Dave Berkus on: What If?, Early Adopters, & Acquisitions |
"Insights from Berkonomics" is the title of a new series of regularly-released, 3-5 minute videos by Dave, as a follow-up to his "Berkus Report" series once distributed over community TV channels on both the east and west coasts. Now available on Dave's LinkedIn page ("Dave Berkus" on LinkedIn,) and on "Startup Insights from Dave Berkus" on YouTube, these short insights extend the reach of Dave's three Berkonomics books and his weekly emails and blogs into the video medium. Meanwhile, in Dave's recent blog post,
What two words are most valuable for your business planning?, he describes the valuable tactic of using a "What if. . ." question followed by an ever-deeper question that follows the possible results of an action, or a decision based upon the last "What if" question.
In Can you profit by serving early adopters?, Dave explains why he has concluded that it's "satisfying but rarely profitable to cater to early adopters." Also, in Everything you do adds or reduces company value, Dave discusses acquisitions and suggests that the question to study in your board meeting long before making any offer to purchase a candidate business is: "Would this acquisition add significantly to our enterprise value and attractiveness in an eventual sale?" And, in Selling your business? Find the emotional buyer, Dave compares and contrasts financial, strategic, and emotional company buyers. (Dave Berkus, Monrovia & West Los Angeles)
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Easy Breathe on: More Comfortable CPAP Treatment |
In 8 Ways to Better Adapt to CPAP Treatment for More Comfort and Improved Sleep, Easy Breathe, Inc. points out that CPAP is going to become a very close and familiar part of life for those with obstructive sleep apnea, and the sooner they learn to adapt to all of CPAP's most common discomforts - like a mask that doesn't fit quite right, leaks, dry mouth, soreness, claustrophobia, issues with facial hair, and/or sleeping on your stomach/side - the sooner they will discover all of CPAP's amazing healing and restorative powers. Easy Breathe also offers:
5 Ways to Reduce CPAP Mask Irritation Issues and
Three Ways to Conquer CPAP Rainout for Good. (Nick Weiss, West Los Angeles)
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Get Visible on: Avoiding Email Spam Filters |
In Get Visible's latest Visibility Alert video - Get More Leads When Emails Avoid Spam Filters, Jason Ciment talks about how to achieve better email delivery rates, and provides the website links and directions to: > Log in to where your domain is registered (e.g. GoDaddy, Register.com, 1and1.com or NetworkSolutions.com). > Go to the DNS settings. > Configure your SPFRecord. > Test your SPF record settings. > Configure DKIM settings. > Test and Configure DMARC settings. (Jason Ciment, West Los Angeles)
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Intellect on: Effective Workflow Automation |
In How an Effective Workflow Helps You Improve Your Business, Intellect's Romeo Elias explains that a workflow is the way employees get work done, and it's usually presented as a diagram or checklist containing a series of tasks that need to be completed sequentially. Businesses that implement
workflow automation gain clear insight into the work process itself, he continues, which can have an instant and noticeable impact on an organization's efficiency. The best part is that once automation is set up and all the roles, approvals, decisions, and steps are defined, there's no need to spend time setting up new workflows each time. In case of a process change, you can update the workflow to reflect the changes with a few clicks. (Romeo Elias, West Los Angeles)
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myKaarma on: Keeping an Eye on Tesla |
In You May Want to Keep an Eye on Tesla, Here's Why, myKaarma's Ujj Nath draws a parallel between today's Tesla and a younger Amazon: "Jeff Bezos lost money daily. When investors asked "why?" he responded that if Amazon stopped R&D expenses they would be profitable the next day, but its future would be more profitable by continuing to invest in R&D until they had a rock-solid base, then they could make money. And now they have topped almost a trillion-dollar valuation. In fact, according to TechCrunch, Amazon now accounts for an astounding 49% of e-commerce in the U.S. Tesla is following a very similar path. It is also mainly an R&D company, constantly innovating and coming up with new, crazy but viable ideas. It is also losing money on a daily basis. But it continues on the R&D path." Ujj then explains why this is important. (Ujj Nath, West Los Angeles)
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Taylor Digital on: Optimizing Web Content for Voice Search |
In How Do You Optimize Web Content for Voice Search?, Taylor Digital's Randy Taylor notes that, in light of the expanded use of voice technology, such as Siri, Alexa, etc., optimizing your business content for a voice search world is crucial. Voice search demands a whole new type of keyword - a long tail keyword (a full review of long tail keywords can be accessed
here.) Here are a few key takeaways to keep in mind: Voice Search Queries are longer than text queries and tend to be 3-5 words in length. Think of your keywords now being key phrases. Voice queries tend to ask very specific questions, so your phrases should include specifics. Trigger words such as "how," "where," "who," and "best" are key. Randy covers much more, including the Role of Featured Snippets. (Randy Taylor, Orange County)
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How to Recruit and Retain Top Tech Talent |
With an estimated shortage of 18 million high-skilled workers expected globally within the next two years, top performers will soon be as choosy as employers when it comes to hiring. The fastest way for your brand to attract and retain top talent isn't to throw money at them. Millennials and Gen Zers are more motivated by opportunities to learn, grow and build lasting careers than a paycheck. They're also drawn to businesses who champion innovation, make an impact in the community, and equip workers with the skills needed to succeed in tomorrow's workplace.
McKinsey Global Institute research indicates that high performers are 400% more productive than their peers. When looking to attract and retain top tech talent, don't just develop a favorable benefits package, also create a supportive environment that emphasizes personal growth and highlights opportunities to advance within the organization. A few desirable skills to look for when recruiting top performers include (in summary): communications, multi-tasking, dynamic decision-making, and organization. (Read Article: Consumer Technology Association, 8/27/18)
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Smartwatches Might Actually Make Us Healthier |
Apple recently unveiled the latest version of its Watch, with new features that include an FDA-cleared ECG app, irregular heart rate notification, and fall detection. Meanwhile, Qualcomm launched a new made-for-wearables chip that promises much better battery life. Google also just released the latest iteration of Wear OS, which places your health data front and center. The company also worked with the American Heart Association to come up with the new Fit app's health-tracking system to encourage users to engage in more cardio activity. Collectively, these announcements make the wearable category, which has been struggling to prove its usefulness for years, feel relevant and promising again. (Read Article: Engadget, 9/14/18)
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~70% of Americans Play Video Games: Study |
About 67% of Americans, or roughly 211 million people, play video games on at least one type of device, with more than half of those who game playing on multiple platforms, according to a new study released by Electronic Entertainment Design and Research. The study also found that gaming takes up about 16% of U.S. gamers' weekly leisure time, totaling an average of 12 hours per week. (Read: Variety, 9/11/18)
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Volkswagen to Use 3D Printers to Mass Produce Parts |
Volkswagen, the world's largest carmaker, unveiled plans last week to start using HP metal printing technology to manufacture select parts, including gear knobs and custom tailgate lettering. VW said that it wants to mass produce structural parts using the technology within two to three years. 3D printing is not unheard of in auto manufacturing, but it has so far been used for prototypes and individual components. The typical Volkswagen is built using up to 8,000 parts. "A big advantage of [3D printing] is it allows us to produce many of these parts without first having to build manufacturing tools," said Martin Goede, VW's head of technology planning and development. Meanwhile, HP said its new metal printing service won't be limited to car parts, given the auto, industrial, and medical sectors alone produce billions of metal parts each year. (Read Article:
CNN Tech, 9/11/18)
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Boring Company Gets OK to Build Tunnel Connecting L.A. Garage to Hyperloop |
Elon Musk's Boring Company has received approval from the Hawthorne City Council to start building a prototype garage that would transport cars to an underground hyperloop. The garage will be built on a private residence near SpaceX's headquarters. As part of the conditions of the approval, the test elevator will be closed to the public, and no cars will be able to move from the garage to the street in order to keep the project from impacting traffic. Instead, cars must start at SpaceX HQ and stay in the one-mile stretch of tunnel between the residence garage and the company. The company wants to show that it can utilize an elevator and short tunnel spur for developing a high-speed underground public transportation system. (Read Article: The Verge, 9/13; The Mercury News, 9/12/18)
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Port of Los Angeles Wins $41M For Hydrogen Fuel Cell Project |
The Port of Los Angeles has received a preliminary award of $41 million, from the California Air Resource Board, for a high-tech hydrogen fuel cell freight project, which will include 10 zero-emissions heavy-duty hydrogen fuel-cell-electric trucks, two new heavy-duty hydrogen fuel stations, and four zero-emissions cargo handling equipment, to help move cargo from L.A. ports to other areas in the L.A. basin. The Port is working with Kenworth and Toyota on the project, which ultimately plans to extend to such locations as Riverside County and the port of Hueneme, and eventually to Merced. The project will help reduce 465 metric tons of greenhouse gas and 0.72 weighted tons of NOx, ROG and PM10, which are major air pollutants. (Read Article: SoCalTech.com Tech News, 9/17/18)
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U.S. Takes Step Toward a Quantum Computing Workforce |
Quantum computers promise to transform computer security, finance, and many other fields by solving certain problems far faster than conventional machines. To unlock that potential, the US House of Representatives has just passed a bill to foster a viable quantum computing industry. The National Quantum Initiative Act would establish a federal program for accelerating research and training in quantum computing. The act will release $1.275 billion to help fund several centers of excellence that should help train many quantum engineers. Quantum technology is a quickly advancing and incredibly hyped field that takes advantage of the mathematics of subatomic particles to accomplish things current technology cannot. Some have framed quantum science as a space race part two. The bill will now head to the Senate, and should it pass, to the president. (Read Article: MIT Technology Review, 9/13, & Gizmodo, 9/13/18)
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Wi-Charge Keeps Room Full of Smart Locks Powered & Cell Phones Charged |
Truly wireless charging - completely through the air, without cables - has been just on the edge of availability for years, but it finally looks set to actually appear in products soon. Billing itself as "the long-range wireless charging company," Wi-Charge is debuting an infrared power technology that promises to deliver up to three watts of energy at distances up to 10 meters. That's enough to wirelessly power and recharge a variety of common devices, some of which will be coming to market with Wi-Charge technology inside. (Read Article: VentureBeat, 9/12/18)
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5G UPDATE
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Being First in 5G Matters: U.S., China, South Korea & Japan All See Big Payoff |
The race to be the first 5G country has begun - and the winner stands to gain a lot. Around the world, giant wireless-technology companies are coordinating with their governments to come up with winning strategies to implement 5G, the next generation of cellular networks that promise to deliver ultrafast speeds and open up a range of new applications. The U.S., China, South Korea, and Japan are leading the early rounds. AT&T and Verizon plan city-by-city 5G launches starting later this year, while China expects national coverage by 2020. Wireless-industry executives say applications that tap the full potential of 5G - self-driving cars, virtual reality and remote surgery - are several years away, yet leading the way matters for a country's economy, if the race to 4G is a guide. If the U.S. hadn't led the way on 4G, the country might not dominate mobile technology, and its platforms, such as Instagram, Snapchat, and perhaps even Facebook and Netflix might not have become global powers. "The Ubers, Airbnbs, Netflixes of the world came about because of 4G," says Rob McDowell, a Republican former FCC commissioner. "No one foresaw the app economy coming. What's exciting about 5G is that nobody can really fathom what's going to happen." (Read Article:
Wall Street Journal, 9/12/18)
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AT&T to Bring 5G to California in 2019 |
AT&T recently completed its promised list of 12 cities that will launch its next-generation 5G network in 2018, and also announced early 2019 plans that will bring 5G to Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose, California. (The 2018 cities are Dallas, Houston, Waco and San Antonio, TX; Jacksonville, FL; Louisville, KY; New Orleans, LA; Atlanta, GA; Indianapolis, IN; Oklahoma City, OK; and Charlotte and Raleigh, NC.) (Read Article: VentureBeat, 9/10/18)
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Verizon Launching 5G in October in L.A. & Sacramento |
Verizon announced that it will be launching its 5G home broadband service on October 1 across parts of Los Angeles, Sacramento, Houston, and Indianapolis, with the service to provide typical network speeds of 300Mbps and peak speeds of 1Gbps. Verizon 5G Home is now available for pre-orders, with its "First On 5G" members to get the first three months free, after which the service will cost $50 per month for existing Verizon Wireless customers on smartphone plans, or $70 per month for non-Verizon Wireless customers. The 5G service makes use of Verizon's "ultra wideband" network utilizing the company's small cells, fiber backbone, and millimeter-wave spectrum. (READ ARTICLE: ZDNet, 9/11/18)
Meanwhile, Verizon said that it will be expanding its 5G Labs to four new locations across the U.S., with Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Washington DC, and Waltham, MA, to gain facilities that will be focused on developing and testing 5G technologies and use cases. The labs will launch by the end of 2018, and will be kitted out with live 5G networks to help startups, tech companies, and universities to collaborate with Verizon. The L.A. lab will focus on augmented reality and holograms, and Palo Alto on emerging technologies, education, and big data. (Read Article: ZDNet, 9/11/18)
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5G Will Make It Easier for Cars to Talk to One Another |
The deployment of 5G connections in cars will allow auto makers to transmit larger amounts of data with greater reliability and at speeds far faster than the current-generation cellular service, known as 4G. The shift could pave the way for a range of new features, such as vehicles that can "talk" directly with each other on the road - a catalyst for more widespread deployment of autonomous vehicles, and entertainment options that make the car's back seat feel more like a home theater. Auto makers also are hoping broader bandwidths will help generate reams of data that can be used to refine maps, report on roadway conditions, and provide instant feedback on a car's performance. (READ ARTICLE:
Wall Street Journal, 9/12/18)
Meanwhile, Apple keeps adding autonomous vehicles to its test fleet in California, boosting its ranks 27% since May, according to records from the California DMV. Apple now has 70 autonomous vehicles permitted to test on public roads. The permits require a safety driver to be behind the wheel. (Read Article:
TechCrunch, 9/11/18)
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