Important Innovations

  Isolated Trips To Nature                                                Source:  HipCamp Vermont COVID Proofed Vacation Destination Travel COVID-19 has caused major disruptions and damage to the global economy and to global travel.  In response the travel industry is innovating with new forms of travel such as outdoor travel trips, remote lodging and private camps far from COVID infected cities.  It's an attempt at COVID proofing a getaway and includes a great deal of social distancing and hygiene.  As people start to think about travelling again and as we await the new COVID vaccines,  travel companies are innovating with new vacation solutions to distance vacationers from the crowds and COVID.  These are largely vacations into nature and the great outdoors. Hot Trends: Biking, Rowing, Camping and Fishing According to a new survey by McKinsey, 18% of Americans are now spending much more time outdoors including biking and fishing.  Innovation companies are capitalizing on the tre

  Pfizer To Request Quick Emergency FDA Approval Source:  Pfizer COVID Vaccine Suddenly There Is Hope    Pfizer has completed its late stage trial of its COVID-19 vaccine, saying it is 95% effective.  The company adds that it is effective on older adults, who are more vulnerable, and works against both mild and severe cases of COVID.  The company has the required 2 months of safety data for regulators.  Within days, Pfizer says it will apply for emergency FDA approval to start making it available for public use.  The vaccine's efficacy rate is the highest among all current vaccine candidate now in trials.  As the Economist magazine put it "Suddenly There is Hope". "The Speed of Science" Pfizer expects that the FDA will hold a public hearing on their vaccine in December.  Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says knowing that every day matters in the fight against COVID, the company is moving at what he calls "the speed of science".  The vaccine was developed joint

Daimler & China's Geely to Develop Next-G Combustion Engine                                                Source:  2021 Mercedes New Engine for Hybrids German based automotive company Daimler and China's automaker Geely have just announced a partnership to develop a next generation combustion engine for use in hybrid vehicles.  The surprise announcement came as many governments, including the European Union, are tightening regulations on auto emissions.  Daimler says the new engine will be modular and highly efficient.  It will be manufactured in both China and Europe for use in hybrid drivetrains. Daimler Saving Money Daimler sets the bar in global automotive innovation and luxury. Geely is a huge automotive powerhouse.  It owns Volvo, the US based flying car company Terrafugia, Geely Auto, Lotus, Proton and has a 9.69% stake in Daimler.  According to the German business newspaper Handelsblatt, this partnership with Geely will save Daimler $119 million in developing the n

  1st Pfizer/BioNTech COVID Vaccine,  Now Moderna Vaccine                                    Source: Moderna COVID Vaccine Moderna Vaccine is 94.5% Effective, Pfizer More than 90% More hope in the fight against the COVID-19 global pandemic.  Cambridge, MA based biotech Moderna reports that it has a COVID vaccine candidate that is 94.5% effective against the deadly virus .  COVID-19 has infected more than 55 million people and taken more than 1.3 million lives globally as of today.  Pfizer/Germany's BioNTech Vaccine Moderna has the second highly acclaimed vaccine candidate since Pfizer/BioNTech announced theirs a few days ago.  Pfizer claims their vaccine has a more than 90% effective rate. These vaccines have to be approved by regulatory authorities, but their results look very promising and are giving global medical experts hope of quick turnaround deployments. Dr. Anthony Fauci's Take The US's top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says that he is optimistic abou

  Amazon Pharmacy:  Direct, Online Prescription Drug Services Source:  Stock image Starts This Week Amazon just announced another innovative business addition to its online retail portfolio.  It's opening a discount online pharmacy for prescription medications.  For Amazon Prime members, the drug will be delivered right to the customer's door, for free, within two days. Pharmacy Competition Amazon Pharmacy puts Amazon in direct competition with traditional pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens.  And the timing couldn't be better.  Many consumers are seeking to obtain their medicines online and avoid going into the pharmacy because of COVID.  Amazon says their new business line is designed to make it easy and convenient to order prescription medicines online.  The service is rolling out in the US this week. $300 Billion Market For Amazon, the stakes are big.  Prescription medicines are a $300 billion industry in the US.  Amazon has been quietly building its prescription business

  Manager & Supervisor Jobs At Risk Source: Robot Stock Image Fascinating New Study from Penn's Wharton School of Management A new study by the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Management finds that it is managers and supervisors, not lower level employees, who are losing their jobs to robots and artificial intelligence.  The reason:  fewer numbers of managers can oversee larger portions of business operations with the help of AI and robotics expanding in their enterprise. Business Expansion With Robots The study's results are compelling.  The analysis covered businesses in Canada that used and didn't use robots and AI over the past 20 years.  Lead researcher Professor Lynn Wu found that firms deploying robots expanded their human workforce.  Those that did not deploy robots ended up with shrinking businesses and had to cut workers. Less Managers and Supervisors Needed According to the authors, the most surprising finding is that using AI and robotics

SpaceX 1st Fully Operational Flight for NASA Takes Off                                                 Source:  NASA 4 US Astronauts on SpaceX Resilience                                                       Source:  Space X SpaceX CEO Musk Has Moderate Symptoms of COVID SpaceX's 1st operational flight for NASA to the ISS with 4 US astronauts onboard just successfully launched in a capsule named Resilience.  This launch is historic.  It will be the first time in 60 years that NASA handed over the keys for a fully operational launch of NASA astronauts to a US private space company. Ironically, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk could not be in person for the historic moment.  He says he has a moderate case of COVID-19.  NASA would not allow him to be at NASA or near the astronauts as he is in COVID quarantine. Musk Questions the COVID Test Technology SpaceX and Tesla CEO Musk believes he most likely has a moderate case of COVID-19.  As he had two positive and two negatives results on COVID testin