Cali_Wino

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On November 20, 2016, Cali_Wino commented on Your Toaster Has Been Hacked :

Fascinating. Another example of digitization making our lives both easier and yet more complicated. I recall the CEO at my last company (a 15,000 person engineering and construction management firm) sharing the statistic that our system had roughly 1,000,000 hacking attempts per day – one explanation of why our IT expenses had ballooned over the last few years. It would be interesting to see for many of these products (e.g. digital toaster) if the net cost/benefit of digitizing is still compelling if it means paying for additional anti-hacking services for the life of that product as well.

Very cool. A lot of the business model decisions seems like no-brainers, so it’s amazing to see that they are the first company to be using them. A great example of a stagnant industry that is being revitalized through technology. I’d be curious to know more about the nail salon industry and how positioned they are to respond. Do you know if most salons are individually owned and operated, or are there large chains? I would imagine mom and pop shops would not be able to respond well, unless they utilized a service that offered them this platform externally (which I imagine many companies already exist that offers this). Does MiniLuxe have any competitive advantage other than first-mover and scale that their competitors could not copy?

Thanks for sharing! Reminds me I need a mani/pedi…

On November 20, 2016, Cali_Wino commented on Tracing a web of destruction: Can big data fight human trafficking? :

Very poignant post – thank you for writing and and sharing. It is unbelievable there are so many individuals involved in human trafficking around the world, and heart-breaking to imagine the experience of the victims. It sounds like big data will be able to play a major role in improving our ability to respond to this crisis. Assuming this will lead to an increase in identified victims and a better understanding of the networks of traffickers, I wonder if the rest of the response system is equipped to handle the increased volume (i.e. will the bottleneck shift from a restriction of information on the locations and identities of victims to the response capacity?). Regardless, having more and better information will allow for a better framing of the problem to increase awareness, and hopefully thereafter an increase in funding and resources to combat it.

On November 20, 2016, Cali_Wino commented on Fishing for Fish Data: Digitizing Aquaculture :

I know very little about fish farming, and was amazed to learn about these techniques for getting fish to our tables! It is quite astounding to see how consumer demand drives innovation and new solutions using technology. I never would have thought that a floating fish pod would be an economically feasible way to farm fish, but given the reduced supply caused by overfishing and increased demand, I imagine we will see other innovative approaches in the future.

I agree with Anja_A – I can see this industry facing the same tradeoffs/challenges as land farming of animals, particularly regarding ethical treatment of the captive animals and increased consumer education.

Thanks for the informative post.

On November 20, 2016, Cali_Wino commented on UberMOTO: A Challenge to Bangkok’s Motorcycle Taxis Business Model :

Very well-written and interesting post, Pat! Takes me back to found memories of my travels in Thailand.

As a passenger, I see so much upside to using UberMoto over traditional motorcycle taxis. I remember needing to walk quite a distance in the heat to get to the closest win from where I was, which was fine as a tourist with plenty of time and light clothing, but can’t imagine doing the same in work clothes. I also recall having to negotiate the price, which is something I’d imagine UberMoto would eliminate.

How do you expect the drivers will react to UberMoto? Will they be paid better? Have more regular customers? How do you think the current motorcycle taxi businesses will respond if UberMoto is allowed in Bangkok? Will be interested to see how this plays out.

On November 7, 2016, Cali_Wino commented on Show Me the Honey: Plight of the Humble Bee :

Thanks for the great post. As noted in other replies, the future seems challenging (and possibly bleak) for the bee populations in the future. It is disheartening to think we need to resort to genetically modifying and cross breeding animals in order for them to survive in the new climate caused by anthropogenic activities.

I appreciate your laying out the direct impacts on the industry posed by climate change and recommendations for responding in the future. Thanks!

On November 7, 2016, Cali_Wino commented on IT’S TIME TO PLAY BY THE RULES :

Excellent post, Shaun. Very thorough and insightful discussion. It is interesting to see how heavily Mattel is being pushed by regulatory requirements and activist pressure in comparison to businesses in other industries that have been evaluated in this challenge.

Beyond their (seemingly mostly involuntary) sustainability efforts, I would also be interested in evaluating the challenges that will be posed to Mattel’s operations by climate change in the long term future, potentially such as:
– Increasing raw material costs. It sounds as if their primarily inputs are petroleum-derived products. How do you expect the supply chain and raw material costs may be impacted due climate change?
– Potential future regulations. Imposed requirements on packaging materials or greenhouse gas emissions may further impact Mattel’s manufacturing, packaging, and distribution processes (particularly costs). Where do you see this headed?

Thanks for the great post!

On November 7, 2016, Cali_Wino commented on The Ecological Impact of Feminine Hygiene Products :

Very interesting post, Shreya. As a consumer, traditional feminine hygiene product options feel particularly and unnecessarily wasteful and material intensive. I agree with your conclusions that Natracare has taken a great step forward in increasing the sustainability of such a widely needed product.

Beyond sustainability, I would also be interested in evaluating the challenges that will be posed to Natracare’s operations by climate change in the long term future, potentially such as:
– Increasing raw material costs. It appears that all of their products are made with organic cotton. Due to the climate change-induced increase in droughts, severe weather, and increasing ambient temperatures straining agriculture production and social pressure creating competition for land use between natural habitat and agriculture, cotton is likely to become much more expensive and challenging to produce in the future. As the main input of their products, this would be something for Natracare to plan for.
– Potential future regulations. Imposed requirements on packaging materials or greenhouse gas emissions may impacting Natracare’s manufacturing, packaging, and delivery processes (particularly costs).

These topics may be of interest for a future post.

On November 7, 2016, Cali_Wino commented on Blue Apron: Delivering an efficient tomorrow :

Very interesting post, Aakash. Food waste is a particular pet peeve of mine, which is challenging to combat as an individual with the current packaging options available in the supermarkets. I agree with your conclusions that Blue Apron’s product delivery has the potential to increase the sustainability of our food supply chain, particularly in regard to food waste. I also agree with the other responses that the packaging of their product likely has opportunities for improvement in sustainability as well.

I would also be interested in understanding the challenges what will be posed to Blue Apron’s operations by climate change in the long term future, though they are likely common among the entire food industry. Some I can think of are:
– Increasing cost of food (raw materials) with the increase in droughts, severe weather, and increasing ambient temperatures straining agriculture production and social pressure creating competition for land use between natural habitat and agriculture
– Potential future regulations on packaging materials materials or greenhouse gas emissions, impacting their manufacturing, packaging, and delivery processes

These topics may be of interest for a future post.

Well-written post, Elyse. I agree with your conclusions that there is much General Mills (GMs) can do to increase it’s sustainability, which you argue is GM’s obligation from a corporate moral perspective, customer expectation, and industry leadership position.

Beyond sustainability, I would also argue that General Mills will have many challenges posed to its operations by climate change, such as:
– Cost of growing food (raw materials) with the increase in droughts, severe weather, and increasing ambient temperatures
– Potential future regulations imposing greenhouse gas emissions caps, impacting their manufacturing processes
– Social pressure creating competition for land use between natural habitat and agriculture

These topics may be of interest for a future post.