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Best podcasts about Prime Now

Latest podcast episodes about Prime Now

The Filmmakers Podcast
The importance of PR & Marketing when producing movies with Clare Bateman King producer of 'Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose' and 'The Tower'

The Filmmakers Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2023 40:01


The importance of PR & Marketing when producing movies - For this special Part 2 of 'Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose' we speak to producer, PR and Marketing expert Clare Bateman King all about what you need (and should have) to promote your indie films. Clare sat down with Giles Alderson and Dom Lenoir to discuss; Why you put money from your budget into marketing your films and how much. Why you should do your own press and marketing for your films (and premiere - should the distributor not want to do one) She talks about how she became a film producer and why it is important we keep the good people in the industry. And why she is looking to set up her own distribution company. 'Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose' is OUT on Prime NOW! Clare's PR team at Legion M https://legionm.com/ COURSES Want to learn how to finish your film? Take our POST PRODUCTION COURSE https://cuttingroom.info/post-production-demystified/ EVENT Join Cassius Raynor at this Short 2 Feature event this Sat 11th Nov 2023 Link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-secrets-of-shorts-2-features-producers-directors-qa-networking-tickets-741405181857 PATREON Big thank you to: Serena Gardner Mark Hammett Lee Hutchings Marli J Monroe Karen Newman Want your name in the show notes or some great bonus material on film-making? Join our Patreon for bonus episodes, industry survival guides and feedback on your film projects! SUPPORT THE PODCAST Check out our full episode archive at TheFilmmakersPodcast.com CREDITS The Filmmakers Podcast is hosted, produced, edited and written by Giles Alderson @gilesalderson Logo and Banner Art by Lois Creative  Theme Music by John J. Harvey Music supplied by – Music Bed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Filmmakers Podcast
'FOE' & 'LION' director & screenwriter Garth Davis and co-writer Iain Reid on making beautiful award winning films

The Filmmakers Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2023 78:52


On this weeks podcast we have a double whammy of Foe (and Friends) director Garth Davis and co writer Iain Reid who talk making their film based on the novel of the same name Foe. Foe stars Saoirse Ronan, Aaron Pierre and Paul Mescal and our on Prime NOW. Garth and Iain sit down with Giles Alderson and Dom Lenoir to chat film-making. They discuss: Casting, how they got Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal on board. Building a believable sci-fi world. masking plot twists. Making Garth's debut movie Lion starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman. And adapting a novel into a screenplay. Trailer for FOE here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fKa3h-Qg6o LINKS for JOBS and JOBS BOARDS Mandy.com Talent Manager LinkedIn Facebook groups including: UK Film and TV Jobs (LOVING YOUR WORK) London Film Crew Jobs PAID Film and TV Jobs UK Film Crew Jobs network COURSES Want to learn how to finish your film? Take our POST PRODUCTION COURSE https://cuttingroom.info/post-production-demystified/ PATREON Big thank you to: Serena Gardner Mark Hammett Lee Hutchings Marli J Monroe Karen Newman Want your name in the show notes or some great bonus material on film-making? Join our Patreon for bonus episodes, industry survival guides and feedback on your film projects! SUPPORT THE PODCAST Check out our full episode archive at TheFilmmakersPodcast.com CREDITS The Filmmakers Podcast is hosted, produced, edited and written by Giles Alderson @gilesalderson Social Media by Kalli Pasqualucci @kallieep Marketing Huw Siddle Logo and Banner Art by Lois Creative  Theme Music by John J. Harvey Music supplied by – Music Bed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Media From the Heart
The Return of "Christmas Karen" Schaler

Media From the Heart

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2022 135:38


Where do I begin? This is not only my longest episode ever, but this episode features my first returning guest...KAREN SCHALER!! We chatted about everything you could and couldn't imagine from Christmas to writing to entrepreneurship to memories and stories never shared anywhere else. Karen blessed us for over 2 hours, and she interacted unlike any other guest I have had the privilege to have on my show. Be sure to visit all of her links, and don't miss the special freebie on her original audible VIDEO available on Prime NOW!https://www.amazon.com/Once-Christmas-Carol-Karen-Schaler/dp/B0B74JS9XF/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1RQ1HWUVSSEYG&keywords=once+upon+a+christmas+carol&qid=1672379500&s=instant-video&sprefix=once+upon+a+christma%2Cinstant-video%2C1143&sr=1-1FOLLOW KAREN:Website: https://www.karenschaler.com/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/karenschalerFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/karenschalerofficialInstagram: https://instagram.com/traveltherapy/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/KarenSchalerOfficial/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TravelTherapyTV/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@karenschalerIMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6912381/Listen to my first episode with Karen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-with-writer-karen-schaler-aka-christmas/id1604088899?i=1000547430246

mixxio — podcast diario de tecnología
Noches negras en Ucrania

mixxio — podcast diario de tecnología

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2022 12:16


Apagón nuclear completo en Ucrania / Los anuncios crecen en Amazon / Río oculto en la Antártida / 5G en los aviones / Otra multa a Facebook / Problemas para Huawei en España Patrocinador: En Carrefour han tenido una idea que me parece muy innovadora. Se llama Mi Abono Carrefour Plus, y es una suscripción de 5,99 euros al mes que te permitirá ahorrar el 15% de todos los productos frescos que compres: pescado, carne, fruta, verduras, charcutería, panadería, los platos preparados, sushi.. etc. — Saca la calculadora, que seguro que te interesa. El primer mes es gratis. Apagón nuclear completo en Ucrania / Los anuncios crecen en Amazon / Río oculto en la Antártida / 5G en los aviones / Otra multa a Facebook / Problemas para Huawei en España ⚛️ Los bombardeos obligan a cerrar todos los reactores nucleares de Ucrania. Por primera vez en 40 años, Ucrania no tiene ninguna generación eléctrica de fuente nuclear: 0 de 15 reactores. El gobierno solicita más donaciones de generadores diésel y elevar la interconexión con la red europea. — Os dejo una imagen satelital nocturna capturada el 23 de noviembre.

CzabeCast
2022/09/08 - CzabeCast - Thursday Notorious J-A-Y

CzabeCast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2022 46:02


NOTORIOUS J-A-Y. "Amazonesia." Prime Now! Joy Taylor. Kay Adams. Liz Loza. Pat McAfee. Timmy Trumpet. Jerry Seinfeld. Doug Gottleib. FTG.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Steamy Stories Podcast
Home for Horny Monsters: Squatter's Rights -

Steamy Stories Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2022


Home for Horny Monsters: Squatter's Rights - Mike inherits an old house with fuckable monster girls! (part 3)By writerannabelle.  Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. “Give up, Tink. I've won,” Mike panted, sweat pouring off his body. “It's over.”Tink fixed him with an angry stare, which quickly melted into defeat. Her large eyes pooled with tears, and she turned her face away from Mike.“Tink lose. Tink give up goblin home.” She snuffled, the dirt on the floor billowing away from her. “Tink leave, and no come back.”“Wait, what?” Tink had relaxed beneath Mike, so he shifted his body so that he wasn't crushing her any longer. “No, Tink, you don't have to leave, I just want my tools so I can fix the fountain.”“Goblin Law. We fight over home. Loser leave, never come back.” She tried to rise, but Mike wasn't having it. He knew that Naia would be disappointed in him if he managed to lose one of the inhabitants of the house so quickly.And honestly, was he even as entitled to the home as they were? They had been here longer, he was just the current human legally entitled to the place. Watching the goblin weep beneath him, he couldn't help but feel extremely bad. Tink obviously came from a culture he wasn't going to understand overnight, but this was a problem he needed to take care of right this second.“I don't want Tink to leave,” Mike explained. The instant the words left his mouth, the goblin turned her head toward him. There was a glimmer of hope that he was afraid to shatter, so he waited for her next move.“Goblin Law say fight over home, someone leave.”Mike fought hard to avoid rolling his eyes. Clearly her head was hard literally and metaphorically. “Well, goblin law doesn't apply here. This is my house, so we follow my laws.”Tink shook her head. “Always follow Goblin Law.”“Well, then is there a law that lets us fight and you get to stay?” He felt Tink relax even more beneath his arm. Her snuffling stopped, and she became silent beneath his arms.“Fight for goblin wife,” she whispered.“Oh.” Mike was officially between a rock and a hard place with the little green monster he had found beneath the garage. If he took her as a goblin wife, then what did that entail? Then again, where would she go if she left? Naia had warned her that the world was a bad place for monsters, and it occurred to him that, as far as he knew, nobody even remotely believed goblins still existed. What if Tink was the last of her kind? What about his relationship with Naia? “Shit.”“No have to take goblin wife,” Tink whispered. “Tink can just go.”“Well, hold on.” The gears in his mind were turning. “If I take you as goblin wife, what about other people? Do we have to live down here?”“Goblin husband take many wives. Goblin wife no mind.”“Okay. Well Tink, this was a fight for a goblin wife. Now you don't have to leave.” Mike wanted to clap himself on the back, but he wanted to keep Tink pinned.“Fight for goblin wife not over,” she told him. Seeing the puzzled look on his face, she gently grabbed one of his hands and dragged it down to her breast. “Different kind of fight.”“Oh.” Mike wasn't sure what to say, but he was immediately struck at how firm the breast beneath his hand was. It was slightly bigger than his hand, and as he dragged his thumb across the top, he felt a pair of nipples, stacked vertically. He gave it a squeeze, releasing Tink's arms. She immediately grabbed him by the hair on the back of his head, pulling him close.“Tink want you to fight harder,” she hissed, pulling him in. Clawed hands dragged down her back, just hard enough to remind Mike that they were there. They found the waist band of his shorts, shoving them down. Mike grabbed her breasts tightly now, and Tink's clawed hand found Mike's cock. “Fight even harder. Make goblin wife.”Mike wrapped his hand in her hair, looping it across his knuckles so that he could yank it backward. He pulled her face in, suddenly entranced by the exotic curl of her lips, something he only saw now that her fangs weren't bared at him. Tink was working his shaft with both tiny hands, dragging her just the tips of her claws expertly across his dick. He shivered, the sensation hitting him directly in the gut.“Almost ready,” Tink muttered, licking the palms of her hand with an unusually long tongue. Mike bit down on her breast, rolling her double nipples around with his tongue. He was amazed at how large each nipple was in his mouth, and she arched her back.“Bite harder, sweaty man.”Mike chomped down, expecting a cry of protest, but he got a moan of pleasure. Her skin was dirty, but tasted mainly of the earth, and didn't yield in the slightest. Letting up, he curled three fingers and caught her double nipples between his knuckles, pinching them and pulling up. Snarling, Tink grabbed the head of his hard cock, now slippery, and placed it at the edge of her pussy.“Make me goblin wife,” she growled, and Mike obliged. He shoved his way into her, her tight pussy squeezing him the whole way in.“Holy shit!” Mike yelled, feeling hard ridges inside of Tink rub against his glans. Tink wrapped tiny legs around Mike and forced herself up to meet him, but she was so tight, he wasn't getting in any further than just the first couple inches.“Fight from bottom,” Tink begged, and Mike rolled on his back. She mounted him, forcing herself down, and Mike felt like his dick was being squeezed by a set of angry hands. She struggled, only three inches of his dick penetrating her tight folds. Mike grabbed her shoulders first, trying to push her down. The tender side of him demanded that he show some sort of gentle gesture, so he ran one hand lovingly across her brow and then back through her hair.What was this? Mike swept Tink's hair aside to reveal a horn, nearly three inches long, hidden in the wild tangles of her hair. Surprised, he searched the other side of her head, finding another, slightly shorter horn. Suddenly inspired, he clamped his hands down tight, forcing Tink onto his cock.Tink couldn't reach the root of his cock, her insides simply not large enough for him. Her tiny belly bulged outward with every thrust of his dick. Tink panted, mouth open wide, as she rode Mike hard, squeezing at his pecks with clawed hands. Her wide hips made it easy for her legs to wrap around Mike's waist, and she was lifting and dropping so quickly that Mike was tensing his stomach just to brace for impact.“Oh! Oh fuck!” Mike felt his insides churn, his balls getting ready to blast a load. Tink, sensing this, rode even harder, guttural moans and drool leaving her mouth, gasping for air as her fingers clutched Mike's biceps. Mike yanked down on her horns, squeezing tight, and Tink's grunts became a protracted growl. Mike's whole body tightened, and Tink threw herself forward, slipping free of Mike's hold, to sink her teeth into her shoulder.“Ow, you fucking-” Mike bit her back, trying to dig his own teeth into the flesh around her neck. His crotch was suddenly soaked in Tink's cum, and she screamed through her teeth. His shoulder hurt like hell, but his balls never got the message. Mike bit her even harder, filling her with three giant bursts of cum, Tink grunting as each one entered her.She released him with her teeth, leaving a thin pattern of needle-like injuries all around his shoulder. Mike let go too, leaving mostly just indentations and spit on her skin. Her pussy contracted, squeezing out another stream of goo, and Mike shuddered with pleasure. Tink laid her head down on Mike's chest, letting out a low rumble like a cat.“Tinker now goblin wife of sweaty man,” she told him, tracing her fingers along his arm.“Tinker? Is that your full name?” Tink nodded, her shining eyes on his. “Well, you can call me Mike, not sweaty man.”“Mike goblin husband. Tink belong to Mike now.” She sighed, laying her head down. Mike held her this way for a bit, letting his body relax. Even as his dick softened, her goblin cunt was still so tight that she held him in place.“Well, Tinker-”“Husband call me Tink.”“Well, Tink, I'm sure there's plenty of daylight left. I need my tools to fix the fountain.”Tink shook her head, her ears flopping lightly beneath her hair. “Tink good at fixing. Tink help, you see.” She dismounted, Mike's dick plopping free along with a giant puddle of cum. Tink squatted, lapping up the mess with her long, slippery tongue, until his cock was clean once more.“Jesus all-mighty,” Mike muttered to himself, finding his shorts. Tink was holding what was left of her dress, string at it in sadness.“Tink need new outfit,” she informed him, tossing the rags aside.“I think I have a shirt that will fit you,” he said, not wanting to waste any more time thinking about it.“Good idea. Husband get new dress, Tink go look at fountain.” She had already retrieved her goggles, fixing them in place on her head, and had grabbed a small toolbox next to the bench. “We go.”Tink followed Mike out, and they navigated the labyrinth of books until they got to the back door. The sun was past the roof of the house now, meaning it was at least four in the afternoon. In the sun's light, Tink's skin took on a pretty hue beneath all the grime, and he could now see the giant, single areola that surrounded her double nipples. Dark green pubes hid her crotch from view.Seeing where his eyes were looking, Tink became suddenly bashful. She held the toolbox up, covering her crotch with it.“Get Tink's dress,” she said, her yellow eyes looking away from him. Mike left her behind, running up the stairs to retrieve a spare t-shirt from his bag. Today had destroyed a significant chunk of his wardrobe. He needed to go shopping soon.Mike grabbed a simple black t-shirt from his bag. He didn't bother putting a new shirt on-his new scrapes and cuts were still clotting. Staring in the mirror, he just shook his head. It looked like he had fallen through a plate glass window. The bite marks on his shoulder, however, had already clotted up. He really hoped that goblin bites weren't poisonous.When he got outside, Tink was squatting, naked, inside the fountain. He was handing her his shirt when he watched a spoonful of cum dribble free from her pussy.“This nice.” Tink inspected the material before slipping it over her head. The sleeves were a little too wide, but the length was perfect. It covered Tink down to her knees. Mike joined her in the fountain, and the two of them started by scraping the mud and grime from the bottom, scooping it over the side into the bucket that he had brought home. The center of the fountain was a simple marble monolith with a single basin that would overflow into the giant basin below.Scraping up the muck and grime, Mike couldn't help but sneak glances at Tink. Her tiny body was lean and sexy in a different way than Naia's had been. However, in the light of day, it was obvious that Tink was in need of a bath, and Mike hoped that Naia would be willing to share her tub.“How long have you been hiding in the garage, Tink?” Mike asked.“Tink there for-” Tink put a clawed finger to her lips, deep in thought. “Hm. Tink not sure. Tink remember big sleep, wake up yesterday.” She shrugged.“Do you remember Emily?”Tink nodded. “Human lady. No need to fight. She let Tink live in garage.”“Wait. You didn't have to fight her, but you fought with me?”“Is goblin way. Males too aggressive, always take, never give. All males fight.”“Well, you need to remember that I'm not a goblin Tink. Do you think you can do that for me?” Tink stopped what she was doing, casting a soulful look in Mike's direction. Several seconds passed.“Tink remember.” A sly grin crossed her face as she traced a line down Mike's thigh. “Mike much bigger than a goblin.”“Oh, well, thank's, Tink.”“Not much of a biter, though.” Tink stuck her hand into a crevasse, twisting her hands and pulling free a long trail of rocky sludge. It was almost a foot long, and Mike could hear stone scraping on stone as it slid free. Tink tossed the sludge over the edge of the fountain, and Mike heard the sounds of water rushing up from beneath the earth.“We did it, Tink!” Mike high fived Tink, grabbing her around the waist. He picked her up and they jumped out of the fountain, escaping the icy cold water as it filled the basin. Tiny bubbles of energy formed, fluttering around the fountain like butterflies, and Naia surfaced, wearing a simple cloth dress over her body.“Gods, it's so good to be outside,” Naia said, eyes closed and arms wide. She took a deep breath of fresh air, opening her eyes to survey her fountain. “Let's work out some kinks, shall we?”Naia snapped her fingers, and the stone monolith shook, blasting dirt and mud free. Water rolled down its sides, filling the middle basin with fresh spring water. The remaining dirt and mud was caught in tiny tide pools, which spun them into a surface froth that was unceremoniously dumped over the side onto the concrete slab beneath the fountain.“Oh, it's like having the feeling come back to your legs after they fall asleep. Thank you so much Mike!” Naia turned to blow Mike a kiss, but froze when she saw Tink standing behind him. “Tink? Is that you?”“Naia!” Tink scrambled onto the rim of the fountain, standing eye to breast with Naia. Naia gave the goblin a tight hug.“You know Tink?” Mike asked.“Of course I do. She is in charge of keeping the house in working order. Goblins are typically quite dumb, but Tink is somehow brighter than most humans, though she may not sound like it.” Naia gave Tink an affectionate pat on the head. “I remember that she was one of the last monsters collected, still just a child when she came here. She stayed mostly in the garage, though. Her people have a weird thing about housing.”“Yeah. I ran into that. Apparently she's officially my goblin wife.” Mike winced inwardly, waiting for the emotional fallout.“Tink, is this true?” Naia asked, kneeling down in the water so the two were face to face.“We fight,” Tink declared. “Mike win goblin wife.”“I'm so happy for you!” Naia and Tink embraced again, causing Mike to shake his head. He was having one hell of a weird day.“This doesn't bother you?” Mike asked.“Of course not, silly. I have a part of your soul, remember? You don't realize this, but in a way, this is the nicest thing you could do for her.” Naia patted Tink's head affectionately. “Her kind doesn't care for goblins like her. She's very smart, which is bad enough if you're a goblin female, but she is also very ugly for her kind.”“Ugly?” Mike didn't think so, though his definition of beauty was currently in a rapid tailspin.Naia nodded. “Goblins are a weird bunch. Trust me, you would have had no reason to make a wife of any normal goblin.” Naia's nose crinkled. “Tink, you stink.”“Tink hungry too,” the goblin announced, holding her stomach. “Just finish big sleep.”“What's the big sleep?” Mike asked.“Between owners, the house has a way of hiding its denizens. I stay conscious the whole time, but the fear was that if a long enough period of time passed, some of the monsters would lose their shit and wander out into the world, lonely and looking for company. So they sleep, but I'm guessing that they are starting to wake up now that you are here.” Naia flipped her wet hair out of the way. “Tink, can I talk to Mike for a minute?”Tink nodded. “I put away tools.” She quickly gathered the cleaning supplies and vanished into the garage.“You fucked her, didn't you?” Naia asked. Mike gulped. This was the fallout he was expecting.“If I didn't, she thought she had to leave. I couldn't do that to her.” Mike explained.“It was more than that,” Naia grinned, stroking Mike's chin. “You fucked her, and you liked it.” Her hand found his cock through his shorts.“Unexpectedly, yes. I did. It was weird, but kind of hot.”“Goblin's have weird ways of looking at marriage. As it is, you could order her to march into a fire, and she would do it because you are her husband. I'm telling you this so that you know how you should be treating her, despite her willingness to please you. Prove to me that you can handle this by treating her well, because it would break my heart to discover that you can't.”“What about us?” Mike asked.“There will always be time for us. Goblins are polygamous. I could let you fuck me while she watched, and she would just be happy to be in the room.” Naia laughed. “Not that I would ever treat her that way. I think of her very much like a little sister. You should get her some food, and then have her take a bath. I promise you that you'll find something underneath all that dirt and grime that you will like.” Naia winked.“What will you be doing?” Mike asked.“I'll be out here, no worries. Take some time just the two of you.” Naia slid her hand across the bite mark on Mike's shoulder. “She's marked you, you know? Now that she's tasted your blood, she can find you anywhere.”“Goblin bites aren't poisonous, right?” Mike lowered his voice in case Tink came back.“You would know by now if they were,” she whispered back, giving him a kiss on the nose. Tink emerged from the garage, her hands now empty.“I'm going to fix us some lunch,” Mike announced, and Tink was immediately by his side. “And then I'm going to wash up. Care to join me?”“Tink come too.” Mike held the door for her and she pinched his ass as she walked by. Mike turned to Naia, but the nymph was already floating on her back, staring up into the clouds.Mike took Tink inside, where he heated up what was left of the pizza for both of them to eat. She sat across from him, gobbling down the pizza in huge bites while he got on Amazon to order a few things. He was lucky in that he was in a city with Prime Now, and he made a few purchases that he thought would come in handy, staring at Tink the whole time. Now that they were inside, he realized just how bad she smelled, but didn't want to hurt her feelings.Tink followed him upstairs, where the bath had already filled itself with hot water. Mike smiled at the silver brush that had been left on the rim of the tub by the soap and shampoo. Tink stripped off her shirt, and Mike helped her into the bath.It started innocent enough-Mike stripped off his bandages and joined her, and the two of them took turns cleaning each other. Mike used a rag to wash the dirt and grime off of Tink, discovering that her dark green skin was actually the bright green of a healthy lawn. He scrubbed her back, marveling at the prominent ridges along her spine, making him think of her as a tiny dragon instead.“Tink's turn.” Tink gently washed his around his wounds, taking particular care near the bite mark on his shoulder, which was now just a series of small scabs. She scrubbed him slowlyHer hair was the worst. Mike had Tink dunk her head, dirt and grime turning the water brown. He drained the tub and refilled it twice, helping her shampoo her long, dirty strands of hair. Once her hair was clean, he discovered that her hair was a dark auburn, with alternating streaks of red and brown throughout. While he had been willing to fuck her in the dark, the emerald creature in his tub was looking more and more feminine with every layer of dirt they scrubbed off.Tink sat in front of him, her head and shoulders above the water. Mike realized that her back was now clean, but he was having a tough time taking his hands off of her. Tink sighed, scooting back against him, her fingers lightly tracing shapes on his thighs. Mike slid his hands across the top of her shoulders, then down across her chest. His fingers squeezed her breasts as one of her hands circled his cock.He pulled Tink up onto one leg, using it as a booster seat. With her wet hair pulled to one side, she reminded him of that green girl from Guardians of the Galaxy, albeit much smaller. She growled affectionately at him, and he slid his hand down her thigh and into the dark patch of hair between her legs.“No biting this time,” he warned her, tracing circles around her crotch.“No bites,” Tink promised, her pink tongue circling her thin lips. She ran her tongue up the side of his neck, tickling at his ear. Mike circled her pussy a few times, puzzled at the shape of it. She had a double set of labia, the inner set puffy and engorged. He ran his fingers over them slowly, enjoying how the folds squeezed at his fingers. Tink shivered in the warm water, her tail splashing the surface.While Tink was enjoying herself, Mike was having difficulty finding what he was looking for. Determined, he searched her folds for any trace of a fleshy nub, hoping that his theory about goblin anatomy would prove correct. After a minute of this, he decided to explore something else, pulling her leg wide and pushing a finger inside of her.Tink let out a growl, and Mike was surprised to feel not one, but two semi hard lumps just inside her pussy. He hooked his finger, tracing figure eights around them, and Tink gyrated her hips in rhythm with his movements. It was no wonder that he had trouble fitting earlier. He could barely bend his finger once inside her, and her pussy was already squeezing his finger so tight it was uncomfortable.Mike grabbed Tink by one of her horns, tilting her head sideways so that he could kiss her neck. Tink was stroking Mike's shaft with one hand while pinching her own double-nipple with the other, her claws squeezing hard enough that Mike was worried that she would hurt herself.“This time, Mike fit,” Tink declared, leaving Mike to pull the plug. The tub drained until the water level was below their hips. Mike held onto Tink's horns as she went down on him, her long tongue wrapping around his dick, leaving behind a trail of slime that made his dick tingle. While her teeth made him nervous, her big mouth was big enough that not only did she take his cock all the way to the back, but his balls as well. Mike held tightly to her horns and moved his dick even faster, shuddering at the smooth feeling of her tongue on the base of his cock. Every time she took the entire length of him, she swallowed, her throat squeezing the head of his dick.“Tink, that feels amazing.” Mike told her. She let out a growl of pleasure, and Mike began pumping her face. Tink fingered herself while pinching her breast, and Mike was all-out face fucking her, causing her to moan every time he bottomed out in her throat.“Fuck,” he muttered, feeling the pressure build. Tink wrapped her tongue around his balls, staving off his orgasm. She opened her mouth wide, and Mike realized that he was so far down her throat that the head of his dick was still stuck in place. Tink swallowed several times, squeezing him. Her wide, innocent eyes looked up at him lovingly, but her long tongue squeezed even harder, trapping his orgasm. She slapped at his hands, and he let go of her horns. Pulling her head back, Mike popped out of the back of her throat.“Not yet,” she chastised him, scooting her hips forward. Mike lifted her by the hips, setting her down on his cock. Her tail swished back and forth, and Mike almost came at the sheer heat of her tight walls. Tink growled at him, trying to force herself down the length of his cock again.“Tink, it's okay,” Mike told her, but she was having none of it. She turned around, facing away from him. Her ass was like a giant peach from this position, a heart shaped fruit ripe for the plucking. Tink grunted in frustration again, trying to force Mike's length all the way into her body.“This time, Mike fit,” she growled, slamming into him with long thrusts. She always came up a couple inches short.“Tink, I'm going to come soon,” Mike informed her. The pool of water left behind in the tub bubbled, sending tiny spheres of water into the air.“Not if I can help it,” Naia said, a hand, made of water wrapping around the base of his cock, once again cutting off his orgasm. She emerged from the water, her dress plastered against her body. Tink was panting, fighting off an orgasm of her own.“Naia!” Mike said, shocked to see her. Naia snapped her fingers, the dress on her body vanishing. She put both hands on Tink's shoulders and gave her a hard push. Mike moaned, his balls aching as he slid in almost half an inch more.“That's right, lover.” Naia gave Tink another push, but she simply couldn't go any further. “Is it really that important that he fit inside of you?” Naia asked Tink.Tink nodded, unable to speak.“Then there's only one choice.” Naia pulled Tink off of Mike's cock, maneuvering her onto her hands and knees. Mike's cock was covered in Tink's creamy fluids, his dick covered in his own precum also. Leaning over Tink's body, Naia grabbed her tail and lifted it. Mike was treated to the vision of Tink's puckered asshole, dark green and coated in her juices. “I can guarantee that he will fit in here.”Mike felt a sudden surge from within, his heart beating in excitement. Naia held Tink's tail up, and Mike positioned the head of his cock at her ass. Tink gasped when Mike pushed himself in, her fluids providing plenty of lubrication. Just as the head of his cock penetrated her, Tink wiggled her ass back and forth, forcing herself back.“Make…Mike…fit…” she declared, working her way steadily down. Somehow, her asshole was even tighter than her pussy, and Mike could feel Tink's pulse against his own. He only made it halfway in when he couldn't go any further. Tink let out a frustrated moan.“Don't worry dear, big sister Naia will help.” A mischievous grin on her face, Naia drew a pattern in the water with her finger. The water sprouted finger-like tendrils which began tickling Tink's pussy. Her breathe as coming in ragged gasps as her hips lurched back and forth. Tink growled, then moaned, then growled as Mike's dick worked its way in even further.“Oh god,” Mike moaned, the water gripping him even tighter. He grunted, pulling his dick out and then pushing it back in, trying to get his balls to touch her green flesh with every push.“You need to pay it forward, little sister,” Naia informed Tink. Grabbing onto Tink's horns, Naia pulled Tink's head between her legs. Tink greedily lapped at Naia's bald folds, Naia's body hovering above the water's surface. “Yes, that's a good little goblin.”“That doesn't seem like little sister behavior,” Mike muttered.“Nymphs don't follow conventional family rules,” Naia replied, sighing in pleasure.“Uh,” Tink added, stopping frequently as the water fingers penetrated her. Mike shuddered, the sensation of the fingers traveling through the thin wall between Tink's pussy and ass setting him over the edge. He was certain Naia was working magic on Tink, because the goblin was letting out tiny shrieks every few seconds now, her body tensing up and relaxing.“Nobody cums until Mike bottoms out,” Naia declared. Frantic, Tink was pushing herself backward as hard as she could. Naia handed Tink's tail to Mike. “Make sure you pull it by the base,” Naia informed him. One hand on Tink's hip, the other on her tail, he began pulling with all his might, every thrust getting him even closer. He wrapped a hand around Tink's stomach, feeling the bulge of his dick moving beneath the skin of her stomach.“Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Fuuuck!” Mike felt Tink tighten down, then relax. His dick slid the rest of the way in, his balls slamming against her asscheeks. She tightened up once he was all the way in, grunting into Naia's pussy. He fucked Tink's ass with very tiny thrusts, unable to move much farther, and Naia winked at him, touching the water with her finger. The pressure around the base of his balls vanished, and he felt several waves of energy build up simultaneously. Tink came, spraying a milky fluid into the water, and Mike filled her ass, cumming again and again, his stomach aching from the number of times he tensed up. Mike let out a growl of his own, Tink collapsing face first into Naia, who turned her head sideways in her lap. Large tears were running down her face, and Mike worried that she was hurt.Naia held up a hand to stop him from moving her. “They're happy tears, Mike. Let her have this moment,” she whispered. Mike rubbed the base of Tink's back, running his hands over her bubble shaped butt in lazy circles. Much like before, Mike started to go soft, but still couldn't slide free. He grabbed Tink's shoulders, pulling her up into a sitting position. She let out little whimpers as he pulled himself free, cradling her in his arms.“God, that was so fucking hot!” Naia declared, the faucet turning on. The tub filled up, and Tink slid away from him, facing Mike.“Tink know you make great goblin husband,” she told him. Naia picked up the brush from the side of the tub, and Mike gave Tink a kiss on the forehead as Naia began working the brush through Tink's tangled hairs.“Tink is a great goblin wife,” Mike declared, smiling at the monsters in his tub.Romancing the StoneMike yawned, the morning light through the white curtains casting a blissful glow on the room. He scratched the back of his neck, his foot kicking the lump near the bottom of his bed. He sat up, leaning forward to give the lump a playful pat.“It's time to get up, Tink.” Mike watched the lump slide to the edge of the bed, disappearing over the edge with a thud.“Owie,” Tink muttered, standing up holding her bottom. She was wearing a tank top night shirt, one of the things Mike had ordered through Amazon, as a full dress. She wore her orange goggles too, refusing to part with them, even at night.“How did you sleep?” Mike asked, sliding out of bed in just his boxers.Tink responded with a yawn, her wide mouth revealing dozens of needle sharp teeth. “Tink sleep extra heavy. Mike hog bed.”“I did not hog the bed,” he muttered. After the threesome in the bath, Naia had spent a solid hour brushing Tink's hair out, and then braiding it tightly against Tink's head, starting at the base of her horns and running behind her ears. Mike eventually wandered out his front door (with a wary glance at the swing) to retrieve the Amazon packages he had ordered; some replacement shirts for himself, and some clothes he thought Tink would like. Tink had cried when he showed her the shirts he had bought -they all fit her like little dresses, albeit the fit was odd. Naia informed Mike that Tink's skills extended to sewing as well, and that the goblin would likely alter the material later for a better fit.“Mike hog bed, too much roll over. Goblin husband have bad dreams.” Tink beat him to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She wasn't wrong-Mike, despite ending the night on the best note of his life, had suffered through the standard reoccurring dreams again. He stared at the scar tissue on his hip, pondering why his brain insisted on living through the worst moments of his life in dream form, his broken mother shrieking at him from the past.“You okay?” Naia's voice drifted up from the tub. “I'm getting a vibe off of you.”“Just some old memories, I'm okay.” Tink flushed the toilet, but the door remained shut. Wondering what was taking so long, Mike opened the door.The goblin stared at the water swirling in the bowl, her goggles pulled down over her eyes. Mike didn't dare investigate any farther, preferring to wait.“Bad pipe,” Tink declared. “Water not fast enough. Bad pipe.” She looked at Mike, her eyes magnified through her goggles. “Tink can fix, but need some parts.”“How can you tell?” Mike asked. The toilet seemed slow, but the house was old.“Tink know.” She tapped her goggles. “Tink good at fix, but goggles good at seeing what need fix. Tell Tink big water leak come soon.”“Shit. Is it safe to use again?”“For now, is safe.” Tink strolled out of the bathroom, giving Mike's butt a slap. “Need fix in couple days, or big mess. Tink look in basement today, check where pipes go.” Her stomach growled. “Tink go after breakfast.”“Yeah, I'll make us something.” Mike excused himself, peeing in the toilet. The tiny scratches on his arms and legs looked bad, but didn't hurt any longer, which was a good sign. He walked out of the bathroom, staring into the tub. “Is it weird that I'm just sort of accepting this? The last twenty four hours have been out of my depth.”“It's what makes you a good fit,” Naia's voice informed him. “You can handle all of this because it isn't normal. When you got into a fight with Tink, you thought outside the box to make sure she stayed, even if it meant fucking a goblin. I know you did it partially for me, but you did it partially for the house without realizing it. It works through you, much as it does through me. If you had encountered a horny, human woman down there who wanted to suck your dick, you would have suffered a panic attack and come running inside.”Mike thought about this for a second. Naia was right. Somehow, the sheer lunacy of this whole situation wasn't even registering on his panic meter. “Did my Great Aunt handle it as well as me?”“In some aspects, yes,” Naia replied. “She accepted things quickly, but she didn't take your unique approach to tackling problems.” Naia's tub echoed with her laugh. “At least, not right away. We spent plenty of nights together in the tub, just the two of us.”“Gonna be honest, not sure how to take that news right now.” Mike pulled a shirt over his head. “I'll see you later.”“Stop out in the garden,” Naia told him. “I would love the company.”“Can do.” Mike left his room, walking silently down the long hall. He pondered every closed door he walked past, seeing each as an inevitable trap. What was hiding here, behind these quiet doors? Eventually, he would open them all, checking each room for another Tink, or even a Cecilia.To be continued.By writerannabelle for Literotica

Start With A Win
Leaders Run Toward the Problem

Start With A Win

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2022 20:02


Rex Tibbens is the president and CEO of Frontdoor which is the parent company to several home warranty brands, including American Home Shield. He is former chief operating officer of Lyft and the former vice president at Amazon, where he led the technical and product development of Prime Now, Amazon's one-hour delivery service. Now, he is bringing his former tech leadership into the traditionally lower-tech home warranty industry.Adam and Rex open the conversation by talking about Frontdoor and how the company is working hard to serve the homeowner of the 21st Century through innovation and forward thinking. Throughout his career, no matter the company or industry, Rex's number-one priority has been obsessing about customers. He knows that customers are the ones who choose your business and decide whether you're worth sticking with or taking their business elsewhere. Rex also believes in running toward the big problems. He says the leaders who want to step into the fire and solve the problems are the ones who rise to the top. And when you are a leader who runs toward the problems, you have to be okay if you get knocked down. Rex shares how you can grow when you encounter defeat or problems as a leader. It's important to take a step back, think about what transpired and how you would do it differently the next time. Growing through adversity as a leader is how you build trust within your company and among your employees. And that's also how you develop employee retention. Because people don't leave organizations, they leave leaders. A common misconception of leaders when it comes to problem solving is that they always have to be the one with the answers. But the truth is, you don't have to be the one with the solution. It's your job to hire good people, build them up, and then trust them to come up with the solutions.When working with his leadership team, Rex says that he will often come at a problem as if he is wrong. He shares that the higher up you are within an organization, the more filtered the information is that you have, and you often don't have the context you need. So you have to ask probing questions in an understanding manner. His approach is always trust, but verify. Allow your team to challenge you as much as you challenge them.Rex and Adam round out the conversation by talking about the transitions Rex has made throughout his career and the advice he has for leaders who are looking to make a major change in jobs or industries. What excites you about the opportunity? Once the fanfare ends, what's the real work you'll be doing? Does that get you out of bed in the morning?Episode Links:https://www.frontdoorhome.comOrder your copy of Start With A Win: Tools and Lessons to Create Personal and Business Success:https://www.startwithawin.com/bookConnect with Adam:https://www.startwithawin.com/https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContoshttps://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContoshttps://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ Leave us a voicemail:888-581-4430

Investing with GoodLife

If you have any questions or comments for Rohan and David please feel free to send us an email, we love to hear from you! pod@goodlifehp.com 00:00 Happy New Year! 01:09 The Loss Leader 10:17 OKCannabis 16:28 CBS Recording Studios Sale 19:36 The Evergrande Saga Continues 22:24 Office Space 29:10 Prime NOW! 31:29 Question of the Week 36:20 Numbers of the Week 40:15 Current Content 42:20 Upgrades ***Don't forget to follow GoodLife Housing Partners on Twitter (@GoodLifeHP), Instagram (@GoodLifeHP), Facebook, and LinkedIn! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/goodlifehp/message

Think Like Amazon
Using Mechanisms to scale your business with Umer Sadiq

Think Like Amazon

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2021 27:05


Umer spent nearly 12 years at Amazon as a software development leader across a diverse set of businesses including Amazon's data warehouse, reverse logistics, Prime Now program, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods Market. Umer left Amazon in early 2018 to co-found Veeve, a contact-less shopping checkout solution, and in early 2021, Umer took on the role of CTO at fabric.inc, a high-growth startup providing headless commerce solutions for retail businesses. In this interview, Umer shares how Amazon mechanisms helped him scale businesses to hundreds of employees and billions in revenue. Umer discusses how he identifies the right objectives and mechanisms needed to fit the core goals and lifecycle of a businesses and when to think about improving or changing and pivot existing mechanisms. You'll also here examples of three mechanisms that Umer used at Amazon and has successfully applied in leading tech startups: Corrections of Errors, PRFAQs, and Change Management. Umer also addresses how mechanisms can help with VC fundraising and in building company culture.  Mentioned in the Episode:  fabric Blog: https://resources.fabric.inc/blogUmer on Twitter: @umersadiq  Follow us on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/company/think-like-amazon-podcast/

The Produce Moms Podcast
EP166: Making Vegetables And Plant-Based Meals Enjoyable And Accessible To All With Noah Robbins, Founder & CEO of Ark Foods

The Produce Moms Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2021 20:21


“We want people to get this premium product, but they're not stretching for it. They're getting it at an affordable price.”  Noah Robbins (6:30 - 6:39)   Growing up in agriculture, CEO and Founder of Ark Foods, Noah Robbins saw a need to not only make farmers market vegetables more accessible, but to build a brand around making them enjoyable to consumers again.   The taste of the products Ark Foods provides speaks for itself but we, as consumers, eat with our eyes. Founder and CEO Noah Robbins is taking Ark Foods on a trajectory as a modern-day farming company to create an elegant brand of clean eating that is simple, yet attractive.    With his father as a citrus farmer, Noah grew up in the agriculture field. After graduating he saw there was a need to make vegetables from farm lines more accessible to consumers while encouraging them to eat clean ingredients.    “There was a moment where I thought a lot about vegetables not as the end of the process, but rather the beginning.” Noah Robbins (12:26 - 12:38)   The company started with just three acres of land and grew one vegetable, shishito peppers. They became the staple of the company as a snacking pepper with 1 in 20 being spicy, depending on the season. This brought a “fun” aspect to eating them as somewhat of a Russian roulette. Since then, Ark Foods has expanded to building strong relationships with farming partners that they source from for each of their products.    These days, other food companies are trying to cater to a higher end market for clean label ingredients and ethos. Certain foods aren't viable for certain households because of the market prices of fresh-grown ingredients.    Ark Foods is combating this roadblock by allowing consumers to have the same experiences at an affordable price point. Products like their shishito peppers and purple bell peppers, that people may have not tried before, are now possible.   But the goal is to not only make the vegetables themselves accessible but meals, as well. Noah and Ark Foods are working on making people no longer see these as a side item but creating products solely around them. From that mindset, they're always thinking of new products in different ways, such as their cauliflower mac and cheese.   While vegetables may be simpler to consume as adults, the same isn't always said for children. At the start of the pandemic, Noah actually moved in with his sister and brother-in-law and thus spent a lot of time with his niece and nephew. What he noticed is, while they are picky eaters like most children, they were intrigued with the experiences that food brought. They would get excited about a new take on standard food they knew, like pasta. Once they tried these new takes, like veggie and pesto pasta, they couldn't stop eating them and that was the ultimate compliment.   “If kids like it, you know it's a good product.” Noah Robbins (10:02 - 10:05)   Recently, Ark Foods has launched a new clean label salad line which reflects their take on the classic salads we know and love. While salads are always a healthier option, toppings and dressings are usually packed with added ingredients and sugar. Ark Foods is always tinkering with new ideas, like substituting croutons with roasted chickpeas and ensuring all dressings have clean, plant based ingredients.   You can find where to purchase Ark Foods products locally on their website and how to get them delivered through Amazon Fresh, Prime Now, FreshDirect, Farm to People and Fridge No More. How to get involved Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!  Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.    If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

Think Like Amazon
012: How Amazon leaders Dive Deep with Allon Katz

Think Like Amazon

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2021 28:03


Allon spent nearly 7 years at Amazon, holding senior roles across both Amazon’s e-commerce retail category businesses and as Director of Prime Now. During these roles, Allon refined his ability to dive deep into a business and understand its critical levers, a skill he first acquired as a management consultant and now applies post-Amazon as he leads portfolio operations in private equity.  In this episode, you’ll hear how leaders can continue to stay connected to the key details of their business as their scope increases, how to prioritize when to dive deep, and why being data focused is key to the Customer Obsession principle. Tune in to hear more great ideas and approaches from Allon in this episode.   Mentioned in the podcast:  Allon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allonkatz/  More from the episode: 3:00 – How to stay connected to the details of a business as your scope increases7:50 – How diving deep can help unlock resources for your team8:35 – Ideas for being data driven in a nascent business10:10 – How Amazon leaders prioritize where to focus amidst large amounts of data13:25 – Finding balance between diving deep and operating at a high level15:57 – When to trust anecdotes over aggregate data [Prime Now example]20:34 – How a focus on data encourages an culture of ownership22:50 – Why investing in diving deep early in a role pays dividends later in effective problem solving24:01 – A mental model for pinpointing which data points to focus your time on25:44 – Applying the Dive Deep principle in private equity work

Loop Matinal
Segunda-feira, 24/5/2021

Loop Matinal

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2021 10:27


Sobre o Podcast O Loop Matinal é um podcast do Loop Infinito que traz as notícias mais importantes do mundo da tecnologia para quem não tem tempo de ler sites e blogs de tecnologia. Marcus Mendes apresenta um resumo rápido e conciso das notícias mais importantes, sempre com bom-humor e um toque de acidez. Confira as notícias das últimas 24h, e até amanhã! -------------------------------- Apoie o Loop Matinal! O Loop Matinal está no apoia.se/loopmatinal e no picpay.me/loopmatinal! Se você quiser ajudar a manter o podcast no ar, é só escolher a categoria que você preferir e definir seu apoio mensal. Obrigado em especial aos ouvintes Advogado Junio Araujo, Alexsandra Romio, Alisson Rocha, Anderson Barbosa, Anderson Cazarotti, Angelo Almiento, Arthur Givigir, Breno Farber, Bruna Almeida, Caio Santos, Carolina Vieira, Cassiano Menezes, Christophe Trevisani, Claudio Souza, Dan Fujita, Daniel Ivasse, Daniel Cardoso, Diogo Silva, Edgard Contente, Edson Pieczarka Jr, Fabian Umpierre, Fabio Brasileiro, Felipe, Frederico Souza, Guilherme Santos, Henrique Orçati, Horacio Monteiro, Igor Antonio, Igor Silva, Ismael Cunha, Jeadilson Bezerra, Jorge Fleming, Jose Junior, Jose Vandenildo, Juliana Majikina, Juliano Cezar, Juliano Marcon, Leandro Bodo, Leonardo  Casati, Louise Potrich, Luiz Mota, Luiz Mokwa, Marcel Silbernagel, Marcus Coufal, Mauricio Junior, Messias Oliveira, Nilton Vivacqua, Otavio Tognolo, Paulo Sousa, Ricardo Mello, Ricardo Berjeaut, Ricardo Soares, Rickybell, Roberto Chiaratti, Rodrigo Rosa, Rodrigo Rezende, Teresa Borges, Tiago Soares, Victor Souza, Vinícius Lima, Vinícius Ghise e Wilson Pimentel pelo apoio! -------------------------------- Amazon anuncia o fim do Prime Now: 
https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/21/22447020/amazon-shutting-down-prime-day-delivery-app-2021 App do Spotify ganha filtros temáticos: 
https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/20/spotify-rolling-out-new-search-filters/ Spotify terá audiolivros: 
https://techcrunch.com/2021/05/20/spotify-expands-into-the-audiobooks-market-by-partnering-with-storytel/ Netflix não terá que lidar com Condecine: 
https://tecnoblog.net/444265/camara-isenta-netflix-e-disney-de-condecine-com-aprovacao-de-mp/ Brasil quer proibir banimentos em redes sociais: 
https://tecnoblog.net/444111/governo-quer-que-perfis-do-twitter-e-facebook-so-sejam-banidos-sob-ordem-judicial/ Twitter expande acesso a APIs para desenvolvedores: 
https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/20/twitter-api-likes-blocks/ Snap anuncia novos Spectacles: 
https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/20/22445481/snap-spectacles-ar-augmented-reality-announced Snap compra a WaveOptics: 
https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/21/22447150/snap-waveoptics-acquisition-500m-spectacles-waveguides Snap anuncia parceria com a Disney: 
https://www.b9.com.br/144363/parceria-entre-snap-disney-quer-dar-toque-magica-selfies/ Snap lançará app Story Studio: 

https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/20/new-snapchat-spectacles-editing-app/ WhatsApp terá migração de histórico: 
https://macmagazine.com.br/post/2021/05/20/whatsapp-permitira-migrar-historico-de-chats-para-outro-numero/ EUA começam a regulamentar criptomoedas: 
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/20/us-treasury-calls-for-stricter-cryptocurrency-compliance-with-irs.html Office para Android ganha modo escuro: https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/21/22447087/microsoft-office-android-dark-mode-available-download Vaza foto do Pixel 6 Pro: 
https://tecnoblog.net/444247/google-pixel-6-pro-vaza-em-imagens-com-tela-grande-e-camera-de-periscopio/ MacBook Pro deve ganhar chip M1X: 
https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/21/2021-macbook-pro-models-m1x-no-logo/ Apple volta a vender AirTags no Brasil: 
https://macmagazine.com.br/post/2021/05/21/apple-retoma-vendas-do-airtag-no-brasil/ Loop Infinito: AirTags: 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4FBv9lY-Tg -------------------------------- Site do Loop Matinal: http://www.loopmatinal.com Anuncie no Loop Matinal: comercial@loopinfinito.net Marcus Mendes: https://www.twitter.com/mvcmendes Loop Infinito: https://www.youtube.com/oloopinfinito

amazon spotify netflix disney apple office brasil android whatsapp app snap lima confira eua pixel apis macbook pro obrigado airtags spectacles segunda feira paulo sousa vaza anuncie story studio prime now ricky bell loop infinito ricardo soares rodrigo rosa carolina vieira ricardo mello marcus mendes igor silva loop matinal anderson barbosa luiz mota ghise claudio souza fabio brasileiro o loop matinal edson pieczarka jr leandro bodo
mixxio — podcast diario de tecnología
Aumentar y acelerar la realidad

mixxio — podcast diario de tecnología

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2021 14:42


Gafas AR de Snap / Repartidores fuera de los centros comerciales / Desmonetizar la desinformación / Reducir el pirateo del fútbol / Prime Now integrado / Sublime Text 4 --- Patrocinador: Phyto tiene los mejores productos para el cuidado del cabello, incluyendo el Phytophanere, un tratamiento anticaída con todos los componentes necesarios para cuidarnos por dentro y que se note por fuera, rico en vitaminas B, C, E y Zinc — Envío gratuito a partir de 45€ desde su web, o desde Amazon y comercios autorizados.  Snap presenta sus primeras gafas de realidad aumentada. Son reales, la tecnología pinta espectacular y con una fidelidad y brillo aceptables, aunque un ángulo de visión bajo (o el área total, como quieras medirlo). Lo peor es que no estarán a la venta. Se quedan para desarrolladores específicos que quieran empezar a hacer cosas chulas.  Si estuvieran a la venta, dudo que tuvieran éxito. No creo que bajasen de 2.000 o 3.000 euros de precio, y su diseño extravagante y sus 30 minutos de batería no convencen a nadie. Seguimos aún esperando al catalizador. ¿Será las Magic Leap 2?  Una buena idea para sacar a los repartidores a domicilio de los centros comerciales. Antes de la pandemia era muy común ver cientos de repartidores con prisa por los centros comerciales recogiendo pedidos para entregarlos. Ahora Grab (gran competidor de Uber), quiere un robot que los recoja y los entregue fuera del centro comercial.  La UE va a por la raíz de la desinformación: el dinero. Una inminente reforma del conocido "Código de Conducta de desinformación" de 2018 con el que la Comisión Europea cuasi-regula la actividad online, incorporará un nuevo dardo: las empresas tecnológicas deberán comprometerse a reducir al máximo la financiación, pagos y publicidad a actores que se beneficien de crear y difundir desinformación.  Las emisiones piratas de fútbol deberán cortadas inmediatamente. El Parlamento Europeo quiere que se creen mejores marcos legales para que las empresas dueñas de los derechos de retransmisión consigan bloquear los pirateos de señales, principalmente las listas IPTV, en menos de 30 minutos. Esquivando aprobación judicial que, para cuando llegue, será inútil.  Spotify mete tres pasos interesantes. Añade un sistema de transcripción automática, que comenzará en "beta" en algunas semanas para un grupo reducido de programas en inglés. Incorporará de forma nativa la suscripción de audiolibros de Storytel, y por fin presenta los conciertos virtuales con una "entrada" de 15 dólares.  Amazon se carga Prime Now, y lo integrará directamente en la aplicación principal. A finales de año desaparecerá esta diferenciación para productos frescos y de entrega ultra-rápida, y se quedarán bajo el mismo paraguas en web y en apps. — No queda claro el calendario en otros países. De momento en España ya están integrados.  Llega Sublime Text 4 con cambios muy esperados. La interfaz será pintada utilizando la GPU, lo que lo hará todo más fluido incluso con mini-mapas gigantes, incorpora mejor auto-completado, salto rápido a las definiciones, soporte nativo para TypeScript, etc. — Las licencias ahora duran tres años, pasados los cuales habrá que renovar.  Twitter comenzará a verificar a usuarios en masa. Tras cuatro años de parón, el nuevo proceso permitirá identificar a instituciones de gobierno, cuentas corporativas, periodistas y medios de comunicación, creadores de contenido, deporistas, artistas, y un posible coladero: personas "influyentes o famosas".  Si encajas, puedes pedirlo desde Ajustes > Privacidad en la aplicación oficial directamente.  El control digital de la pandemia triunfó en Estonia... un tiempo. Las rápidas medidas de una administración hiper-digitalizada como la de Estonia, permitió reducir contagios durante los primeros meses con mucho trabajo remoto. Pero con los meses, la sociedad se relajó y ninguna tecnología pudo evitar una segunda ola gigante.  El MWC se enroca y permitirá la entrada masiva de público no profesional. Por 36 euros, cualquier persona que esté por Barcelona durante los últimos días de junio podrá pasearse por las grandes naves de exposición donde se presenten las novedades del año. — Eso sí, ningún alto ejecutivo irá de forma física, solo teleconferencia.  Yo no conozco a ningún periodista que vaya a asistir, aunque seguro que alguno irá. La IFA de Berlín, en septiembre ha decidido cancelar.

Business of Bouffe
Eat's Business #7 | Guerre des prix (grande distribution x industriels), Amazon alimentaire et bouteille en papier chez Coca-Cola | avec la participation spéciale d'Alexis Vaillant - Fondateur d’Alterfood

Business of Bouffe

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2021 42:44


Dans ce nouvel épisode de Eat's Business, la revue de presse du Business de la Bouffe, Olivier Frey et Daniel Coutinho reviennent sur la guerre des prix engagée entre les industriels et la grande distribution, sur le changement d'offre alimentaire d'Amazon ainsi que sur le prototype de bouteille en papier de Coca-Cola.Dans cet épisode, sont aussi évoqués la position du président d'Alterfood sur la guerre des prix, la redéfinition des règles avec l'e-commerçant Picnic, les actionnaires de Tesco qui veulent combattre l'obésité, les conséquences de la crise sanitaire sur les ventes de petit électroménager, le devenir des parkings souterrains et les droits de douane américains sur le vin et les produits alimentaires européens. Guerre des prix : grande distribution x industrielsLe Figaro, Alimentation: le retour de la guerre des prix, 14/02/2021A deux semaines de la fin des négociations commerciales entre les distributeurs et les industriels de l’agroalimentaire, l’article nous apprend que “les désaccords sont légion” et que “le ton monte”.Le contexte est en effet particulier avec, d’un côté, la crise économique qui incite les acteurs de la grande distribution à maintenir des prix bas en rayon alors que, de l’autre côté, les industriels sont confrontés à la hausse des cours des matières premières, qui pèse sur leurs coûts de production.Industriels et distributeurs se rejettent la balle. Pour les premiers, les demandes quasi systématiques de déflation de la part des seconds sont « injustifiées ». Pour les seconds, les premiers ont des demandes « irréalistes » de 3% à 4% de hausse de tarifs en moyenne.La situation est telle que le Ministre de l’Agriculture, Julien Denormandie, est monté au créneau et a averti les acteurs de la grande distribution ainsi que les industriels que “en poussant les prix à la baisse, (ils sont en train) de creuser (leur) tombe”. L’article nous apprend également que le ministre souhaite introduire davantage de transparence dans les négociations. Il estime, en effet, que les distributeurs seraient plus enclins à accepter des revalorisations si les industriels indiquaient clairement combien ils paient aux agriculteurs, ce que beaucoup refusent de faire. Guerre des prix : le président-fondateur d'Alterfood prend la paroleLe Parisien, “Guerre des prix entre producteurs et grandes enseignes : «Le combat de David contre Goliath»”, 15/02/2021Alexis Vaillant, le président-fondateur d’Alterfood prend la parole pour dénoncer les conditions dans lesquelles se déroulent les négociations commerciales 2021, qu’il voit comme le combat de David contre Goliath.Si, selon lui, il ne faut pas mettre tous les distributeurs dans le même panier et qu’Alterfood a réussi à ne pas trop céder de terrain au niveau des prix, un distributeur a été jusqu'à baisser de 45% le volume des assortiments, ce qui entraîne mécaniquement une baisse de chiffre d’affaires de 500 à 700 000 euros, soit environ 10% des ventes de l’entreprise. Amazon change son offre alimentaireBusiness Insider, Comment Amazon va changer son offre alimentaire et s'associer avec Monoprix, 12/02/2021Cinq ans après son arrivée sur le secteur alimentaire en France, Amazon vient de tirer le bilan de son activité. Et il semblerait que ce dernier ne soit pas si positif que cela car le géant américain a décidé de réorienter son organisation sur la vente de produits alimentaires dans l'Hexagone.Comme l’explique l’article, jusqu'à maintenant, pour acheter un produit alimentaire Amazon, il fallait passer par l'option Prime Now, un service de livraison payant garantissant la livraison en moins de deux heures à Paris, une partie de la banlieue parisienne, Bordeaux, Lyon ou encore Nice. Le groupe utilisait pour ce faire 10 entrepôts en France dédiés exclusivement à la livraison des produits alimentaires. Mais un de ces entrepôts, situé dans le 18ème arrondissement de Paris, va changer son organisation pour devenir une sorte de station de livraison consacrée à la livraison via mobilité douce. Par ailleurs, le groupe a annoncé un autre changement important : d'ici le mois d'avril prochain, Amazon Retail va s'arrêter en France pour les produits alimentaires. En clair, cela signifie qu’Amazon va stopper l'achat et la vente de ce type de produits et donc abandonner son rôle de distributeur alimentaire.A partir d’avril, Amazon va quasi uniquement s'appuyer sur l'offre de Monoprix en proposant à terme 7 000 références, dont 1 600 vendues sous les différentes marques propres Monoprix. Analyse de l'activité de vente en ligne de produits alimentaires d’AmazonLe Furet du Retail, Amazon n’est vraiment plus à l’aise avec la vente en ligne de produits alimentaires. Une confirmation ?, 11/02/2021Une analyse de l'activité de vente en ligne de produits alimentaires d’Amazon en France et aux Etats-Unis réalisée par un des experts du secteur. Picnic, l’e-commerçant alimentaire néerlandais, impose ses règles aux clientsRepublik Retail, Découvrez Picnic, le néerlandais qui casse les règles de l’e-commerce alimentaire, 05/02/2021Un article intéressant sur Picnic, un acteur majeur du e-commerce alimentaire en Hollande qui lorgnerait le marché français. On y apprend notamment que sa part de marché serait passée de 6% en 2017 à environ 22% en 2020, avec un chiffre d’affaires estimé de 550 millions d’euros.Le fonctionnement de Picnic possède quelques particularités intéressantes :pour être client, il faut que l’adresse se trouve sur une tournée et il faut que le créneau de livraison, qui est fixe, convienne. Cela lui permet de bien maîtriser le dernier kilomètrel’assortiment est très court (environ 7000 références)l’offre se concentre sur les besoins des familles urbaines avec enfantsl’entreprise a conçu son propre camion de livraison, avec des roues qui tournent à 90 degrés pour faciliter les manœuvres en milieu urbain et se garer facilement. Sa conception a été pensée pour un déchargement rapide des bacs. Ainsi, “la livraison se fait en 3 mn contre 12 mn pour son concurrent Albert Heijn”.  Des actionnaires de Tesco veulent combattre l'obésitéLes Echos, Des actionnaires veulent que les supermarchés Tesco combattent l'obésité, 10/02/2021Alors que le Royaume-Uni est l'une des nations qui compte le plus de personnes obèses parmi sa population, les actionnaires de la plus grande chaîne de supermarchés du pays, Tesco, ont prévu de déposer une résolution “sanitaire” lors de la prochaine assemblée générale.Ils comptent ainsi demander au groupe de dévoiler la part que représente la vente des aliments et boissons les plus sains à partir de 2022 et de faire en sorte qu'elle augmente d'ici 2030. Pour passer, cette résolution doit être adoptée par 75% des votes des actionnaires lors de l'assemblée. Comme le rappelle l’article, certaines entreprises américaines, parmi lesquels Coca-Cola, Pepsi et McDonald's ont fait face à des demandes similaires de la part des actionnaires, notamment sur leur utilisation du sucre dans leurs produits.La crise sanitaire a dopé les ventes du petit électroménagerLes Echos, Friteuse, robots de cuisine, machine expresso… Le Covid a dopé les ventes d'électroménager, 13/02/2021En 2020, la crise sanitaire et la fermeture des cantines et restaurants a profité au secteur du petit électroménager. Parmi les succès notables : les robots multifonctions (+24%), les robots dédiés à la pâtisserie (+48%), les friteuses (+25,5%), les machines à pain (+82%), et les appareils à fondue, raclettes et autres planchas (+21%).Au global, les ventes d’électroménager ont progressé de 5% dans l'Hexagone, à plus de 9 milliards d'euros. Nouvelle vie pour les parkings souterrainsLe Monde, Agriculture urbaine, chambres froides, stockage de colis… la nouvelle vie des parkings souterrains, 16/02/2021Alors que les voitures désertes de plus en plus les centres ville, les parkings souterrains retrouvent une nouvelle vie. A Paris, par exemple, l’article nous apprend que Indigo et Effia, les deux leaders du stationnement, ont enregistré une baisse de 30 % de la fréquentation horaire ces dernières années. Ces parkings intéressent notamment les entreprises spécialisées dans l’approvisionnement des villes qui les utilisent comme des dark stores (voir la newsletter de la semaine dernière sur ce sujet). C’est le cas par exemple de monmarche.fr, qui utilise le niveau -1 d’un parking de l’Ile de la Cité à Paris à partir duquel “une trentaine de salariés préparent et livrent à vélo des paniers dans un rayon de 500m”. A la Porte de La Chapelle, l'entreprise d'agriculture urbaine Cycloponics fait pousser des champignons dans un parking situé sous un immeuble de logements sociaux.Et pour les entreprises qui gèrent ces parkings l’opération s’avère également intéressante car, comme l’explique l’article, la rentabilité des m2 loués est au moins égale à celle d'une place de stationnement. En conséquence, Indigo va équiper cinquante sites dans toute la France en chambres froides, casiers pour artisans ou consignes Amazon.  Test de bouteille en papier chez Coca-ColaBBC News, Coca-Cola company trials first paper bottle, 13/02/2021Alors que Coca-Cola a été classé premier pollueur de plastique au monde par l'association caritative Break Free From Plastic, le groupe a annoncé qu'il allait tester une bouteille en papier. Le concept concernera dans un premier temps sa marque de boisson aux fruits Adez.Le prototype est fabriqué par l’entreprise danoise Paboco à partir d'une coque en papier extra-forte qui contient encore une fine doublure en plastique. L'objectif est de créer une bouteille sans plastique, 100% recyclable, capable d'empêcher les gaz de s'échapper des boissons gazeuses.Pour Paboco, l’un des défis a consisté à créer une bouteille capable de résister aux forces exercées par les boissons gazeuses (soda, bières…) qui sont embouteillées sous pression. Il s’agit également de garantir qu'aucune fibre de papier ne s'écaille dans le liquide car cela risquerait d'altérer le goût de la boisson ou de compromettre les contrôles de santé et de sécurité.Mais même si les tests se déroulent parfaitement, le vrai défi consiste à se débarrasser complètement du plastique. Comme le papier ne peut pas entrer en contact direct avec les liquides, il est prévu d'utiliser un revêtement à base de plantes à l'intérieur de la bouteille. Droits de douane sur le vin et les aliments européens sont toujours d'actualitéWall Street Journal, Tariffs on Wine, Food From Europe to Stay for Now, U.S. Says, 12/02/2021Les espoirs de nombreuses entreprises européennes viennent d’être douchés. L'administration Biden a en effet affirmé qu'elle ne mettra pas fin de sitôt aux droits de douane imposés sur les importations de vin, de fromage et d'autres produits alimentaires européens. Ces prélèvements avaient été imposés par l'administration Trump dans le cadre d'un différend de longue date avec l'Union européenne sur les subventions à Airbus et Boeing.Fin 2019, Washington avait ainsi établi des droits de douane sur des vins et des produits alimentaires européens comme le fromage et les olives, pour une valeur de 7,5 milliards de dollars. En représailles, l'UE avait riposté avec des taxes sur le whisky, les noix et le tabac américains pour une valeur d'environ 4,5 milliards de dollars. Le 31 décembre dernier, les États-Unis ont renforcé les sanctions en imposant des droits de douane supplémentaires, soumettant la quasi-totalité des importations de vin en provenance de France et d'Allemagne à des droits de douane de 25%. Découvrez l’émission Eat’s Businesshttps://businessofbouffe.com/podcast-eats-business Pour vous abonner à la newsletter Eat’s Businesshttps://businessofbouffe.com/revue-de-presse-eats-business-newsletter 

Super Retro Throwback Reviews: The Audio Files
S7E125 - Quarantine is a Dish Best Served Cold

Super Retro Throwback Reviews: The Audio Files

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2020 98:31


Episode Notes Episode 125 is here and the guys are back after being stuck in Quarantine Hell as they bring you the latest Pop Culture News and the Latest and Outrageous in our What the Hell is That Segment, next the guys bring you their Current Movie Review on Netflix’s Mank and Heavens Gate: The Cult of Cults, then the guys bring you their Throwback Movie Review on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. And finally Steven brings you his interview with Ian and Eshom Nelms the Directors of “Fatman” the latest Dark Christmas Movie starring Mel Gibson!! Segment Times: Upcoming Events/Announcements/Creator Spotlight/Small Business Spotlight: 00:00 - 8:53 Pop Culture News: 9:33 - 37:36 Interview with Ian and Eshom Nelms the Directors of Fatman: 38:21 - 56:05 Current Movie Review: 56:44 - 1:05:45 Throwback Movie Review: 1:05:56 - 1:11:50 What the Hell is That/Close Show: 1:12:22 - 1:38:40 Check out Fatman Now!! Get it on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Fatman?id=y288v_getVg.P&hl=en_US Rent on Prime Now:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B08N1LGCC7/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r You can Follow us on Social Media, Buy Our Merch, Listen to our Shows below:  [link] https://allmylinks.com/superretropodcast Get Your Audible Free Trial Here: [link] http://www.audibletrial.com/SuperRetroPodcast Support Us on Patreon: [link] https://www.patreon.com/SuperRetroPodcast Also Check us out on The Dorkening Podcast Network [link] www.thedorkening.com Check our Website [link] http://superretrothrowbackreviews.com Buy our Super Retro Covid-19 Awareness Shirt, All Proceeds will go to Covid-19 Awareness: [link] https://teespring.com/super-retro-covid-19-awareness?tsmac=store&tsmic=super-retro-store&pid=2&cid=573 This episode is brought to you by Deadly Grounds Coffee [link] https://deadlygroundscoffee.com (The official Sponsor of The Dorkening Podcast Network and Super Retro Throwback Reviews), this episode is also brought to you by Connecticut Cult Classics [link] https://www.connecticutcultclassics.com, and JPO Productions LLC. [link] http://www.jpoproductions.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Love Language Season 1
How looks can be deceiving: How do you see yourself vs how others may see you?

Love Language Season 1

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2020 56:54


FIND OUT!!How people judged me as a manager and as myself.Uriel’s current profession.Find out what people think of Uriel at first sight.My experience freshly meeting celebs and being surprised by their behavior.My relationship with makeup. SUBTOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:How having effective people skills is crucial to keeping and building relationships with others.How there is power in being an advocate for change, realness and standing in your truth.How being an extrovert introvert may be interpreted by others.Why deflecting toxic energies is essential.How investing time in understanding others prevents judgement. WebsiteYoutube Apple PCSpotifyFBInstagram

Quaran Screen
The Last Black Man In San Francisco

Quaran Screen

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2020 49:53


This week we talked about the absolutely beautiful movie "The Last Black Man in San Francisco." We talk about the housing crisis, gentrification, and a lot of the harsh realities that exist in this world. This stunning movie is recommended by both of us, and you'll find out why by tuning in.TW: We do talk about suicide, briefly, in this episode. If you feel that might be something that triggers you, please don't listen this week. We want y'all to stay safe.

Lebensmittel Zeitung Audio News
LZ Audio News | 11. August 2020

Lebensmittel Zeitung Audio News

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2020 5:06


Amazon expandiert mit Prime Now in weitere Städte. Essener Galeria-Zentrale bleibt bestehen. Konsumenten achten in der Krise stärker auf Rabatte.

The Wrong Side of the Post
Episode 6 - Do Schools Kill Creativity?

The Wrong Side of the Post

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2020 34:06


In this episode we suggest some useful (and some not so useful) applications for your phone, the discovery of Prime Now, the extremely controversial topic of whether schools kill creativity and of course the intriguing question of the week in our #AriyanAsks segment. Let us know what you think and stay up to date with us at @TheWrongSide5 on Instagram! Cheers and love x

You Literally Have No Friends Podcast
Essential & Quarantined ! S1. E3.

You Literally Have No Friends Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2020 46:09


Hi Friends! On today's Episode I am back to literally having no friends and this time it was of no fault of my own! Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, our scheduled guest had to be cancelled but as luck has it, Zee (My Wife) is quarantined with the rest of the world and was more than excited to chat with us! We dive into this "new" masked world we are now living in, how to Social Distance like a Seattleite, calling out the Panty Sniffer of 2017, never taking Prime Now for granted again, drug store foundation woes, waiting for Obama to co sign before we endorse Sloppy Joe, why Ikea beds are not made for guys over 6"ft and living in apartments so small you literally shit where you sleep! Our main topic later in the show we discuss " Steps To Surviving Lock-Down With Your Significant Other." We also give a listener some Friendly Advice on dating someone with the same Zodiac Sign! Email the show with your relationship or Adulting assistance questions for a chance to have it featured on our next Friendly Advice segment. Email: havenofriendspodcast@gmail.com. Follow the show on social media: @0friendspodcast Website: www.havenofriendspodcast.com. Friend of the show? Please leave a rating & review on apple podcasts! Follow our guest on today's show. Twitter: @SAHM_LIFE30 Stocktwits: @Sahmlife_30. Special thank you to all the essential staff tirelessly helping throughout this current worldwide pandemic. Shout out to Buzzsprout for being a friend on today's episode. Copy the link below in this description and receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card when you sign up! Its time to create something great together! https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=734216Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/Havenofriendspodcast)

My Amazon Guy
Selling on Amazon is Getting Complicated as Amazon Enters the Maturity Lifecyle Phase #2

My Amazon Guy

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2020 33:17 Transcription Available


Amazon has gone from 2 day shipping to 1 day shipping to PRIME NOW. Selling on Amazon is no longer just about listing a product. Non-sophisticated sellers are going to go under, and sell to other complex selling machines. You need to open up manufacturing in the USA right now.You need to get in on all the new programs:Social PostsFeedback Whiz https://www.feedbackwhiz.com/?r=v4er9qatHelium 10 https://crushtrk.com/?a=427&c=7&p=r&s1=Shipping to Canada from USA FBA New Beta Display ads with Retargeting and Past PurchasersConsulting at www.myamazonguy.comSupport the show (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/myamazonguy)

InternationalHub: Cultural Conversations
S4E1: Senior Management Across Borders with Scott Lalor at Amazon

InternationalHub: Cultural Conversations

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2020 29:38


Guest: Scott Lalor started his undergraduate education at Brigham Young University where he studied economics and finance. After graduating he had the opportunity to work for a few local companies in Utah including Zango, Goldman Sachs, and England Logistics. He then got his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. After receiving his MBA Scott recruited straight to Amazon at their headquarters in Seattle. A few years later he transferred to their Luxembourg office where he is currently living with his family and filling the role of Senior Vendor Manager. Overview: Have you ever wondered what it’s like getting a career in international business? Or how to manage diverse teams representing a variety of cultures and countries? Join us as we learn from Scott Lalor, Senior Manager at Amazon in Luxembourg as he shares with us his experience managing abroad. Transcript Meg: So first Scott could you give us a little bit of a background about yourself? Scott: Absolutely, first thank you for inviting me out. I’m excited to be back on campus and speaking about business. So, I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah and then out of high school I came to BYU. I played on the lacrosse team, had a ton of fun doing that. And then I spent two years on a church mission in California. I came back from that and focused more on my studies. I ended up graduating in Economics but also spent a fair amount of time in the business school studying finance. And then I ended up getting my MBA at the University of Notre Dame. Personally, I am married to my wonderful wife Allie. We have two boys ages eight and four. We absolutely love to travel, it’s one of our favorite things to do; my two boys have been to twenty-one countries already, so they love to travel as well so we passed that on to them. And anything outdoor-related hiking, biking, fly-fishing, and most recently I’ve picked up soccer or as my European colleagues a called it Futbol. I am still pretty bad, but I have a lot of fun doing that. Meg: Tell me a little bit more about some of your travel experiences… Scott: So, we’ve lived in Luxembourg for two and a half years. It has really become kind of our leap pad to the world. We’ve been able to travel to a lot of European countries and we’ve also been able to go a little bit farther. So, we’ve spent time in Israel, Turkey, Morocco, and Egypt. Some really some special places and it’s really taught our family about the world and different cultures. Just a few fun stories that I like to tell. First, a funny one. So, we were in Germany’s late one night visiting some Christmas markets and we were all hungry and so we went to this pizza place. They didn’t speak English, our German is quite bad and so my son ordered a pepperoni pizza for dinner and when it came out it wasn’t pepperonis like we know here in America, it was actually huge peppers across every inch of the pizza. So, he looked at me in fright. We all had a good laugh about that. So, we ended up picking the peppers off and enjoying now a cheese pizza. I would say, on the more serious side, we visited Egypt. Egypt as many know, has been through some real challenges over the past five or so years after Arab Spring and you know their economy is struggling. So, we went to a city called Hurghada which is on the Red Sea and visited Luxor and some of the some of the neat Egyptian sites that a lot of people know. When we’re there we got a taxi every day and went into the city and we met this wonderful taxi driver named Mohammed. We became close friends with him. The first day he picked us up and said, “Hey do you do you need a taxi the next day?” and we said, “Sure.” So, we ended up going with Mohammed four or five nights in a row. So, the third night he turned around in the cab and said “Are you interested in meeting my family and coming to my house?” And you know we were in Egypt in the middle of nowhere and we felt a little hesitant about that. We didn’t know how safe would be. I think what I’ve learned so much about living abroad is we have preconceived notions about people and countries and religion and often that is driven by what the media tells us. And so of course we felt hesitant, but we were able to build a relationship with him. And so, my wife and I just said, “Sure.” We ended up going to his parents’ house. Just to kind of paint a picture, it was a very run-down apartment. We walked in, still a little bit nervous and right when I walked in Mohamed told us to sit down on the floor. We met his parents, they were wonderful. But Mohammed ran out the door. So we were now thinking “Wait, what’s going on? You just brought us unto your home you ran out the door.” I didn’t know what he was doing, if he was going to get whoever. He ended up bringing his whole extended family in. So, all of a sudden, a whole bunch of kids can run in the door and his sister and his other sister and brother-in-law. They were speaking in Arabic and basically saying, “The Americans have arrived.” So, they made us tea and we sat on the floor, they showed us their wedding video, and his kids start playing with my kids. They were telling us about their lives in about the challenges that they’ve had with the Taliban and have his brothers fought terrorism and how his brother died in the Army. We walked away from this experience just loving the Egyptian people. It was such a special moment to connect with these people from a completely different part of the world, but they want the same thing that we want. Like a stable government, good jobs, and a safe place for our family. We actually still keep in contact with Mohammed. We’ve been able to support him in some ways. His mother is quite sick and unable to support him. That’s a really special experience that I was able to share with my family. Meg: Sounds pretty amazing. It’s one thing to visit another country, but really amazing thing when you can actually connect with the people. Thanks for sharing those cultural experiences with us. So now can you give us a little bit of a description of your career path, where you’ve been, what you’re doing now? Scott: When I was at BYU, I was very lost. All my friends seem to know exactly what they want to do, whether it be investment banking or consulting and I frankly didn’t. I didn’t know what to do. So, like I said I did economics and was interested in finance. I graduated around 2010 right after the financial crisis so there were a ton of jobs out there. The economy wasn’t doing great. So, I ended up starting a company called Zango. They have a big international presence and I knew I want to work in finance, and I knew I want to work in an international environment. I started as a treasury analyst managing the European business consisting of money movement, foreign exchange policy, and working to ensure that we have the right cash in the right places. So that was a fun job. I was then recruited by Goldman Sachs in their Salt Lake office working with hedge fund clients, so being both operational support and customer support to that. I learned a lot at Goldman. Very tough environment. After that, I was recruited by a company called England Logistics, also a local company here in Utah. It is mainly a trucking logistics company, but they had a separate arm where they did accounts receivable factoring. So, basically buying receivables from trucking companies and then paying out at a discounted rate. I manage that whole division risk and risk portfolio. So, we would analyze the risk of each receivable and manage the trucking companies that we work with. We grew really fast, had a big team, both from a finance standpoint and an operations standpoint. I learned a lot. That was like a crash course on management. Things are going really well but I always knew I wanted to get an MBA. I wanted a broader business education and I knew I wanted more International exposure. I ended up applying to the University of Notre Dame, I had friends go there, and got accepted. That was in Indiana and just a wonderful experience. I loved culture Notre Dame, and the people were really special, and of course the sports and the football games were extra fun. Out of my MBA I was recruited by Amazon. They came on campus and did four interviews in two days and then I was lucky enough to receive an offer. I started to Amazon in Seattle as a Senior Product Manager over a Prime Now. Prime Now is an ultra-fast 1-2 hour shipping and it was brand new. Honestly, the best way to describe it was like the wild west. We were trying to figure out how to continue to meet our customers promise, which is 1-2 hours, which is much faster than what we’ve ever done at Amazon. So, I got thrown in there when it was part of the product team. So, I help to define what selection our customers would want in 1-2 hours. It was more of a consumable base model than what you traditionally buy at Amazon.com. I did that for about two years and really enjoyed it. But that desire to do more international work was still in me. I hadn’t ever worked in-country and so after that two years I did a lot of networking in the different global companies within Amazon. I reach out to the London office, and the Luxembourg office, and Singapore, and any of the more English-speaking countries. I ended up finding this role in Luxembourg. When I started Luxembourg, I was a manager of vendor management for the automotive team. So, I’ve been doing that role now for about two and a half years. Meg: So now that you are working internationally will you explain to us a little bit more of the nature of your business interactions with different cultures and countries? Scott: The Amazon that Americans know and love is the retail Amazon. It’s basically three things in our business model, it’s selection, convenience, and price. What we try to have is the best selection of the whole world, which means a really broad selection. We always have good prices or sharp prices. Third is convenience and the way we think about convenience is that we can deliver it to you fast and that whatever products you want we have in stock. So, we’re basically taking that Playbook from the US and taking it to Europe. So, within the automotive team we’re were much younger. So, the automotive division that I work in has only been around five or six years. So, we’re building our selection, we’re making sure we can deliver fast, and that we have the proper prices. So, in my role as a Senior Manager I interact and my team interaction with vendors across the EU, the US, and Asia to sell products in our five Amazon EU websites. So, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and the UK. My team manages all aspects of the vendor relationship from introducing them to Amazon, to contract negotiations, and then to account management. I love it because we get a build a strategy the start of the year and how we think to grow this business profitably and then we got to go execute that strategy and we have full P&L responsibility. Meg: So, you mentioned that you’re kind of taking the amazon structure that they have here in the US and taking it there. What are the main differences of working here in the US versus what you do there? Scott: My experience is that Europeans have a more balanced approach to work life. Secondly, working a Luxembourg offers much more International diversity for such a small country. Luxembourg is a special place. Many people don’t know much about Luxembourg. It’s a tiny country that is in between Germany, France, and Belgium. It has about 600,000 and half of the people are expats or not from Luxembourg. That makes for a very International community that you just don’t find in too many places. I think big cities like London, and New York, and Singapore have that and so I would put Luxembourg out there. So, you get that international feel. A fun story that I like to tell or two different stories I like to share. So, my son had a party a couple months back at our house and all the kids are playing and there were 8 or 9 kids over there. The countries of those children represented where India, China, England, Greece, Italy, and Turkey. In his classroom there’s 12 or 13 different countries represented, and we love that I think it’s so cool. The conversations that we have with our boys about these different cultures and about how different parents are and different relationships are is something that that we love. Meg: I bet. And they’re probably learning a lot from their different experiences. Scott: Absolutely, we have conversations that we just wouldn’t have if we lived here in Utah or somewhere else. We’ve talked about currency and how a Euro isn’t exactly worth a dollar and why that is, and we talked about languages and how the different languages work. Both boys are learning French so that’s exciting to see them progress in their learning. And like I said we talk about culture because the way our friends’ parents interact with their children is different than us. Another funny story is our Italian friends invited us over for dinner on a Saturday night. So we said, “great, we’re excited,” good fresh Italian food. That was earlier in the week and so it was Saturday and so we text them and said, “okay what time should we come over? us Americans usually eat dinner let’s say 5 or 6 p.m.” and they said, “come over around 8:30 and we’ll start eating at 9 p.m.” So, we kind of laughed, our kids typically go to bed around 8, but all Italians culturally they have really late dinners. Kind of as a joke we bring our two boys in their pajamas because we knew we were going to be over there till 11 or 12 and we were thinking about getting up early in the next day. So that was a funny experience. Meg: That’s funny that you mention that because I noticed even when we were in Luxembourg there everything seems to close a little bit early. The city goes to sleep. So, what’s the day to day like at your job in Luxembourg? Scott: It’s quite similar to my time in Seattle. Generally, working in Europe the way I described it is that it is a little bit more complex. You have the EU, European Union, which bring some unification to working in those different countries, but every country has its differences. So, whether it be different currencies or different languages. Logistically each country does it a little bit differently, the regulations I would say or less unified than the US. So, when we manage 5 websites with 5 different languages and multiple currencies it’s a little bit harder to scale and to accomplish some of the things that we need to accomplish. So, it becomes challenging you have to be really creative about where you spend your time and you have to ruthlessly prioritize on the most important things. Meg: Sounds like you have a little bit more steps along the way. So, how do you approach management and leadership when working in a multicultural team or working in a multicultural environment? Scott: This is something I’ve learned a lot working internationally. The first thing I would say is listen more and talk less, which is hard for me. I would say one of the greatest takeaways from working and living abroad is it has made me more unsure of myself and how I think the world works. And I mean that in a good way. Regardless of who you are if you live and grow up in the same location your whole life you come to believe your surroundings are how the world works or how the world should work. When you get thrown into a different country, a different culture, you see other ways of solving problems and you say to yourself “wow maybe there is more than one way to solve a problem. Maybe the way we do it isn’t the best way or maybe there’s other ways.” And even better you say, “you know these people and these cultures they understand something that I don’t understand.” So, I love that as I’ve re-evaluated how I think about different cultures and think about the world. As a manager I’ve learned that diversity is so important in building a team. If you can build a diverse team then you can tap into different strengths and have greater outcomes. I’ve also noticed if you have people that are all the same whether it be all from a country certain country or from a certain part of a country, or all male or all female it often quiets the minority group. The ideas aren’t as good, because not only do the majority think a lot alike and agree with each other, it can hurt the team dynamics. So, being attentive to diversity on a team is super important. I try to make sure that everyone has a chance to speak up and has a platform to share his or her opinions. Meg: Has it ever been difficult for you in trying to form teams and deciding who should be on what team? Scott: Yeah cause the core of what you do is your people. Our Vice President said it the other day. He said, “our main focus is to build and develop our people. Luxembourg makes it a little bit easier maybe then some locations. So, within my vendor management team we have people from Italy, Germany, France, Turkey, India, America, and the UK. That geographical diversity is so valuable, and you know the questions you asked was “is it difficult?” I think it’s really difficult. Also, from a female perspective I work in the automotive world and there’s these preconceived notions that it’s only a male driven culture. And so, we’re trying to be the leaders in the automotive world to bring with more women into it. We as a leadership team focus a lot on that and not only just wait for female applications to come in but go out and recruit female employees. That’s been really important for me and it’s led to such great success. Meg: When it comes down to it would you say the diversity really trumps the specific skill needs, or is it a balance of both? Scott: That’s a really hard question to answer. Let me answer it in this way. At Amazon we don’t believe so much in industry knowledge. We specifically have on our application “no Automotive experience necessary.” Which I think it completely different than a lot of other companies. We believe if you’re smart and you can meet our leadership principles, core values, and our culture we can teach you about the automotive industry. But it’s very difficult to teach culture. It’s difficult to teach diversity. But if you can build a strong culture and you can build a diverse team, we can teach you the necessities of the industry. Meg: That’s an interesting perspective that not many have. I like that. Does your approach to vender management differ between different countries? How? In what way? Scott: For sure. As mentioned, different cultures approach business differently and to get positive results I have to adjust accordingly. For example, Italian vendors that I work with, in my opinion, value relationships more than other cultures. In the US when I worked with vendors everything is very email-based. We didn’t necessarily build a relationship. It was more of a transactional relationship than a personal relationship. I’ll give a story to illustrate what I mean. As I mentioned my vendor managers and I we go out and we try to bring vendors onto Amazon. So, we were working to sign a vendor on Amazon, this was a very important vendor, we called them and sent them emails and tried to convince them to join Amazon for years really. Things were just not moving. We could always get kind of wishy-washy answers and “yeah we’ll join” or “yeah we’ll do this” but we just never saw the results. Finally, my Senior Vendor Manager and I got on a plane down to Milan, drove a couple hours, and went to meet this vendor face-to-face. We shook their hands, we visited their factory and we sat we and just talk for a half an hour 45 minutes about them, about the history of their company, about their products, about them personally. And then after we built that trust, after we got to know each other, after they looked in our eyes and trusted us. Then we could actually talk about business and the conversations we had there so different than the ones we had on our phone. What I learned from that experience and others like that is that each culture has a different style of doing business. To be successful you first have to be aware of these differences. It has taken me a year to really understand these differences. Secondly, adjust accordingly. We had a lot of success with that vendor after that meeting and we’ve had subsequent meetings where they’ve come to Luxembourg. Now they know me personally, they know about me, and they know about our business. So, it required a higher level of trust than what I’m used to. Like I said once I realize that then I’ve become much more successful in knowing what’s important to these vendors. Meg: That’s very interesting. And that kind of leads to my next question. What would you say are necessary skills that you need when working in vendor management with different countries? Scott: What we call vendor management at Amazon other companies can call different names. We’re kind of like a sales team and we’re kind of like account managers. We do both functions. The way I would answer that question is first you have to have good strong interpersonal skills. Like I said earlier you have to be able to listen. Close your mouth and listen because what’s going to come isn’t maybe what you expect. Because each business has a different strategy and different philosophy and that’s especially true of the international level. So, being able to listen, to ask questions, and being able to build those relationships at a personal level are absolutely necessary. Second is negotiations. We negotiate every day. We have interest and the vendor has interest and sometimes those are aligned and sometimes those aren’t aligned. You have to be creative to find solutions that benefit both parties and where both parties can gain. You have to understand where there is value for them and where you can add value. Sharpening this negotiation skills is really important. Third is data analysis/finance. My core education, like I said, is economics and finance. You can’t own a P&L Statement, you can’t own an income statement if you don’t understand how the income statement works. So, things I learned at BYU and the Notre Dame, just those core fundamentals of how the income statement interacts with the cash flow statement and the balance sheet. Because I know that I can then take action that will impact those different line items. So being able to both understand the financial aspect and then the data analysis comes when you have millions of rows of data and how to tell a story. At Amazon as you can imagine we have so much data, more data than you could ever want. Data about what customers are looking at, what customers are clicking on, what’s the click-through rate, what’s the sell through rate, how often are we out of stock when someone comes and looks at a product, and our pricing. It’s easy for new employees Amazon and other companies to get totally lost in this data. We’re in a world of data now with the internet and with cell phones. So being able to know what data is most important and really sharpening those data analytics skills. And like I said in Europe at least you have to be able to deal with ambiguity. You have to deal with uncertainty. For example, you have situations like Brexit or certain situations like we’re having in Turkey where the currency devaluations day over day 25%. You don’t necessarily have those experiences in a more stable environment like the US. You have to wake up and be ready for whatever comes at you. So, dealing with ambiguity because there are more political, economic, and cultural differences and so sometimes you just have to roll with the punches and figure out the best solution. Meg: Sounds like flexibility is a big key needed for success. So, it seems like a big part of what you do has to do with effective communication with different countries. Have you ever had any miscommunication because your expectations were different from another’s? Or just in general? Scott: Yeah, very good question. So, speaking about myself and where I’ve grown is I was too direct. And I would say on the cultural Spectrum Americans are more direct or one of the most direct cultures. When I first arrived in Europe, I found myself mostly in internal meetings being very direct with people. Not necessarily in a rude way, but just like very direct to the point and I maybe missed some of the small talk and miss some of the relationship building. I remember after about a year my boss took me aside and said, “Scott I appreciate your hard work and you’re doing great things, but you need to be less direct.” And that took me by surprise. I guess at first I was a little mad. It’s hard to receive criticism or feedback when I thought she was wrong. But in retrospect she was totally right. What I learned is to be successful in the long run, in any culture, is you have to make friends. You have to make allies both internally, within your company, and external. What I mean by that is don’t just think about the business problem. Don’t think about people as somebody’s who is going to help you solve a business problem or a transaction. But get people on board. Get them on your boat. Get him going in the same direction, because you’re going to need those same individuals at a later point. When you work for a company for multiple years you interact with those same people whether it be in your department or in the finance department or the marketing department or in operation. You’re going to need those people again. You want to make sure you keep a high standard, you keep a high bar, and your work quality is high, but you don’t you’re not so driven in a way that you burn bridges or hurt long-term relationships. Meg: That’s a good piece of advice for us to all keep in mind. With that, what other kind of advice would you give for someone who is planning on working internationally? Scott: I think there’s a few different ways. I think it’s hard to find a job internationally direct from the US to a foreign country. I found it difficult. I tried that but it is very hard. What I’ve seen most people do is get hired within a local company that has operations globally. You do well in your current role, receive high feedback, and let your manager know that you want to work internationally. Then after a year or two or however long you go connect with those local Global office. You build a network there. When hiring internationally if the hiring manager already knows you fit the company culture and you have a track record and they can communicate with your current manager it makes getting hired a lot easier. So that’s what I did at Amazon. I worked for two years in Seattle, built a really strong relationship with my manager, told her exactly what I want to do next, which was work internationally. So when the call came in from my next manager she was prepared and we were all on the same page in terms of what my skill-set was and what was what I was able to accomplish. Meg: So really prove yourself and then the doors will open. So how could a student like me prepare for a future job in international business? Scott: The first things I would say is be curious. I would read about the different challenges that are going on in the world. I subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, which has an international section so I can stay up to date on all the trends and all the world events both politically and economically in Europe, Asia, and America. So that first will give you an understanding of what’s out there. Secondly, I would say just be brave and get out in the world. Whether it be a vacation first, or a volunteer opportunity, an internship, or something else. My biggest message to young people today is, the world is a big beautiful place and has so much to offer the mind and soul. I love the different cultures, the food, the people, that I’ve been able to experience over the last few years. They all provide an element of excitement and joy. So those connections you make both personally and professionally will be some of the most important connections and the most important things in your life. Meg: Thank you. We really appreciate you joining us today and all your insights. Scott: Absolutely, great to be here. Thank you!

WIRKSTOFF.A
Angst vor Amazon – Der Endgegner der Apotheken?

WIRKSTOFF.A

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2019 29:45


Amazon will den Gesundheitsmarklt umkrempeln – daran herrscht kein Zweifel mehr. Doch worauf müssen sich die deutschen Apotheken gefasst machen? Was hat der Versandgigant vor? In der neuen Ausgabe von WIRKSTOFF.A, dem Podcast von APOTHEKE ADHOC, reden wir über die größte Unbekannte auf dem digitalen Gesundheitsmarkt. Redaktion: APOTHEKE ADHOC Musik: Bojan Assenov & Ellen-Jane Austin

Craft Beer Storm
Craft Brew News # 42 – Amazon Under Investigation and AB InBev Likes Peruvian Beer

Craft Beer Storm

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2019 11:20


Craft Brew News - 8/30/19(Courtesy of Brewbound.com)Amazon’s California Alcohol Delivery Service Under InvestigationThe California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has opened an investigation into Amazon’s Prime Now beer, wine, and spirits delivery service in the state after wine database and news outlet Wine Searcher reported possible violations of California liquor law.According to California liquor law, alcohol delivery services are required to have brick-and-mortar stores that operate for at least half the hours of their delivery operation.When a Wine Searcher reporter went to visit the ecommerce giant’s brick-and-mortar location at 3334 North San Fernando Road in Los Angeles, there was no storefront to be found, the website reported. The reporter claimed he could only find an “Associate’s Entrance” to Amazon Flex Delivery Partners, its private delivery service.Wine Searcher alleged that Amazon, which was issued a liquor license in February, violated its license in several ways, including not displaying alcoholic beverages for sale, not having alcoholic beverages available for sale, and not posting store hours.Matthew Hydar, supervising agent for the California Department of ABC, told Wine Searcher that the article sparked the ABC’s investigation. He said if the accusations were proven, the ABC could potentially strip Amazon of its liquor license until it has established a brick-and-mortar store or fine the company. Another option would be for the case to go before an administrative law judge, although Hydar said he does not expect criminal charges against the company.Anheuser-Busch’s ZX Ventures Acquires BarbarianAnheuser-Busch InBev’s growth and innovation group, ZX Ventures, has acquired Peruvian craft brewery Barbarian. Financial details were not disclosed, although ZX acquired 100% of the company’s shares, according to La Republica.The acquisition was announced in Peru on August 13. Barbarian’s founders and collaborators will remain with the company, and ZX plans to triple Barbarian’s production by 2020, according to the outlet.Co-founder Ignacio Schwalb said “We know that Barbarian has an incredible growth potential and that is why we have made the decision to add an important partner, which will take Barbarian to the next level,”. “This partnership opens a new world full of possibilities and will give us the opportunity to look carefully at our processes and search for optimizations in order to strengthen the growth and sustainability of the brewery.”A-B InBev also owns Peruvian brewery Backus, which was obtained as part of the MegaBrew merger with SABMiller in 2015.Empire Farmstead Brewery Files for BankruptcyNew York’s Empire Farmstead Brewery and affiliate Empire Brewing Properties filed for Chapter 11 protection in the Northern District of New York’s Bankruptcy Court earlier this week, according to court records. News of the filing follows a July asset purchase agreement reached by the distressed brewing company and Wisconsin’s Burnett Dairy Cooperative for $3.25 million.Empire, which opened in June 2016, attributed the bankruptcy filing to delays and high costs during the brewery’s construction, as well as a 2016 wild yeast infection that caused the brewery to “pull back” all bottled beer from distribution.According to court records, the filing is to “to ensure the ongoing operations of the businesses so that they may be sold as going concerns, to market the Debtors’ assets for sale as going concerns through a competitive bidding process, and to address the Debtors’ financial difficulties for the benefit of their respective creditors.”In 2017, Empire began working with Community Bank in an effort to sell the brewery or refinance its debt.Wachusett Launches Fifty Trees Hard Cider BrandMassachusetts’ Wachusett Brewing Company is further diversifying its portfolio with the addition of a new cider brand, Fifty Trees Hard Cider. According to a press release, the cider will be available in two styles: Original, a semi-dry cider blended with European Bittersweets, and Cranberry, featuring locally sourced cranberries. Fifty Trees sources its apples from orchards in North Central Massachusetts.Wachusett president Christian McMahan said in the release “We have been making hard cider pretty consistently over the last two years,”. “We have done a ton of experimentation over that time and are proud to finally be able to launch Fifty Trees to a wider audience. ”In addition to beer, Wachusett’s portfolio includes the Nauti hard seltzer brand.Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com** Check out Upcoming Craft Beer Weekends ** Hampton, NHThe Victoria Inn Bed & Breakfast and PavilionCraft Beer Weekend - Dates: October 25-27, 2019Friday - Food / Beer Pairing at Inn / Q&A Brewer's PanelSaturday - Beer Bus takes you to local Breweries/DinnerSunday - Kegs N Eggs and BeerMosasAvailability: Limited - Book NOW!http://www.thevictoriainn.com/6th-annual-craft-beer-storm-weekend-2019/If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to Michael@craftbeerstorm.com Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278?mt=2Support ACS In NYC Marathon“32K In 64 days” - I signed up for the NYC Marathon through the American Cancer Society and I am aiming to raise $32,000 ($3,200 Minimum X 10X) - please follow link below to donate what you can - $25, $50, $30K! - Onward... - Here is link –http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=94035&pg=personal&px=49477898&fbclid=IwAR2mBEvhF1wMA_BbHPhkavichNSFrE9Y9gi2RVZzfQ_4Da5Sht7gvH9rY_k*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***Michael Potorti is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:https://www.neren.com/Listing/2800-Lafayette-Rd-12A/5cdda2dabf34cb9150a7faebMichael PotortiFounder/BrewerHost of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcastmichael@craftbeerstorm.commichael@bearairishbrew.com*** Come visit our brewery for some delicious local craft brew! ***Beara Brewing Co.2800 Lafayette RoadPortsmouth, NH 03801Tel. (857) 342-3272 www.bearairishbrew.com Like us onInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bearairishbrew/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/BearaIrishBrewingCo Twitter: https://twitter.com/BearaIrishBrew Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beara-brewing-co-30776075/**LISTEN to our Craft Beer Storm Podcast and share with a friend**Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278Craft Beer Storm You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp3PVuCGmywNWlGFh0N0ukg?view_as=subscriberCraft Beer Storm Podcast Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podcast-center-la-2/craft-beer-stormCraft Beer Storm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craftbeerstorm/Craft Beer Storm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelpotorti/

Sé el Mejor Vendiendo en Amazon | Victorgbarco.com

Algunos no las conocerán, pero las marcas blancas de Amazon existen. Los departamentos de moda y belleza, alimentación y ahora también muebles ya cuentan con marca propia. Además, las secciones de handmade y launchpad, objetos hechos a mano y productos de startups respectivamente. El conocido servicio Prime Now de distribución, disponible en Valencia, Madrid y Barcelona es una de las grandes apuestas en este sentido. ofrecer a sus clientes una gran oferta en alimentación. Pero ahí donde hay negocio. Wickedly Prime, su marca en este sector, ofrece café (Happy Belly) y hasta alimentos para bebés (Mama Bear) Su propuesta más novedosa la encontramos en la sección de mobiliario, donde sus nuevas marcas compiten con las más veteranas. Alkove y Movian son sus apuestas propias frente a Hofdeco, Ocean Plates o Keter.  La colección de verano de find, la marca de Amazon en el sector de moda y belleza estrena sus prendas de la temporada primavera-verano. Find engloba artículos textiles, pero también una línea de calzado para hombre y mujer. También cosméticos. Iluminadores, pintauñas, barras de labios, en definitiva, todo lo necesario para ser make up artist. El Hospital Cedars-Sinai de Los Ángeles, en Estados Unidos, ha decidido implantar el asistente virtual de Amazon (@amazon), Alexa, como un empleado más de su personal sanitario. Por medio del Amazon Echo, esta prueba piloto estará presente hasta en 100 habitaciones del centro sanitario. El objetivo es mejorar los canales de comunicación entre los pacientes y el personal sanitario, así como optimizar la eficiencia de los propios trabajadores. “Alexa, necesito que avises al médico” La implantación de Alexa no es exactamente como la que podemos encontrar en la versión comercial del dispositivo. El hospital ha instalado un software bautizado como Avia Health. Diseñado específicamente para el sector sanitario, Avia ha sido subvencionado tanto por el propio hospital como por Google (@google) y Amazon. La idea final es que el centro de Los Ángeles deje de ser una prueba piloto, para hacer que Alexa tenga una cada vez mayor presencia en todos los hospitales del mundo.   Cosas curiosas que es capaz de hacer Amazon Alexa Conoce cuento queda para…. la octava temporada de Juego de Tronos Esto es algo que seguro que a los están esperando la última temporada de las serie basada en los libros de George R. R. Martin les encanta. Gracias al asistente de Amazon puedes activar una cuenta atrás que te dirá exactamente cuentos días, horas y segundos quedan para la octava temporada queda para saber qué ocurre con los Siete Reinos.  Sonidos de ambiente para dormir Es capaz de simular ronquidos para ello Información detallada de comida Buena noches, algo que a todos nos gusta escuchar Esto es algo tan simple que parece una broma, pero si se le dice al altavoz “Alexa, buenas noches”, este responde de la forma apropiada  La compañía de Jeff Bezos ha emprendido una nueva estrategia que promete ser un dolor de cabeza para las tiendas físicas, pues ha lanzado ‘Amazon Live’, un canal de telecompras cuyo escenario imita el de cualquier retailer como Walmart o Macy’s. hay varios programas dedicados a diferentes productos, por lo que cada usuario podrá pulsar sobre el que más le interese. Es posible encontrarla en el link Amazon.com/Live Twitch.tv, plataforma de video en vivo propiedad de Amazon, eliminó su opción de pago con criptomonedas para suscripciones. Un usuario de Reddit publicó la noticia y dijo que, si bien Twitch había permitido a los usuarios pagar en Bitcoin (BTC) y en Bitcoin Cash (BCH) a través del procesador de pagos Blockchain Bitpay, la opción se eliminó en las últimas semanas “para todos países”. Microsoft, por ejemplo, suspendió los pagos a través de Bitcoin en su tienda en enero del año pasado, citando “inestabilidad”. Sin embargo, luego fueron reintegrados. A su vez, la plataforma de juegos en línea Steam también eliminó su función de pago en bitcoins a fines de 2017, citando problemas crónicos con las altas tarifas de transacción y el precio volátil de la criptomoneda. Amazon se alía con WorldPay para integrar Amazon Pay. World Pay es una compañía a nivel mundial de sistemas de pago, coberturas de pago y gestión del fraude y riesgo y ahora, va a añadir el sistema de pago Amazon Pay para sus clientes. Es decir, cualquier compañía del mundo que trabaje con los sistemas de World Pay, permitirá a sus clientes pagar con Amazon Pay. Así Amazon Pay se suma a una lista de sistemas de pago como visa, mastercard, american express, etc., para que cualquiera pueda pagar con Amazon pay. Esta colaboración es un hito para toda la industria ya que ahora, Worldpay es la primera compañía en habilitar por completo a Amazon Pay para sus clientes. Mencionar también que la empresa que ha comprado Worldpay y ha llegado a este acuerdo con Amazon, también es un socio potencial de Ripple. Ripple es la moneda digital (criptomoneda) más utilizada por los bancos. Actualmente la usan bancos como Santander, BBVA o American Express. Y además, es importante también comentar que Amazon colabora con Axis, un banco indicio que participa en la red de Ripple. ¿Esto donde puede llevar? Veremos. El empresario Amancio Ortega se convertirá en el casero de Amazon, tras haber comprado parte de la sede central del gigante del comercio electrónico en Seattle por unos 655 millones de euros (740 millones de dólares), según han informado fuentes conocedoras a La Vanguardia. La otra sede nacional ya fue asignada al condado de Arlington, en el Norte de Virginia, tras una búsqueda nacional. El gobernador de Maryland, Larry Hogan, no se da por vencido y ha reiniciado gestiones para llevar a su estado una de las dos sedes principales de Amazon, luego que la compañía gigante de tecnología dejó de lado su proyectada localización en el área de Queens, en Long Island, Nueva York. Volkswagen firmó un acuerdo con Amazon Web Services, la división de computación en la nube del gigante del ecommerce, para el desarrollo conjunto de la Nube Industrial de Volkswagen, que combinará los datos de la maquinaria, de las plantas y de los sistemas de todas las instalaciones del consorcio automovilístico alemán. La participación de Amazon Web Services en este proyecto permitirá la creación de una plataforma industrial abierta a otras empresas colaboradoras en el ámbito de la industria, aunque en el futuro se podrá ampliar a los campos de la logística y de las ventas. Ante este acuerdo, el consejero delegado de Amazon Web Services, Andy Jassy, afirmó que esta 'nube' industrial de Volkswagen "reinventará" los procesos de fabricación y logística y destacó que representa un nuevo ejemplo de cómo Volkswagen continúa "innovando y liderando".  Otros links de Interés: Nuestra Página Web: Vender en Amazon Nuestros Cursos Online Para Vender en Amazon Blog: Noticias Amazon Nuestros Cursos Online Para Vender en Amazon: https://victorgbarco.com/cursos-online-vender-amazon/ Nuestro Twitter: @VictorAmazonSEO Correo de contacto: director@victorgbarco.com Nuestro Canal de Youtube: Aprende a Vender en Amazon Otros Servicios de Auditorías SEO y CRO aquí.  

E2: Entrepreneurs Exposed
49: Turning eCommerce into Now-Commerce

E2: Entrepreneurs Exposed

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2019 27:46


Chelsie Lee, is the co-founder and CEO at Shipsi, which empowers retailers with a new ability to offer instant shipping without worrying about logistics.  In this EP, Chelsie dives into the business model powering the company's technology, Shipsi's growth in the face of Amazon and its Prime Now offering, her experience raising capital as a first time female founder and much more.  EP Sponsor: www.eonetwork.org 

From A to Z: A Podcast About Amazon.com
Episode 7: Amazon Food Delivery & Pantry

From A to Z: A Podcast About Amazon.com

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2019 10:10


On this segment of A to Z: A Podcast about Amazon we discuss Amazon’s food delivery services. At the beginning of this episode we pose the question … “as Amazon continues to expand its market share, is this a logical progression towards the satisfaction of its consumers?” Throughout the podcast we describe and analyze Amazon Food Pantry, Prime Now and Amazon Fresh. All three services share common characteristics, but appeal to different circumstances.   

The Andy Show Podcast
"Bandanas Are Folded in a Way that is Intriguing to Different People"

The Andy Show Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2019 29:33


This week Andy, Joe and Pat discuss..... Topics discussed: NAMM Andy's new album and graphic novel Andy, Joe and Pat's Prime Now? To gain access to our live broadcasts and the ability to interact with us and ask questions, become a Patron for as little as $2/month. Link below! Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.patreon.com/TheAndyShow https://www.youtube.com/theandyshowtv

Blind Abilities
Tech Abilities: Hey Portal, You Watching Me? Smart Home Devices and the Smart Shadow Enters the Thought Bubble (transcript provided)

Blind Abilities

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2018 47:32


Show Summary: Tech Abilities is back in the studio and Serina, Andy and Jeff talk about Smart Devices. From Smart Switches, Smart Thermostats, Smart Smoke and Gas Detectors, Door Bell Cameras and the Google Hub. But is the Apple Home Kit App good enough? Check out this entertaining and informational look at the devices watching you and putting some convenience into your life. How did we get by without it? Hmmm. You can follow Tech Abilities on twitter @AbilitiesTech Contact: Tech Abilities is part of the Blind Abilities Network and be sure to check out all of our shows and podcasts. Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities Appon the App Store.   Full Transcript: Tech Abilities: Hey Portal, You Watching Me? Smart Home Devices and the Smart Shadow Enters the Thought Bubble Serena Gilbert: It's called the Facebook Portal. Does anyone here trust Facebook? Andy Munoz: Other than the fact that we're tech nerds ... Serena Gilbert: Nope, I don't think I'm going to upgrade, and both of you did in a week. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, an accessible thought bubble. Serena Gilbert: Do you have a smart phonograph, Jeff? What the heck is that? Andy Munoz: Google's your friend, look it up. Serena Gilbert: So, you want a smart shadow. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Andy Munoz: Having these smart devices, they are truly game changers. Serena Gilbert: Silver. Andy Munoz: Space gray. Jeff Thompson: Gold. Andy Munoz: I smell smoke. Is your Nest going off, Jeff? Serena Gilbert: See what happens when you tell me I'm getting fat? Andy Munoz: I said you could grow into that Blind Abilities t-shirt. Jeff Thompson: Boom, music comes on and six sheets of toilet paper pop out. Serena Gilbert: Exactly. Serena Gilbert: All right, you guys ready? I'm not going to count down. I'm going to make you look for when we start [inaudible]. Good luck. Andy Munoz: Three, two- Serena Gilbert: No. Andy Munoz: One. Serena Gilbert: Nope. All right, I will count down. I'll be nice. Three, two, one. Welcome back to Tech Abilities. This is Serena Gilbert and I am, of course, joined with Jeff Thompson and Andy Munoz. Jeff, how are you? Jeff Thompson: Sorry. Serena Gilbert: Apparently, Jeff is choking. Jeff Thompson: I'm doing great, Serena. Glad to be back. Serena Gilbert: We haven't been around for a while now, but we are back and we've got a great episode. Andy, how are you? Andy Munoz: I'm good. I'm good. I'm actually glad to be back. Serena Gilbert: And, Andy's not choking for the record. Andy Munoz: Nope. No choking here. Jeff Thompson: Ouch. Serena Gilbert: Ouch. You'll be okay, Jeff. You're a big boy. Have you guys heard about the latest news about Facebook? Jeff Thompson: Oh, do tell. Do tell. Serena Gilbert: Apparently, they have a new smart device coming out called the Facebook Portal. Jeff Thompson: I'm got a feeling somebody's watching me. Serena Gilbert: Right? Andy Munoz: Cue the Michael Jackson song. There we go. Serena Gilbert: Perfect timing, Jeff, as usual. Everything about it is ironic from the name of it to all the press surrounding it. It's called the Facebook Portal so theoretically I know what they were going for there. It's like you're in the same room, but does anyone here trust Facebook? Jeff Thompson: How about you, Andy? Do you trust Facebook? Andy Munoz: You know, can you trust anything, honestly? Jeff Thompson: Right. Andy Munoz: Yet, we still use it. The way I look at it is I don't put something out there that I don't want somebody to know 'cause even with locking it down and doing all that stuff, there's people, they want it ... Where there's a will, there's a way. Don't put nothing out there that I don't want nobody to see. Serena Gilbert: The weird thing about Facebook is there's already a theory that we think Facebook listens to us when we're not in it. We've tested this. Start talking about childcare and all of a sudden, you're going to have every childcare center ad in your newsfeed that you ever wanted to see. Andy Munoz: Yep, yep. Serena Gilbert: There's something to it. I really do think that there's something that they're listening to. Imagine putting that in your living room where they're not only able to listen but see what you're doing. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, we could really paint this into a corner if we want to, but when you look at other companies such as Target and Home Depot and various other ones on the internet that have had hacks exposing people's identification and personal information, it's inevitable that stuff like this is going to happen, I imagine. It seems like when something like this happens to Facebook, it seems like it really gets a lot of attention. Andy Munoz: Usually, if you have a big name and something happens ... We've all got these high expectations so then they lose credibility, but it really can happen to anybody. Serena Gilbert: Well, let's hear about the specs on this Facebook Portal and then tell me what you guys think about it too. It's funny when you think about it. There's two different versions. There's the standard one. It will be $199. The Portal Plus, as they call it, is a much larger screen and then it's an HD. That will be $349. Both of them say that the camera essentially will follow you as you're talking to somebody or video chatting with them. Serena Gilbert: They initially said that no data was going to be stored and that everything was nice and secure. They then came back and said, "But, wait. We will the information to target ads to you." Yeah. So, the camera's following you in the room and they're targeting ads at you. Still like it? I don't know. Andy Munoz: Regardless of whether you like it or not, there's just no getting away from it because you get the ads even on Facebook itself. I can go right now and I can do a search on Amazon for smart home devices and I guarantee you as soon as I click into Facebook, it's going to show me what I last searched for. For me, it's more or less going to be about what all can it do? What are all the different features? What's going to sell it to me that's going to allow me to really overlook that targeting commercial stuff to me? Serena Gilbert: You're not taking it off your Christmas list yet? Andy Munoz: I wouldn't say I would take it off. It doesn't matter what you do, you're not going to get away from that stuff. As much as you'd like to, as much as I'd like to, it's there. At this point, again, it's going to go back to, what are the features? What's going to make me want to buy this thing that I can't do with another device? Serena Gilbert: Yeah. Jeff, you have this on your shopping list? Jeff Thompson: No, I don't have it on my Christmas list yet, but I should get that started. The thing is, with all these different devices and ecosystems out there, I'm starting to wonder if someone should start with one ecosystem and stick with just one such as yourself. What benefits does the Facebook Portal have over your Amazon Show? Serena Gilbert: I don't think it offers anything different because they both do the video chatting. The screen does appear to be a little bit larger on the Facebook Portal. I think that the entry-level price on it is cheaper because the Amazon Show is, I believe, $229 and the Facebook Portal would be starting at $199. There's a $30 difference there. Serena Gilbert: It's really funny because I saw the ad on Facebook, of course, and the comments ... I just had to read the comments 'cause they were so funny and everyone's like, "So, why can't I just FaceTime?" Jeff Thompson: Yeah, right? Serena Gilbert: You're offering me a speaker that you say I can make all these calls on, I can just do that on my phone already, so what's the point? 'Cause they're not boosting that it has this awesome sound quality, they're not advertising that it's smart. I guess it will have Alexa built into it. Sorry, guys. It will have the 'A' lady built into it, but why would you spend the money on a third-party device to have the 'A' lady when you can get that straight from Amazon anyway? Andy Munoz: The other part of it too is you can actually video chat via Facebook Messenger just depending upon what device you're using. If I'm sitting at my computer, I've already got a 19" HD display so why would I want to invest in something different other than the fact that we're tech nerds and we like to know these things and we never know when we're going to run across something where we're maybe going to have to maybe troubleshoot something like that. That would be maybe its sole purpose. Jeff Thompson: Well, I think that Facebook is coming late into the game in this. The newness of the new products coming out, everyone wanted to experiment or explore these new gidgets and gadgets and now we all have probably multiple ecosystems in our house. You might have a Google or Amazon or an Apple device going right now. Is it time right now to add one more to the mix that we have in our house? That sometimes I think it's not doing exactly what I thought it would. So, I think people are being desensitized from the thrill of it all, the newness of these types of gadgets and Facebook is just a little late into the game. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, it always makes you wonder, is there really room on my shelf for one more smart device? Where would I even put it? Jeff Thompson: I wonder what we're going to have to say to invoke the Facebook Portal, "Mr. Senator," or "Yo, Zucker." Serena Gilbert: You say, and does this sound at all familiar, "Hey, Portal." Jeff Thompson: Really? Serena Gilbert: Yeah, which those of us who are super lucky enough to have HomePods ... Jeff Thompson: Super lucky. Serena Gilbert: Super lucky. Jeff Thompson: Super. Serena Gilbert: Super- Jeff Thompson: Lucky. Serena Gilbert: ... lucky. We know what the wake word is for that. Very similar. Jeff Thompson: It'd be funny if it was Mr. Senator. Yes, Senator. Yes, Senator. Andy Munoz: What kind of responses does it give if you call it the wrong name? Jeff Thompson: I have no idea. It's not out until, what, November? Mid-November? Serena Gilbert: It says November. It doesn't even have a specific data, it just says November. I predict ... I think this is going to be a big, huge flop for Facebook. I think this is going to be a lot of lost money because who knows how many they've already produced. They'll probably sell maybe 100,000 which is nothing when there's how many billion users on Facebook? Jeff Thompson: Yeah, plus the fact when I looked it up. I think ten things came up when I did my search, nine of them were about, "Is this a good idea? Should they pull the plug now? Should they save their costs? Are the stocks falling on Facebook?" and, "Do you trust Facebook to secure this information that it's gathering?" I don't know. I don't think it's going to be on my Christmas list, Serena. Serena Gilbert: I know one thing that I keep trying to get you to add to the Christmas list, but I don't know if you will. Jeff Thompson: What's that? Serena Gilbert: Remember? I told my bestie that you wanted a HomePod. Jeff Thompson: Oh! And you want to go to CSUN. Serena Gilbert: You know it. Jeff Thompson: That's coming up. That's around the corner. Serena Gilbert: Better get to planning. Jeff Thompson: The more we talk, the closer it gets. Serena Gilbert: There's a really good Christmas gift right there. Andy can go too. Andy Munoz: Hey. Jeff Thompson: There you go. Serena Gilbert: We'll get in all kinds of trouble. It's in Anaheim this time. Jeff Thompson: Someone's got to run that Colorado show out there though. Serena Gilbert: We'll be okay. Andy Munoz: We'll survive. Jeff Thompson: A new device that's out from Google is the Google Home Hub ... Yeah, the Google Home Hub. Serena Gilbert: The need a better name for that one. Jeff Thompson: I was wondering if this was the answer to anybody out there that has collected a few devices, one for their Google Home that works on their ... One works on the Amazon Device. If this is the answer that will solve some of the problems of bringing everything together. Serena Gilbert: How does the Hub work? I don't fully understand it. Jeff Thompson: Okay. A hub is also known as a bridge and what it is is a central location device that actually can control all the different smart devices that you have located throughout your house. If you have smart plugs, smart switches, smart doorbells, smart thermostat, you can actually connect them up all to one spot, which is a hub and then access that. Jeff Thompson: Typically, what people do is access it through an iPad or something so they have one control. From there, you can set up groups, you can set up different modes for things to be on that come on at certain times, go off at certain times. You can group lights together, you can have full control over all these devices in one location rather than using the TP app, the WeMo app, and the Nest app and figure out everything else. You can actually tie them all together and that's what a hub/bridge does. Jeff Thompson: The HomeKit app, that app was put out, is something that was trying to become a bridge in your wi-fi system to tie all these together. Now, you've got to remember that everything has to be able to reach the wi-fi system. You might have a plug or a switch far enough away where your wi-fi isn't that great, so you'll have to do an extender. Whereas, you can get pretty elaborate. You can go into the Z-Wave system, which actually every device that's hooked up becomes a little transmitter too so it can chainlink all these together so it can reach a further distance. Jeff Thompson: Interesting stuff once you get interesting stuff once you get into the high-end of homes, but as for affordability and everything, I think Google Home Hub is an idea. It might be something that works good for you, but I think HomeKit really has the advantage here in wi-fi in the future. If you're just talking about adding some conveniences to your house and not really going into the major planning of a full day operation of automation going on. Jeff Thompson: Shades open. Lights on. Mood setting. Thermostat adjust and someday turn on stereo system. Play phonograph. Set the mood. The possibilities could be endless. You can do some of that with HomeKit, but yeah. Basically, that's was a hub/bridge does. It ties everything together under one physical device that you can access and control everything. Serena Gilbert: I'm just so distracted because I'm pretty sure you said phonograph. Andy Munoz: He did say phonograph. Serena Gilbert: What the heck is that? Andy Munoz: It's a record player. Serena Gilbert: Do you have a smart phonograph, Jeff? Jeff Thompson: I'm just saying, yeah, there probably is one. You can get one to skip and ... Andy Munoz: Yeah, you can get it to do some scratchin'. Scratchin'. You know? You know? Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Serena Gilbert: Yes, Jeff. You are definitely the old man right now. Andy Munoz: Well, it's funny because my kid's now into buying vinyls and I'm like, "Why are they even still making those," and come to find out yeah, they're making record players again. Jeff Thompson: I have two record players and I collected albums back in the day and I still have them. They're popular again. It's kind of neat. Andy Munoz: It's kind of interesting how technology's going full circle. Serena Gilbert: Jeff, for the young ones listening to our podcast, what's an album? You going to tell them that? No, I'm just kidding. Andy Munoz: Google's your friend, look it up. Serena Gilbert: On your smart speaker. Andy Munoz: Ask the 'A' lady, she'll tell you. Serena Gilbert: I am curious, because this is all about smart devices, if we could go around, I guess the virtual table and let's hear about what smart devices you have in your home right now and what you like, what you don't like, maybe, if you're on the market for a new one. We'll start with you, Andy. Andy Munoz: Okay. So, right now, I don't have any. I'm in the market. I've got a pretty archaic thermostat. The thing is huge, but the problem is I can see the numbers, but I can't see how it programs. I certainly want something that I have a little bit more that I can do with it then having to rely on somebody else to set it up. Jeff Thompson: What you're saying is you want to be the master of your own domain. Andy Munoz: There you go. Jeff Thompson: There you go. Serena Gilbert: Seinfeld reference. Andy Munoz: Primarily, I'm just looking for a thermostat. Ceiling fans would be nice. Serena Gilbert: They make smart ceiling fans? Andy Munoz: Yeah, they make ... Serena Gilbert: I didn't know that. Andy Munoz: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Serena Gilbert: That would be really cool. Jeff Thompson: Oh, yeah. They invented the ceiling fan right after the phonograph. When I was looking up the Google Home Hub, the GHH, they claim that it can connect up to 5,000 different devices. So, that probably includes the phonographs and let's see, what came out right after phonographs? Ceiling fans, Serena. Yeah, there's probably a smart gidget or gadget out there for pert near anything. Andy Munoz: Oh, yeah. When I was working with Apple, I got a guy that called in that was setting up a smart garage door opener. Serena Gilbert: Now, why do we need that? I really don't understand that. What does it recognize your car when you drive up to it? Jeff Thompson: Well, when you have your smart Amazon Drive in your car, you can then just say, "Open, sesame." Serena Gilbert: Oh, my God. Jeff Thompson: Lower the drawbridge. Serena Gilbert: Secret passcode, right? I really don't understand what a smart garage door would do that a regular garage door ... You push a button and it opens. What else do we need it to do? Jeff Thompson: You have to actually move your arm to push the button. Serena Gilbert: I get it because ... We laugh at how lazy this is making us 'cause we don't have to leave our couch to turn the light on or off or adjust the thermostat, but it truly does open up accessibility for tons and tons of people with disabilities that have mobility impairments or maybe even a cognitive impairment where it just makes a life a lot more independent and affordable. Before, doing something like this would be thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars, now they can just get it right on the market. Andy Munoz: Or, even just the simple fact that you either make some sort of adjustment cosmetically or what have you so that it could be used or you stay reliant on somebody to help you with that. Having these smart devices, they are truly game changers. For the rest of us, yeah, it makes us lazy. Jeff Thompson: As long as your wi-fi doesn't get knocked down. Andy Munoz: Yeah, that too. Yeah. Serena Gilbert: I was just thinking that. I was just about to say, "Until somebody hacks it." Then, it will drive you crazy. Jeff Thompson: One of the concerns I would be looking into is if I was going to get the Canary or the HomeSafe alarm system that hooks up to your wi-fi and is a smart device, that, just like the bridge and the hub, are these connected to just your wi-fi or if someone cuts your wi-fi cable, will it give you an alert through cellular or run off the cellular? Andy Munoz: I believe that they do because actually my brother-in-law just made some changes. He gave up his business-class wi-fi and went back to residential and they bundled it all and got the security system. Yeah, if the wi-fi goes down it then does go to cellular. Jeff Thompson: Oh, that's nice. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, 'cause we have a Honeywell Lyric. With got it for free from our home owner's insurance company and they gave us four of them. What it is is you put anywhere that there's water that could possibly leak and it's connected to wi-fi. It also puts this obnoxious, loud beeping sound A, when there is water that it detects and B, just when the battery is dying. Andy Munoz: Does it go onto the floor? Serena Gilbert: Well, you can do it two different ways. We have one on the hose of our washer and it's got this cord that you can wrap around it that if it detects the water then it will set off the alarm. Or, you can just set it on the floor and you don't need the cord then. As soon as it detects water it will start beeping and it will send a notification to your phone. Serena Gilbert: When we changed our wi-fi, we never put them back on the new wi-fi 'cause I frankly couldn't remember how to do it. When we changed our router out and had to get a new wi-fi network put up, it sent emails to me saying that they were offline. That's really cool because your hot water heater could be leaking for days and you'd never know. Ours is in the basement. We don't go down there but maybe once a month. Jeff Thompson: That's neat. That's less invasive. There's a more invasive one that actually goes right into your plumbing system. You cut the line and you put this device in there and it will notify you if the pressure drops. If you're on vacation, your lines should have no open valves so there should be a constant pressure and if that pressure drops significantly, then it will give you a signal and notify you that there's been a change, possibly a leak, that could really devastate your home. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, that could save a lot of money. Imagine if you came back from vacation and there were six feet of water in your basement. Jeff Thompson: Swimming pool, yeah. Serena Gilbert: Yeah. Andy Munoz: Well, I was talking to somebody that they were out of town, but their son was there. He didn't realize it, but there had been a leak. So, their basement flooded and, on top of it, they ended up with a $5,000 water bill. That was in the course of three weeks. Serena Gilbert: Oh, my God. I would cry. Oh, my God. Andy Munoz: Yeah, it was pretty crazy. Jeff Thompson: Oh, wow. I think a lot of these devices, like you're saying, for someone that has a speech impediment of some sort or something, that there's alternative devices now that through your wi-fi, making the home smarter. We just usually think about these devices that we're using today, but a lot of these switches and commands that we're using are pretty versatile and available to other people. Like you said, it used to be tens of thousands of dollars to make a home accessible for someone with a disability that it may help them open a door or turn on lights as you said, but now, these devices are stuff we buy off the shelf. Jeff Thompson: You can get the Hue lights and dim your lights and do other things and the switches and put everything on a timer. My driveway lights ... I have a WeMo light switch that my driveway lights come on when it gets dark, sunset, and goes off at a certain time. Then, I have some lamps in the living room that come on at the same time and go off at the same time. I have three switches working like that, plug in switches and one light switch. I like that automation because kind of get it. The lights come on. Oh, it's dark out, if you can sense that. If someone comes over, the house isn't just totally dark. Andy Munoz: Well, it's nice especially in today's society, you definitely want to have those lights on on the outside. You don't want people creeping up on your house. For me, I look at the negative side of that just because it is real. You definitely want to make sure that you have some light so your house can be seen, and I think it detracts from people wanting to do anything to it in a negative manner. Jeff Thompson: Plus, when you're away from home ... When I was in England, I could actually turn the lights off or on just from a flip on my phone, from the app. Andy Munoz: Right. Jeff Thompson: Something to remember about some of these home devices, it seems so great. Hey, just put a light switch in, but to put a light switch in with the WeMo and other ones, you do need all three wires there. You need your positive, your negative, and your neutral wire. Andy Munoz: Right. Jeff Thompson: Typically, a house that was built pre-90s, I believe, somewhere around there, switches were interrupters. So, they only ran the hot wire down to one side and to the other so when you switch is down, it breaks the connection. Lot of houses either had them drop down from the ceiling or they came up from the basement. The switches were not the place to run all the wires. They ran those to the lights above and just dropped down the ones. Jeff Thompson: That may be a problem if you want to add a light switch or a dimmer switch, but you will need to have all three there. If you don't, then you have to have an electrician come in and run a neutral wire up and facilitate it that way. So, that could get expensive. Andy Munoz: Right. It's good just to know that in general. Jeff Thompson: Oh, for sure. It also might justify spending the money for a smart light bulb where you can control that specific light bulb or a group of light bulbs with a command from an app or a voice command directed at one of your personal devices such as an Amazon, Google, Apple device, your smart speaker device. Jeff Thompson: Another device that I'm kind of interested is the Look or Nest makes a product, a couple other people make these products, they're cameras on your doorbell. When motion happens at the front door, you'll get a message on your phone that says, "Motion at front door," and that solves the problem of thinking, "Why do I need a camera at the front door?" Well, the camera does give the indication that there's motion, which then triggers the notification that you'll get, but these two need the existing wire that the previous doorbell used because they need a transformer. So, that's something you want to look into. Jeff Thompson: If you don't have a doorbell, then you'll have to install this pre-wiring beforehand. If you do have one, you have to make sure that it's 24 volts running to it because all these devices do need a power source to be running. Just beware, when you're thinking and considering and buying these products, read the small braille. Andy Munoz: Love it. Love it. Small braille. Serena Gilbert: Oh, man. Isn't all the braille small? Jeff Thompson: There is jumbo braille for people with neuropathy. Jeff Thompson: Serena, what kind of devices are you working with? Serena Gilbert: I have a WeMo plug. One thing I wanted to share with you guys is that, if you have Amazon Prime, there's been a few times just in the last few months where they sent out a deal where you can get a smart plug or a smart light bulb for only $10. We bought one when they did that and, sad to say, it's still sitting in the package because I need two and I've just been too cheap to buy the second one for my lamps downstairs. Serena Gilbert: It was summer when I bought them, so I was like, "Oh, we never need the lights on anyways." Now, it gets dark at like 6:15, 6:30 and it would be nice to just go on my phone and turn them on or use the Echo to turn them on. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, I noticed and that's how I've got ... I don't know why I'm coughing. Serena Gilbert: You're just getting too old over there. Jeff Thompson: Geez, you're sticking with this one. Serena Gilbert: See what happens when you tell me I'm getting fat? Jeff Thompson: I didn't say that. I know not to say stuff like that. Serena Gilbert: Would you like to share what you said? Jeff Thompson: I said you could grow into that Blind Abilities t-shirt. Serena Gilbert: No, you said I'm going to grow into it because of the shake that I had. Jeff Thompson: Why don't you tell the listeners what you put in your shake tonight? Serena Gilbert: Shameless plug for Five Guys Burgers and Fries. I had a shake and I added Oreo to it and Oreo cream and Double Stuff Oreo. I see nothing wrong with that. Jeff Thompson: Plus, some ice cream, right? Serena Gilbert: Milk, with sugar. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, so I'll repeat it. You'll probably grow into that t-shirt. Serena Gilbert: This is not helping you. You're going to get some hate mail from all the ladies out there. Jeff Thompson: If anybody else would like to grow into a Blind Abilities t-shirt, email us at info@blindabilities.com. Andy Munoz: Yeah. Serena Gilbert: Oh, my goodness. Not very nice, Jeff. Andy Munoz: But, it is funny. Serena Gilbert: I'm telling my bestie on you. Jeff Thompson: You do have a HomePod, right? Serena Gilbert: I do. If anyone's ever listened to me on any podcast, they know I absolutely adore that HomePod. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, I hear it is good sound. So are the Sonos. The Sonos are pretty good and with the smart device built into those too. The thing is, with API on those since it's not a true Amazon device, you only get partial use of the full functionality of what you'll get out of an Amazon device like the Dot or the Echo. Sometimes you forget that you only get that limited usage out of them. I wonder how much the Facebook Portal will have? Serena Gilbert: It's probably the same API that they have on the Sonos because the Amazon's got to give you some reason to buy theirs. Why would you ever buy the Amazon one when the Sonos clearly sounds way better sound-wise. There has to be some incentive. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, just be aware when you're buying these devices what they connect up with. Some connect up with more than one platform. It might connect up to Amazon or it might connect up to Apple, but just check that out. Jeff Thompson: With the HomeKit app in your iOS device, that application is your hub, your bridge, and that might be the thing of the future, using your wi-fi. Whereas the hub, it just may be ... Serena Gilbert: I feel like it's another way for them to get you to spend- Jeff Thompson: More money. Serena Gilbert: $100. With me, 'cause I have the HomePod, I have the Amazon device, I'm trying to be smart about the devices that I choose since we don't have a smart home yet where either I can find some that work with both or depending on where the device that I'm buying is going to be, it works with whatever is closest to it. Andy Munoz: Definitely some strategy into it. Serena Gilbert: Yeah. One weird thing that I noticed when I did get the HomePod is, for some reason, and I don't know if it's the way that Apple's system is so locked down, but the devices that say they're compatible with HomeKit, they're never the ones ... They're always more expensive it seems. The ones that are compatible with the Amazon devices, there's so many of them that the price has come down on them. When you look at the ones that say HomeKit, it's like upwards of double the price for the same functionality. Andy Munoz: I'm guessing you're right that Apple is so locked down with everything that they do and you don't have a lot of choice as you do with Amazon or Google. A lot of the coding and development and stuff that goes into all that stuff is open source. Not to dog Google in any way, shape, or form by saying this, but their standards are more open than what you get with an Apple. I would venture to say that you're right on that. Jeff Thompson: When I first started down this path of adding smart switches and smart plugins, outlets to the house, I went with WeMo and I stuck with it. It seems to be doing good and just lately, I got an update and now the WeMo switches, the smart, mini WeMo switches, are able to work with the HomeKit, which is the native app in your iOS device titled, "Home," H-O-M-E. Jeff Thompson: The new ones that you get, they'll have a little code on them and you just scan it and it will register right into your application of your HomeKit and boom, there you go. That is very similar to my Nest Protect because all I did there was scan in the product and boom, it was connected up into my app, which just makes it very nice. Jeff Thompson: In the app, it does incorporate that these devices can now be synced up together. I have them synced up with my Amazon device, my google device, my iPhone. I can make my iPad, which stays at home basically, as the hub. By me invoking the HomeKit as my hub, do I really need a Google Home Hub? Do I really need a central device? I think I'm okay. Andy Munoz: I guess if you look at it from most people's perspective, we want it with generally a handheld device. Let's face it. There's times that we're not going to be in our home, when we want to be able to have that remote access, that remote control. I think that the hubs are a nice thought, but I don't know how realistic it is. Jeff Thompson: Serena, you had mentioned that you were considering a basement remodel. Have you thought about incorporating the smart home features? Serena Gilbert: It would be nice kind of thing, but yeah, we haven't officially done that. All I really want in the house right now is a smart thermostat because I really struggle with what temperature it is in the house. The house is only two years old. I meant the builder if they could put in a smart one for me and then I just spaced it. I regret that. Serena Gilbert: I really have to rethink it 'cause I know that my husband would like a doorbell camera at some point. It's like do we go with Ring; do we go with Nest because I'd like it to just all be the same brand just to make life easy. Jeff Thompson: I have a Nest Protect and that's a smoke alarm that mounts to the ceiling. If I buy another Nest Protect, they communicate with each other and announce their location. In a case of an emergency, you will know where the smoke is coming from. Speaker 4:           Emergency. There's smoke downstairs. Jeff Thompson: If I do get a Nest thermostat, that too will connect to the family of Nest products. If there is a fire, it will shut off the furnace so you don't have the air blowing around and flaming the fire ... Flaming? Wafting the flame. Serena Gilbert: Good job. Your old brain worked. Jeff Thompson: Oh, it may not be as quick as a Millennial, but it's wiser. Jeff Thompson: So, having items from the same family, the same Nest products in my situation pays off for me. I would also like to mention that the Nest Protect, the smoke alarm that's in the ceiling, has a glowing light on it and it comes on when it senses motion. So, in the middle of the night, if you walk past it, it will glow brighter. Serena Gilbert: That's cool. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, so that's a neat little feature that will help family members as well. Serena, you mentioned the doorbell with the camera. Now, some people may say, "Why do I need a camera when I can't see who's out there?" However, the camera senses motion and then it will send you a notification that there's motion at the front door. Serena Gilbert: That's very cool. Jeff Thompson: I see the benefits in that as well. Jeff Thompson: Now, a friend of mine, just to be fair, has the Honeywell thermostat. Serena Gilbert: Is the Honeywell app accessible? Jeff Thompson: He says it is, however, he doesn't use voice over but he tested it and he says it is. I haven't put it through the rigors, but it's $100 cheaper and Honeywell is a good product. It has high ratings on it as well. However, being in the same family and interconnecting as such, I think Nest makes a good line of product that really should be considered. Plus, Nest is owned by Google, right? Serena Gilbert: Is it? Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Serena Gilbert: [inaudible] conspiracy. Andy Munoz: I have to say though, I'm with Jeff on the whole ... Usually, if I buy a brand, that's usually what I like to stick to and keep it consistent. A lot of it, I think, has to do for me about what the previous experiences have been. If I bought something like a Samsung TV and it's worked well for me, I'm going to be more inclined to go back out and buy that same brand just because I've had that good experience and I trust it. I think too, part of it too is if they can communicate with each other in some way, shape, or form, all the better. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, safety first. That brings up home security systems in your house that hooks up with wi-fi from doors to windows. I'm starting to wonder how many devices you can have connected up to your wi-fi system before it becomes over-weighted or strained. That's probably where a hub comes in because it would take that load. Until you get to that point, I think that's when you start wondering about a hub. Jeff Thompson: I just want to use the apps that each thing comes with. Set it up one time and move on. I don't want to have to pull that out all the time and say, "Honey, let's set the mood lighting for this movie," or have all my Christmas lights on my iPad so I can spell words or have special designs going across. That's not my bag. I just want these devices to work out of their own app. I just think the HomeKit, the home app, will suffice for most people that are venturing into the smart home devices. Andy Munoz: Well, because I think too we all have this thing where we generally know when we're going to be home and when we're not unless you have something where you're out of the norm, you have a function that you're going to go to or what have you. In my house, I generally know who's going to be home and when they're going to be home. To be able to say, "All right, yeah, let's have a heat come on at this time. Have it shut off at this time," that kind of stuff is super convenient. Andy Munoz: Because right now, it's one of those things where because I can't program it the way that I want and my wife isn't able to program it, she's [inaudible]. It's just an archaic thermostat. There's times she'll say 8:30 at night, "It's cold." I have to turn it up because yeah, it shut down when it really should have been on. There again, it would be nice to have something where definitely have that control and to be able to do that and know that it's going to be consistent. Jeff Thompson: Serena, do you want the Amazon Bathroom where you walk in and the lights come on, the toilet seat heats up, and boom, music comes on and six sheets of toilet paper pop out? Serena Gilbert: If you can find a way to heat my floor in my bathroom, I'd be happy. Jeff Thompson: Oh, they have that. Serena Gilbert: I don't know if I need the toilet seat heat. I'm okay. But, I was thinking about what you guys were talking about and I was just thinking of the cost savings with that. Just the heat alone to save it ... 'Cause right now, our heat's just either off or on. Then, we all know the theory behind how long it takes to raise the heat so many degrees. It's more expensive then to keep it steady. Serena Gilbert: Then, there's also the cost savings of if you own your house. Especially with the smoke detectors that you have, Jeff, I'm sure you're saving money on your home owner's insurance too. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, that's great, Serena, because if you contact your insurance company you can find out so much more about what you could be doing to your house for safety-wise that will ultimately save you money in the insurance policy premium. Serena Gilbert: It'd be totally worth it. Jeff Thompson: Oh, yeah. You want to tell them you have a smoke alarm. Don't call them and tell them you don't have any. Serena Gilbert: What do you mean you didn't have one? Hold on a minute. We need to raise your premium a little bit. Jeff Thompson: Back pay. It's just really nice that there's devices out there that we can implement into our lives. Like you said, Andy, just make it more convenient and ... Especially the doorbell. I'm really intrigued about that, the camera. I was the one that would always say, "Why do I need a camera? I can't see blah, blah, blah," but that it alerts you, you know? Serena Gilbert: Some of them have it where you can speak to them. Jeff Thompson: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Serena Gilbert: And, hear the sound. Jeff Thompson: That's a neat alert. You know someone's at the front door. Andy Munoz: Yes, I was just going to say, "And, they have no idea that you're not even home." Jeff Thompson: Right. I'm going to get one before trick-or-treaters come out. This will be fun. Serena Gilbert: Scare them. Oh, my goodness. Well, it will especially help during the holiday season when you're expecting your Amazon packages 'cause if there's sound with it too, there's pretty distinct noise when the UPS truck pulls up. Jeff Thompson: I think if you do it right ... We should appeal to all the truck drivers that deliver packages to wear little bells on their shoes so we know it's them. Serena Gilbert: It's like a code. That reminds me though. I was watching Shark Tank a few weeks ago and there was a business on there and they didn't get a deal, but it was a smart device that it was a box that the driver would scan the code on the package, it'd open up the box, they'd put the package in there, and then it would close back up again. They didn't get a deal for obvious reasons because, frankly, the UPS drivers probably aren't going to scan it. They're just going to sit the package on top of the box and keep going. Serena Gilbert: It did bring up an interesting thing though. If they could have licensed that to UPS or FedEx or USPS, made it part of their flow, that could really curb porch pirates. Jeff Thompson: I got a question for you guys. What device isn't out there yet, but you would like to have a smart device as? Serena Gilbert: Oh, you know what I'm going to say as my son always says when I ask him questions. I want my smart self-driving car. Jeff Thompson: That's coming. Serena Gilbert: But it's not accessible. There's too many laws. Jeff Thompson: They'll probably have a little screen to open the door and it will be like, "Everything's accessible except you can't get in the door." Serena Gilbert: Yeah. You have to put in this passcode that's on this touchscreen. Jeff Thompson: They'll have a Captcha. Serena Gilbert: God, I hate those things. Then, you try to listen to it. Jeff Thompson: Oh, yeah. Four seven three apple two orange W. Serena Gilbert: You're like, "Are you in a call center doing this?" I don't understand. Jeff Thompson: I know it's crazy. It's like, "Gosh, I had good hearing until I heard that." Andy Munoz: If you'd get you a tin can that would sound so perfect. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Serena Gilbert: I hate those things. Jeff Thompson: I was on a website today. I know this is off topic. I was on a website today. It was all about accessibility. It's supposed to be an educational accessibility thing and all this stuff. It was really interesting. I was actually intrigued with the layout and stuff and they had a Captcha that was inaccessible. It's like, "Really? You did all this and now that." Andy Munoz: Somebody did not think that through. Jeff Thompson: No. Serena Gilbert: #accesibilityFail. Jeff Thompson: They have accessibility in their name. Serena Gilbert: Did you send them an email? Jeff Thompson: No. Andy Munoz: Wow. Jeff Thompson: I got off of it and I just sat there for a minute thinking, "That's so stupid." Serena Gilbert: You didn't make your trademark noise? Andy, what's the smart device that you're hoping for? Andy Munoz: Wow. That could be plenty but something that would open up my dryer and pull out my laundry and hang it up. Serena Gilbert: Oh, so you want the robot from the Jetsons. Andy Munoz: There you go. Jeff Thompson: That's be Judy wouldn't it? Serena Gilbert: Just your luck 'cause wasn't George always getting all this technology failing for him? Andy Munoz: Yeah, she malfunctioned one day and she did a bunch of different weird stuff that was all backwards. Jeff Thompson: I think for a device that I'm looking forward to and I hope they have it someday, is really a personal assistant, but not a physical one that would actually do things for me but you know how you think of to-do lists and you think of all this stuff? Something that follows your thought like that. When you wake up the next day, it's like, "Jeff, remember the garbage." Serena Gilbert: You want a chip implanted in your head. Jeff Thompson: Just call it the thought bubble or something. Serena Gilbert: Thought bubble. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, an accessible thought bubble. Just like, "Lori told me three things yesterday. What was that?" "Jeff, you weren't listening where you?" I want that companion, that thing that actually helps me move along. Serena Gilbert: Jeff, all you have to do is win the Powerball and then you can just pay someone to follow you around for the rest of your life. Jeff Thompson: But, I think this would help people. We're talking about old age, but people who have memory issues and stuff. That seems to be a prominent thing in today's world. Everyone knows someone that might be going through it or someone that is affected by it. Something that could shadow you, your shadow. If your shadow could talk, it would remember. Serena Gilbert: So, you want a smart shadow? Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Do you guys think that's far off? Andy Munoz: Time wise maybe. I don't know. Technology's so rapid that anything's possible at any given point. I think, for me, it's even pointless half the time for me to put stuff even as reminders 'cause I just ignore them. Serena Gilbert: I'm the same way. Andy Munoz: For work and stuff, obviously, I pay attention to my calendar and that sort of thing, but outside of that, I'll say, "Yeah, I put it in my calendar. I'll do this, that, or the other." It's like it's there but nine times out of 10 I'm just going to blow it off and ignore it anyway. Serena Gilbert: I have a reminder on my phone right now that's 19 days old but I still didn't do it. Like, "Oh, I'll just ignore it and it will pop back up in a couple weeks." Jeff Thompson: Avoid shakes from Five Brothers. Serena Gilbert: Five Guys, get it right. Jeff Thompson: Avoid shakes from Five Guys. Serena Gilbert: You guys don't have Five Guys up in Minnesota? Jeff Thompson: No. We only got three guys. We're working on it. Serena Gilbert: You don't know what you're missing. You don't have Dutch Brothers. You don't have Five Guys. God, how do you live? Jeff Thompson: Well, you're in the fastest growing city in the United States right now. Serena Gilbert: It's 'cause we've got all these Millennials. They love it here. Jeff Thompson: Really? Serena Gilbert: That's why we're getting all these cool home deliver things. We just got Prime Now here. We can get Whole Food delivered in two hours for free. Jeff Thompson: That's awesome. Serena Gilbert: Yeah. Jeff Thompson: How big is Cold Spring? Serena Gilbert: Old Spring? Jeff Thompson: Colorado Springs. How big is Colorado Springs? Andy Munoz: The general city is like 400,000, but then you've got the surrounding areas that make up more and we're probably closer to 650 to 700,000. Jeff Thompson: Really? Serena Gilbert: I think they said by ... Do you remember what year it was, Andy? Maybe it was like 2050, which sounds far away, but it really isn't if you think about it. We would actually be bigger than Denver technically. Andy Munoz: That's what they're saying. Serena Gilbert: Yeah. Andy Munoz: It's ridiculous to think because when you go to Denver, you go to downtown Denver and you see all the big high rise buildings and stuff and then you come to Colorado Springs and you look at our downtown. It's like no comparison. I think the highest building we have is maybe 20 stories. Serena Gilbert: I don't even know if there's a 20-story one, honestly. If there is, then it's one of the hotels. Jeff Thompson: Which leads into is Colorado Springs going to be a smart city? Serena Gilbert: I don't think we will. Just politically, our city and then the other city, there's another small city that's in between Denver and Colorado Springs called Castle Rock, our two cities had the option to be part of the light rail system that's in Denver and they refused. Every time that it comes back up, they keep resisting and keep refusing because they don't want light rail here for some reason. I don't get it. Andy Munoz: Smart city means that you have to have some intelligence and Colorado Springs operates on the motto, "If it doesn't make sense, do it." Jeff Thompson: Yeah, it's really neat here because we do have the light rail running right through Fridley and it's neat. Even our buses and our light rails now have wi-fi while you're on them. Serena Gilbert: Very nice. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, we're not a bustling city anymore, but it's a big area. I think two-thirds of the population of Minnesota is located right in the twin cities, Saint Paul-Minneapolis and the seven-county area. It's nice that you get those little amenities like that but I always thought Colorado Springs was a ... Well, it's not Denver. It's a quaint little town. But, wow, number one in the United States for growth. Serena Gilbert: Real estate too. Andy Munoz: It's really been in just the last several years. It's just really kind of just took off. Serena Gilbert: Well, a lot of it is the people from Denver have moved down here so they're still making their Denver wages. So, they move down here and we're buying Colorado Springs waged houses and then that's driving it all up, but then they're still commuting to Denver for work. That's contributing to the traffic problems too. The commute's about an hour, hour and 10 if you go early enough. Andy Munoz: Yeah, if you go early enough. Jeff Thompson: They need to get that tunnel. Serena Gilbert: I still want my hyperloop. Jeff Thompson: That's ready to open up, isn't it? Serena Gilbert: No. There's a test track in L.A. it's either two minutes or two miles. It's probably the same difference, but they're going to open that up and let people actually be able to test run it. Like, regular people. Jeff Thompson: As opposed to the irregular people? Serena Gilbert: Hey. Jeff Thompson: No, I think it's really neat that smart cities are coming about. A lot of devices are happening. A lot of transportation things like you want the car and I think everyone's been thinking about that and dreaming about that and wondering. Now, we say it's right around the corner, but that's a long ways to that corner sometimes. Serena Gilbert: You know, it will be interesting though because you just told me the NFB conference next year is in Vegas. Vegas is testing a... Lyft is testing a whole fleet of driverless vehicles on the strip there. Jeff Thompson: So, beware. Serena Gilbert: That would be interesting. Andy Munoz: Stay off the sidewalks. Jeff Thompson: Tap widely. Serena Gilbert: But they're safer than human drivers you guys. The accidents they have are only when the human does something to it to cause it to happen. Jeff Thompson: Well, I think ideally it's all going to be safer when there's more and more of them because they'll be able to communicate with each other just like my Nest will be able to communicate with things. Those cars will communicate with the other cars so it will almost be like a light rail once you get a stream of them going in a sense. Serena Gilbert: The only thing I worry about is because obviously to get where you're going it's reliant on some sort of GPS. So, you know there's a couple things that go with that. When the network's down, what happens to the cars? Or, when you're like my house where you weren't on the GPS for two entire years, where does it go? Does it stop somewhere and say you're there when you're really not? Those are things they'd have to definitely fix. Jeff Thompson: From smart devices, smart houses, it will be interesting to learn more about smart cities and smart automobiles. Probably by next show we could get a smart host. Serena Gilbert: I guess I'm coming down off my sugar high. Andy Munoz: She's thinking, "I smell smoke. Is your Nest going off, Jeff?" Jeff Thompson: Maybe the wi-fi went down and the house is burning. Andy Munoz: Uh-oh. Serena Gilbert: Oh, my goodness. I could just see a comic right now where there's a drawing and there's clearly smoke and fire, but the person's just looking at their phone and it says they are like, "Nope. Smoke detectors say that there's no fire." Serena Gilbert: Well, I have had tons of fun talking with you guys. Hopefully, we've got some ideas for our Christmas list right, Jeff? Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm. CSUN. Serena Gilbert: Still haven't sold you on the HomePod have I? Jeff Thompson: Well, I'm going to be here to look under my tree or I'll just listen under my tree. Maybe it will tell her how to set it up too. Serena Gilbert: But, it's Apple. It just works, right? Jeff Thompson: Oh, yeah. Andy Munoz: There you go. Jeff Thompson: I have to say that I sit amongst an orchard of Apples. Serena Gilbert: You've got every color Apple there is. Jeff Thompson: Oh, by the way, what color is your iPhone X? Serena Gilbert: Silver. Andy Munoz: Space gray. Jeff Thompson: Gold. Serena Gilbert: You got a pink one, Jeff? Jeff Thompson: No, I didn't get rose gold. I got gold. Serena Gilbert: Are you sure you didn't get rose gold? Jeff Thompson: Well, I don't know. I got the case on. I'll never know. Serena Gilbert: Exactly. I just find it so funny with the last podcast we did how much you guys specifically said, "Nope, I don't think I'm going to upgrade," and both of you did in like a week of each other. Jeff Thompson: I walked into the Apple store. That's what went wrong. Andy Munoz: Yeah, I walked into the Sprint store with my son and there we go. I have to run guys. I do have an errand that I need to run. Serena Gilbert: That sounds awful suspicious considering that it's like 10:00 at night. Andy Munoz: Got to go to the pharmacy. Serena Gilbert: I don't even want to know, Andy. Serena Gilbert: Anyway, I enjoyed talked with both you guys and I can't wait to record the next episode and until next time, bye. Andy Munoz: Peace. Jeff Thompson: Bye-bye. Serena Gilbert: Get off the phone. Andy Munoz: I want to thank you for listening. Be sure to follow Tech Abilities on Twitter. That's @AbilitiesTech. A big thank you to Jeff Thompson for the beautiful music. Once again, I want to thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed. Until next time, bye-bye. [Music]  [Transition noise]  -When we share -What we see -Through each other's eyes... [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence] ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with a blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com, on Twitter @BlindAbilities. Download our app from the App Store, Blind Abilities. That's two words. Or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening.

Motor Trade Radio
Saturday 26th May 2018

Motor Trade Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2018 33:52


On this Saturday’s episode of MotortradeRadio.com, Philip Nothard of @COX AutomotiveUK  is joined by Curtis Hutchinson chat about this week’s news as we discuss the story of the week from @AMChatter as @VolvoCars has teamed up with online retail specialist @AmazonUK in a bid to drive convenient access to its vehicles with a ‘Prime Now test drives’ initiative. Whilst @Motors.co.ukpartners with Top Gear to give its car dealer partners' stock “even greater exposure” online  @Motortrademag reports #dealers can boost their sales conversion rates by offering test drives geared towards customer usage, according to Coachworks Consulting @AMChatter reports Auto Trader will bypass traditional auction houses in a shake-up of fleet remarketing that will enable leasing companies and larger fleet operators to sell ex-company cars direct to dealers before the vehicle is de-fleeted.  @AMChatter reports on two industry appointments, as Citroen boss Bek Hassan is leaving the UK for a new senior position in Paris with parent PSA Group. His replacement will be Karl Howkins, who is currently managing director of Opel Switzerland. And, Rawdon Glover appointed new managing director of Jaguar Land Rover UK. And finally…… a @Motortrderadio exclusive interview with Jim Reid, as The IMDA are proud to announce its first ever 'Best Practice' Masterclass. Click here for tickets

Beyond the Frontpage
Ordering from Whole Foods Through Prime Now & Travel Savings Tips | Beyond the Frontpage (Ep. 3)

Beyond the Frontpage

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2018 60:35


Kat - our first guest and fellow Slickdealer - joins Johan & Andrew to discuss tips for saving on travel, Prime Now grocery-delivery through Whole Foods, and the three try on an unusual pair of Bluetooth headphones.Episode 3 of the Slickdeals Podcast. Music credit: Joakim Karud (http://youtube.com/joakimkarud)  

Alexa Cast | An Unofficial Journey of an Amazon Echo User
Stream Sports on TuneIn for $2.99 a Month

Alexa Cast | An Unofficial Journey of an Amazon Echo User

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2018 13:28


Alex is Getting Brief Mode is Coming This is an experimental feature not available everywhere. Settings > Alexa Voice Response (at the very bottom) Alexa Can Fart On Command Just say, "Alexa Fart." Yep, this should be a big hit with the kids. Taking Another Look At Alexa Routines Launch the Amazon Alexa app on your phone, tap the hamburger and select Routines. Routines can be triggered by a phrase, or set to turn on at a specific time (repeat options for multiple days are available).  Then you put in what you want her to do (so it's a big if this then that statement For me I say, "Alexa, kill the lights," and all of my smart lights go out and she tells me the weather (as I plan on using this when I get ready to leave). I did find I couldn't use it with things that she already had built in. For example, "Alexa, I'm outa here" already had a built-in response.  There are other ways I could do this. I could assign the lights to a room and ask her to turn of a room or scene. You can also have her tell you the traffic and news.  Alexa Owners Get a Discount on TuneIn Live Alexa customers in the U.S. TuneIn Live, as the premium live audio subscription is called, will offer play-by-play calls from thousands of live sporting events, plus access to premium news stations, talk shows and other content. The subscription content comes from TuneIn partners like MLB, NBA, NHL, and the NFL, as well as news stations like CNBC, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, Newsy, and others. he broader TuneIn service also pulls in content from over 120,000 owned and operated as well as partner radio stations, and 5.7 million on-demand programs The skill can be enabled on Alexa device with the command, “Alexa, open TuneIn Live.” TuneIn Live is available as of today, Major League Baseball’s 2018 Opening Day. This isn't the first time there has been a discount applied to Alexa users. The Amazon Music Unlimited Echo Plan lets Amazon Echo owners access all the benefits from Amazon’s on-demand music service on a single Echo device for $3.99 per month, instead of $7.99 per month for Prime members, or $9.99 per month for non-Prime members. When you open the skill, try asking Alexa: - Play the Yankees game - What games are on? - Listen to the Golden State Warriors - Turn on MSNBC Speaking of Discounts, there is a discounted version of Prime  Amazon announced this morning it will offer a low-cost version of its Prime membership program to qualifying recipients of Medicaid. The program will bring the cost of Prime down from the usual $10.99 per month to about half that, at $5.99 per month, while still offering the full range of Prime perks, including free, two-day shipping on millions of products, Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Photos, Prime Reading, Prime Now, Audible Channels, and more. The new program is an expansion on Amazon’s discounted Prime service for customers on government assistance, launched in June 2017. For the same price of $5.99 per month, Amazon offers Prime memberships to any U.S. customer with a valid EBT card – the card that’s used to disburse funds for assistance programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program (WIC).  

Michael Garfield
High Tech Texan - February 24, 2018

Michael Garfield

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2018 59:58


Michael breaks down the latest tech news and trends including: AT&T names Dallas among the first three cities to receive mobile 5G network; Amazon will start delivering groceries from Whole Foods via its two-hour Prime Now delivery service; Priceline changes it's name to Booking Holdings. What's the buzz about car subscription services?

eCommerce Minute
02.19.18: Amazon Delivers Whole Foods in 2 Hours

eCommerce Minute

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2018 5:15


Whole Foods fans, rejoice: Amazon's Prime Now service will start delivering your Whole Foods goodies in about 20 minutes. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ecommerceminute/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ecommerceminute/support

The Kindle Chronicles
TKC 497 My Father William and Grandson James

The Kindle Chronicles

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2018 44:59


My father William and grandson James Interview starts at 17:43 and ends at 42:24 “I've been writing a realistic fictional narrative for my class as an assignment. There are certain phrases in [Kindle] books that have been highlighted 300 times or a thousand times. I try to make my phrases be like those phrases, because I've gotten to know what are the powerful phrases that people are going to highlight.” News Amazon press release announcing Prime Now delivery from Whole Foods - February 8, 2018 “Amazon Finally Gets Serious About Whole Foods” by Phil Lempert at Forbes - February 8, 2018 “Amazon Prime to offer two-hour Whole Foods delivery” by The Associated Press at New York Post - February 8, 2018 “Amazon looks to put bookstore in Cherry Creek” by Thomas Gounley at BusinessDen - February 5, 2018 The Hermitage Bookshop in Denver “Amazon to Launch Delivery Service That Would Vie With FedEx, UPS” by Laura Stevens at The Wall Street Journal - February 9, 2018 “Amazon passes Samsung for 2nd place in worldwide tablet shipments” by Taylor Soper at GeekWire - February 5, 2018 Tech Tip Readwise recommended in Cool Tools Reading Basics, including View Your Reading Progress Interview with my father William and my grandson James Dad and James on TKC 413 in July, 2016 Number the Stars by Lois Lowry The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau Grant by Ron Chernow Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow Homecoming (The Tillerman Cycle Book 1) and Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt Tillerman Cycle Series by Cynthia Voigt (Goodreads) Content Monthly Kindle Deals Next Week's Show I will be reporting from the American Library Association midwinter meeting here in Denver on next week's show, which I will prepare in Cambridge, Mass. Music for my podcast is from an original Thelonius Monk composition named "Well, You Needn't." This version is "Ra-Monk" by Eval Manigat on the "Variations in Time: A Jazz Perspective" CD by Public Transit Recording" CD. Please Join the Kindle Chronicles group at Goodreads!

The Jason & Scot Show - E-Commerce And Retail News
EP116 - Industry News, Geek Week

The Jason & Scot Show - E-Commerce And Retail News

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2018 61:21


EP116 - Industry News, Geek Week   SuperBowl News Ad Coverage Amazon won the Superbowl Nike Launched a new sneaker direct to consumer.  Nike’s SNKRS site for new releases (who’s name I couldn’t remember during the recording, sorry Kevin). Amazon News SpaceX successfully launched it’s first Falcon heavy rocket, and recovered two of the boosters.  The photos and video of the Tesla in space were amazing.  And there appears to be a thawing of relations between Jeff Bezos and Elan Musk. Prime Now delivery from Whole Foods stores Expansion of FBA On-Site Amazon expands it’s airport plans from 900 acres, to 1100 acres The Spheres launched at HQ1 Private label continues to get traction especially premium denim “Hale and Denim Crush” Amazon Go store opened to the public Amazon is the largest spender on R&D, much larger than any other retailer Walmart News Walmart acquired Spatialand out of Store 8 for VR Capability JD.com Coming to US Walmart – Rakuten partnership ads digital books to Walmart.com Drug News Helena Foulkes becomes new CEO of HBC (from CVS) replacing Jerry Storch Deliv launched DelivRX home delivery pharmacy service Upcoming Events Etail west 2/26 – 3/1 Palm Desert Path to Purchase Summit – March 12-14 – Chicago IBM Think 3/19-22 Las Vegas ShopTalk 3/18-21 Las Vegas Adobe 3/25-3/29 Las Vegas NPD Idea 5/15-17 Austin SAP Sapphire June 5-7, Orlando Don’t forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 116 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Thursday, February 8th 2018. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason “Retailgeek” Goldberg, SVP Commerce & Content at SapientRazorfish, and Scot Wingo, Founder and Executive Chairman of Channel Advisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing.  

Colorado = Security Podcast
22 - 7/2/17 - Don Bailey, Founder & CEO at Lab Mouse Security

Colorado = Security Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2017 61:52


In this episode: Don Bailey of Lab Mouse Security was our featured guest. News from Boom Supersonic, TapInfluence leaving Colorado, Microsoft, ProtectWise, SecureSet, LogRhythm, Ping Identity and root9B. Full notes here: https://www.colorado-security.com/news/2017/6/30/22-73-show-notes Happy birthday 'Murica It's our nation's birthday! We hope you are grilling a hot dog, hanging at the pool in your flip flops as you listen to this episode. We kept it quick so you don't burn (on your shoulders or your grill) while you listen. Robb sat down with local security entrepreneur Don Bailey of Lab Mouse Security. Plus all kinds of great local news.  Sign up for our mailing list on the main site to receive weekly updates - https://www.colorado-security.com/. We're continually working to improve the show, and appreciate the feedback we get from our listeners. If you discover any audio issues, or have suggestions for our format, let us know. This week's episode is available on Soundcloud, iTunes and the Google Play store. Reach out with any questions or comments to info@colorado-security.com Feature interview: Don Bailey, founder and president of Lab Mouse Security, sat with Robb to talk about how he made his way from studying and playing music, to hacking phones and cars, to securing the Internet of Things. Don sheds some light on the Colorado security scene and where he sees the industry going. Find Don on Twitter. Local security news: The Denver Post tried Amazon’s Prime Now in Denver. Here’s what you need to know.  Ax throwing, Denver's latest bar game, is like darts but with axes Boom Supersonic unveils new airplane, sees aircraft orders increase sevenfold Tech firm TapInfluence moves headquarters to Silicon Valley Microsoft gives $25.8 million to expand Colorado workforce training program ProtectWise & sep2 announce channel partnership root9b tops the Cybersecurity 500 List again SecureSet adds Senator Mark Udall to its board LogRhythm Blog: Deploying Netmon freemium at home to monitor IoT Job Openings: Ping Identity - GRC Analyst SecureWorks - Senior Security Program Manager Swimlane - Technical Content Writer Vail Valley Medical Center - IT Security Analyst Amazon - Sr Security Engineer Oracle - Sr Security Analyst LogRhythm - Professional Services Consultant, Senior PS Consultant, & Manager of PS Salesforce - Manager - External Certifications, Sr. Analyst - External Certifications, Sr. Analyst - IT SOX Upcoming Events: This Week and Next: DenSec - Meetup - 7/3 CSA - July Meeting - 7/11 Denver ISSA - July Meetings - 7/11-12 COS ISSA - Chapter meetings - 7/12-13 Colorado Innovation and Technology Experience - 7/13-14 Other Notable Upcoming Events: COS ISSA - CISSP Exam Prep - 7/29 7th Annual Cyber Security Training & Technology Forum - 8/30-31 View our events page for a full list of upcoming events If you have any questions or comments, or any organizations or events we should highlight, contact Alex and Robb at info@colorado-security.com * Thanks to CJ Adams for our intro and exit! If you need any voiceover work, you can contact him here at carrrladams@gmail.com. Check out his other voice work here. * Intro and exit song: "The Language of Blame" by The Agrarians is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Colorado = Security Podcast
21 - 6/26/17 - Brad Feld, Founder of Foundry Group & Techstars

Colorado = Security Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2017 59:12


In this episode: Brad Feld is the feature interview this week. Brad is managing partner for Foundry Group, and co-founder of Techstars. News from Amazon, ID Watchdog, Sphero, Optiv, Ping Identity, and Swimlane. https://www.colorado-security.com/news/2017/6/24/21-626-show-notes Alex will never be lonely again The summer is in full swing, though the Denver weather hasn't quite been convinced to get with the program. Tech hiring is up in Denver in 2017, a Denver identity theft company gets acquired for a big price tag, Optiv and Ping have some big announcements this week, Swimlane gives a nice tutorial on what security automation is (and why you need). Finally, a local toy maker has spun off a personal robot company; Alex will never be lonely again. Sign up for our mailing list on the main site to receive weekly updates - https://www.colorado-security.com/. We're continually working to improve the show, and appreciate the feedback we get from our listeners. If you discover any audio issues, or have suggestions for our format, let us know. This week's episode is available on Soundcloud, iTunes and the Google Play store. Reach out with any questions or comments to info@colorado-security.com Feature interview: Brad Feld, co-founder at Techstars and managing partner at Foundry Group, has brought Boulder, and all of Colorado, into the Venture Capital world. Robb was lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit with Brad to discuss how he ended up in Boulder, what accomplishment Brad is most proud of, and where he sees technology (and security) going in the future.  Local security news: The Denver Post tried Amazon’s Prime Now in Denver. Here’s what you need to know.  Sphero, Boulder toy maker, spins off personal robot company Denver IT hiring expected to increase in second half of 2017 ID Watchdog, Denver based identity theft company, bought for $63m Optiv Security Announces Two New Offerings to Help Organizations Build Identity Centric Security Programs Ping Identity Extends Microsoft Azure Active Directory, Delivering Secure Access to All On-Premises Enterprise Applications Ping makes their MFA product super customizable with an SDK Swimlane Blog: What is Security Automation and Do You Need It? Randall Frietzsche CISO at Denver Health Job Openings: Optiv - Executive Director-Executive Solutions-oCISO DISH Networks - Sr. Security Engineer Premier Members Credit Union - Info Security Analyst Western Union - IT Project Manager (Information Security) BP - Security Architect West Corporation - Senior Divisional Information Security Risk Analyst Ping Identity - GRC Analyst Upcoming Events: This Week and Next: ISSA Denver WIS - 6/27 (new location - Denver Field House) Cyber Security World - 6/28-29 Evanta - 2017 CISO Executive Summit - 6/29 SecureSet - Cybersecurity Career Trends - 6/29 SecureSet - Open House at new location - 6/29 DenSec - Meetup - 7/3 Other Notable Upcoming Events: COS ISSA - CISSP Exam Prep - 7/29 7th Annual Cyber Security Training & Technology Forum - 8/30-31 View our events page for a full list of upcoming events If you have any questions or comments, or any organizations or events we should highlight, contact Alex and Robb at info@colorado-security.com * Thanks to CJ Adams for our intro and exit! If you need any voiceover work, you can contact him here at carrrladams@gmail.com. Check out his other voice work here. * Intro and exit song: "The Language of Blame" by The Agrarians is licensed under CC BY 2.0

República Web
La web de Mercadona es una mierda ¿y ahora qué? | Episodio 54

República Web

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2017 16:21


Juan Roig reconoció abiertamente que su web de venta online es una "mierda" y que sus clientes merecen algo mejor. A pesar de que Mercadona es el líder indiscutible en la distribución en España, no ha sabido impulsar el comercio electrónico. Juan Roig se lamentaba de que no han sabido hacerlo pero que van a poner los medios necesarios para recuperar el terreno frente a competidores tan potentes como Amazon. Para competir en esto del super online Mercadona va a tener que hacer algo más que tener una web funcional y atractiva. Hace falta una estrategia ganadora en internet, con un cambio de organización, similar a las empresas 100% digitales. La compra de supermercado en España está muy verde no solo para empresas como Mercadona. El auge de la venta online en productos frescos ya comienza a ser una realidad y las grandes distribuidoras están tomando posiciones, especialmente desde que Amazon ha reforzado su actividad con Dash y Prime Now. Enlace al artículo de Eduardo Manchón, Comprar en el super online es una mierda. Una propuesta para Mercadona. https://eduardomanchon.com/comprar-en-el-super-online-es-una-mierda-una-propuesta-para-mercadona-badef1b71809 Muchas gracias por escuchar el episodio y por vuestras aportaciones. https://republicaweb.es

República Web
La web de Mercadona es una mierda ¿y ahora qué? | Episodio 54

República Web

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2017 16:21


Juan Roig reconoció abiertamente que su web de venta online es una "mierda" y que sus clientes merecen algo mejor. A pesar de que Mercadona es el líder indiscutible en la distribución en España, no ha sabido impulsar el comercio electrónico. Juan Roig se lamentaba de que no han sabido hacerlo pero que van a poner los medios necesarios para recuperar el terreno frente a competidores tan potentes como Amazon. Para competir en esto del super online Mercadona va a tener que hacer algo más que tener una web funcional y atractiva. Hace falta una estrategia ganadora en internet, con un cambio de organización, similar a las empresas 100% digitales. La compra de supermercado en España está muy verde no solo para empresas como Mercadona. El auge de la venta online en productos frescos ya comienza a ser una realidad y las grandes distribuidoras están tomando posiciones, especialmente desde que Amazon ha reforzado su actividad con Dash y Prime Now. Enlace al artículo de Eduardo Manchón, Comprar en el super online es una mierda. Una propuesta para Mercadona. https://eduardomanchon.com/comprar-en-el-super-online-es-una-mierda-una-propuesta-para-mercadona-badef1b71809 Muchas gracias por escuchar el episodio y por vuestras aportaciones. https://republicaweb.es

Sorgatron Media Master Feed
AwesomeCast 341: Angry iPhone

Sorgatron Media Master Feed

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2017 59:09


We’ve got our usual gadget hounds Sorg, Chilla, and Katie on for AwesomeCast 341. We also have a special guest in studio. Andy Quayle of Tubu Internet Solutions joins us to talk about what he’s been up to, and some fun things in tech. This week we’re talking about awesome things in technology, including: Katie is saying screw traffic this week with her Awesome Thing of the Week the Hum Rider. Chilla and his dongles. Want to charge your phone and play audio? He’s telling us how. Of course we expect Andy to have an Awesome Thing of the Week – he’s sharing some thoughts on the Echo. Sorg is still having fun with his Raspberry Pi and Retro Pie. Katie is excited that Kennywood has a comicon coming up! Chilla (and Amanda) are giving us our App of the Week this week – Apple Clips. Dear developers – if you give us apps that make our lives easier, we will use them. (Are we getting Final Cut on an iPad? fingers crossed) Brandon shared a bunch of content this week. Nintendo Switch may be supporting cloud save options. Chilla is letting us in on the quiet release by Apple – including a new iPad… New Apple Watch bands have been announced! O’Reilly Auto Parts gets geeks (and marketing). Go to their site and enter “121G” in the parts search. (Via Amanda) Who’s played with Alexa on their phones? We’re having some fun. Alexa places the largest, most expensive items when you tell her to get you things. Speaking of Alexa – you can also order alcohol…to be delivered within 2 hours with Prime Now. Katie can now learn to play the ukulele thanks to Indie Go Go. After the show remember to: Eat at Slice on Broadway (@Pgh_Slice) if you are in the Pittsburgh area! It is Awesome! (sliceonbroadway.com) Follow these awesome people on Twitter: Mike Sorg (@Sorgatron), Katie Dudas (@Kdudders), John Chichilla (@chilla) and Andy Quayle (@techburgh). Have you seen our AwesomeTips videos? You can support the show at Patreon.com/awesomecast! Remember to check out our friends at River’s Edge (@RiversEdgePGH) – and our replay over there! Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.net for more entertainment; and view us livestreaming Tuesdays around 7:00 PM EST!

AwesomeCast: Tech and Gadget Talk
Angry iPhone | AwesomeCast 341

AwesomeCast: Tech and Gadget Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2017 59:09


We’ve got our usual gadget hounds Sorg, Chilla, and Katie on for AwesomeCast 341. We also have a special guest in studio. Andy Quayle of Tubu Internet Solutions joins us to talk about what he’s been up to, and some fun things in tech. This week we’re talking about awesome things in technology, including: Katie is saying screw traffic this week with her Awesome Thing of the Week the Hum Rider. Chilla and his dongles. Want to charge your phone and play audio? He’s telling us how. Of course we expect Andy to have an Awesome Thing of the Week – he’s sharing some thoughts on the Echo. Sorg is still having fun with his Raspberry Pi and Retro Pie. Katie is excited that Kennywood has a comicon coming up! Chilla (and Amanda) are giving us our App of the Week this week – Apple Clips. Dear developers – if you give us apps that make our lives easier, we will use them. (Are we getting Final Cut on an iPad? fingers crossed) Brandon shared a bunch of content this week. Nintendo Switch may be supporting cloud save options. Chilla is letting us in on the quiet release by Apple – including a new iPad… New Apple Watch bands have been announced! O’Reilly Auto Parts gets geeks (and marketing). Go to their site and enter “121G” in the parts search. (Via Amanda) Who’s played with Alexa on their phones? We’re having some fun. Alexa places the largest, most expensive items when you tell her to get you things. Speaking of Alexa – you can also order alcohol…to be delivered within 2 hours with Prime Now. Katie can now learn to play the ukulele thanks to Indie Go Go. After the show remember to: Eat at Slice on Broadway (@Pgh_Slice) if you are in the Pittsburgh area! It is Awesome! (sliceonbroadway.com) Follow these awesome people on Twitter: Mike Sorg (@Sorgatron), Katie Dudas (@Kdudders), John Chichilla (@chilla) and Andy Quayle (@techburgh). Have you seen our AwesomeTips videos? You can support the show at Patreon.com/awesomecast! Remember to check out our friends at River’s Edge (@RiversEdgePGH) – and our replay over there! Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.net for more entertainment; and view us livestreaming Tuesdays around 7:00 PM EST!

backspace.fm
T-side #001:ラスト1マイル問題を考える

backspace.fm

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2017 128:05


このページをウェブブラウザで見る: リンク Tokyoをベースにした社会派トークの「T-side」がスタート! 今回はまじめにまじめに、昨今話題になっていて散財民にとってもなくてはならない「物流」問題を掘り起こし、語っていきます。 backspace.fm ML入会フォーム SoundCloudで再生 Podcastを購読 今日のネタ 国土交通省発表資料 平成27年度 宅配便取扱実績について 2017/02/24ECノミカタ 書籍ネット通販県1位は京都、家電ネット通販県1位は【JADMA調べ】 2016/12/16 佐川急便の配達員が荷物をブン投げる動画、同社が事実と認める 2017/1/8日経 ヤマトHD、一転減益 宅配増え人件費かさむ 16年4~12月営業 2017/1/31日経 瀬戸際の物流 「このままではパンク」 2017/2/23日経 ヤマト、宅配総量抑制へ 人手不足受け労使で交渉 2017/2/27東洋経済 ヤマトさえ耐えきれない「EC豊作貧乏」の苦悩 2017/3/1日経 ヤマト、「正午~14時」指定廃止検討 人手不足で 2014/12/19 Amazon、ニューヨークにて1時間ないし2時間で商品を配送するPrime Nowをスタート 2015/11/19 Amazon「Prime now」日本でスタート 早朝から深夜まで注文から1時間以内に配達 アマゾン、輸送事業でUPSやフェデックスと対抗へ - WSJ 2014/10/17 ビックカメラ、30分で配送する「ビック超速便」を全店に導入 2015/8/27 楽天 即時配送サービス「楽びん!」が本格始動 2016/3/30 楽天、最短20分配送の「楽びん!」にて医薬品の取り扱いを開始 2016/9/15『ヨドバシエクストリーム』即配サービス本日開始、通販購入品を最短2時間30分で無料配達。東京23区と一部の市から 2016/8/23 イケア/2017年8月末までに日本国内でネット通販を開始 2017/2/6 ドンキも注文から1時間以内に配達 会員向け「Premium Now」スタート UberEATS、東京で開始! - Uber Newsroom 2015/5/9 Amazonのドローンはユーザーの位置情報を元に荷物を直接受取人に届けるようになる Amazonのドローン配送、始まる 2016/12/24 米国セブンイレブン:Amazon、Googleよりも先に米国でドローン配送 2015/9/30 Amazonの配送を個人で代わりに行うとお金がもらえる「Amazon Flex」開始 2016/3/23 これぞ未来のデリバリー!ドミノ・ピザが世界初の自動運転宅配ロボット・DRUを公開 2017/2/12「Amazon Go」なら大型スーパーでも最低3人で運営できるらしい… 2017/2/24「宅配ボックス実証実験」中間報告:時事ドットコム 2017/2/28 宅配ロッカー、街中に続々 留守→再配達の負担軽減狙い DeNAとヤマト運輸が自動運転を活用した次世代物流サービスの開発に向けた「ロボネコヤマト」プロジェクトを始動 - ヤマトホールディングス DeNA、自動運転で日産と協業 ZMPとの提携は解消 2017/2/24「宅配ボックス実証実験」中間報告:時事ドットコム 2017/2/28 宅配ロッカー、街中に続々 留守→再配達の負担軽減狙い [自作宅配ボックスで不在票をなくそう - ひざかけちゃーはん](http://friedrice.fool.jp/?p=954%20%E8%87%AA%E4%BD%9C%E5%AE%85%E9%85%8D%E3%83%9C%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9%E3%81%A7%E4%B8%8D%E5%9C%A8%E7%A5%A8%E3%82%92%E3%81%AA%E3%81%8F%E3%81%9D%E3%81%86%20 %20%E3%81%B2%E3%81%96%E3%81%8B%E3%81%91%E3%81%A1%E3%82%83%E3%83%BC%E3%81%AF%E3%82%93) 今週の機材 松尾 SHURE SM10A-CN ヘッドウォーン型ダイナミックマイクロフォン YAMAHA コンピューターレコーディングシステム AUDIOGRAM6

CafeteRoot
1x09 Prime Now y atención al Cliente

CafeteRoot

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2017 17:48


Te hablo de un problema que tuve con Prime Now y la atención al cliente que tuve.

CafeteRoot
1x09 Prime Now y atención al Cliente

CafeteRoot

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2017 17:48


Te hablo de un problema que tuve con Prime Now y la atención al cliente que tuve.

TrybCast
Episode 003: Greased up buff guys

TrybCast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2016 80:46


Reddit: /r/RedditTryHard Twitter: @trybcast Our gaming clan: reddittryhard.com/join Jeff @dmbuddy Tom @scnoi1217 Jake @jakebathman Ocean @OriginalHavoc95 Rate us on iTunes Christmas plans Tom’s Slang Corner Dead ass: To be completely and honestly serious. Ocean’s Chipotle order for Jake: Burrito with: White rice Little bit of black beans Half chicken, half chorizo Sour cream Cheese Guacamole Lettuce Hot salsa Brozart makes neat stuff on Etsy Amazon Prime Air Yes, it’s autonomous Prime Now (2 hour delivery): Red Bull dash button Amazon Go Apple Commercial: Frankie's Holiday Guilty pleasure movies Fast & Furious 8 trailer Movies from video games Assassins Creed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfJVoF5ko1Y Super Mario Bros https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtMZKYnLg5c Outro

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
Podcast #767: What we're thankful for '16

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2016 35:56


What we're thankful for '16 Each year at this time of year we do a show where we discuss what we are thankful for. There are the obvious things to be thankful for like our families, especially our wives who put up with our home theater obsessions. And of course we are thankful for you, the listener/reader of our show. So as is tradition over the last many Thanksgivings, on today's show we give you our list of consumer electronics things we are thankful for. For 2016: Ara's List: Cord Cutters - It's is because of cord cutters that new TV services like Sling, Playstation Vue, and the upcoming DirecTV streaming services are hitting the streets. These providers know that there are a lot of people that are tired of paying through the nose for channels they barely watch. With devices like the Roku, FireTV, and AppleTV these services have a platform to easily get into your living room. It's because of cord cutters that these services even exists. If we get a few more look for cable and satellite fees to get even lower. Internet of Things - So what is the Internet of things (IoT)? It's the concept that anything with power is connected to the network. Some may find this creepy but I like getting into my car and having it tell me how long ith will take to get to work or  home. If your calendar is connected it would know you are going to the Airport for a flight and tell you that you need to leave the office early because there is traffic on the freeway. Or if you are driving home from a vacation it would automatically turn your air conditioner on. And that's just the beginning. There are so many things being developed now that we can't even fathom the possibilities. The whole purpose is to make our lives easier which should give us more time to do things we love.   4K/HDR/Wide Color Gamut - As if I need a reason to buy a new TV??? But the TVs of today are so much better than just a few years ago. Not so much the 4K part but the HDR and wider color gamut makes watching TV almost like looking out a very clean window. The studios are still learning how to create content that makes use of this technology but once they get it figured out it will incredible. Plex - This is the year I dove deep into the Plex swimming pool. Available on just about any device you carry or can connect to a TV, Plex allows you to watch your movie library on your local network or anywhere that has decent Internet connectivity. It's much more than movies too! Plex supports music and there is a DVR function if you have and HD Homerun. They keep improving the software so what's not to be thankful for?? We'll be watching our movies while we are visiting family for Thanksgiving. HomeKit - HomeKit is Apple's proprietary software and hardware smart-home platform, letting you control many of the most popular smart-home devices, including lights, switches, door locks, and thermostats. It started out being a concept with little support but now there are dozens of devices from different companies that all play well together. The Apple Home app is a solid piece of software that ties it all together. It decent now and will only get better. If you have an iPhone and an AppleTV I would highly recommend that Apple Homekit is a great way to get into home automation.   Braden's List: Tivo - In years past I've been thankful for the Hopper from Dish. and yes, it is still an awesome DVR and whole house video system.  Still love it. But I have a new love that I love even more, and that's my Tivo system with a Bolt and multiple Minis. Not only does Tivo have the most feature rich DVR  on the market, it also cut my monthly cable bill by almost two thirds. Save money and get a better DVR? That's a sweet deal. Power over Ethernet - Sure, this seems kinda old school, but PoE is pretty awesome. For whole house entertainment, especially video, Wifi is great, but wired Ethernet is better.  And since some devices (we're looking at you Tivo Mini) don't support Wifi, you either need a cable connection or a wired Ethernet connection where you want to install a Mini.  Don't have either?  No problem, Power over Ethernet to the rescue. Early versions may not have cut it, but today's PoE devices more than fit the bill. Amazon Prime Now - Ok, this is a repeat from last year. But before you judge me on the lack of creativity, Prime Now has come thru for me repeatedly this year and I couldn't be more thankful. Certainly first world problems, but I needed (ok, need may be the wrong word, definite first world problems) needed to get a TV installed quickly for the kids. Got the TV, Tivo Mini and PoE adapters delivered to the house in two hours. Amazon smiles all around. UHD / 4K - This applies both to the television screens and the content you can get from Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.  Not that the 1080p TVs and content we had before, actually still mostly have now, were bad by any stretch, but I'm just thankful we've moved past the 3D obsession. This could have been anything, from smell-o-vision to a new trend of just watching static on the screen to try to see patterns emerge. Doesn't matter. As long as the whole 3D nonsense is behind us. Automation devices - This is completely me being thankful for devices that enable my laziness. For example, this year I added an automated sprinkler controller.  It took about an hour to get it installed and configured, but after that I haven't touched it. I log in periodically to check on things, but it automatically adjust watering days, times and amounts based on weather conditions. Set it and forget it. Just like many of us have done with automating our lights to come on at dusk, etc. Ultimate laziness realized.  

Ruminate Podcast
25 - 168 Packets of Cat Food

Ruminate Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2016 54:44


Prime Day and Prime Now, Planet of the Apps, Pokémon Go, Twitter verified, and Pub Hack 5. Robb Lewis ⚡ on Twitter: "Sorting out my PS2 games.

The Jason & Scot Show - E-Commerce And Retail News
EP037 - Amazon Prime Day Recap

The Jason & Scot Show - E-Commerce And Retail News

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2016 51:35


EP037 - Amazon Prime Day Recap Amazon held it's second annual Prime Day on July 12th 2016. Scot and I break-down the good, the bad, and the ugly from this Amazon invented shopping holiday. Amazon claimed it was it's biggest day ever (but was a bit vague about what that meant). Amazon claimed US orders were up 50% this year over last year (up 60% internationally). Last year Amazon said they sold $400M on PrimeDay deals, so assuming a similar AOV this year, that's $600M in sales. Third party sales on Amazon were up 30%, reflecting the fact that it was still difficult for third parties to get in on the prime deals act. Amazon did particularly well selling it's own hardware, such as the Kindle and Echo. There were some early technical problems for some users, prompting the #Primefail hashtag. Amazon didn't disclose numbers, but Prime Day was probably a major driver of new Prime subscriptions. Expect Amazon to promote all the other prime benefits hard over the next month (shipping deals, prime exclusives, music, video content, Prime Now, etc...) to help retain those new Prime members. Several other retailers tried to piggy back on the Prime Day by offering their own "Black Friday in July" sales. Some evidence suggests that it was a higher volume than normal day for many other retailers. Amazon is also eliminating many list (or MSRP) prices from it's site. A number of articles suggest that Amazon may be doing this to enable it to raise it's own pricing, but that's almost certainly NOT what Amazon is doing. More likely they are eliminating list prices in categories where sellers have artificially inflated list price, and to help Amazon avoid deceptive pricing practice law suits. Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 37 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Wednesday, July 13th, 2016. http://retailgeek.com/podcast Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, SVP Commerce & Content at Razorfish, and Scot Wingo, Founder and Executive Chairman of Channel Advisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing.

Supply Chain Radio
Amazon The Disruptor

Supply Chain Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2016 6:16


With innovations like Dash and Prime Now, Amazon is reinventing retail fulfillment. But its upheavals go deeper. Amazon is looking at logistics end-to-end, and is poised to redefine infrastructure that has been in place for decades.

Land Academy Show
So You Ran Out of Cash to Buy Land (CFFL 0205)

Land Academy Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2016 26:12


So You Ran Out of Cash to Buy Land Jack Butala: So You Ran Out of Cash to Buy Land. Every Single month we give away a property for free. It's super simple to qualify. Two simple steps. Leave us your feedback for this podcast on iTunes and number two, get the free ebook at landacademy.com, you don't even have to read it. Thanks for listening. Jack Butala: Jack Butala for Land Academy. Welcome to our Cash Flow from Land show. We show you how to buy property for half of what it's worth and resell it the very next day, if not sooner. Great information and instruction from me, Jack. Jill DeWit: Inspiration from Jill, that's me. Jack Butala: In this episode, Jill and I talk about "Hey, so you ran out of cash to buy land, what do you do next?" Jill, a great show today; it happens to us even now. Before we start, let's hear some funny stuff that happened to us recently. Jill DeWit: I have just realized that if there was an Amazon gold card, I would have one. Jack Butala: I agree. Jill DeWit: Do you know how many frequent shopper miles or points I could have racked up on Amazon right now? I mean, it's like staggering. The equipment that we buy- Jack Butala: Our number three kid said this to me recently: "Do you think there'll be stores like in ten years?" I said, "You know what, no."- Jill DeWit: That's funny. Jack Butala: I think there'll be showrooms. Like you ... there'll be showrooms. Jill DeWit: Right. Just to go see it before you go home and buy it. Because that's really what happens- Jack Butala: Then they deliver it to you from some central warehouse. You know who does that is the place, the furniture place that we just went to recently- Jill DeWit: Living Spaces- Jack Butala: To furnish the Los Angeles thing. Jill DeWit: Yeah, I'm pretty impressed with that operation- Jack Butala: I am too. Jill DeWit: I've got to say, that was my first time walking in one- Jack Butala: I agree. Jill DeWit: I see their commercials on the car; I'm going to walk in there and just see. Hey, for a lot of people, they're priced perfectly and they can deliver even same day. I'm like, "What the heck?" Isn't that the funniest thing? Jack Butala: I love that whole; I mean then you don't have to carry anything out and they're delivering it to your house so. I have not brought groceries on Amazon yet, have you? Jill DeWit: Oh, we're about to. Jack Butala: I mean, there's no reason not to. Jill DeWit: Oh, yeah. Well, I love it, this Prime Now thing I've got it all set up for California and I'm going to do it there because for you and me, it's easier just to have it delivered out there. Jack Butala: I couldn't agree more. Jill DeWit: It's awesome. Jack Butala: For anybody. Jill DeWit: Oh, it's true. Jack Butala: Well, I wonder how it works in a super rural market. I mean, they can't deliver everywhere, right? Jill DeWit: Well, that's part of it. You know where we are is a condensed area- Jack Butala: Right. Jill DeWit: At the beach and it's just so much easier to do that and I just don't want to drive. That's reality of it; I can get more delivered than I can put in my basket. Jack Butala: I just think this day and age, there's so many other ways, productive ways to spend your time versus shopping. I get the retail therapy that some women have named Jill; they have that- Jill DeWit: What the hell? Jack Butala: I get that. You love to shop, I hate to mention it- Jill DeWit: No, but you know it depends on what it is, to be honest with you. Like grocery shopping, hate it- Jack Butala: Ah, okay- Jill DeWit: Those who hate it, but if I'm going to go like hmm ... I need a- Jack Butala: Like mall shopping- Jill DeWit: Like a purse- Jack Butala: Yeah, that could take hours-

Land Academy Show
So You Ran Out of Cash to Buy Land (CFFL 0205)

Land Academy Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2016 26:12


So You Ran Out of Cash to Buy Land Jack Butala: So You Ran Out of Cash to Buy Land. Every Single month we give away a property for free. It's super simple to qualify. Two simple steps. Leave us your feedback for this podcast on iTunes and number two, get the free ebook at landacademy.com, you don't even have to read it. Thanks for listening. Jack Butala: Jack Butala for Land Academy. Welcome to our Cash Flow from Land show. We show you how to buy property for half of what it's worth and resell it the very next day, if not sooner. Great information and instruction from me, Jack. Jill DeWit: Inspiration from Jill, that's me. Jack Butala: In this episode, Jill and I talk about "Hey, so you ran out of cash to buy land, what do you do next?" Jill, a great show today; it happens to us even now. Before we start, let's hear some funny stuff that happened to us recently. Jill DeWit: I have just realized that if there was an Amazon gold card, I would have one. Jack Butala: I agree. Jill DeWit: Do you know how many frequent shopper miles or points I could have racked up on Amazon right now? I mean, it's like staggering. The equipment that we buy- Jack Butala: Our number three kid said this to me recently: "Do you think there'll be stores like in ten years?" I said, "You know what, no."- Jill DeWit: That's funny. Jack Butala: I think there'll be showrooms. Like you ... there'll be showrooms. Jill DeWit: Right. Just to go see it before you go home and buy it. Because that's really what happens- Jack Butala: Then they deliver it to you from some central warehouse. You know who does that is the place, the furniture place that we just went to recently- Jill DeWit: Living Spaces- Jack Butala: To furnish the Los Angeles thing. Jill DeWit: Yeah, I'm pretty impressed with that operation- Jack Butala: I am too. Jill DeWit: I've got to say, that was my first time walking in one- Jack Butala: I agree. Jill DeWit: I see their commercials on the car; I'm going to walk in there and just see. Hey, for a lot of people, they're priced perfectly and they can deliver even same day. I'm like, "What the heck?" Isn't that the funniest thing? Jack Butala: I love that whole; I mean then you don't have to carry anything out and they're delivering it to your house so. I have not brought groceries on Amazon yet, have you? Jill DeWit: Oh, we're about to. Jack Butala: I mean, there's no reason not to. Jill DeWit: Oh, yeah. Well, I love it, this Prime Now thing I've got it all set up for California and I'm going to do it there because for you and me, it's easier just to have it delivered out there. Jack Butala: I couldn't agree more. Jill DeWit: It's awesome. Jack Butala: For anybody. Jill DeWit: Oh, it's true. Jack Butala: Well, I wonder how it works in a super rural market. I mean, they can't deliver everywhere, right? Jill DeWit: Well, that's part of it. You know where we are is a condensed area- Jack Butala: Right. Jill DeWit: At the beach and it's just so much easier to do that and I just don't want to drive. That's reality of it; I can get more delivered than I can put in my basket. Jack Butala: I just think this day and age, there's so many other ways, productive ways to spend your time versus shopping. I get the retail therapy that some women have named Jill; they have that- Jill DeWit: What the hell? Jack Butala: I get that. You love to shop, I hate to mention it- Jill DeWit: No, but you know it depends on what it is, to be honest with you. Like grocery shopping, hate it- Jack Butala: Ah, okay- Jill DeWit: Those who hate it, but if I'm going to go like hmm ... I need a- Jack Butala: Like mall shopping- Jill DeWit: Like a purse- Jack Butala: Yeah, that could take hours-

Beyond The Routine
Are we Talking Butt Stuff

Beyond The Routine

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2016


Itâ??s Cinco De Mayo!!! Amazon launches a standalone Prime Now website and Dave yearns for it to be in Utah. Tesla Model 3 delivers on a wish to have ludicrous option. SpaceX has an awesome entry rocket that will prevent us from bombing the aliens with our payload. Better act fast as the free windows 10 is running out. May Collectors Chest update. Dubai wants to build a mountain to control the weather. Smelling farts keeps you healthy. If youâ??re arrested for drugs letâ??s hope people stop texting you. Reddit loves to evoke Hitler. Driverless cars will bring forth the golden age of sexy time while driving. Sonic gets and award. And More!!

The Jason & Scot Show - E-Commerce And Retail News
EP021 - Local SEO, Amazon Shareholder Letter and eBay Seller Release

The Jason & Scot Show - E-Commerce And Retail News

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2016 50:31


EP021 - Local SEO, Amazon Shareholder Letter and eBay Seller Release   ChannelAdvisor March Same Store Sales Data:It was another good month for Google with Google Shopping/Product Listing Ads showing strong growth at 41.8%, which seems to have come at the expense of eBay which was flat. Scot has noticed very aggressive placement of PLAs and a number of experiments with new ad units, such as a new 12 pack PLA. Amazon News: Prime Now is coming to Web – Something we suggested should happen in Episode 18. Amazon Adding External Payment Partner program Amazon Acquires Image Analysis Startup Orbeus 2015 Amazon Shareholder Letter is out (and is a must read).  This year, Amazon became the fastest company ever to reach $100 billion in annual sales. Also this year, Amazon Web Services is reaching $10 billion in annual sales. Prime Now took only 111 days to launch it’s first market from the inception of the idea. eBay announced their first Seller Release of the year – Spring 2016 seller release Upcoming events: Catalyst (April 11-13) in Las Vegas – Jason will be presenting. Magento Imagine (April 11-13) also in Las Vegas Facebook F8 – April 12/13 Shoptalk May 15-18 Google I/O – May 18 Episode 21 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Wednesday, April 6th, 2016. http://retailgeek.com/podcast Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, SVP Commerce & Content at Razorfish, and Scot Wingo, Founder and Executive Chairman of Channel Advisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing.

The Jason & Scot Show - E-Commerce And Retail News
EP015 - eBags Peter Cobb, Co-Founder

The Jason & Scot Show - E-Commerce And Retail News

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2016 52:01


EP015 - eBags co-founder Peter Cobb, Google SERPs and Amazon Peter Cobb, co-founder of eBags and e-commerce pioneer shares his insight and learnings from 17 years of growing a profitable pure-play e-commerce site Our discussion includes, the founding of ebags, shop.org, the future of pure-plays e-commerce sites, brands going direct, private label and the evolution of mobile. Google has made changes to it's SERPs which will effect many e-commerce sites. Amazon opened it's 11 fulfillment center in the UK / Amazon increased FBA prices Amazon raises shipping threshold for non-prime to $49 Amazon private label apparel is already live (Franklin & Freeman, Franklin Tailored, James & Erin, Lark & Ro, North Eleven, Scout + Ro and Society New York) http://retailgeek.com/podcast Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, SVP Commerce & Content at Razorfish, and Scot Wingo, Founder and Executive Chairman of Channel Advisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Full Transcript: Announcer: Welcome to the Jason and Scot Show, your source for the latest news and trends in the ecommerce industry, featuring host Jason Retail Geek Goldberg, SVP of Commerce at Razorfish, and Scot Wingo, founder and Executive Chairman of Channel Advisor.     Here is Jason and Scot.   Jason Goldberg: Welcome to the Jason and Scot Show! This is episode 15, being recorded on February 23rd, 2016. I'm your host, Jason Retail Geek Goldberg, and as always, I'm here with your cohost, Scot Wingo.   Scot Wingo: Hey Jason, how are you doing?   Jason Goldberg: I am doing terrific. I am out here in beautiful Palm Desert for the eTail West trade show.   Scot Wingo: Awesome! I could not make it. We have a lot of folks at Channel Advisor out there. Give me some highlights.   Jason Goldberg: Yeah. A bunch of interesting speakers. The CEO from Barnes and Noble, CEO from US Auto, there's a great presentation from Lane Bryant. One trend that we've talked about a little bit on this show that kind of rubbed me the wrong way is always the case in these shows. There's a lot of conversation about Amazon as the great enemy and how folks can compete with Amazon. There's guys up on stage suggesting that we all move off of AWS, because that's somehow going to make them less competitive with us.     Frankly, I felt like I heard from multiple CEOs at this show that tried to put Amazon in this pigeonhole of primarily being a dominant price competitor and their only competitive advantage is price. Therefore, their solution to competing with Amazon is to compete on customer experience or customer satisfaction or curation, or all these other things. As I'm hearing those things, I want to throw something at the stage because I feel like that's way oversimplifying how significant a competitor Amazon is. I feel like they're excellent at a lot of categories of business that the CEOs are taking for granted.   Scot Wingo: Yeah. Yeah, I run into that a lot. A lot of people feel like, sure, Amazon does compete on price, but what about the shipping infrastructure? The other one I don't think people bring up enough is selection. Amazon has over 400 million items available. I would challenge any of those CEOs to kind of think about that, and how do you deal with that level of selection, because if you want it, pretty much Amazon's going to have it.   Jason Goldberg: Yep. Frankly, I don't think they do exclusively compete on price. I think they're very strategic about price, and they compete on price when it's in their economic interest to do so. They recapture margin when the opportunity presents itself, and I think we have a couple news items this week that sort of highlight that.   Scot Wingo: Yeah, absolutely. What else is new at eTail?   Jason Goldberg: One thing I did want to mention, not necessarily eTail news, getting a bunch of buzz this week is that Google has made some pretty fundamental changes to the search results. This will probably not come as a surprise to any of our listeners, but Google is still a very significant source of traffic to most ecommerce sites. Most ecommerce sites are getting in the ... Mid-20% of all their revenue is coming from organic search results in Google.     This week, they announced that they would stop showing ads on the right hand side of the search results. Superficially, you'd read that and go, "Oh, they're decluttering the page, they already didn't have ads on their mobile page. That's not necessarily a bad thing." By the way, we're also going to add a fourth ad on top of the search results for highly commercial terms. Traditionally, they would put up to three ads on top, and then they'd put a few ads beside. Now what they're saying is, they'll have three or four ads on top, they'll have no traditional pay-per-click ads on the side, but they will still have the Google product listing ads, which we've talked about on the show are kind of the fundamental ads unit of ecommerce.     You add all that up, and essentially what they're saying is, "We're adding more ads and we're making them more prominent on the page," and on many popular browser resolutions, four ads on top means you actually won't see an organic result above the fold. This is potentially alarming news for some folks that rely on organic traffic. I'm not sure it's an earth-changing thing in and of itself, but it's definitely something to be aware of.     The one-two punch is that Google also gave us a hint last week that they really don't like cluttering up the search results with too many what we call "rich snippets." Rich snippets are another super important feature to ecommerce sites. That's the visual stars that you might see on a product result that shows you what your rating is or pricing information or inventory information. Some of these extra pieces of information that you can embed in your product detail pages and then Google shows in the search results, when those extra bits of information show up, the click-through rate on that search result is much higher, so ecommerce sites are really careful to take advantage of all those rich snip features. Google has always decided how frequently to show it. It seems like they're turning down the amount of rich snippets they show quite a bit.     Most alarmingly, the review, the number of stars, has disappeared off a very significant number of organic search results in Google. Some people are frankly speculating that it's a mistake or a bug, and that Google didn't intend to be so drastic, because it is so prominent, but at the moment, the organic search results are getting pushed further down the page and the rich snippets are coming off of the page, which means that a lot of ecommerce sites are going to see a meaningful decrease in their organic search traffic.   Scot Wingo: Just so listeners understand, how much do you think this really kind of is going to impact? Because we've kind of crossed over the 50% mobile. Mobile didn't already have, doesn't do four ads to the right. Is it more just the snippets will be on mobile?   Jason Goldberg: Yep. The snippets absolutely fit both. The rating snippets are huge. Traditionally, you'd see, like, 70% of all the click-through are going to be on that first organic result, and then it exponentially goes down after each additional result. If the second result has rich snippets and the first result doesn't, the second result can actually get more click-through than the first. That's a significant driver of click-through, and if they're going to permanently turn off those stars, that's going to be a game changer, especially for sites that really rely on organic traffic. The site you immediately think of that this would have a prominent derogatory effect on is someone like an eBay.   Scot Wingo: Yeah. Yeah, they've been in this kind of battle with eBay for a while, so it would not surprise me.     I know you always love to hear Amazon news, so I have a couple things there to share. If you're Retail Geek, I'm the Amazon Fulfillment Center Geek, and they slipped in a little announcement this week that they're building a smallish, only a million square foot fulfillment center in the UK. It's in Colville and Leicestershire. Along this lines where they're talking about job creations around fulfillment centers, they announced they're going to have 500 jobs over three years there. A fun fact, this is the 11th fulfillment center in the UK, which is about the same number of fulfillment centers that Walmart has in the US. They're very dense in the UK with fulfillment centers.     What's interesting is most of the things they've done in the UK recently have been kind of for deploying into London. Some of its Prime Now type stuff, or same-day delivery. This is a big new footprint for the UK.     Also in fulfillment center news, and this didn't get a lot of press, so I don't know how well this is known out there. The only area I am aware of where Amazon raises prices, everything else Amazon does lowers prices, especially if you do Amazon web services and that kind of thing, is Fulfillment by Amazon. Even in the marketplace, they haven't really changed the prices since the beginning of time, I think. With FBA, what they constantly do is kind of tweak the economics. There's a couple pieces in there. One of them is the per-package fee that they charge for FBA. It's going to have an increase from, I think it's $0.30 to $1.07, and on average, it looks like, from a model I've seen, it'll be about $0.45 an item increase.     That's one of the fees. The other one is called a storage fee. If you have inventory at FBA, it doesn't sell after x days, I think it's 30, then you get kind of the stump where they take the dimension of the volume of what they're storing for you and have a fee. That's going up. It's pennies, it's like $0.02 to $0.04, but that's kind of times the volume that you have. That's another one where they're constantly working the economic model to incent sellers to have the right behavior of focusing on faster-moving items that are in FBA. That's interesting.     As a result of that and some comments that have kind of come out in management meetings, what I've seen a couple Wall Street analysts do is raise their fulfillment center buildout this year from kind of middle single digits like seven to kind of mid-double digits like 15. It's going to be interesting to see how that comes out. We already have ... This UK one, I believe, is the first one that's been announced this year, so it'll be interesting to see what that looks like.     Another thing I'm sure you probably saw is, for those people that aren't on Prime, you can still get the free shipping. It's not two-day shipping, but the free Super Saver five-day shipping. They raised that from $39 to $99, now. Then, the last-   Jason Goldberg: You mean $49?   Scot Wingo: Yeah, sorry. $49.     The last piece was, we had talked about this last week, actually. This is kind of how fast Amazon moves, where there was news that Amazon may be considering doing private label in fashion. It turns out they are actually out with it. They have some fashion private label brands out there, and they're kind of a mouthful. Let me see if I can do this without stumbling through it. Franklin and Freeman, Franklin Tailored, James & Erin, Lark & Ro, North Eleven, Scout + Row, and Society New York. What is that? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven different private label brands. Some of these are men's apparel, some women's apparel. Very interesting that there was rumors they were going to do this, and now it's actually out there. You can search, we'll put it in the tidbits on the website. You can actually go search these brands and see what's available there, which I thought was pretty interesting.   Jason Goldberg: Yeah. I think that was a pretty big revelation to a lot of folks that were following the rumors that they might do it, and then, you know, bam, surprise, there's already a ton of skews on the site a lot. I look across all that Amazon news, and my two big takeaways are number one, raising the shipping threshold is interesting. Amazon shipping costs are a very meaningful portion of their business, they're like 12% of their revenue, and so it certainly looks like they're trying to make a profitability move by recovering a little more shipping fees. The big thing is, this just seems like another very overt effort to push more people to Prime, and I suspect it's going to be effective in doing that.     Raising the rates on the FBA is interesting. To me, that's inevitable, that as Amazon grows its business and has more strain on those fulfillment centers, that shelf space becomes more valuable. They just need to charge more to maximize it. I think if you're a seller, you probably shouldn't expect this to be the last increase that you see there.   Scot Wingo: Yet when I talk to customers, it's still very, very competitive to any other 3PL. Even when you kind of look at a multi-year model, you have to kind of look at it over two or three years because of the accounting. It ends up being relatively cheap compared to having your own fulfillment center.   Jason Goldberg: Yep, and you get the huge kiss of being Amazon Prime-eligible.   Scot Wingo: Yeah, and as they do Prime now and whatever else they're going to do around all these things, you ride along with all that investment, which is ... I don't know how you quantify that, but it's a pretty good value.   Jason Goldberg: Yeah. I think the one exception I've heard there is if you're in a category that's predominantly oversized or unusual-sized items, that the economics get a little more challenging on FBA because they've really optimized the pricing model for their typical package size.   Scot Wingo: Yeah, that drayage fee, because it's volumetric, really hits you hard with oversized items. Yeah, absolutely.   Jason Goldberg: Did Etsy have their earnings call this week?   Scot Wingo: They did. It was actually today. A couple highlights out of the call ... Etsy went public and had a great public offering, and then has really struggled since then. A lot of it was mobile. They had a huge challenge when mobile kind of accelerated right around their IPO. It was kind of like Facebook had the same problem, but Facebook recovered pretty quickly. It looks like Etsy is seeing the light in the tunnel. They had pretty strong results. They exceeded expectations. Then they actually came out and said, "For the next three years, we're going to have 20-25% growth," so kind of pounding their chest, feeling pretty good about the future. I think a lot of it is around ... I think they feel like they've solved some of their mobile challenges.     A couple of other interesting metrics: 1.6 million sellers. I think that's interesting, because Amazon reports 2 million sellers. Etsy definitely has more seller density than in Amazon, but because it's handmade, you would need that, right, because you can only handmake so many things. I thought that was interesting. 24 million active buyers. The Amazon question did come up on the call, and the CEO said that, "We" ... By this, I mean Amazon has launched a competing category and seems to have Etsy in their crosshairs. The CEO at Etsy said, "We have no reason to believe that any of the competitors are having an impact on us." For the 4th quarter, Etsy had $750 million in GMV, which, when you look at the run rate, that was a Q4, so it's not pretty fair to really do this, it's not going to be their run rate forever, but it's interesting to think that they're at about a $3 billion run rate.     I remember in the early days of Etsy, everyone in ecommerce was kind of like, "God, what a niche. This handmade stuff, maybe that gets to be $50 million." It really kind of shows ... I think what's interesting about Etsy is, some of these things that seem like niches and they're going to be really small, when you look at them on a global basis, they can be pretty big. $3 billion in homemade items, that blows me away, and they're anticipating it growing 20-25% for the next three years. They see a path to $4 billion or $5 billion, which I think's pretty fascinating.   Jason Goldberg: It's almost like pure play is not really in fact dead.   Scot Wingo: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a good little kind of teaser for what's coming next.   Jason Goldberg: Well, let's get to the really exciting news. We have a guest today.   Scot Wingo: That is true. It's episode 15, we're really settled in here at the Jason and Scot Show, so we thought we'd do something you and I had talked about way before episode 1, which was have a special guest. I think it's going to be a new tradition here on the Jason and Scot Show if it goes well, and I'm sure it will. I'm thinking every third show or so, we'll have a special guest to kind of help mix it up.     Today, we're really excited to have as our first guest ... I don't want to put it out there yet, I'm going to build some suspense. This is someone I've known probably for at least 12 if not 14 years. He's one of the founding fathers of ecommerce. If there was a Thomas Jefferson or maybe Alexander Hamilton of ecommerce, that's who we have on the show today. It's kind of a privilege to have someone that has been in the industry for so long but is still right on the cutting edge. He started a company back in '98 that is one of the successful pure plays that's out there.     If you haven't guessed yet, it is Peter Cobb from eBags. Welcome, Peter.   Peter Cobb: Hey Scot, hey Jason. Thanks for inviting me. You guys are doing a great job.   Scot Wingo: Thanks. We're super excited to have you here. I tried to keep your intro kind of brief. To start out with, maybe tell us a little bit about how you got into ecommerce. You're at eBags still and you've had an interesting journey there, so maybe a little highlight of that. Let's just start with that, just to orient everyone that hasn't known you for 15 years, on how you got into the industry and what you do on a daily basis.   Peter Cobb: Yeah. Back in 1998, well, prior to that, there were a couple of us that worked at Samsonite. I led the marketing for Samsonite, and a couple of us execs at Samsonite saw what was going on with people buying books online, music, gardening equipment, toys, etc. We just said somebody is going to own and pioneer the category that we knew so much and love, and that's luggage and handbags and backpacks, business cases, etc. We peeled off from Samsonite in 1998.     Actually, kind of took the idea of my cofounder, John Nordmark. John took the idea to the president of Samsonite and said, "Hey, why don't we buy some domains, discountluggage.com, and so forth?" Back then, you could just make up a domain and you could buy it. We owned about 25, actually. The president of Samsonite said, "I get email, I can't imagine anybody buying luggage from an email. Go back to your cubicle." John called me up and said, "Let's do this. I think it's ripe," and both of us were into the internet and watching what was going on. That was in 1998.     We pulled it together. It was our own money for the first six months or so, and then we actually went the traditional route with angels and to friends and family, and raised some money from Silicon Valley and raised $30 million in 1999. That's the last time that we've raised money. We haven't had any down rounds since then. It's been cashflow positive, really, since 2002.   Scot Wingo: Cool. That's around the time when Amazon did their IPO. They were in '97, if I recall. Was that kind of an impetus for you? Was that kind of the wake-up where you said, "Hey, we need to do something. There's this bookstore going public. This is kind of going to be a thing."   Peter Cobb: Well, you know, I was just explaining to somebody at eBags today about the early days. There was cooking.com, garden.com, mothernature.com, and Amazon was there. Amazon's really the only one that's alive today. eToys. Really just kind of across the board, we just looked at it. Back then, Amazon was just books. We felt like in our space, right out of the gate ... Our model is somewhat unique from a lot of these guys in that we don't want to own product. Our model is drop ship. We knew at Samsonite, who's the global luggage leader, at Samsonite, 75% of our orders out the door were three pieces or less. Somebody owns a piece of luggage at Aspen Luggage, they sell a garment bag. We were selling them one piece at a time from Samsonite.     We convinced Samsonite and many other brands to ship directly to our customers. Took a little bit of time and some arm-twisting, but here we are today with 70,000 different bags and accessory items from 700 brands. Obviously, from a cashflow model, and that's primary to why we're alive today, is somebody buys on eBags.com, we get the cash immediately from the credit card, and pay our brands. It could be 45 days, 60 days, 90 days, whatever's negotiated. You get positive flow versus having a warehouse, and you imagine a warehouse with 70,000 individual units, but then you need to go 105, 100,000 deep on each. It would be $100 million of inventory we'd have to keep, and we wouldn't be alive today. That was really one of the key decisions early on. We were one of the first to drop ship, and actually, it isn't that common. You have marketplaces today which accomplish the same thing.   Scot Wingo: You guys start a company, you raise money, it's all exciting, you're driving into the future, and then the dotcom bubble burst. What was that like? I lived through it, and it was quite painful. I can only imagine what it was like for you guys. What I recall is people are going out of business left and right. Pets.com and all these other things were just flaming out. You guys not only survived but thrived. What was that like, getting through that nuclear winter?   Peter Cobb: It was brutal. It was really tough, because one side of you is saying we're homesteading, we need to claim our territory. Back then, portals were so big, and somebody like AOL could commit $1 million for something the size of a postage stamp, but you would own luggage or handbags on AOL and you just had to occupy that space because so many people came through some of those old portals. You did burn through cash.     Not only was it dotbomb, but for us, what really hurt, I think even more than dotbomb or as much, was the 9/11 tragedy. Just didn't have a lot of people traveling after that. We all were cocooning. Of course, they shut down airlines, and people just said, "You know what? I'm just going to stay home for a while." That really hurt our sales. From a positive standpoint, it really highlighted the fact that we need to diversify. We cannot survive by just being a luggage or even travel goods company. That got us into backpacks for school, women's handbags, fashion accessories, and watches is a big category for us now ... Branch out in business cases and business accessories.     In a way, it kind of poked us a little bit to say, "Okay, you're thinking too narrowly here." It's been an amazing 17 years, and in fact, just last week, we announced we passed 25 million bags sold, which is really a nice accomplishment. We're really proud of that, because if that was a chain of stores, it'd be hundreds of stores nationwide that do that kind of business.   Scot Wingo: For our listeners, can you give us a little idea of the scale of eBags? I don't want you to divulge any confidential information, but maybe your IR rank or whatever you're comfortable letting us know. How big is the scale of eBags at this point?   Peter Cobb: Yeah. We're 110 people, and as I said, 25 million bags. I mean, something that I'm just as proud of is that we have 3.2 million customer reviews, so it's a big part of the DNA of eBags.com, of leaving that virtual Post-It note. From the IR, we're in that kind of 100-150 range, kind of depending on the year, but we are a pure play, which is a critical part of this. We don't have stores to get that PR and help offset some of the expenses. We don't get traffic in the door, we don't eat. It's a constant survival for us.     We just had a meeting today with our executive team, and the primary message was, "We need to stay hungry, we need to be paranoid." This thing can change. You mentioned it, Scot, early. There are things that can happen that are out of our control that can pop up. Cash for us, cash is king. We have no debt. We don't plan on raising any more money. We've got to really live within our means. There's a lot of people out there doing some crazy things from a marketing standpoint, or willing to lose tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars. That's an area where we're just ... I actually love it, and we bring people on that accept that challenge and relish it. It's pretty competitive right now.     Like you mentioned, I could have said that in any of the past 18 years.   Jason Goldberg: Peter, I wanted to ask you a question. You mentioned that you're a pure play, and you've been a pure play for more than 15 years. It's interesting, because a lot of the talk today is pretty negative on pure plays. I mean, you've got Scott Gallaway at L2, and he's got a whole campaign around "Rest in Peace, Pure Play," and you've got a bunch of these buzzy new companies like Warby Parker or Bonobos or Nasty Gal or, even I think Blue Nile now is opening some stores. It's a big trend that these pure plays are now shifting to stores. Then, of course, you have a couple of huge pure plays that flamed out. You have the fab.com and Gilt just sold for a disappointing valuation.     I think there's this buzz that, "Hey, pure play isn't a long term sustainable model, or maybe it used to be, and its time has come." It always drives me nuts when I hear that, because I feel like you're the best example, but there's a bunch of people in your class that are long time pure plays that have been able to grow based on their own revenues. I'm just curious, what's your take on the whole viability of the pure play model?   Peter Cobb: Well, obviously with what we do, it depends ... Honestly, it depends on the category, it depends on products, it depends on factors such as ... We're fortunate in that for the most part, people don't need to try it on. It's a piece of luggage, it's a kid's backpack, it's a soccer bag, on and on and on. Our return rate is very low. Really, I think it lays out well for us to be a pure play in that we really feel like we want to be ... I mean, to have 70,000 bags and accessories on our site, and we'll probably pass 100,000 products in the next 120 days, and venture out into even doubling that in the next year or two. We really feel like we want to be a house of brands, as well as something ... For us, it's travel and fashion. If you want a bag or something related to travel and the travel experience, go to eBags.     No store can have the assortment and selection that we have. Picking a brand, one of our better brands is Tumi. It's a premium luggage and business case line. We'll carry 500-plus pieces of Tumi, and a typical store, because a physical space in luggage or business cases, they may carry ten pieces of Tumi, maybe 15, if they're lucky, and we have over 500. That's where we love where we are in the space. It lines up quite well, I think, for long-term viability. There's really no store out there ... I mean, obviously you've got the bookseller in Seattle that does a great job. They've got a broad and vast assortment, but for what we do in our category, there's a lot of brands, actually, that don't want to go down that path, let's just say the marketplace path. We demonstrate to them that we're a specialty store interested in travel and fashion, and that really resonates, especially with brick and mortar having some challenging times right now.     The last thing I'll say is, within our space, retail is still around 10% online, so 90% brick and mortar, and yet, you have stores closing every month in our category. I think it's only going to accelerate. We really love where we're positioned, and I think a lot of categories can say the same thing. To your point, Jason, on a brick and mortar, it just isn't ... You have to really focus on something, and focus on something that you're excellent at. I don't think brick and mortar is an area for us today that we should be venturing into. I think there's so many other opportunities out there within the ecosystem of what we're already working on.   Scot Wingo: Cool. One follow-up on the pure play thing. Amazon's invested hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars, in their fulfillment center, and you guys don't have a fulfillment center. Does it ever feel like doing the drop ship thing, that you don't have control over that customer experience, and that's a negative?   Peter Cobb: You know, I think it gets down to are you getting products to people in a timely manner. With our, we have 700 brands, as I mentioned, the average product leaves that door in 0.7 days. Within a day, our goods are out the door. We actually spent some time ... One of our board members did a tour of Zappos, and came back ... At the time, it was 17 football fields, 800 employees, and came back and said, "It's unbelievable what they have. We should move to that model." I remember in the board meeting saying, "What would we gain? It already goes out the door in six hours. Okay, so, we would gain maybe two hours, if we're really, really good."     For us, that part of it ... I think that's the primary part of this. The other part of it is, a lot of our products, they actually are shipped from Asia in the boxes that gets delivered to the customer. In a lot of cases, just thinking in a piece of luggage, we just put a label on it, our brands do, and then ship it to the customer. It's in a box that may say Tumi, Samsonite, or Delsey. That experience is ... It probably could be better to your point, Scot, but I think we just have to make some choices and go that route.     Now, that being said, I will say our number one brand on our site is actually our own private label brand at eBags. It's 24% of units and 20% of revenue. It's unbelievable. I mean, we're product guys when we started eBags. That's what we did at Samsonite, and we just love product and we just have really told the team, "Make product that you would want to carry." Actually, right as we started the business, we got into it, so it's not like it's the last couple years. In a lot of ways, it's really built out this competitive mode. That's a big reason why we're as profitable as we are and that we have some kind of staying power within the space.   Scot Wingo: That's good to hear, because Jason and I both get asked by a lot of what I would call multi-brand retailers, in other words, like a Macy's or something that doesn't really have their own brands, what one of the best strategies they can do. I always go back to private label. Earlier in the show, in the news segment, we talked about some of the stuff Amazon's doing there. It's interesting to hear that that's such a large part of what you guys are doing.     Unsponsored ad here. I love the cubes, the packing cubes you guys do. My wife loves to organize, and she's a huge fan of the eBags packing system there.     One other thing I just wanted to kind of introduce. You introduced me to shop.org. I had been going to the summit, and really enjoying the summit. When I was earlier in ecommerce, though, I didn't really kind of understand that there's an organization behind the summit that we all go to in the fall. You introduced me to that, and you were one of the early folks there. All three of us are on the board there. We'd love to hear how you got involved with shop.org, and how you describe it to folks.   Peter Cobb: Yeah. It's ... You know, this industry that we're in, online retail and digital retail and so forth, it is made up of some amazing people, of some amazingly bright people. It's also, we're undergoing so many challenges, and it's changing so fast. You were talking about chat commerce and even now with what's going on with Facebook Messenger and Snapchat and so forth. Sometimes you need a network of people that you can reach out to to compare notes and share stories and really pick their brain. We're really good at drop shipping, so I'll field some calls from people interested in getting into drop shipping. Other people maybe have more expertise in social media marketing or some other areas.     The thing about shop.org, it's really a trade association made up of a community of people within the digital retail space that gets together several times a year, but also shop.org provides thought leadership pieces, whether it's a think tank, white papers, research, several conferences ... Also works on behalf of retail as part of National Retail Federation, NRF, as a team in Washington DC, working on issues important to all of retail, not only digital, with things like trying to promote legislation to limit patent trolls and things like that.     The big part of it is providing a space where you can learn from others but also network, and, as always happens, you end up developing pretty strong friendships as well, which makes it even more enjoyable.   Jason Goldberg: I'm the new guy amongst the three of us, I think, at shop.org, but I would just absolutely echo that one of my favorite parts is the camaraderie and the opportunity to network and share in an adult beverage with folks that face a lot of the same challenges and opportunities every day that we do. Inevitably, when you get together with other ecommerce folks and you start having conversations, the topics pretty quickly turn to the things that are keeping you up at night or the new trends that you're most excited about in terms of upcoming opportunities. I wanted to ask what was kind of front and foremost in your mind right now, in terms of new trends or new challenges in the ecommerce space?   Peter Cobb: Well, I think a challenge that all of us are facing, and I know we're all getting our arms around it, but it is a challenge, and that's the move towards mobile and smartphones. It's not a surprise. We all use them in our personal life. I think retail, frankly, was caught flatfooted. You have OpenTable and Uber and so many other apps that were built for the smartphone, and I think with retail ... I mean, two years ago, our traffic would have been single digits coming in on smartphones. You knew it was coming, the wave was coming, but there's just so many other things popping that you need to put your resources towards. We're really actually really happy with our mobile experience, but it's kind of one of those ... You just need to continue to invest and spend the resources, and when you think you've got it figured out, something else comes along.     Right now, a great example is, the big obstacle in mobile is payments. Credit card and so forth. Obviously, Paypal is a great provider helping with mobile. It's a big part of our mobile efforts, but there's other wallets popping up, Chase Pay and Masterpass and Visa, etc. I know you guys have talked about that in the past. That's a big challenge, of, okay, who do you partner with, where do you play on a mobile device, how does that all work when you only have so much space and so much real estate?     I think with mobile is, I know in the past, you guys have talked about average conversion rates, and if you just said a PC is 3% or 4%, and tablets 2.5-3%, and mobile is 1%, if not 1.5% ... You know, as your traffic continues to grow towards mobile, and it could be up 50%, 60% year over year, well, that means your weighted average conversion rates are under some pressure. A lot of times, you think about 100 people come into your site and only one or two purchasing. Well, with whether that's Google or Facebook or whatever affiliate partner you have, that's pretty expensive traffic, if you're only getting a 2% conversion. That's a huge challenge that I think a lot of people are facing.     The other part of that that people don't talk about is that usually, you know, on a PC, we'll get 1.5 units per order, and on mobile, it's really kind of one and done. It's about 1.1. You have your average basket size lower, so conversion rate's lower, basket size lower. You really need to just kind of think through how to optimize mobile. I think we're all slowly figuring it out. Our mobile sales ... Actually, our traffic last month up 40%, but our mobile sales are up 70%, so we're going in the right direction, really feel good about it. We always are thinking if we're redesigning parts of the site, it's mobile first, because then PC will all fall behind.     Then, I think another trend that I think is interesting is, you've got brick and mortar as well as brands developing websites, and those are obviously competitors, but I'm going to focus just on the brands. I think an interesting trend is that the brands are realizing, hey, building and maintaining and keeping a website up to speed is not for the faint of heart. It's super-expensive. You need expensive personnel. The whole resource requirements of a brand. I mean, it's one thing for a retailer, they're kind of familiar with the direct marketing model, but for brands that went into it maybe two, three, five, eight years ago, and now are realizing what I was just talking about with mobile and all the resources required, it's really a challenge. Then, they're under pressure for their own brick and mortar stores that many brands bid off. Now they're looking at us and, "Gosh, I got my website, should I update that? Should I send people into my stores? Should I have returns into stores?" I think a lot of retailers as well as brands are really being challenged right now. Those are some key challenges and opportunities I think we all face.   Jason Goldberg: Yeah. Peter, the brands going direct is really interesting, because frankly, a lot of my clients are those brands that either already went direct, or maybe they're in a category of retail that's kind of a digital laggard, and they're just now talking or thinking about going direct.     It's funny, because my opening line is usually, "Hey, you're always going to be the worst place to buy your product. You're not going to have any of the third party accessories or add-on sales that consumers want. You're going to be the only retailer on the planet that perfectly complies with [MAP 00:43:33]. In general, there's a small subset of users that want to buy direct from you, and it certainly makes sense to capitalize on those users, but that you're not going to materially hurt your wholesale partners' business." I'm just curious, from your perspective, is that how you feel? When Tumi goes live and starts selling bags from their own site, which I think they did a couple years ago, did you look at that as, "Oh, a cute effort from Tumi," and maybe it taught Tumi to be a little more sensitive to some of the content issues that make them a better partner for you, or did you feel like that was a material threat to your business?   Peter Cobb: Well, we actually ran Tumi's website for them globally, US, UK, Germany, and Japan, between 2002 and 2010. We had a great eight-year run with Tumi, and then they said, you know, as it was growing, they said, "You know what? It's time for us to take it on our own." I think even ... it's been a challenge. It really has been a challenge, like a lot of brands. They have to decide, does the website exhibit the brand essence, or are we in this to have ecommerce and generate revenue? There's that continuum they have to decide, and I think for a long time, Tumi kind of came out of the chute and said, "We need to promote the brand Tumi. This is part of going public," and so forth, but then realized, "Gosh, our sales are not nearly as strong as we thought they could be." Plus, building out a global ecommerce effort, multiple countries, and then you've got changing marketing messages in 15 or ten or 20 different sites, languages, marketing messages, all the same night, it's pretty challenging to do that for somebody like a brand like Tumi.     To your original question, we just think of that as, "Hey. Tumi's going to get into it," or Samsonite, or so forth. Sure enough, I know they're great partners of ours, and we actually talked to them about some of the challenges. I know they're scratching their heads just like some others say. By the way, this was something, especially when you're talking about global websites, it's something that's pretty challenging for them. I think in a lot of cases, they end up, somebody at the top ends up saying, "You know what? We need to go back to making great product and not pretend we're a technology company." Then they call you, Jason.   Jason Goldberg: We're more than happy to pretend to be a technology company on their behalf!   Peter Cobb: Exactly.   Scot Wingo: Cool. We're up against time, but I have two kind of lightning round questions to ask you. One of the things that's fun about ecommerce is there's always some weird thing that you would have never guessed. For example, when we look at our data, we always see these weird correlations between people buying things that you would never think those would go together. Any insights like that, like from your time at eBags, of strange insights that you've found of consumer behavior?   Peter Cobb: You know, I think ... There's something happening now which is, I think, pretty interesting, in that the power brands are not doing as well as one might think. What I mean by that is, think about anchor store brands, brands you would find in a Macy's, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, etc., are really, I think, undergoing some pressure. You've seen it in the designer handbag category with Michael Kors and Coach posting some numbers which were pretty challenging over the last three to five years. What happens, then, is you've got ... The thing that I love about it is, you've got kind of these small brands that, given the light of day, actually do really well. On our site, it could be Osprey backpacks, Fall Raven backpacks. Very cool products that now then we can show to the world of, "Hey, you probably wouldn't know where to find this in Chicago or LA or San Francisco, but you can click a button and have this sent directly to you."   Scot Wingo: Cool. We call it, on the Jason and Scot Show, we call it "the hoverboard effect," kind of the disimportanting of brands. One last one, and I know this is hard to answer quickly. You don't survive 17 years in business without really investing a lot in the culture of your business. I've been to eBags and seen ... You invest personally a lot of your time as a founder into the culture of the company. If there's listeners out there, and maybe they're an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur, any quick tips on how you keep that culture and calcify it and all that kind of thing?   Peter Cobb: Well, I think it starts with once you lock into a solid business model, then you hire great people, don't skimp on people. It's all about getting people that have a history of success, and then letting them run with, of course, guidelines. I think on our end, we were super transparent, we reveal all P and L, we reveal cash on a monthly basis and say, "Look, we're all in this together." Every employee gets stock ownership in the company, so we're all owners, and we think in terms of, "Treat the customer as you would want to be treated." You know, we just have things, too, I mean, a lot of people do, with dogs in the office and things like that, but just really making it a great place to work and making it fun. We're there for ten, 12 hours a day in a lot of cases, and just having it be ... Have it be a place that is fun. Not so serious, but people that are willing to work hard and have fantastic teamwork. You just have to make it fun for people, otherwise there's a lot of other options out there in the world.   Jason Goldberg: Very cool, Peter. I know you're based in Denver, Colorado. Is it safe to say you're always on the lookout for great ecommerce talent?   Peter Cobb: Absolutely. It's really challenging, I think, finding over-the-top talent. I think it's one of the biggest challenges. It is not necessarily somebody that gets straight A's in school. It's why I even talked about a history of success, of doing things that maybe are not right down the fairway all the time. It's okay to be a little bit quirky, because we're doing things that people have never done before in this space. You need people willing to take risks. You can't slap the wrists if they fail. They fail a second, third, fourth time, yeah, absolutely you need to sit people down, but you want people that are willing to get out there and make a calculated risk.   Jason Goldberg: That makes perfect sense, Peter. Listen, that is all the time we have for today, but I want to remind everyone that our guest today has been Peter Cobb, who is one of the co-founders of eBags. You can follow him on Twitter. I think your Twitter handle is @PeterCobb, C-O-B-B.     With that, I will say until next week, happy shopping and thanks very much to all our listeners.   Scot Wingo: Thanks Peter. Thanks, everyone.   Announcer: You've been listening to the Jason and Scot Show. For all the latest news and trends on ecommerce and shopper marketing, subscribe to us in iTunes and please leave a review.  

Supply Chain Radio
How Amazon Uses Supply Chain Innovation to Better Serve Customers

Supply Chain Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2015 10:05


No matter what area of supply chain you’re in, there’s no hiding from the large shadow Amazon casts over the industry. Amazon’s recent innovations, Prime Now and Flex, focus on transforming last mile delivery to be even quicker and more convenient than ever before. How is Amazon consistently able to come up with radical solutions to longstanding problems? In this episode, we explore what it takes to develop revolutionary technological innovations for the supply chain.

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
Podcast #711: Instant Home Theater in Two Hours or Less

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2015 39:10


Instant Home Theater in Two Hours or Less Amazon Prime changed the game. You can have pretty much anything you need, including an entire home theater, delivered to your home in two days or less. And you never have to get off the couch. A recent conversation with a friend who needed a TV and an HDMI cable and had them delivered in an hour using the new Prime Now app got us thinking. What if you wanted an entire home theater delivered to your home within an hour or two? Is that even possible?   The scenarios are endless. You have company over and everyone decides to watch a movie, but they brought kids and the kids need something to watch too. Or you and your family, friends, guests, whatever can't decide if you want to watch a live sports event or that night's episode of Dancing with the Stars, so, in the spirit of ‘why not both?' you need to add a second home theater to keep everyone happy. Or, simply, just cuz.   Prime Now is a new service from Amazon, available to Prime members in select markets at no additional charge, that allows you to order products for delivery in two hours, sometimes less, depending on your proximity to the distribution center. We assume the products available may vary by market, since not all distribution centers would have the exact same inventory, so this adventure is what the HT Guys would be able to put together from their local distribution center in Orange County, California.   Prime Now is currently only available as an app for your smartphone. You cannot tap into it from your computer, not yet at least. For our discussion we'll provide links to the products at the main Amazon website, but if you want to get them delivered in an hour, you'll need to download the app and find them there.   Televisions Every home theater needs an HDTV. What options are available from Prime Now? We assumed they would be small TVs, easy to store and easy to deliver. What we found surprised us. There were a bunch of options for HDTVs from Prime Now. Small TVs, like you would imagine, a 32” model from LG or Sharp, 43” options from Vizio and Sharp, etc. But they also had some bigger sets available. There's a 50” Vizio, a 55” Vizio, and a 55” LG. Sure 55” isn't huge, but it isn't tiny either. A 55” TV would make a pretty good cornerstone in a 2 hour or less home theater.   LG Electronics 55LF6000 55-Inch 1080p 120Hz LED TV. If you buy it from the Amazon website, you'll pay $647.99 and the strange thing is, it isn't available for Prime shipping - you actually pay an extra $36.36 for shipping. If you buy if from the Prime Now app you pay more than $100 less, $538, and you get same day shipping. That's a great deal.   VIZIO E50-C1 50-Inch 1080p Smart LED HDTV. Probably not the way to go unless you're a huge Vizio fanboy, the TV is 50 inches compared with the 55 inches of the LG, but you only save $10. It costs $528 from both the Amazon website, where it is available for Prime shipping, and from the Prime Now app. The consistence makes sense, but the price for the screen size doesn't.   VIZIO M55-C2 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED HDTV. If you want to go super impressive in a couple hours or less, there is one 4K TV available from Prime Now. For some reason this one is also more expensive from the website than from the app, and isn't available for Prime shipping from the site either. At Amazon.com you pay $921.99. Although the shipping isn't Prime, it is free. From Prime Now you only pay $849.99.   Projectors But what if your emergency home theater needs to go really big? You want to watch in the backyard by the pool or set the kids up in the front yard so they can share with the whole neighborhood. Prime Now has you covered there as well. These should be much easier to stock and ship, making it that much easier to be an instant hero.   Optoma HD141X 1080p 3D DLP Home Theater Projector, $574 from Prime Now, 3000 Lumen Optoma HD26 1080p 3D DLP Home Theater Projector, $649 from Prime Now, 3200 Lumen BenQ W1070 1080P 3D DLP Home Theater Projector, $696 from Prime Now, 2000 Lumen   And of course you'll need a screen. The Epson Duet 80-Inch Dual Aspect Ratio Projection Screen is $105.78 from Prime Now, includes a floor stand and can be expanded to the size that best meets your needs - old school 4:3 or widescreen 16:9.   Surround Sound This is where it gets tricky and you have to be a bit creative. We didn't find any AV Receivers through the app, and the speakers we could get were all more computer speakers than home theater speakers. That said, the Logitech Surround Sound Speakers Z506 would probably do a decent job for you, and at $57.99 they aren't going to break the bank. You get a center speaker, four satellites and a subwoofer for that price. Certainly better than the built-in TV speaker.   There are a couple of sound bar options, like the VIZIO SB2920-C6 29-Inch 2.0 Channel Sound Bar for $78 or the VIZIO SB4051-C0 40-Inch 5.1 Channel Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer and Satellite Speakers for $348. With the inclusion of the wireless subwoofer and satellites (which are not wireless), the SB4051-C0 is probably the best option available to us in the Orange County area. And it has built-in Bluetooth if you want to stream music to it from your smartphone or tablet.   But if you want to be creative, you can get a Sonos Playbar TV Sound Bar for $699, add a couple Sonos Play:1 speakers at $199 each for surround sound and cap it off with a Sonos Sub Wireless Subwoofer to make it go boom for another $699. At a total cost of $1796 it isn't cheap, but at least you won't have to buy speaker wire (yes, that is available on Prime Now) and they can be used to stream music as part of a whole house audio system if you need them to as well.   Odds and Ends Pretty much any cable or wire you'll need to connect a home theater is available from Prime Now. They have a plethora of choices for OTA antennas and a couple set top bot OTA tuners if that's how you choose to get content onto your instant home theater. There are a few Blu-ray players, like the Samsung BD-J5100 for $57.99 or the Sony BDPS6500 that has built-in WiFi, does 3D and has 4K upscaling for $128. And, of course, a wide variety of Blu-ray movies if you need something to watch. Or, you could certainly pick up a Fire TV Stick for $39.99 if you want to stream all the content you already get for free as part of your Prime membership (the standard $99 Fire TV wasn't available to us as an option through Prime Now. Seems like they're out of stock everywhere until early November).   Conclusion All in all, you can build a pretty killer home theater setup and have it delivered to your door in under 2 hours, should you need it in a pinch. A 3200 lumen 1080p projector, an 80” screen, a sound bar with wireless sub and satellites, and maybe a fire TV stick to round out the package would be about $1145.   And one really interesting tidbit we found in our research is that pricing on Prime Now can sometimes be better than the Amazon website. Talk about win-win. Get the product in an hour or two and pay less for it.

Infobitt
2015-05-21 Infobitt Late Edition

Infobitt

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2015 2:25


Three weeks after Baltimore’s top prosecutor announced charges against the six police officers involved in the controversial arrest of Freddie Gray, a grand jury has now indicted all six officers. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12394 Senator and presidential candidate Rand Paul (R-KY) gave a 10-1/2 hour speech yesterday against extending provisions of the Patriot Act that permit collection of billions of phone call records. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12384 U.S. and Cuban negotiators held another round of talks in Washington to restore full diplomatic relations as part of President Obama’s decision to end the decades-old standoff with the island nation. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12396 Google Fiber is apparently pushing automatic fines to subscribers who engage in piracy. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12386 Boy Scouts of America president Robert Gates called for an end to the controversial gay ban against troop leaders while addressing the organization's annual meeting. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12395 David Letterman retired, "with self-mockery and a little mush," as the New York Times put it. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12383 Columbia professor Donald Green retracted his co-authored article in Science magazine about how in-person pollsters can change opinions on gay marriage because the study was fake. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12385 A grand jury has indicted Douglas Hughes (the man who landed a gyro-copter on the lawn of the US Capitol) on six charges. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12377 Amazon has expanded its Prime Now one hour deliveries to include groceries and meals. While currently limited to New York City, the service is expected to expand. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12392 Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Canonical, is considering having an IPO for the company. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12387 http://infobitt.com http://www.facebook.com/groups/infobitt http://twitter.com/infobitt

Stolendroids Podcast
Homicidal Oregonian Reindeer

Stolendroids Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2014 59:44


For this Christmastime, we decide to stay up way too late and try to record a show in a mildly altered state. What came out was not . . . normal. North Korea is feeling ronery, Collin is killed by wildlife, and sometimes you SHOULDN'T buy a box of poop. It was a random week.Headlines:The hackers have won (Obama, Romney, and everyone else rails against Sony)Want to know how we know SOPA is bad? The MPAA is trying to revive it.You TOO can have your own Pirate Bay!Spanish news publishers want Google News backAmazon introduces Prime Now. Claims to deliver items within the hour.Wakie app introduces an alarm you can't (and shouldn't) hitUber will take you to safety, but only if you can pay . . . a LOTInstagram purges millions of fake accounts. Immediately loses 18.9 million followers.And Blackberry is back in the drinkMicrosoft makes Halo's cloud framework open sourceMinecraft is finally getting a story mode!Patch to fix Assasin's Creed Unity is nearly as large as the game itselfSometimes there's truth in advertisingZuke’s Favorite: Everyone needs a robot friendSchmidty’s Favorite: Official Trailer - The Holidays Are ComingZohner’s Favorite: Derby the dog See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.