Shake Shack is launching a cashless burger joint in NYC

I see automation as a way to enhance customer experiences, streamline businesses and do our jobs better. 

In the future world of abundance, we’ll have to deal with people having trouble moving from hourly wages to more fulfilling lives. I think it the biggest issue we face as a society and will work on anything that teaches people to embrace this abundance.

How else can we describe this type of news as positive for society?

 

Shake Shack is trialling a cash-free location, where the only ordering option will be via kiosks, at its NYC Astor Place location. The new spot will open in early October, per the company, and will feature custom-made kiosks that feature touchscreen ordering, with built-in text message alerts for when orders are ready for pickup.

The location will still feature actual human staff – and Shake Shack is touting its $15 per hour starting wage for those employees, who will be called ‘Hospitality Champs’ and who will assist people with the ordering process and answer any questions.

Shake Shack’s kiosks are based on the user experience they created for their mobile ordering app, which is available on iOS and Android, but is built into dedicated hardware on premises instead of requiring a user to have it on their ow device. Similar automated ordering systems have been used by other fast food and quick service restaurants, including McDonald’s.

Going totally cashless is a step beyond, however, and it’ll be interesting to see how this works with the Astor Place clientele. Shake Shack gets a fair amount of tourist visits, because of its reputation, so that could be the most interesting component in terms of the practical viability of a totally cash-free location.

This article originally appeared at: https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/02/shake-shack-is-launching-a-cashless-burger-joint-in-nyc/.

Cyborg bacteria covered in solar panels can beat plants at photosynthesis

Photosynthesis, or the way plants turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, is crucial for life on Earth — but it’s not a very efficient process. Scientists at a UC Berkeley lab taught bacteria how to cover their own bodies with nanocrystals, which function as tiny solar panels that capture more energy than plants can. The bacteria ended up having 80 percent efficiency, compared to about 2 percent for plants. This form of artificial photosynthesis is a big step toward developing more efficient fuels that generate renewable energy using sunlight. (The results were presented at the 54th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.)

The scientists used a naturally occurring bacteria called Moorella thermoacetica. Normally, this bacteria uses carbon dioxide to produce acetic acid, which can eventually be turned into fuels and plastics. To make them more efficient, the researchers first fed the bacteria a chemical called cadmium and a compound called cystine. The bacteria synthesized it into nanoparticles covering its bodies. The nanoparticles acted like solar panels, so the new hybrid organism produced acetic acid not only from carbon dioxide, but also water and light. This made the process a lot more efficient — even more so than natural photosynthesis — and it created zero waste.

This finding isn’t quite ready to be commercialized yet, but it has a lot of potential. Perhaps one day our cyborg bacteria overlords will lead the way out of fossil fuel dependence.

 

This article originally appeared at: https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/22/16183036/cyborg-bacteria-solar-panels-artificial-photosynthesis-biofuel?_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8Vi2VEs92LepB9_Nj3V65iNJoUHmInLQpg1wj54d1sVId0vYqcwkMqXQ07Mt_NhXHPO0wV7Cs6SyGLNdt1bIMGGlF9dQ&_hsmi=55673596.

Let’s make peace by taking action

I hold that peace can be more than the absence of war. 

Dr. Steven R Covey taught the 7 Habits of Hightly Effective People with HABIT #5 being 

Seek first to understand, then be understood

I have come to see it as my habit #1. The less I try to push my message, give my opinion, persuade without listening, the more effective I am at seeing change. 

While I’m far from perfect in this. I am learning that their is more joy in loving others where they are than I ever find in spouting out my values. 

It feels odd to be writing my truth about this. I would really rather here yours. 

Please review this snippet from the late Dr. Covey and then share with me how it works for you.

Communication is the most important skill in life. You spend years learning how to read and write, and years learning how to speak. But what about listening? What training have you had that enables you to listen so you really, deeply understand another human being? Probably none, right?

If you’re like most people, you probably seek first to be understood; you want to get your point across. And in doing so, you may ignore the other person completely, pretend that you’re listening, selectively hear only certain parts of the conversation or attentively focus on only the words being said, but miss the meaning entirely. So why does this happen? Because most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand. You listen to yourself as you prepare in your mind what you are going to say, the questions you are going to ask, etc. You filter everything you hear through your life experiences, your frame of reference. You check what you hear against your autobiography and see how it measures up. And consequently, you decide prematurely what the other person means before he/she finishes communicating. Do any of the following sound familiar?

“Oh, I know just how you feel. I felt the same way.” “I had that same thing happen to me.” “Let me tell you what I did in a similar situation.”

Because you so often listen autobiographically, you tend to respond in one of four ways:

Evaluating: You judge and then either agree or disagree.
Probing: You ask questions from your own frame of reference.
Advising: You give counsel, advice, and solutions to problems.
Interpreting: You analyze others’ motives and behaviors based on your own experiences.

You might be saying, “Hey, now wait a minute. I’m just trying to relate to the person by drawing on my own experiences. Is that so bad?” In some situations, autobiographical responses may be appropriate, such as when another person specifically asks for help from your point of view or when there is already a very high level of trust in the relationship.

Google developed a school curriculum to help kids fight trolls and hackers

Be Internet Awesome

To make the most of the Internet, kids need to be prepared to make smart decisions. Be Internet Awesome teaches kids the fundamentals of digital safety and citizenship so they can explore the online world with confidence.  

Developed in collaboration with online safety experts, Be Internet Awesome provides tools for kids, parents and educators, including a free web-based game and classroom curriculum, to help teach these lessons through hands-on practice.  

Can we ever find peace?

A few years back, I heard someone talk about our need to promote peace in the world and how we need more peace.

It suddenly struck me as odd… how we talk about the absence of war as something to seek more of. I would love to see less war and fighting, fewer squabble in the media and among my friends… I question how effective it is to see less when we know humans are programmed to seek gain over loss

Ever since that day, I have been watching for ways to quantify peace as a measurable positive goal. 

The best idea I’ve found is “inner peace”

Some say that this peace comes from quieting the stress and disruption we see in our lives. Again, we ask if peace can be found. 

I think yes. 

I’m working on words to better describe this peace. I think Bill Farr comes close. Watch this video and tell me if you can feel the peace he dscribes.