How the FirstBuild product co-creation studio is changing how new things are made
If you are running R&D at a large appliance manufacturer, you have a challenge.
You typically make products in enormous quantities at pretty slim margins. In order to recoup your development, tooling and launch marketing costs, you need to create and sell a huge number of products. To ensure that that’s possible, you’d probably end up doing a bunch of user and market research to ascertain that you have the highest chance of success with your products.
That makes sense, but the very business model itself means that it’s hard to do something truly risky, which in turn means that mainstream manufacturers rarely come up with anything genuinely innovative.
If there was a mushroom fruiting appliance, would a lot more people regularly be growing mushrooms at home? There was only one way to find out: to build one and to try and sell it.
That’s where FirstBuild comes in. If you’re a small appliances nerd, you may have seen its Opal nugget ice maker, the studio’s first big breakthrough; the Mella mushroom fruiting chamber; its indoor pizza oven; or the Arden indoor smoker. I spoke with André Zdanow, president at FirstBuild, to figure out where these ideas came from and how the studio is working to try to replicate those successes.
“The most famous example is probably the Opal nugget ice maker. At first, it wasn’t actually a product at all — it was a technology being worked on in the refrigeration division of GE Appliances,” Zdanow said, explaining that it turned out to be a head-scratcher. They wanted to put the “nugget ice” into a fridge but weren’t able to figure out exactly what the market size would be for such a thing. “It’s actually really complicated to put the technology into a refrigerator. In other words, it was really a great idea that engineers had been toying around with for years, but in the context of the focus and economics of a multibillion-dollar company, it wasn’t something that they could focus on.”
The Opal nugget ice maker was FirstBuild’s first commercial success. Image Credits: FirstBuild
In a parallel universe, that tech would never have seen the light of day, but instead, the engineers came to FirstBuild and wondered what would happen if they put the tech in a separate appliance, rather than into a full-size refrigerator.
“We see lots of people go to the store and buy this type of ice. They call it Sonic ice or hospital ice. We decided to develop a prototype and see if people want it to be just an ice maker,” Zdanow explained. That was the genesis of the FirstBuild lab’s success. “It started with crude concepts that looked like an ice maker but had nugget ice in it. From there, it progressed through industrial design and ultimately to a $2.7 million crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter back in 2015.”
How the FirstBuild product co-creation studio is changing how new things are made by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch
Tennessee school resource officer busts produce delivery driver with suspected fentanyl, loaded gun on campus
A resource officer at a Tennessee school busted a truck driver who was delivering produce to schools with illegal narcotics and a loaded gun last week, authorities said.
Sewanee Elementary School Resource Officer Josh Alexander was welcoming students into the building Thursday morning when he smelled the odor of marijuana coming from a truck delivering produce to the school as the vehicle drove past him, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said.
Alexander spoke to the delivery driver, who confirmed that there were illegal narcotics in the vehicle, according to authorities.
Alexander searched the vehicle and recovered 7.6 ounces of suspected fentanyl, 9 ounces of suspected marijuana, a loaded 9mm handgun and $4,463 in cash, the sheriff’s office said.
GEORGIA SCHOOL STAFF MEMBER ARRESTED AFTER LEAVING GUN IN CAMPUS BATHROOM
The delivery driver, identified as Christopher James Duncan, faces multiple drug charges, including violating a drug-free zone and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Duncan was being held on $250,000 bond.
Investigators said Duncan made two other produce deliveries that morning at Cowan Elementary and Huntland School.
The sheriff’s office said the produce from all three schools was isolated and seized.
The Classic 60-40 Investment Strategy Falls Apart. ‘There’s No Place to Hide.’
The standard advice to keep retirement savings in a mix of stocks and bonds has helped offset big losses in previous years—but not this one.
Budd Friedman, founder of the Improv comedy club, dies at 90
Budd Friedman’s Improv comedy club started as a coffeehouse and restaurant in New York before opening a West Coast location in West Hollywood.
Alabama’s Dallas Turner hits Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart with brutal facemask grab, pushes QB’s head into dirt
Ole Miss fell to Alabama on Saturday in a pivotal SEC matchup, 30-24, but there was at least one play that stirred some debate involving quarterback Jaxson Dart.
In the third quarter, Dart was trying to avoid the Alabama pass rush when he was met by linebacker Dallas Turner. Dart and the Rebels ran a play-action pass play and when he took the ball back Turner grabbed him by the face mask and twisted his helmet around and dragged him down.
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Dart’s helmet came off on the play and Turner appeared to put his hands over his own head, appearing to signal he didn’t mean to do what he did.
Alabama was given a 15-yard penalty on the play and it helped the Rebels set up a score later in the drive. However, Turner was not ejected from the game, which some fans called for.
Later in the game, Turner pushed Dart’s head into the ground after making a tackle. He still managed to stay in the game.
Dart finished 18-for-31 with 212 passing yards and a touchdown pass
Alabama managed to save itself from losing a third game in 2022. Nick Saban’s team remains in position to have a 10-win season. The program has not endured a three-loss season since 2010.
Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
Russia hammers away in Donbas – ‘It’s just hell there’ – while Ukrainians dance in Kherson: Live updates
The battle for the industrial Donbas region of eastern Ukraine remained unrelenting and brutal Sunday. Live updates.
New York returns nearly 200 looted antiquities to Pakistan
The Manhattan district attorney’s office has returned 192 looted antiquities with a value of nearly $3.4 million to Pakistan.
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/new-york-pakistan-antiquities-return-trnd/index.html
Elon Musk tells Democratic senator his Twitter account sounds like a ‘parody’
Elon Musk poked fun at Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., on Twitter after the Democrat demanded to know why a Washington Post reporter was able to create a verified account impersonating him.
“A @washingtonpost reporter was able to create a verified account impersonating me—I’m asking for answers from @elonmusk who is putting profits over people and his debt over stopping disinformation,” Markey tweeted Friday, with a screenshot of his letter to Musk on the matter. “Twitter must explain how this happened and how to prevent it from happening again.”
In his letter, Markey said the reporter was able to create the fake account and get verified by paying $8 under Musk’s new rules. The senator blasted the new process as “lax” and “unacceptable.”
TWITTER MANAGER VOMITED INTO TRASH CAN AFTER BEING TOLD BY ELON MUSK TO FIRE PEOPLE: REPORT
Musk, the billionaire tech mogul who recently purchased Twitter, replied on Sunday, suggesting that the reason someone impersonated Markey’s account is that his real one “sounds like a parody.”
Musk followed up by asking why Markey’s profile picture showed him wearing a mask.
MELTDOWN AS ELON MUSK ENTERS TWITTER HEADQUARTERS AHEAD OF TAKEOVER: ‘LET THAT SINK IN!’
Several pundits and progressives blasted Musk for the retort.
“He’s an elected official with constituents,” former Ohio Democratic state Sen. Nina Turner tweeted, “This isn’t a game, dude.”
“Always risky to attack members of congress. Especially risky with Dems assured of Senate power. Curious play by Musk here. He has many interests before Congress,” Politico’s Sam Stein mused.
Senior CNN political analyst Ronald Brownstein echoed the sentiment of many liberal pundits that Musk appears to be on a “right-wing” crusade.
“For only $8 a month, you can help support the lifestyle of a struggling South African billionaire who’s using his newly purchased platform to mock Democrats in the United States Congress,” Keith Boykin said.
Musk has been making some major changes at the social media platform, including the firing of several top executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal and head of legal policy, trust, and safety Vijaya Gadde. Users can also now purchase verification for $8 per month.
In his letter, Markey demanded details on the “process” for issuing paid-for blue checkmark verifications, how it differed from the free verification process that preceded it, and how the Washington Post reporter in question was able to obtain verification of a fake account.
The senator also slammed Musk in a follow-up tweet.
“One of your companies is under an FTC consent decree,” Markey said. “Auto safety watchdog NHTSA is investigating another for killing people. And you’re spending your time picking fights online. Fix your companies. Or Congress will.”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/elon-musk-tells-democratic-senator-twitter-account-sounds-parody
Jeff Bezos gives Dolly Parton big sum to donate to charity: ‘Did you say $100 million dollars?’
Dolly Parton’s next donation is as big as her heart. She’s earned Jeff Bezos’ Courage and Civility Award, which includes $100 million for charity.
Sandy Hook memorial opens nearly 10 years after 26 killed
NEWTOWN, Conn. — A memorial to the 20 first graders and six educators killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting opened to the public Sunday, a month before the 10th anniversary of the massacre.
No ceremony was planned at the site a short distance from the school. It has become a custom in Newtown on anniversaries and other remembrances of the shooting to mark them with quiet reflection.
A small but steady stream of people visited the memorial Sunday, including Kevin and Nora Smith from nearby Monroe.
“It just takes your breath away,” Nora Smith said. “It’s something that you hold close to your heart because you feel so bad for these families.”
Flower bouquets floated counterclockwise in the water feature, which is surrounded by a cobblestone walkway and a few benches.
The new Sandy Hook School, built after the former one was torn down on the same property, can be seen through the woods now that the leaves have fallen.
Some victims’ relatives were given a private tour of the grounds Saturday.
“I think they deserve not to have the bright lights of the world on them,” said Newtown First Selectman Dan Rosenthal, the town’s top elected official.
The memorial was designed as a peaceful place of contemplation. Paths with a variety of plantings lead to a water feature with a sycamore tree in the middle and the victims’ names engraved on the top of a surrounding supporting wall.
The water flow was engineered so floatable candles, flowers and other objects will move toward the tree and circle around it.
Like some other victims’ relatives, Jennifer Hubbard saw the memorial in a private appointment before this weekend. Her daughter, Catherine Violet Hubbard, 6, was one of the children who died in the shooting on Dec. 14, 2012.
“It took my breath away in the sense that to see Catherine’s name and to see what has been created in honor of those that lost … the families, those that survived — they’ve lost their innocence,” she said. “And the community. We all suffered because of Dec. 14.
“I think that the memorial is so perfectly appointed in honoring and providing a place of contemplation and reflection for a day that really changed the country,” she said.
Nelba Marquez-Greene, whose 6-year-old daughter, Ana Grace Marquez-Greene, was killed, took to Twitter on Saturday to thank those who worked on the memorial planning for years.
“Ten years. A lifetime and a blink,” she wrote. “Ana Grace, we used to wait for you to come home. Now you wait for us. Hold on, little one. Hold on.”
Town voters approved $3.7 million for the cost of the memorial last year. Part of the cost was offset when the State Bond Commission approved giving the town $2.5 million for the project.
The project faced several challenges after the town created a special commission to oversee the memorial planning in the fall of 2013. Some proposed sites were rejected, including one near a hunting club where gunshots could be heard, and officials cut the cost of the project down from $10 million because of concerns voters would not approve it.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/13/sandy-hook-shooting-memorial-00066654