So at Cornell University, an Ivy League university, they’re conducting an IT support and IT support experiment. It involves blue cheese and virtual reality. But what do these two things have in common? They ask the questions. Can VR help your food taste better?
First, they gave 50 people VR headsets. Then, they gave them pieces of blue cheese. They ate the cheese in a typical booth first. Then they put the VR glasses. It was there where they sat on a park bench surrounded by green grass. There was also a cow barn and a farm setting, but no cows. Then they ate the blue cheese in this fantasy setting. According to their research, the cheese tasted better on a fantasy farm than in a real booth.
One of the researchers wanted to prove this point: It’s not just about what we eat and the taste of it. He talks about the input we get from our senses: or eyes and ears. Other researchers also say this even brings about memories for our surroundings. For instance, those who say the same cheese tasted better in the farm. I wonder how many grew up on the farm, or who ate cheese on the farm. Or I wonder how many ate cheese in a rural or green grass setting.
So maybe I’m titling this blog wrong: Can VR help your food taste better? Because the researchers say this isn’t about VR making your food taste better. However, this can made VR some sort of a taste bed experiment. Here’s an example. In the future, you could be on a bus, train, plane , or any other crowded place. Then they break out with the VR goggles of a peaceful, rural place, or any other pleasant surroundings. They’re banking that the pleasantries of VR will make the food taste better no matter what earthly chaos they’re in. Will corporations and/or consumers buy this?
So for years, many people from fast food to retail, protest a $15 minimum wage. So far, they made little headway. In fact, some found their jobs replaced by robots and AI technology. But it sounds like one company hears this protest and is doing something about it. Amazon increases minimum wage.
This includes all Amazon employees, including those from Whole Foods. This also includes the 100,000 seasonal employees that will come. In fact, the holiday shopping season is almost upon us (I know it comes sooner, but that’s another subject). Obviously, this wage increase cover the 250,000 full time Amazon employees as well. This new rule will start on November 1, 2018.
It’s already winning praise outside the IT service and support community. Senator Bernie Sanders urges other CEO’s to follow Jeff Bezos’ example. Then there is Dave Clark, the VP of Amazon. He took a picture, then tweeted it. That picture is of him announcing the wage increase to happy employees. Bezos wants people to know that other benefits will not change. Bezos himself also encouraged other CEO’s to follow his lead. Also, Bezos and other Amazon leaders promise to lobby for a federal minimum wage increase. They say $7.25 is too low. However, they didn’t say how much the national minimum wage should be.
Not too long ago, a customer came in our computer service shop. An Amazon employee, she complained about how her wage was low, despite Amazon being an almost trillion dollar company. I think of hard working Americans like her when I read Amazon increases minimum wage. But keep this in mind. Amazon is a trillion dollar company. They can afford to give their 250,000 employees minimum wage! Some companies can’t. In fact, some retail corporations are hanging by a thread as it is. If you can afford to pay your people $15 minimum, then do it. But some can’t. Also, the cynic in me asks: Will there be any layoffs or other repercussions before they increase their minimum wage?
So more people are dependent on technology and IT support than ever before. People are also trying to eat healthier than ever before. But let’s put the two together. Can technology help you eat better?
I ask because their is a company they call Farmer’s Fridge. One of it’s leaders is Eric Schmidt, a former Google CEO. Farmer’s Fridge is making vending machines. And this machine will serve ready-to-eat healthy meals and snacks, like salads, granola bars, and healthy sandwiches. Also, keep in mind they make fresh meals and food for these vending machines daily. All you do is put dollars in the machine. Then, the food comes out like a drinking vending machine. Each trip will run you $5-8, depending on what you want.
So how is it working? Well, according to the reports I’m getting, there is only 5% food waste, and this is after purchase. That says something. Their headquarters are in Chicago. So far, there are around 200 machines in the Greater Chicago and Milwaukee areas. And they are everywhere, from airports to hospitals to stores. In fact, these meals are in such demand that they have to restock the machines five days a week. Revenue is good for Farmer’s Fridge. This is also creating jobs. Someone has to harvest and prepare the food. Then someone has to restock the machines. By late 2019, Farmer’s Fridge expects to go from 130 to 200 employees.
They also plan to expand. I don’t know to what cities, but I think they will do very well in Boston near our computer service shop. In fact, they would do well just about anywhere. I grew up in the eastern part of North Carolina. And even there, where pork used to be king, many people are going vegetarian and vegan. Of course, there is a huge health movement here in Boston; we’re one of the healthiest cities in the country. What I’m saying is this is a trend that can really catch on. Can technology help you eat better?
So Amazon has a new store. But I’m not talking about a new Whole Foods. I’m talking about an Amazon Go store, where there are no cashiers. This is Amazon Go Store opens in Chicago.
But wait? Did you say a store without cashiers? That sounds almost as silly as cars without drivers , or restaurants without waiters (see where I’m going?). However yes, this store has no cashiers and no check-out lines. It opened in the heart of downtown Chicago, just a few blocks from sites like Millennium Park and Navy Pier. It’s only the fourth Amazon Go store to open up, but here what makes this one special. It’s the first Go store to open up outside of Seattle, Amazon’s headquarter city.
However, this won’t be your typical ‘milk, eggs, bread, sugar’ grocery store. This Amazon Go store will sale mostly ready to eat, high end meals. This includes salads, deli-style sandwiches, hot foods, and high end beverages. But wait. If they’re no cashiers and check out stations, then how will we pay? Does this mean we can just take everything for free? Well, not exactly. Camera will follow your every move and your every purchase. After you walk out, Amazon will bill you. So no cash, debit/credit cards, checks, or anything else will be needed.
The only thing about this Amazon Go store opens in Chicago. This particular store will close on weekends. The others don’t. Plus, we may see other Amazon Go stores coming out. They got big plans for San Francisco and New York City. Who knows? They could be coming to Boston, near our computer service shop. But these stores are coming. How fast they’re coming, well, that depends on consumers like you and me. Could you see yourself shopping in a store where you pay nothing immediately, but yet see a bill later?
So remember when Apple and Amazon reached a trillion dollar status? It looks like those days are over, for now at least. Because Apple and Amazon fall backward in stocks.
So in the last several days, Apple and Amazon lost over $100 billion in stocks. For example, back on Sept. 4, Apple hit a record of over $228. But since then, they lost over 5%, or around $10 a share. That may not sound like much. However, this means Apple lost over $50 billion in less than a week. Then there is Amazon. Their stocks are in a four day losing streak. They lost around less than one percent of their stocks. Again that doesn’t sound like much. Nevertheless, to Amazon, that’s over $50 billion.
Why is this happening? Well, stocks are falling across the board and several reasons. The numbers overall aren’t that alarming, but this is Amazon and Apple. However, in order to explain their slide, maybe we should get into the overall stock’s slide. Insiders blame crises in Turkey and Argentina for the slide. Both their currencies are in decline. Also, keep in mind Turkey’s growing involvement with the Syrian war. Investors fear where this might head. Then there are trade wars with other nations from Canada to China, China being one of the biggest IT service countries in the world. This also has investors on edge.
Despite these reasons, investors really don’t have an answer why Apple and Amazon fall backward in stocks. However, I have some guesses about Apple. Every year around this time, they either announce or release a new smartphone device. People in our computer service shop ask this. This year, we heard nothing but speculations. We don’t even know what features they will have or how much they will cost. We can only hope not $1,000 or over that. Experts say some of their new phones will be lower. I hope so. Apple and Amazon fall backward in stocks?
So a few weeks ago, I reported that Apple is worth a trillion dollars. Then yesterday, another IT support company made that feat. Amazon is now worth a trillion dollars.
So here is how Amazon did it. Tuesday, their stocks passed the $2,050 mark. That’s just for one share. So now think of many many shares worth that amount. That’s the main reason Amazon crossed this tremendous feat. But that’s just the beginning. Because the other reasons are more complex. First of all, Apple just sales high end tech products at a high price. Well, some of our Boston computer service shop?clients will tell you different, and not in a good way either.
However, let’s go back to Amazon. They make 49 cents a sale on their e-commerce site. This includes everything from two dollar artifacts to two thousand dollar laptops. It employs over 550,000 people. Many of them work at home. Also look at how quickly Amazon rose to the masses. For example, as recent as 2010, Amazon was worth barely $100 billion. Also, around this time, they came out with Kindle, which sold quickly. Then came Amazon Web Services and other services. Then they went into Hollywood movies and streaming services. But as recent as 2015, they were worth barely over $200 billion. However, within the last three years, these services Amazon offers grew like wildfire.
Not only that, but they added new ones. They started Amazon Delivery, Amazon Prime, and Alexa the voice machine. Some call it exciting and awesome, while some others call it annoying and encouraging laziness (including present company). I mean, do you really need a machine to turn on the lights or TV for you? I digress. Oh, I almost forgot, they got Whole Foods now. So with all these advancements, they are the second company in American history, the third in world history, to cross the trillion dollar mark. That’s how Amazon is now worth a trillion dollars. But what about the small businesses, and major retails corporations for that matter, that got left out?
