CRM on the Mac
We have good news to report. Our past two updates in 2013 and 2017 lamented the fact that the Mac was weak in database management, specifically CRM-type solutions. Since then, two recent arrivals, Airtable and Streak, have eased the situation, although both are...
100 Mac Applications We Can’t Live Without
Apple’s innovative M1 Macs have attracted some of the best software on the market today, unfortunately that rarely gets due credit. Here are 100 outstanding apps.
USPS Postal Truck — The Crucible of Electrification?
A few weeks ago, the U.S. government outlined a plan to replace its fleet of cars and trucks with electric vehicles assembled in the U.S., part of a new “Buy America” initiative. Using the government’s purchasing power to buy zero-emissions vehicles would help speed the transition away from gasoline-powered cars and ultimately lead to 1 million new jobs in the American automobile industry.
M1 — A New Apple Silicon and Application Standard
In November, Apple took the computer world by surprise, launching a new RISC-based computer chip, dubbed “Apple Silicon,” that set new performance and compatibility standards. Using the same microprocessor architecture Apple developed for the iPhone, the M1 MacBook and MacBook Air run cool and boast long battery life, all very desirable computer features.
ATSC 3.0 — Joining the Over-the-Air 4K/HDR Revolution
In 2020, more than 6 million U.S. households cancelled their pay TV package, bringing the total number of “cord-cutter” households to 31.2 million. Meanwhile, the latest generation of televisions boast a new technology, called ATSC 3.0, which has the potential to revolutionize TV consumption.
A MemeStock Is Born
It was a fight of the common investor against hedge-fund cronies. A collision of the real and virtual world, blurred beyond recognition. In one corner were “Jokerfied, pandemic-bored Redditors” moving market for lulz (laughs), seizing an opportunity to make millions off GameStop, a company that sells physical copies of video games next to Auntie Anne’s pretzel shops in dying malls.
Wireless Entertainment: KEF LS50 Wireless II
For years, consumer electronics companies have been pursuing the holy grail of home entertainment, the ability to provide music and video without the encumbrances of wires or tethers. It’s still largely a dream, of course, as long as we have to connect gear to AC or mains wires for electric power, but advances are progressing in the right direction.
Paper-based Covid-19 Test Could Solve Need for Quick, Inexpensive Testing
Several startups are working on innovative technology that offers simple and inexpensive paper-strip Covid-19 tests that can be used at home by consumers, much like a pregnancy test.
Eye of the Storm: Fraunhofer’s New H.266 VVC Compression Codec
Data compression technology is rapidly advancing spawning more efficient algorithms, such as Fraunhofer’s new H.266 VVC codec, which help to speed up data transmission. Codecs lie in the eye of the Time Compression storm, helping accelerate life.
The Retail Apocalypse Is Turning Shopping Malls into “Grayfields”
The retail apocalypse continues unabated, leading to 45,000 store closures since 2007, and is now accelerating due to the pandemic, leading to deserted malls, called “grayfields.”
lululemon Acquired this Interactive Mirror Startup for $500 million
Mirror positions itself as the “world’s first nearly invisible, interactive home gym that brings live and on-demand fitness classes right to your home.” It does so for $1,500 plus, just like Peloton, a monthly $40 fee. At least with Peloton you get an exercise bike. Wouldn’t your connected flat screen TV be a better and cheaper choice?
How Voyeurgasm Is Handcuffing America’s Police State
Incidences of police brutality captured on video made their debut with one of the most notorious cases of mistreatment of a black man by police, the beating of Rodney King. Bystander recordings are adding much-needed transparency to society.
Live Roaches and Bloody Pig Face
They say truth is stranger than fiction and that’s certainly true of the strange case of six former eBay employees, who are accused of intimidating a blogger and her husband to keep them from writing “bad things online about eBay,” including sending boxes of live...
China disavows the Wuhan virus. Here’s a timeline.
The Chinese government claims that naming China as the origin of the novel coronavirus is “hasty and reckless and totally irresponsible.“ As this timeline shows, however, there is a 23-year history that lends credence to the theory that China is actually experimenting with coronaviruses for use in biological weapons.
The Collapse of Business Ethics
There is no question that moral behavior among business executives is on the decline. This trend was accentuated by the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program, a forgivable loan plan, which was designed to let small businesses pay employees during the Covid-19 crisis but drew the greedy attention of multi-billion organizations, such as the Los Angeles Lakers, AutoNation, Penske Automotive Group, Shake Shack and many others. It continues a long tradition of business scams that have accelerated over these two past decades.
Eight Reasons Why Worker Wages Are Stagnant
After adjusting for inflation, average hourly earnings peaked more than 45 years ago. The $4.03-an-hour rate earned in January 1973 had the same purchasing power that $23.68 did in 2018. There are seven reasons why wages continue to stagnate to this day, including disappearing blue-collar jobs, China, the declining role of unions, a growing skills mismatch, process automation and the rising power of the female worker class.
Rich Americans Have Grown Their Share of U.S. Wealth by $19 Trillion Since 1989
How are you spending your time? Standing in line to buy groceries? Huddled at home sewing masks? While you try to survive, the rich are cleaning up due the Federal Reserve’s new “limitless” bond and ETF purchasing power. Between 1983 and 2016, the share of U.S. aggregate wealth held by upper-income families increased from 60% to 79%. In comparison, the share of wealth held by middle-income families has been cut nearly in half, falling from 32% to 17%.
Ford and GE Healthcare to Build 50,000 Airon-licensed Model A-E Ventilators
Ford Motor and GE Healthcare announced plans to produce 50,000 ventilators in the next 100 days with the support of 500 United Auto Workers to help battle the novel coronavirus.