100x faster, 10x cheaper: 3D metal printing is about to go mainstream We've been hearing for years now about 3D printing and how it's going to revolutionize manufacturing. As yet, though, it's still on the periphery. Plenty of design studios and even home users run desktop printers, but the only affordable printing materials are cheap ABS plastics. But a very exciting company out of Massachusetts, headed by some of the guys who came up with the idea of additive manufacture in the first place, believes it's got the technology and the machinery to boost 3D printing into the big time, for real. Desktop Metal Desktop Metal is an engineering-driven startup whose founders include several MIT professors, and Emanuel Sachs, who has patents in 3D printing dating back to the dawn of the field in 1989. The company has raised a ton of money in the last few months, including some US$115 million in a recent Series D round that brings total equity investments up over US$210 million. The hype is real. The Studio System: Rapid prototyping This could be huge, folks.
Zappos For Good: 5 Questions With 'Karma Kommando' Steven Bautista Zappos has formally unveiled a dedicated department focused on spreading happiness and celebrating the good in people, Zappos for Good. Building on its reputation for exceptional customer service and purpose-driven mission to “deliver happiness,” the online retailer announced a series of new and ongoing programs and partnerships including the North Shore Animal League America, GIVE, Pawlidayz and Friends On Us Fridays — covering all qualifying adoption fees for select shelters each Friday, for both dogs and cats. Zappos for Good is led by Steven Bautista, who commented, “Our goal is to deliver happiness. We work to achieve this through out of this world customer service and by enriching our communities. While we’ve done a ton of work to date that we are very proud of, the official launch of Zappos for Good will allow us to continue our existing initiatives while extending our efforts to deliver happiness where it’s most needed. Steven, why launch this initiative now?
Secure Memorable Passwords Inspired by XKCD and Password Hay Stacks | Powered by XKPasswd.pm This service is provided entirely for free and without ads, but the server is not free to run. Please consider making a small contribution towards those costs. The xkpasswd.pm Perl Module This site is powered by the XKPasswd.pm Perl Module, and serves as a good example of its capabilities. The module can be downloaded from the author's website: www.bartb.ie/xkpasswd. The Comic that Inspired This Tool Credits Website and underlying password generation library (XKPasswd.pm) by Bart Busschots.
Newly Entrepreneurial, Unilever Launches ApotheCARE Essentials Meeting the demand for natural beauty products, Unilever is launching ApotheCARE Essentials in the U.S., the CPG giant’s first new brand in decades. The description: “Purity of Nature. Progressed by Science. Tailored hair and skin cleansing products with unique ingredient combinations powered by advanced science.” The development and launch of the new premium hair care and skin cleansing line, 18 products in total, breaks all the rules for Unilever’s typical product development pipeline, involving just a core team of five people working for just over a year—one year, one month and 15 days, to be exact. Traditionally, a new product takes about 20 people and two to three years to develop, as Piyush Jain, Unilever’s GM and VP of hair care, told CNBC—but this brand was developed with a startup mindset, marking a more entrepreneurial attitude for the company. Another tagline: “Crafted. The target customer, according to Jain?
Springhole.net - Writing tips, roleplaying advice, random idea generators, and more! Le phygital, en route vers les magasins du futur ? Le phygital, en route vers les magasins du futur ? Physique contre digital, la guerre est déclarée ! Depuis la révolution numérique et l’explosion du e-commerce, le trafic des magasins physiques s’est réduit, obligeant les retailers à revoir leur copie. Focus sur le phygital, contraction de physique et digital, ou comment les magasins physiques se mettent au numérique pour reconquérir le cœur de leurs clients, les shoppers. Le phygital… Ce mot-valise ne vous est probablement pas inconnu. Mais concrètement, de quoi s’agit-il ? Il n’existe pas de définition unique, car chaque marque, chaque enseigne en propose sa propre vision, selon son identité. Le principe du phygital repose sur la digitalisation du point de vente, en y intégrant de nouveaux outils digitaux à destination des clients. Les bornes tactiles sont un excellent exemple. Mais ce n’est pas tout, car la digitalisation du point de vente peut aller bien au-delà. En coup d’œil, toutes les déclinaisons du produit sont affichées.
Kawasaki J Concept Three-Wheeled Motorcycle | Cycle World Enlarge By now, well into the second century of automobility, you’d think that we’d be using something better than just yesterday’s bikes today. It isn’t just what critics of motorcycle engineering claim as the stultifying effect of motorcyclist conservatism, but because turning by leaning is so natural to us, as I try to explain in my 2008 book, Bodies in Motion: Evolution and Experience in Motorcycling. Our evolution has left us with a preference for the sensorium of the leaning experience, which confronts visionary engineers with a set of intractable design problems. How to meet the demand for a revolutionary or evolutionary machine that both turns by leaning and also is a light, narrow machine to make the rider go fast, look good, and feel great? Kawasaki showed us a tantalizing alternative in 2013 with its “Concept J” three-wheeler. Kawasaki "J" Concept - 2013 Tokyo Motor Show
Do You Need a Brand Tagline? The Final Word | Prophet Thinking When you hear the word “tagline” what comes to mind? Perhaps “Where’s the beef?,” “I’m loving it,” “Think different,” or “Just Do It.” Lately, taglines have fallen out of favor, and much has been written questioning their value. Where Did Taglines Go? In the past, considerable focus was placed on taglines. Today, taglines are less critical. H2: Considering the cost of taglines Tactically, taglines can create layers of complexity and cost. Despite these changes and challenges, a tagline can still deliver unique value. Four Purposes a Brand Tagline Can Accomplish With this perspective, we’ve identified four scenarios when an organization should consider using a tagline—either introducing one or changing an existing line—and the questions they should answer along the way. 1. More and more, employees want to work for an organization with a strong sense of purpose and a values system that reflects their own. Questions to consider: 2. It’s important to be substantive when repositioning. 3. 4.