uncomfortable strap or just attach to clothing, UpRight is placed on the lower back with a gentle hypoallergenic adhesive, ensuring greater accuracy and real-time notification, via a gentle vibration, of bad posture. The device uses several sensors, including an accelerometer and a strain sensor which means it’s incredibly accurate. UPRight’s solution also promises to be significantly less expensive than other devices.

More Cool business ideas.