TREND REPORTS
Recovery Quickens as U.S. Retail Sales Soar, Jobless Claims Ease
[Investing]
2021/04/18 09:08
March retail receipts jump by 9.8%, most in 10 months. Initial jobless claims fell last week to fresh pandemic low.The U.S. economy’s comeback is firing on all cylinders with employment, retail spending and manufacturing exhibiting strong gains.Thursday’s barrage of economic data showed that some parts of the economy, like retail sales, have returned to or exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Applic...
This AI Chess Board Runs Millions of Winning Strategies - The ChessUp Board
[Product]
2021/04/18 09:07
An incredible, connected chess board with a built-in chess instructor that lights up all possible moves according to strength. I’m reminded of a scene from Avengers: Endgame, when Doctor Strange ran 14 million alternate life-or-death strategies before cryptically signaling to Tony Stark that there was only one scenario in which the Avengers could beat Thanos and save the universe. While the Ch...
Israel's Vaccine Rollout Curbs Covid-19 Spread
[Consumer]
2021/04/18 09:06
Israel's quick and effective vaccine rollout has successfully suppressed the spread of Covid-19 with the number of daily new infections continuing to drop despite the economy reopening. New cases peaked on January 27 at 11,934 according to Our World in Data and they have trended firmly downward since then with vaccines quickly breaking the country's third wave. The end of the pandemic now looks...
Playpulse's Smart Exercise Bike Lets You Choose Between Workout Classes and Netflix
[Product]
2021/04/18 09:05
Imagine a connected exercise bike that doesn’t simply exist to sell you on a class-based subscription platform. What if, instead, you could use its 24-inch touchscreen as a way of making your TV and gaming time a little less sedentary. That’s the idea behind the Playpulse One, a smart spin bike that will let you watch Netflix, or play games, rather than just follow along with a preppy gym ins...
The Countries that Pay the Most and Least for LEGO
[Business]
2021/04/18 09:04
LEGO is the world in miniature. From kid-sized construction projects to brick-by-brick replicas of cinematic universes, LEGO offers a way for little hands to get a grip on the world.Key FindingsThe cheapest place in the world to buy LEGO is Hong Kong, where the average price of the sets in our study is $111.12.The most expensive LEGO on Earth is in Ecuador, where a single set costs $672.00.In t...
A Greenery-Filled Residence with An Optimal Interior Temperature
[Design]
2021/04/18 09:03
VTN Architects has designed a home and workplace defined by a brick façade that keeps the interior at an optimal temperature.Working with the goal of adding more greenery infused architecture to urban Vietnam, VTN Architects adds Bat Trang House to its portfolio. Situated in Bat Trang Town, a traditional pottery village and part of the larger city of Hanoi, the recently completed project serve...
Colourful, Zero-Waste Packaging Made from Soap - Soapbottle
[Design]
2021/04/16 09:03
German designer Jonna Breitenhuber has created a line of zero-waste personal care products that come in unusual packaging — made from soap.In light of the millions of tons of packaging waste sent to landfill each year, German designer Jonna Breitenhuber has developed SOAPBOTTLE, a new line of zero-waste liquid care products, packaged in bottles made entirely out of usable soap. Each brightly c...
The World’s Best Venture Capital Investors In 2021
[Investing]
2021/04/15 09:10
A tech landscape transformed by the pandemic and high-profile IPOs for its beneficiaries means a sea change atop the 20th annual Midas List of the world’s best venture capitalists.Produced in partnership with TrueBridge Capital Partners, the Midas List is the definitive ranking of the top 100 tech investors. At number one for the first time is Sequoia partner Alfred Lin, the former Zappos exec...
(Patent) Apple Researching HomePod-style Spatial Audio for Apple AR
[Tech]
2021/04/15 09:09
Apple AR could feature Spatial Audio, as already used in the HomePod, HomePod mini, or AirPods Pro — but also recorded on compact devices.It may still be the case that we think of AR as being a visual medium, but Apple has again been researching the audio side of the whole experience. Following on from previous work investigating making audio sound 3D, it's now been researching more convenient...
