Scientists Generate Power from Walking

University of Wisconsin scientists developed a system to gather the power generated from walking. This invention fits into the sole of a sneaker, it  also includes a battery for power storage and a USB port to charge a smartphone.

Smartphones use up a lot of energy by communicating with the cellular network, but the Wisconsin research has come up with shoes that could double as Wi-Fi routers. This would let a smartphone save power by communicating with the shoe, leaving the continuously powered footwear to communicate with the cell network. User-powered shoes would also permit much more precise location. This would benefit those who like more accurate measurements of activity. For example, a person who likes to track their steps throughout the day.

The scientists relied on “reverse electrowetting,” which Dr. Taylor and colleague Tom Krupenkin developed. This technique needs a very frequent input of energy to work well. Since walking is low in frequency, the scientists had to compensate for the lack of frequency by choosing various materials for their electrical properties. At the center of the sole in the shoe is a conductive liquid. The force of each heel strike drives compressed air into the system, forcing liquid droplets to bubble and burst again and again in rapid sequence—a high-frequency process that yields an electrical current sufficient for a variety of uses. Dr. Krupenkin says that walking can produce several watts of electricity, enough to power many devices, including flashlights and phones. A standard smartphone, he says, requires less than two watts. 

This new invention would be a big step for technology. Many hikers can benefit from this shoe because being out in the wilderness without a phone could decrease there chances of being found \. This device could help ambulances, police, fire fighters, etc locate the location of the emergency more efficiently. This device could also hurt business that sell chargers, this would drastically decrease their profit.

Title: Scientists Generate Power from Walking

Link: http://www.wsj.com/articles/scientists-generate-power-from-walking-1456329420

Time Published: Feb. 24, 2016 10:57 a.m. ET 

The Rise of Cons


 
With conventions once being exclusive for only niche fandoms or nerdy shows and movies, the idea of a "con" has grown broader than what it has been. With Beer-con and CatConLA being actual live events for people to attend and enjoy their obsessions with other obsessed fans, it has quickly turned into something that anyone can enjoy. While allowing more people to enjoy their quirky tastes with others that enjoy it as much as they do is a great thing to allow, is it perhaps occurring too much in the world?
    In the past, these conventions were more for nerds and geeks of the world as it allowed them to meet one another face to face and make new friends in new places, something the internet cannot do. Events like Comic Con and Wizard World allow the socially introverted to converse with others in a fun and strange environment, allowing themselves to express themselves in however they see fit. Conventions are also a place where business occurs as well, with many artists, writers, advertisers, and various fan-made product merchants being able to make some money off of the conventions while at the same time show off what they have to offer to the world.


     However, recently in the past few years with the rise of superhero movies crushing box offices and the rest of the competition Hollywood Studios have been using these cons to market their new movies like Disney with Star Wars, showing the first trailer for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" along with 500 Stormtrooper mannequins at the Great Wall of China last year. The number of cons has also increased with its new popularity as for example with Wizard World, it had 24 events in just the last year in comparison with only 8 in 2013.
    But with all the hype and excitement over so many different conventions happening so much around the world, it may actually end up burning them out do to all of the events. Rob Salkowitz, autohr of a book on Comic-Con and business, said in 2012 that many fans now see them as overcrowded and too commercialized, with him seeing it becoming just a consumer event if the fans become tired out and leave. Wizard World already has to cancel some of their 2016 events they planned due to how many they had. The whole point of these cons were not to show off the newest summer blockbuster movie of the next Avengers sequel or make what already had hype even more hyped, but to simply just come in with a bunch of nerdy friends, laugh at the weird people and things you see there, and enjoy whatever came in your way. The wild factor used to be what gave buzz about these conventions and while they may have turned off the average person from coming in them, it really wasn't for them in the first place. It was just a place where for those that wanted to show their love for something they liked, they could with the rest of the same kind of fans in the world too. This isn't to say that conventions should only be for the hard-core fans that love their stuff to the extreme, but at the same time it isn't a giant commercial center for industries like Hollywood to present their big movie posters that everyone knows about from their other giant posters everywhere else. It's for those that like their Star Wars cosplay and homemade wookie plushies but don't really know much about how to show it outside in the real world besides the internet. It's a place for these kind of people to put all of their love and giddy quirks in one place with other strange people that are just like them and put all of their effort and energy into making this one place at this one point in time something that can't be done anywhere else in the world. Cons are for nerds and fans, but the right kind of nerds and fans that can make what they love into something more than just what producers and marketers see what they enjoy; a home for the geeky and strange.



Title: "The Rise of Cons"

Link: http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-rise-of-cons-1457036227

Time Published: 5:37pm March 3rd, 2016.

Brazil Faces Double Squeeze of Inflation and Recession

Brazil has not started off 2016 very well. As every ones New Years resolution is to "prosper and increase economically", Brazil is just praying that they won't go back to hyperinflation. 

Brazil's inflation rate has sadly increased to a 12 year high of 10.84%, as the populations unemployment rate rises. I am personally not from Brazil,but seeing as my best friend and boyfriend are from there and they have family in Brazil it touches me how hard it has been for the people of Brazil to deal with this recession.

 An example would be Eder Leoni, a Supermarket owner in Brasilia. As the owner of the supermarket, he has tried to cut down costs of his food prices as, "unemployment rises and fearful shoppers cut back on spending",but he can't cut prices to attract customers because his overall costs are up 19%. He has had to lay off 5 people because of this,  and his sales have gone down 8.5%. Everything has gone up, food prices, gas prices, tuition for schools. Moms have had to send their kids to cheaper schools, families have had to try not to go out more. And as the people of Brazil try to readjust, President Dilma Rousseff just removes subsidies and lets prices rise. 

As the people of Brazil feel like their government doesn't know what to do, they  have lost hope, and the only thing they can do is cut down spending and live through the recession.I believe that the people of Brazil will go back to their 4.5% inflation rates and prosper. As the Brazilians say "Fique Tranquilo","don't worry", don't worry the recession and high inflation rates will pass. 

AT&T to Sell DirecTV as an Online Service

 AT&T is a competitive company, however signing with DirecTV has gain a profit in which
 customers buy or move to DirecTV with a good plan such as having the internet service. What AT&T is currently doing is by making a contract with DIrecTV since they want to gain more customers to get the U-Verse wireless internet. The company will continue their negotiations with DirecTV but they must comply with the policy that DirecTV offers.
There are also TV advertisement while DirecTV are offering discounts and premium package that includes new channels that will benefit the customers to get interested. 

AT&T wants to have their own price for having wireless internet and tv channels to continue making more money.
The main problem that the company is facing is that they are not gaining much profit out of the internet service and that could bring the company in bad position, instead they should consider having all combine with a reasonable price so that customers get interested.

Renata GarciaMexico to Counter Republican Calls for Border Wallhttp://www.wsj.com/articles/mexico-to-promote-strong-ties-to-u-s-1456866924
March 3rd 2016

ENLARGE

Analysis:

 Mexico and the United States relationship has grown over several years along with Canada the three countries form the world's biggest free trade zones. Every day the is a total of 1.44e9 million dollars traded between each country. I personally was intrigued by this article because my mom works for a company who specializes in importing and exporting Hispanic product from cities all over Mexico to various states all over the US. The demand for the labels the company imports is increasing every year. each year they import to a new state. The products the company range from Tajin to Rockaleta, basically candy, chili powder, and tuna. Demand of these certain products come from states that have high a latino population such as Kansas, Georgia, and Texas. The CEO of this International company targets the Hispanic population in accordance to the census of each state. A marketing director told me that using the 4 Ps is a key factor on success rate of each specific brand. In one state there could be more demand "Tajin" (chili powder) than another and vice versa with other labels. Using the 4Ps, Product, Price, Promotion, and Place can help them allocate which state each brand will make the most profit for the company. Whether or not people realize the impact of foreign product in the US is cutting the ties between US and Mexico would create a huge economic crisis. For example, the importing of Hispanic products into the US provides jobs for workers in Mexico and United States such as factory workers, truck drivers, CEOs,etc. Each country has benefited from this for years, now trump is saying we need to build a wall between two countries who have different points of views, but nonetheless have been business partners for years, and created revenue for both parties. In my opinion, instead of building walls between two economically powerful countries we should start thinking about building "bridges". By "bridges" I mean where a both Mexico and US create a mutualistic relationship where both countries provide more jobs, more business deals, more wealth for each one. 

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Dish Network’s Sling TV Has More Than 600,000 Subscribers

February 18, 2016

The article is about Dish Network’s implementation of Sling TV, which is a streaming service. For twenty dollars a month, subscribers have access to twenty live channels plus additional movie content and the option to purchase additional genre-based packs. This interests me because it shows how a television service is implementing another streaming service to the market. Streaming services, such as Netflix and Hulu, compete with television services. Ultimately Dish Network has created another form of competition for itself. It markets the younger generation who have never had pay-TV and the people who love sports. Sling TV’s recent growth has been based on the college football playoffs and their future growth will hopefully be from “March Madness” college basketball. Dish Network’s company lost twelve thousand customers overall in 2015’s fourth quarter, but gained one hundred twenty-nine thousand subscribers to Sling TV. While Dish Network is growing one business, they are hurting their prime business. In order to grow Sling TV, Dish Network appealed to a target market that enjoys sports, on-demand movies, no ads, and has low income. This marketing strategy could be a step in the direction of a crossover from pay-TV to streaming.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/dish-networks-sling-tv-has-more-than-600-000-subscribers-1455825689

Companies Pay Workers to Live Close to the Office

What do Addepar Inc. Companies, Facebook Inc., and Zappos.com Inc. all have in common? Each company offer rent stipends, house-hunting services and down-payment help for employees willing to live closer to the office.  These services attract workers to move to high rent areas and live in neighborhoods that lack in traffic. Allowing workers to live closer to home offers the opportunity for healthier meals, healthier work environments, healthier lifestyles, and more environmentally friendly ways of transportation to work.

Addepar Inc. Companies offer a $300 monthly housing striped for employees to live less than a mile from the company and $150 monthly stipend for employees that live further away. After noticing many workers were tired coming into work from the commute, Lissa Minkin, the leader in charge of human resources, introduced the idea of paying employees to live closer to work with the idea “the less time you’re spending on commuting, the more time you can spend focusing on work or focusing on your friends and family”. Although this money is taxed, it allows employees the opportunity to pay for their home without it taking a toll on their families. Facebook is also known for paying their employees several thousand dollars a year to live within 10 miles of its Menlo Park campus in California. Facebook also offers their workers the help of apartment-hunting. Loren Becker, from Zappos.com Inc. states that “workers who spend their free time together exhibit more trust, productivity, and creativity on the job. If you want to spend time with people, you’re more apt to work harder.” Unlike Addepar Inc., Facebook, and Zappos.com, Yelp does not offer this service causing their employees many struggles with paying rent and other bills.

Even though many companies are starting to offer this stipend, there is much debate on the employers providing money to their employees for their housing. The CEO of Gusto, Joshua Reeves, believes this stipend takes back employees to their college days. Segmentors prefer to separate their professional and personal lives, but with this action of stipends or house-hunters, employees are offering to null that line.

Not having to travel too far for work with your employer’s paycheck or traveling to work but having more privacy: what would you do?

Title:

“Companies Pay Workers to Live Close to the Office”

Link:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-pay-workers-to-live-close-to-the-office-1456223402

Time Published:

February 23, 2016 11:09 AM