2019 – Page 88 – Impact Lab

Banking’s worst nightmare is here

January 22, 2019

We’ve seen enough. We’re going BIG on the death of big banking.

If you’ve ever had to spend time at a bank opening a simple checking account, or even worse—closing a bank account—you won’t be surprised to hear that Americans are abandoning traditional branch banking by the millions.

Even bank executives concede the massive shift in their business.

Deloitte reports that 3 out of 4 banking executives agree that their work is going to drastically change over the next 3-5 years due to digital business trends.

But even they aren’t prepared for what’s coming…

Continue reading… “Banking’s worst nightmare is here”

Analysis, Latest Trend, Report

Book sales are up this year over last year, and physical books are thriving

January 21, 2019

It’s a tale as old as time, or, at least, the internet: None of us are reading any more, the physical book is dead, Amazon has killed the independent bookstore, and it’s all only going to get worse. But this year, the story looks like just that—a fiction. We are buying books—especially the kind with physical pages—and we’re doing so, increasingly, in well-loved indie bookstores.

In the UK, the Guardian reports, Nielsen BookScan recored year-on-year book sale growth of 22 million pounds ($28 million). It’s likely that 2018 will top 2016’s total sales of 1.59 billion pounds, too, with booksellers on both sides of the Atlantic noting an anecdotal uptick in sales and browsing customers. It’s been good news for British book chains—the country’s largest bookseller, Waterstones, made its first profit since the 2008 financial crisis—and for independent bookshops, too: this year was the first since the advent of Amazon where the number of stores actually went up, rather than down.

Continue reading… “Book sales are up this year over last year, and physical books are thriving”

China, Electric Automobile, Transportation

Chinese company unveils ‘World’s cheapest electric car’ for under $9000

January 20, 2019

Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. arguably has one of the most affordable lines of electric vehicle, but that all could change as a Chinese company just unveiled what is now dubbed as the “World’s Cheapest Electric Car.”

Great Wall Motors, an automotive company based in Baoding, China, pulled the veil on its cheapest electric vehicle called the ORA R1, which is being marketed with a price of $8,680 according to the company, Express reported.

“As a new market entrant, ORA R1 delivers an unprecedented experience to drivers,” general manager of the Ora line and vice president of Great Wall Motors, Ning Shuyong, said in a statement.

Continue reading… “Chinese company unveils ‘World’s cheapest electric car’ for under $9000”

Biotech, DNA, Medical Breakthrough, Stem cells

Stem Cell dental implants grow new teeth in 2 months

January 20, 2019

Apparently, the newest scientific discovery can possibly leave dentures and implants in the past, and make millions of people extremely happy.

These two methods for a missing tooth or teeth can lead to serious dental health issues, such as discomfort and irritations, difficulties to eat, and pain in the case of dentures, while implants can cause infections, nerve damage, injury or damage to the surrounding structures, and sinus problems.

Continue reading… “Stem Cell dental implants grow new teeth in 2 months”

Business, Latest Trend, Money Talk

More start-ups have an unfamiliar message for Venture Capitalists: Get lost

January 20, 2019

From left, Mara Zepeda, Aniyia Williams, Astrid Scholz and Jennifer Brandel of Zebras Unite. The group encourages a more ethical industry with greater gender and racial diversity.

On a sunny Saturday morning in New York a few months ago, a group of 50 start-up founders gathered in the dank basement of a Lower East Side bar. They scribbled notes at long tables, sipping coffee and LaCroix while a stack of pizza boxes emanated the odor of hot garlic. One by one, they gave testimonials taking aim at something nearly sacred in the technology industry: venture capital.

Continue reading… “More start-ups have an unfamiliar message for Venture Capitalists: Get lost”

Analysis, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior

America’s most & least trusted professions

January 20, 2019

When it comes to honesty in the workplace, some professions have a better reputation than others. For example, some people might question a doctor’s honesty or ethics when it comes to a diagnosis or blame the salesperson when a newly purchased used car breaks down after 20 miles on the road. That begs the question: what professions do American trust the most and the least today? Gallup delved into the issue and released an interesting poll about honesty and ethical standards in the workplace in late December. Once again, nurses are top of the honesty league and they have been there for 17 years in succession.

Continue reading… “America’s most & least trusted professions”

Employment, Human Behavior, Latest Trend

The crazy unfortunate rise of ‘Vacation Shaming’

January 20, 2019

Hope this nice couple isn’t feeling too guilty about taking their vacation.

About a month ago I got a call from a journalist named Leslie Stevens-Huffman wanting to interview me about vacations and management. She’d noticed I’d written on the subject before (“Why America Has Become ‘The No-Vacation Nation'”) and that I’d been critical that large numbers of U.S. employees (47% in one survey) were not using all their vacation time.

Continue reading… “The crazy unfortunate rise of ‘Vacation Shaming’”

Business, Latest Trend, New Viewpoints, Science & Technology News

The ‘Right to Repair ‘ movement is gaining ground and could hit manufacturers hard

January 19, 2019

The EU and at least 18 U.S. states are considering proposals that address the impact of planned obsolescence by making household goods sturdier and easier to mend.

European Union member states are this week voting on dishwasher efficiency and repair. If that sounds as dull as, well, dishwater, then you need to consider the last time your own dishwasher broke. With the right rules in place, it would be a cheap and easy fix. However, you’re not allowed to fiddle with the machine because it would invalidate the warranty. So, instead, you go and buy a new model and throw the old one on the dump.

Continue reading… “The ‘Right to Repair ‘ movement is gaining ground and could hit manufacturers hard”

Energy, Report

The U.S. just became a net oil exporter for the first time in 75 years

January 19, 2019

America turned into a net oil exporter last week, breaking almost 75 years of continued dependence on foreign oil and marking a pivotal — even if likely brief — moment toward what U.S. President Donald Trump has branded as “energy independence.”

The shift to net exports is the dramatic result of an unprecedented boom in American oil production, with thousands of wells pumping from the Permian region of Texas and New Mexico to the Bakken in North Dakota to the Marcellus in Pennsylvania.

Continue reading… “The U.S. just became a net oil exporter for the first time in 75 years”

Banking, Crime Prevention, Law Enforcement

US Secret Service is probing how crooks use smart credit cards for fraud

January 18, 2019

Credit card thieves have been using Fuze Cards, according to a Secret Service memo.

Credit card thieves have been taking advantage of smart card technologies to avoid getting caught, according to Krebs on Security. The US Secret Service offices in New York and St. Louis have apparently been working on a criminal investigation involving fraud rings using Fuze Cards to store stolen card data. Fuze Cards allow you to store up to 30 credit card details, and you can switch between them using the small screen on the front. It makes the data of the card you want to use available to merchants via a magnetic stripe and an embedded chip. You can also use them to withdraw money from ATMs.

Continue reading… “US Secret Service is probing how crooks use smart credit cards for fraud”

Agriculture, China, Space, Space Flight

Giant leaf for mankind? China germinates first seed on moon

January 18, 2019

A photo of the cotton sprout. ‘This is the first time humans have done biological growth experiments on the lunar surface,’ said Xie Gengxin, who led the design of the experiment. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

A small green shoot is growing on the moon after a cotton seed germinated onboard a Chinese lunar lander, scientists said.

The sprout has emerged from a lattice-like structure inside a canister after the Chang’e 4 lander touched down earlier this month, according to a series of photos released by the Advanced Technology Research Institute at Chongqing University.

Continue reading… “Giant leaf for mankind? China germinates first seed on moon”

Crime Prevention, Employment, Hackers

This is the industry to enter if you want to basically be guaranteed a job

January 18, 2019

“If you are ambitious, if you’re thoughtful, if you understand yourself, and how to grow yourself, and how to learn, you will be wanted and needed, and you will find yourself progressing in the field,” an expert says.

When companies such as Marriott International, Yahoo! and Equifax experience a data breach, the consequences are huge for customers whose personal information has been accessed by criminals or enemy states. And so it’s no surprise that major players in the private and public sector are boning up their cybersecurity to avoid such PR and real-life disasters.

Continue reading… “This is the industry to enter if you want to basically be guaranteed a job”