Am I the only person who is rendered helpless when I come across someone asking me to donate to their non-profit? I cannot be alone in saying that it’s the most off-putting style of advocacy/fundraising in existence. Just to be certain of this, I observed someone trying to convince people to donate to Green Peace in front of our local grocery store. One after the other, this person would smile wider than the day is long, and ask if this person or that person had time to talk about the future of our planet today? After several minutes of careful observation, it seemed that the Green Peace volunteer wasn’t getting any bites when suddenly, like a gift from somewhere more ethereal than here, someone approached the volunteer. It was me, and my question to them, following their initial question if I had a moment was this: Do you know much your CEO makes, if so, couldn’t they give you roughly 10% of their salary and you wouldn’t need to bother people outside of a Trader Joes?
If your profession of choice is to volunteer for non-profit organizations, I applaud your efforts, and with that, here’s what you missed in the news yesterday.
Once In A Fortnite
A fortnight is equivalent to fourteen days, or two weeks, and is derived from the Old English phrase, “fēowertyne niht,” meaning “fourteen nights. I can assume, with almost unequivocal certainty, that the wordsmiths responsible for this delectable phrase had no intention of it being used as a title for a mind-numbing video game but, nevertheless, here we are. The game in question, Fortnite Battle Royale was launched back in July 2017 by Epic Games and has since become a cultural phenomenon akin to pogs, Super Smash Bros, pet rocks, and the Jersey Shore.
Though the game is completely free to play for cheapskates like yours truly, players can purchase character “skins” and other add-ons to customize their avatars using “v-bucks” which are purchased with legal currency. Super Data also estimates that 34% of all US Fortnite players also purchased a seasonal “battle pass,” which grants players access to other collectibles and VIP-items used for gameplay. To put the game’s prowess into perspective, the New York Times reported earlier this week that Netflix (NFLX) announced in their recent quarterly report that they feel threatened by Fortnite.
“We earn consumer screen time, both mobile and television, away from a very broad set of competitors. We compete with (and lose to) Fortnite more than HBO. When YouTube went down globally for a few minutes in October, our viewing and signups spiked for that time…There are thousands of competitors in this highly fragmented market vying to entertain consumers and low barriers to entry for those with great experiences.”
–Netflix letter to shareholders, Q4-18 Report
Amazon Scout Tho
Naturally, it was only a matter of time before a tech company with just a smidge more clout entered the space of robotic delivery systems and, like clockwork, Amazon (AMZN) had to get in on the automated action. Amazon (AMZN) has made ways way to the pantheon of tech companies by continually investing in new tech to benefit the global market place. The Company today announced that they’ve developed a new, fully-electric autonomous delivery system called “Amazon Scout.”
Although Amazon (AMZN) is not the first company to release “Wall-E”-like delivery bots, it’s pretty obvious that their bot will take the cake over any other competitor in the nascent sector. Come on, it’s Amazon (AMZN), for Scout’s sake. Per the announcement, the first launch of Amazon Scout will take place in Snohomish County, Washington, which borders Seattle’s King County, the location of Amazon’s (AMZN) primary headquarters.
“We’re starting with six Amazon Scout devices, delivering packages Monday through Friday, during daylight hours. The devices will autonomously follow their delivery route but will initially be accompanied by an Amazon employee. We developed Amazon Scout at our research and development lab in Seattle, ensuring the devices can safely and efficiently navigate around pets, pedestrians and anything else in their path. We are excited to work with the community of Snohomish County as our initial partner for Amazon Scout.”
–Amazon Scout official announcement
