GingerBruin

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On November 20, 2016, GingerBruin commented on Digitizing Our Homes :

Great post! Agree with Margaret above, the privacy issue is a big concern but I wonder how much Millenials will actually care about. We know that we’re always having our data tracked so I’m not sure we mind. That said, I think it will only take one big breakdown in trust for the general public to become very anti-tracking. I also wonder if law enforcement could try to use it to prevent crimes. If you could hear a murder taking place, could Alexa alert the authorities? It’s a very grey area and should be interesting to see what both Google and Amazon do to make people feel their data is safe.

On November 20, 2016, GingerBruin commented on HBO NOW – “It’s Not TV…It’s Transforming TV” :

Very interesting post, Peter. Being someone who “cut the cord” a couple years ago, I was thrilled when HBO began offering HBO Now. I would be interested to see what the economics are of the deal that Hulu and Showtime struck with each other. Also, it’s curious that HBO and Netflix seem to just see each other as competitors and Showtime is often cast aside in those conversations.

On November 20, 2016, GingerBruin commented on Uber’s Bet on Self-Driving Car :

Fascinating article, Peter. While it all does sound very good, I have to agree with both Alex H and Alex in terms of my concerns about this technology. The impact and implications of these self-driving cars goes much further than just saving on car ownership, reducing insurance premiums, and eliminating traffic. There are over 3M workers in the auto manufacturing and sales industry [1]. If our utilization of cars increases as you predict, that will significantly lower the demand for those workers, possibly leaving millions without jobs. As a consumer, the thought of self-driving cars sounds great but as a member of society, I’m concerned.

[1] http://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iagauto.htm

On November 20, 2016, GingerBruin commented on Stitch Fix – Transforming Retail Through Personalization :

This is a really interesting article! All of these fashion startups really seem to be getting some momentum behind them. While it sounds like StitchFix is doing a great job, are you worried about the competition? Given how personal clothes are and how much brand name matters, I wonder if a company like Trunk Club (owned by Nordstrom) is in a better position. You can have the stylist do everything for you or you can chat with the stylist over the phone, through email, or through the Trunk Club app [1]. This optionality to have it be a hands off or interactive experience seems crucial to me and StitchFix’s lack of interaction concerns me.

[1]http://aproblemlikemaria.com/2016/02/chose-trunk-club-vs-stitch-fix/

On November 20, 2016, GingerBruin commented on UberMOTO: A Challenge to Bangkok’s Motorcycle Taxis Business Model :

Great post, Pat! That’s really interesting that Uber put such a heavy investment into the market even though they knew the risks of being kicked out by the government. It seems to me like they will likely try to find a way to get back into the market given how much they already invested. Looking around on the internet, it appears that one of the main reasons UberMOTO got shut down is their lack of proper registration for their bikes [1]. This appears to signal that Uber may have been expanding too quickly without doing proper due diligence.

[1] https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/03/ubermoto-and-grabbike-defy-thai-government-ban-on-their-services/

On November 7, 2016, GingerBruin commented on Clear Skies Ahead for Boeing? :

Nice post, Kevin! The efficiency gains that Boeing has been able to achieve with the 787 are quite impressive! It makes me curious as to why Airbus has not been able to make as significant of improvements with their biggest consumption reduction being capped at 20% compared to the 20-25% that Boeing has been able to achieve (http://www.airbus.com/company/eco-efficiency/eco-performance/). Additionally, it’s interesting that their winglets only resulted in a 4% gain in efficiency vs. the 5% realized by Boeing. I wonder if this has something to do with the composites used or the shape of the winglet. I would also be curious to hear what the efficiency difference is between Pratt & Whitney (Airbus’s engine manufacturer) and Rolls Royce (Boeing’s engine manufacturer) engines are. I agree with you though that one of the biggest challenges here is the fact that the backlog for aircraft orders is so long. Hopefully incremental improvements can continue to be made to upgrade the current airline fleets.

On November 7, 2016, GingerBruin commented on Environmental Keg Stand :

Great article, Brandon. It’s fascinating to see that AB InBev is being so proactive with respect to increasing its own sustainability but isn’t willing to sign the pact made by other breweries. To me, that seems completely against the spirit of corporate responsibility and trying to save the world and signals that this is more about profit to them. If they truly cared about making impactful improvements more than the bottom line, they would have already signed that pact. One area they could consider exploring as climate change affects hops produced in the US is to source these goods internationally. Since they’ve shown that they are extremely strong in logistics, they may be able to make a business case for international procurement of raw materials.

Great post, Cali Wino. I agree with all of the comments above that Rodney Strong doesn’t seem to have a solid strategy in place to preserve their business. As you stated in the article, grapes are extremely temperamental in terms of how they react to differing weather conditions and the steps Rodney Strong has taken will likely have a marginal effect on the quality of their grapes. As you mentioned, they need to start focusing on what they can do to protect their core product. Reducing their own carbon footprint is great, but it doesn’t matter if their product is ruined in the meantime while they try to combat climate change. I think your idea of buying land in other areas is smart as it will help the company reduce the risk of climate effects by diversifying their locations. Another tactic that Rodney Strong could take that is being employed by other wineries is to try to over-produce in the time being to help offset any poor harvests (http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=features&content=101238).

On November 7, 2016, GingerBruin commented on Can MTN Keep Shreddin’ the Gnar in the Face of Climate Change? :

Nice article, Pierre. I think this scheme of diversification that MTN is currently pursuing is the correct one. I disagree with the above commenter that MTN should begin hedging with financial instruments available in the market. Running ski resorts is their core competency and they should continue to do that. The expansion of business into increased summer activities is clearly paying dividends already as Vail had a 14% increase in bookings last summer compared to the year before (http://www.vaildaily.com/news/vail-lodging-headed-for-another-record-summer/). I also think that MTN has a corporate responsibility to do what it can to reduce its carbon footprint. MTN has already reduced their energy usage by 10% over the last five years and are targeting another 10% reduction by 2020 (http://www.epicpromise.com/our-epicpromise/what-we-do/). Hopefully this trend of conservation and sustainability can continue so we can have many more seasons of great skiing ahead of us.

On November 7, 2016, Scott Buckley commented on What’s a Ski Resort without Snow? :

Great post, Dan. It’s clear that the impetus is on the ski resorts to find creative ways to remain in the black. With Vail recently acquiring Whistler, there is a huge opportunity for the resort’s leadership to leverage Vail’s model of success. In 2016, summer bookings at Vail were up 14% over the previous year (http://www.vaildaily.com/news/vail-lodging-headed-for-another-record-summer/). Another interesting thing to consider is the ways in which ski resorts can both achieve cost savings while lowering their own carbon footprint. One great example of this is the partnership between Tesla and Squaw Valley to create the mountain’s own solar grid to reduce power costs between 30-60% (http://protectourwinters.org/think-big-part-2-how-squaw-valleys-partnership-with-tesla-may-be-the-beginning-of-a-new-energy-model/).