by Thane Ritchie | May 8, 2017 | Innovation, Technology, Uncategorized
Within just 3 years Uber devastated the L.A. taxi industry. The smartphone based company has gone on to affect many other markets. Even the English language has been changed by the Uber app. Start-ups everywhere pitch themselves as the Uber of “x” product or “x” service. Uber has become a noun signifying a type of a market disruptor. Next flying cars. The LA Times reports how thanks to Uber the number of taxi rides has fallen by 30%. Taxi Commission President Eric Spiegelman reports that now taxis take in somewhere around $400-$500 a week apposed to $800 (in 2012). In under 4 years Uber has revolutionized the transportation industry, beginning as a small start-up and becoming a large-scale company valued at over 60 billion. For this young and successful company, ‘sky’s the limit’. Well, not exactly, in 2016 the company announced their desire to pursue project “Elevate,” flying cars. While the statement certainly raised some eyebrows. It was met with many reservations. How would the FAA regulate the semi-private pilots? How would Uber ensure safety? In addition, Uber’s new strategy counted on the invention of a cheap and lightweight plane. The plan seemed implausible. It was not until Tuesday, April 25th, before many in the technology industry world began to take the proposal seriously. Uber hosted their 3 day Elevate Summit from the 25th – 27th to provide information and garner support for the venture. “It’s push a button and get a flight” This is the vision Uber’s Chief Product Officer looks forward to. The company hopes to launch its first Vertical Take Off and Land (VTOL) airplane in 2020....
by Thane Ritchie | Jan 29, 2017 | Innovation, Misc, Uncategorized
“To do these things well, most lawyers must forget everything they ever learned in law school…” This is the advice that the award winning author, Bryan Garner, holder of three honorary degrees, gives on legal writing. Garner is a lawyer, lexicographer, and teacher. Having written over 20 books, including a book he co-authored with Justice Antonin Scalia, Garner is considered one of the leading experts on legal writing of our time. One of Garner’s central values is efficiency. In Garner’s book, The Winning Brief: 100 Tips for Persuasive Briefing in Trial and Appellate Courts, he discusses the perfect formula on writing legal briefs. (Legal briefs are short documents used as pre-trial summaries). He urges lawyers to stop muddying the waters for Judges. Identify the main issue for the judge and give the Judge a quick and clear reason as to why your argument is the only possible option. “Within 90 seconds, the judge understands the basic question, the answer, and the reasons for that answer.”1Garner, Bryan A. “8 Frame the Deep Issues from the Outset so That You Meet the 90-second Test.” The Winning Brief: 100 Tips for Persuasive Briefing in Trial and Appellate Courts. New York: Oxford UP, 2004. 53-56. Print. Bryan Garner remains a somewhat controversial figure. His writing advice goes against the grain of traditional legal writing. According to Garner 1% of professionally written briefs are actually successful.2Garner, Bryan A. “8 Frame the Deep Issues from the Outset so That You Meet the 90-second Test.” The Winning Brief: 100 Tips for Persuasive Briefing in Trial and Appellate Courts. New York: Oxford UP, 2004. 53-56. Print. He urges lawyers...
by Thane Ritchie | Oct 26, 2016 | Innovation, Misc, Uncategorized
Why has Oxford climbed to the top spot on some surveys of the worlds best Universities? There seem to be a couple of main reasons for the ranking. One is a renewed emphasis on the hard sciences at Oxford in recent years. Oxford’s tradition as a bastion of literary arts and philosophy remain but are giving way to the needs of the modern workplace which requires first rate math and science education. Oxford’s Science Park is becoming a tech corridor for companies that reside there and feed off the the University’s programs and talent. Oxford was recently named the number one in research quality int the UK University system. The other reason that Oxford has made its push to the top is that it has relied on a time tested formula for education excellence. According to the University President Oxford hires quality professors who love to teach. No stockpiling of “names” that rest on their laurels need apply. All this excellence for only 12,000 USD per...
by Thane Ritchie | Jul 13, 2016 | Green Tech Career, Innovation
In the United States, many issues divide along party lines. Few issues unite the two political parties. Historically, the process of replacing non-renewable energy with renewable energy sources has been added to the long list of divisive party issues. But as business models for renewable energy become more innovative and cost effective, the issue of clean energy could become with the potential of unifying political parties. Right now Republican states Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and North Dakota are among the top 11 states with the most installed wind capacity.1http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/are-the-winds-changing-for-renewable-energy/490250/ Both Republican and Democratic States are looking for ways to replace carbon based harmful energy sources for renewable energy sources. In the past, blue states have been more involved in the quest for clean energy. Ideology seems to be what pushes red states away from the issue. Republican states tend to appose Federal mandates for renewable energy, but they are not necessarily against the growth of sustainable energy sources in their state. “As the economics get better, as the business models prove themselves, as renewable energy industries become stronger and stronger in every state, I just think the politics have to follow that.”2http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/are-the-winds-changing-for-renewable-energy/490250/ Aliya Haq, Special Projects Director of the Climate and Clean Air Program of NRDC, discusses how innovative business strategies that enhance the cost effective nature of renewable energy forces could be the solution to uniting red and blue states, getting both parties to pursue profitable solar energy business models. In the past, 528 million federal dollars were given to a solar panel company, Solyndra. Since then the company has gone bankrupt.3https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/renewable-energy-industry-and-politics/gIQAxv3OhL_topic.html It is apparent that “kinks” are still being...
by Thane Ritchie | Jul 11, 2016 | Innovation, Investment, Technology
On June 21st Elon Musk’s renowned electric car company, Tesla, made known that it intended to acquire SolarCity in an all-stock transaction. Taking on the burden of another company presents itself as an obscure deal, especially when Tesla seemingly has their own operational issues. Musk and Tesla have described this proposal as a logical combination of two companies with similar customers, cultures, and goals.1http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Tesla-s-SolarCity-deal-Is-Musk-taking-on-too-8349040.php The vision is innovative: but from an economic and investing standpoint, this deal may seem more like a simple bailout of SolarCity (that will hurt Tesla stockholders) rather than a merge of two companies to meet the world’s future energy needs.2http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2016/06/22/elon-musks-solarcity-bailout-is-painful-for-tesla-shareholders/#780744cc3aa0 Pros of following through with the deal: Tesla states that “We would be the world’s only vertically integrated energy company offering end-to-end clean energy products to our customers.”3https://www.teslamotors.com/blog/tesla-makes-offer-to-acquire-solarcity In theory, the deal is very innovative and boasts plenty of dynamic potential. Integrating these companies may contain worries and uncertainty for the financial and business side of Tesla, but the deal holds a lot of potential as a model for the future of innovative companies and renewable energy. A good amount of electric car owners, that may be concerned over global warming or interested in breaking the grip of fossil fuels, have or want to invest in solar energy products. Musk highlighted this in pitching the Solar City Deal. Merging the companies makes the products that Tesla and SolarCity have to offer more available and relevant to each other. Cons of following through with this deal: Critics and skeptics alike are noting that the business of producing and selling cars is very different from the business...
by Thane Ritchie | May 30, 2016 | Innovation
With the rise of new healthcare and informatics devices, wearable electronics have seeped into the consumer space and have been quickly adopted by the medical, health, and fitness industries. Industry reports indicate that the market for wearable technology will reach $70 billion by 2025 — $20 billion was spent in wearable tech in 2015 and this is expected to jump to $70 billion by 2025 as the healthcare sector develops more programs and technologies that incorporate wearable tech. From wristbands with heart rate monitors to calorie trackers and advanced pedometers, many consumers are jumping on the wearable tech bandwagon to keep track of their daily habits and play a more active role in their health. Human resources departments at many major companies and firms have started using wearable tech in the workplace, encouraging employees to take care of their health and wellness so they can be happier, more productive employees. But what types of implications will this have on employees of the future and HR departments at a whole? Fitbit, one of the leaders in the wearable tech space, announced last year that it will be extending the reach of its corporate wellness programs by making sure its technologies are compliant with HIPAA laws to protect patient privacy. This move allowed the company to give 335,000 Target employees personal fitness trackers and the company already works with more than 50 Fortune 500 companies, according to a report from Fortune Magazine. This means the data Fitbit collects would only be used by certain entities. By extending the reach of their programs, more companies using Fitbit wearable technology would possibly be...
