Is there anyone who actually likes traffic? One Indianapolis entrepreneur is sure hoping some people do. Entrepreneur Tom Battista saw a patch of grass overlooking a spot where two highways merge and had an idea. He is calling his idea “The Idle” and it will be a spot where people can come and watch the traffic. That’s right, people will be able to come and relax with three rows of seats and a covering to protect from the sun where they will watch the cars either rush along or sit and try to merge. The concept is interesting. The idea that we all know the frustration of sitting in traffic, trying to get where you need to be, it can be maddening. However, here you can sit and be right where you need to be. Enjoying the fresh air and the fact that you are not one of the people sitting in the line of cars. Or on a day that is not stop and go, you can enjoy just watching the cars zip along. At first I thought this idea was crazy, but the more I think about it, the more I think I could see myself going there to relax!
That sci-fi vision of the future continues to become reality with every passing day. We’ve seen driverless cars on the road, but now, in certain districts of San Francisco you may see a robot driving down the sidewalk delivering food. Yelp’s new experimental food delivery service, Yelp Eat24, is an autonomous self-driving delivery robot. The technology was created by ex Apple and Google employees and uses cameras, sensors, and light detection and ranging to safely drive meals to their destination.
With times changing and everyone needing to stay competitive and relevant these days, some businesses are really thinking outside the box. The other day we talked about a coal museum switching to solar power to reduce costs. We’ve seen companies like Amazon explore quicker delivery service via drones. Now, after experiencing a real downturn in post office traffic, the New Zealand Postal Service has partnered with KFC to begin providing delivery service in select parts of NZ. In an effort to expand and continue to provided sought after services you will be able to have your KFC delivered by NZ postal workers. The idea may sound a little out there, but it makes sense. I mean, really, as I sit here writing this I could go for some extra crispy and a side of mashed potatoes. I’d also enjoy it more if I didn’t have to go further than my mailbox.
It’s nothing new at this point, solar power is everywhere and it’s becoming more easily accessible and affordable as time goes on. You see more and more buildings, residential and commercial, switching to solar from traditional means of power. Even one unlikely Kentucky building has made the switch. The Kentucky Coal Mining museum, a building dedicated to preserving and displaying the history of the coal industry, has decided to make the switch to solar power itself. The decision was made as a way to save money in the long term for the museum.
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of superheroes. In fact, if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now. That’s why, when I started to see videos and posts about UK’s Richard Browning, I began to get quite excited. That’s because Richard has built what can only be described as a real life Iron Man suit! It’s comprised of a lightweight exoskeleton suit, including a heads up display, and a total of six gas turbines that provide the thrust for flight. Although Browning is still a long way away from testing the suit at its full potential, he has seen improvements from flights only lasting seconds to now being able to stay in flight in excess of ten minutes! I’m going to begin saving my money now so I can buy this thing whenever it’s available.
