Lane's Profile

Intersting post, Varun! I agree that AR tools like the HoloLens would be ideal for this task. However, I am concerned that this technology will not really be practical for companies like NewEgg for quite some time still. The HoloLens for example has a tiny field of view right now. Do you think that the HoloLens in its current state could still provide value for NewEgg? I wonder if companies that depend on their fulfillment like NewEgg are investing in improving AR technology in ways that will work for them.

Very interesting post! I did not know that UPS was investing in this. It makes some sense for a company like UPS to try to make this work, but I am quite skeptical about whether they will pull it off. There are so many 3d printing start ups out there right now, and I imagine that it will be hard for UPS to compete in the long run as 3d printing becomes a commoditized business. In the even longer term, eventually every business will have their own 3d printers, as will individuals in their homes. It doesn’t make sense to have something produced and shipped if you can cheaply and quickly make one on site and on demand.

I agree that Netflix has done an excellent job of staying ahead and changing with the times. I hope that they can keep this up and spread into more areas of entertainment. I agree with your ideas for what Netflix should try next. I think that the “Netflix and Chill” button sounds very interesting. Expanding the buttons capabilities and integrating it with other home automation products like Nest makes could lead to some very cool innovations.

This is a cool concept. We actually have a nest camera in our kitchen and love that I can see that the cats are eating when I’m away. I think that this type of home automation and monitoring is very exciting and will definitely change the way we live in the near future. I agree that the hacking concern will grow as more and more devices that we depend on are connected to the internet. This will always be a risk, but hopefully it will stay a small risk thanks to advances in security that nearly keep pace with the innovation of hackers.

Interesting post, Bastiane. We wrote about similar topics, and I agree with you that it will be extremely challenging for hardware companies like Cisco or Intel to pivot into the SaaS/IoT space successfully. I think that one of the few ways it could be successful is if these big companies can agree on a standard interface between their products so that customers can use all of their products together seamlessly, but that seems unlikely to happen in time. Much more likely for the reasons Mark said is that these big companies will fail to pivot fast enough and new companies will take their place in the IoT space.

I agree with others that racing to the top and voting with our wallets are great concepts. I really hope that some of the ideas you suggested actually get implemented. It seems relatively low risk for PepsiCo to introduce lines of incrementally more sustainable products and allow consumers to drive the demand for sustainability. As the data you posted suggests, this is something consumers want. In particular, I wonder what PepsiCo could do to make its packaging more sustainable. I would imagine consumers wouldn’t mind a different style of packaging if it meant a more positive impact on the environment, so I hope PepsiCo is investigating this area of their business.

This was an interesting article. Google is a very unique company not only because of their massive bottom line, but also because they are willing to invest some of those profits into projects with a very long horizon that might not pan out for the company. I would love to see them implement some of the ideas you suggested. I think companies like Google have the potential to make an enormous impact on the climate by investing in projects that other companies cannot or will not. I hope that they explore radical and innovative solutions to climate change in the coming years.

I agree with what others have said about the McDonald’s menu changing for different regions. They obviously have to offer the types of foods that customers want to buy, but offering more variety and marketing chicken and turkey options more aggressively might be good for PR and the company’s future in a changing climate. It seems like they are doing a few things right now to look good to the public, but it doesn’t seem to me that they are taking the issue seriously enough at this point. I will be very interested to see where they go from here.

Having gone to Tahoe several times during all of those draught years you listed, I can attest that it got really bad. There were literally patches of rock and dirt where the snow machines were not doing enough. I will be very curious to see what happens with Vail and other similar companies in the coming decades. I agree that diversification is a good idea, but I wonder whether it will be enough long term. They will need to come up with other ways to get people to drive several hours from the nearest major city when they don’t have snow.

This is a very interesting post. It is good to hear that LAUSD is practicing what it preaches and has already done so much to retrofit buildings and install solar panels. It was also so interesting to hear about the California Department of Education Linked Learning grant that funds experiential learning about climate change. I think this a really amazing way to prepare the youth for a changing future. I hope that this sort of model expands to more school districts throughout the country. I would be curious to learn more about the program and what can be done to scale it.