Blimps were once at the forefront of aviation—at least before airplanes innovated past their lighter-than-air technology. Now, airships are often used for advertising or aerial broadcasting, which is exactly how Goodyear utilizes its fleet of airships. In fact, there are only 124 pilots with a rating to fly an airship, and there are a mere 39 registered airships in the U.S., according to the FAA. Now, a small handful of companies want to change that. Blimps are more carbon efficient than planes or boats, and they can be used for tourism and cargo transport, not to mention military purposes. What happened to the giants of the sky, and what’s being done to bring them back.
Tag Archives: CNBC
Analysis: How America Can Build & Run A 100% Clean Electric Grid (Video)
The U.S. electric grid is outdated. Designed for a world that runs on fossil fuels, our grid needs some major tech upgrades in order to transition to a more distributed, all-renewable system. That means smart, internet connected hardware working in tandem with advanced data analytics software to ensure that supply and demand are balanced, even when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.
Analysis: ‘Why Credit Card Fraud Is Rising’ (Video)
In 2019, payment card fraud losses reached nearly $28 billion worldwide. The United States alone is responsible for more than a third of the total global loss making America the most card fraud-prone country in the world. The economic cost of credit card fraud goes far beyond the cost of illegally purchased merchandise; businesses often spend millions to protect themselves from fraud, buying software and hiring security experts to monitor transactions. Experts say there aren’t enough regulations to help protect the U.S. economy, especially small businesses from card fraud.
Analyis: The ‘SolarWinds Hack’ & Future Of Cyber Espionage (CNBC Video)
In December of 2020 the cybersecurity company FireEye discovered a massive hack that affected over 18,000 customers of SolarWinds. As hundreds of companies and government agencies scrambled to unravel the extent of the intrusion, the U.S. government vowed to respond to the hack.
Analysis: Can Cheesecake Factory Recover From Covid? (CNBC Video)
Americans love The Cheesecake Factory. The restaurant known for its massive 21-page menu, dozens of dessert options and ancient Egypt-inspired decor was ranked as one of the top casual dining restaurants in the U.S. in 2019. But the eatery popular with everyone from NBA stars to cheesecake aficionados has fallen on hard times as the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the restaurant industry. In October, The Cheesecake Factory reported third-quarter sales fell by 12% and same-stores sales were down 23% from a year earlier. So after 40 years in business will The Cheesecake Factory be able to regain its momentum and will the chain’s takeout and delivery service be enough to offset the decline of the dine-in restaurant experience?
Covid-19: Will Digital Vaccine Verification ‘Passports’ Work? (Video)
A number of start-ups and major tech companies like Microsoft, Ticketmaster, Apple, and Google are interested in vaccine or immunization passports to help reopen the economy. But public health officials are weary, warning the apps are pointless without more knowledge about the efficacy of the vaccines. Watch the video above to learn more about digital vaccine verifications and how you could possibly prove your immunity to coronavirus before attending an event or entering a building.
Business: ‘LEGO – A $38 Billion Toy Empire’ (Video)
The LEGO brick may not look like much but it is the cornerstone of the $38.5 billion Danish company. Today, LEGO’s blockbuster portfolio includes collaborations with The Beatles, Star Wars, and Frozen, a mega-hit movie franchise and 8 LEGOland theme parks. A toy that was once thought of for little boys is seeing its largest growth coming from girls and adults. But in the early 2000s, the company made several missteps and came extremely close to declaring bankruptcy. Here’s how LEGO reclaimed its status as one of the most successful toy companies in the world.
Analysis: ‘How Twitter & Facebook Will Change Post Rioting’ (Video)
On January 6th, Rioters stormed the U.S. capitol building to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. These events were inspired by President Trump and organized and promoted on the platforms of publicly traded companies, most notably Facebook and Twitter. To avoid further violence, those companies, and then many more thereafter including YouTube, banned or blocked President Trump’s access to the megaphone they provide. This exposed a major flaw in the business model of many social media platforms: share first, think later. Tech experts Chamath Palihapitiya, Roger McNamee, Chris Kelly and Dick Costolo all predict major changes coming in the social media landscape and Section 230. Watch the video to find out how big tech may be forced to change.
Delivery-Only Dining: ‘How Covid Accelerated Rise Of Ghost Kitchens’
Ghost kitchens are kitchens designed for delivery-only businesses, without dine-in areas or customer facing storefronts. The pandemic has ravaged dine-in eateries, and companies that have focused on delivery could come out on top if the current trends continue. Watch the full video to see why ghost kitchens are taking over the restaurant industry.
Here are some of the top Ghost Kitchens:
Kitchen United
With a $10 million dollar investment from Google Ventures, Kitchen United has been one of the leanest (and fastest-growing) startups in the space. Founder Jim Collins has turned down hundreds of millions of investment dollars to focus on growing more organically. Currently, Kitchen United plans on conquering the global restaurant space — with 5,000 kitchens planned in the next four years.
All in all, Kitchen United offers a turn-key, light-capital model, delivering a complete, code-safe kitchen replete with appliances and cooking implements. All that’s left to do is to…cook.
CloudKitchens
The fastest-growing and most investor-friendly ghost kitchen startup, CloudKitchens, has already taken in over $400 million from investors. $150 million interestingly invested by its founder (former Uber superstar) Travis Kalanick. Like Kitchen United, CloudKitchens offers fully-equipped kitchens (branded as “smart kitchens”) for the delivery-only model. Honestly, you can’t ignore a project that Travis is a part of.
DoorDash Kitchens
Another not-so-surprising entry into the ghost kitchen space is DoorDash, which has already premiered locations in San Francisco and Redwood City. Currently, DoorDash’s model is focused on catering to high-delivery areas for established brands like Chic-Fil-A, but we’re sure they have plans in the works for new locations, as well.
For the time being, DoorDash Kitchens is still in the experimentation phase, with only a few locations. And, like others on this list, it provides everything a restauranteur would need for a single monthly fee.
UberEats
For the moment, we’ll set aside the possible conflicts associated with Uber’s ex co-founder Travis Kalanick — who’s also operating CloudKitchens. We’re sure that bridge will need crossing at some point if Uber expands its operations. For the time being, the ridesharing company has been keeping a low profile in the ghost kitchen space. To date, it has been testing ghost kitchens in a few markets, though it remains curiously reluctant to share the delicious details pertaining to its Paris operations.
Virtual Kitchen Co.
Another new entry is Virtual Kitchen Co. — which already operates several successful ghost kitchens. They plan to open 15 more kitchens over the next few years, driven by $15 million dollar Series A. Again, Virtual Kitchen Co. offers a similar pricing structure: Restaurants can pay a monthly fee for everything.
The one small difference here is that Virtual Kitchen Co. seems to be targeting existing restaurants that want to enter the delivery space.
Cell Phones: ‘Why Plans & Bills Are So Costly’ (Video)
The average American spent $1,218 for cell phone service in 2019. That comes out to just over $100 per month. Check out the video to find out why you may be paying so much for your phone service and what you can do to save some money.
Boomers Daily 