Stretch Sensing Tech | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

August 2, 2019August 1, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Getting real, physical movements accurately depicted in the digital world remains a challenge for programmers and engineers, but a newly developed glove promises to advance the tech significantly. It’s able to capture hand movements with much more detail and nuance than most existing solutions.

To achieve this, the researchers behind the glove created a silicone compound holding 44 embedded stretch sensors, combining it with a soft fabric layer. The input device requires very little training, and uses a special constructed set of algorithms to process the sensor data coming through from the gloved hand.

5 Common Mistakes Startups Make in Product Prototyping | The Startup Magazine

August 2, 2019August 1, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Prototyping is that critical step between concept and mass production. Your product prototype is what will often be used to sell the product to retailers. It is also regularly used to promote your business to investors since it is easier to imagine consumer interest in the item you’re currently holding. The lessons you learn from the prototype shape the processes you use to mass produce it. This is why it is essential to create prototypes and make sure that they’re done right. Here are five common mistakes startups make in the prototyping stage.

Making It Overly Complicated

There are several reasons why an overly complicated prototype or first run product is a mistake. First, the more complex the structure, the harder it is to make. Secondly, the product prototype and your first production runs will cost more at the point when you’re likely strapped for cash. Choose a design that is as simple as possible for your prototype so that you get a working prototype faster and can get a good quality product out at a reasonable price. Once you have the cash flow, you can design a more complex structure and experiment with extra features

British Airways pilots set for summer strike | BBC News

August 1, 2019July 31, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

British Airways has lost an appeal aimed at halting planned strike action by its pilots.

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) voted in favour of industrial action on 22 July, after three days of negotiations failed to resolve the dispute.

BA-owner IAG sought an injunction to prevent the strike in the High Court, but it was overturned.

Here’s What the Federal Reserve’s Interest Rate Cut Means for You and Your Savings | Inc.com

August 1, 2019July 31, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Federal Reserve announced on Wednesday that it would cut interest rates for the first time in a decade.

In an effort to sustain the US economy’s longest expansion on record, the Federal Reserve is cutting interest rates by a quarter-percentage-point, bringing the target range for the federal funds rate to between 2 percent and 2.25 percent.

A Mental Toolbox for Avoiding Unnecessary Purchases | The Simple Dollar

July 31, 2019July 30, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

First, let’s start with looking in detail at how I handle non-essential purchases (things I don’t strictly need).

If I don’t need something and I’m considering buying it, I put it on a list that I keep on my phone. I just type in what it is and add an online link if there’s one available.

Sometimes, if an item isn’t too expensive and I haven’t spent much of my incidental/hobby money for the month, I might just go ahead and buy the item spontaneously. I budget a certain amount for my hobbies and for such purchases each month and so some smaller purchases will come out of that money in a spontaneous way, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. An example of this: recently, I bought a couple bottles of seasoning at Trader Joe’s that we really didn’t need. I just wanted to try them out and they weren’t too expensive. I didn’t add them to any list – I just bought them.

Capital One’s breach was inevitable, because we did nothing after Equifax | TechCrunch

July 31, 2019July 30, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Another day, another massive data breach.

This time it’s the financial giant and credit card issuer Capital One, which revealed on Monday a credit file breach affecting 100 million Americans and 6 million Canadians. Consumers and small businesses affected are those who obtained one of the company’s credit cards dating back to 2005.

That includes names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, self-reported income and more credit card application data — including over 140,000 Social Security numbers in the U.S., and more than a million in Canada.

Self-Parking Garages, Robovans, and More Car News This Week | WIRED

July 30, 2019July 28, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

TAKE IT FROM us, the experts at WIRED Transportation: When you’re trying to get from A to B, navigational prowess is just as vital as power, speed, or efficiency, if not more so. And this week, we’ve got a lot of stories about folks (and machines) finding their way, whether they’re autonomous cars in parking lots, internet-slinging balloons in the stratosphere, robo-vans moving between Walmart stores, or automakers and California regulators striking a compromise on emissions and electric cars.

Speaking of electrics, we watched Ford’s prototype battery-powered Ford F-150 haul a train, saw Cruise delay its plans to launch a robo-taxi service in San Francisco, and inspected financials from Tesla showing that while deliveries are up, so are losses. It’s been a week—let’s get you caught up.

The Power of Asking Dumb Questions | Entrepreneur

July 30, 2019July 28, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The people who work within my organization, Scribe Media, are called Tribe Members. And one day, a new Tribe Member stood in front of our co-founder and dropped two black trash bags on the ground.

Our co-founder looked at the Tribe Member, then down to the trash bags.

“What the hell is this?”

“These are the binders for the Guided Author workshop,” the Tribe Member said. “You asked me to bring them.”

“In trash bags? What are you doing to me?!” These were going to be handed out to workshop attendees. Garbage bags was not the look we were going for.

The Tale of the Vegan Plumber (and Other Successful Multi-Passionate Entrepreneurs) by Getentrepreneurial.com

July 29, 2019July 28, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Got a lot of ideas? Hate the idea of being put in a box? Horrified by the idea of being stuck doing just one thing forever?

Congratulations! You’re a creative person.

And you’re not alone. I’ve spent years working with tens of thousands of creatives, helping them to embrace their unique personalities to find success.

To help you do the same, let’s take a look at the following three areas:

Bloomengine automates the growing of delicate plants | New Atlas

July 29, 2019July 28, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It can be challenging, growing delicate plants from seeds. A group of Korean entrepreneurs is out to make the process easier – and techier – with the Wi-Fi-connected, water-pump-equipped and smartphone-controlled Bloomengine.

Users start by placing an included disc-shaped peat pellet in water, and allowing it to expand. That expanded pellet is then put in the bottom section of the Bloomengine, and a seed of the user’s choice is added to the peat. Next, water and an included liquid fertilizer are poured into the device’s built-in 40-oz (1.2-l) reservoir.