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When youre booking travel, scoring a ticket to a sporting event, or securing yourself a spot at some other sort of show, youre frequently faced with the impossible-seeming task of committing to a specific seaton the spot. It may seem simple. But, wellwhich is the best seat on the plane? Which areas of the arena will give you an unobscured view of the action? Is that concert seat going to be behind a speaker? And are the more expensive options really worth their cost? Today, Im sharing some excellent tools I rely on to pick the best seat at any kind of event or activity. In addition to helping me feel confident about the quality of my selection, they often help me save some cashsince I can book some of the least expensive seats with the knowledge that they’ll offer a good view and/or experience. Hang onto these now, and the next time youre faced with that daunting moment of needing to select a seat without first seeing it, youll have all the inside intel you need. Psst: If you love these types of tools as much as I do, check out my free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. You’ll be the first to find all sorts of simple tech treasures! Your new seat selecting superpowers Ive got two especially useful tools for you in this areaboth designed to help you find the right seat for different types of occasions. For selecting the best possible seat on an airplane, fire up SeatMaps. And, for choosing a seat at an event venuea sporting event, concert, or anything elsehead to A View From My Seat. Both couldn’t be much easier to use. First, on the air travel front, just open up the SeatMaps website in whatever browser you’re using on any device. Plug in the information about your flight and select your flight number. SeatMaps will then show you a color-coded grid with all the seats on that specific type of plane, and you can dig in deeper to any given option for all sorts of helpful infofor instance: What is the exact size and width of each seat? Which seats have more legroom? Which seats cant recline? Which seats are missing a window view? With that insight in hand, you can then figure out the right seat for you and decide if any extra fees are actually worthwhile. You’ll see seats like never before with SeatsMaps’ crowdsourced insights. ~ Next, when youre planning on attending an event, pull up the A View From My Seat websiteor, if you’d rather, grab the app for Android or iOS. Then, just use the service’s search feature to look up any performer, venue name, sports team, or even city to find the place you need. Select “Seating Chart” and click or tap any green area to see an actual photo taken from a nearby seat in that exact location. Average people going to shows submit these, complete with a short review of each option. Youll get an idea of the view and learn about any problems or obstructions you might encounter. Once you get used to selecting seats this way, you’ll never go back. ~ All that’s left is to make your choiceand now, you can do so with full confidence that you’re making a fully informed decision. SeatMaps is available only on the web. A View From My Seat will work on the web as well as via its native apps for Android and iOS. Both services are 100% free. You dont need any accounts, and neither service asks for any manner of personal info. Ready to unearth more off-the-beaten-path tech treasures? Check out my free Cool Tools newsletter for an instant introduction to an audio app thatll tune up your days in some delightful waysand another little-known tech gem in your inbox every Wednesday!
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E-Commerce
Peter Berg doesnt need to do Super Bowl commercials. Yet the award-winning director helmed two ads during this year’s big game. First, was a fun NFL spot advocating for varsity girls flag football. And second, was water bottle brand Cirkuls first-ever trip to the Super Bowl, starring Adam Devine. The commercial diversion comes not long after the release of Bergs hit Netflix limited series American Primeval, which dropped on January 9, and quickly hit the top of the streamers ratings. In its first week, it had 1.25 billion viewing minutes. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NFL (@nfl) Berg has built an incredible Hollywood career, producing, writing, and directing hit films and TV series, from Friday Night Lights to Battleship, Lone Survivor, The Kingdom, Patriots Day, and more. Before he was a director, Berg was an actor, best known for his role on the drama Chicago Hope. Then in 1998, Berg directed his first feature, Very Bad Things. Over the years, in between projects Berg has also regularly directed high-profile spots for brands. In 2011, it was an epic Call of Duty ad starring Jonah Hill called The Vet & The N00b. In 2019, both his Super Bowl efforts finished in the Top 5 of USA Todays Ad Meter: The NFLs 100-Year Game was the most popular spot of the night, and Verizons The Coach Who Wouldnt Be Here clocked in at No. 5. That same year, Berg launched Film 47, a companion commercial production company to his Film 44 production company, and his unscripted production company. Glenn Cole, founder and chairman of ad agency 72andsunny, has worked with Berg on many of those commercials. Cole says Berg has a great sense of what broad audiences find most appealing, and focuses on the moments that will resonate the most. One of the things I admire about him the most is how he maintains the respect of his peers across Hollywood, says Cole. He is seen as a rare authentic person in a business of bullshitters, and operates with an uncommon generosity of spirit. He is brutally honest about the work, but he is kind with the people around him which, in my experience, usually leads to creating the best work. [Photo: Courtesy of 72andsunny] In the wake of American Primevals success, and the buzz of two more Super Bowl ads under his belt, I jumped on a Zoom with Berg to chat about his creative process, why he still does advertising, and how his newest project embodies how these worlds can seamlessly collide. Why Advertising After you remove the paycheck from the equation, it can be hard to understand why big name film directors still do advertising. But talk to enough of them, and its clear they find something else interesting about the process. Some do it in order to get in quick reps to experiment with techniques, lenses, and other hardware, all under a tight production timeline. Ads can take days, while film and TV can drag on for months. Cole says Berg works incredibly fast, translating his handheld filming style (which he dug into on his recent appearance on the SmartLess podcast) to commercial work. The style allows actors to focus on what they are doing, not where they are doing it. They don’t need to hit marks, they just need to perform. For Flag 50, it allowed to us to do a three-day shoot in two days, says Cole. In a world where budgets are getting smaller and smaller, this is becoming more and more valuable. It’s like being in creative development while filming the shots. That can be scary, but I find it invigorating. The result is unexpected moments and performances that you can’t get from fastidious planning.” NFL chief marketing officer Tim Ellis says that the key to the types of stories Berg tells is emotion. “Every choice he makes in the creative process is about heightening the emotional journey viewers are taken along,” says Ellis. “Elevated emotion is the thing that makes any piece of work, whether its a film or an ad, stick with a person, and its why we keep turning to him for some of our biggest projects of the year.” Berg says that hes always loved doing commercials, and theyve helped build his problem-solving skills that translates to film and TV. But experience across different media doesnt always translate for all directors. Berg says that hes talked to a lot of top directors over the years, and one of the most common complaints about ads is the need for collaboration. They’d say, When I’m doing a film, it’s just kind of me. I can pretty much do whatever I want. And occasionally, you know, the boss of the studio might call and say, what the hell are you doing? But generally, you’re free to do what you want, says Berg. What I say is that if you want to do commercials, you have to understand that it’s different. You have to collaborate; you have to listen to a bunch of creatives from the agency, you have to listen to even more people. If the client wants to come onto the set and have an idea, you have to accept that. If you resist that, you will lose. It’s not possible to win that fight. You will just end up very unhappy. One of the surprising benefits is you learn to listen to other people better because you have to. And I found that at once I learned how to kind of get over, you know, ‘Hey man, don’t tell me what to do!’ That sometimes they were suggesting actually good ideas. And it opened me up and I think made me a better collaborator in general. [Photo: Courtesy of 72andsunny] Berg’s Creative process So, how does a guy like Berg jump from a violent, American frontier period drama, to an uplifting NFL Super Bowl ad, to now starting a film adaptation of Buzz Bissingers 2022 bestseller
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E-Commerce
At risk of stating the obvious, farming is physically challenging work that takes a toll on the human body. Over the years, we have turned to various forms of technology to amplify the efforts of a single person, starting with a single plow behind a mule or ox, progressing to a motorized tractor, 700+ horsepower combine harvesters, and now robotic weeders and autonomous flying drones that handle a range of tasks. But what about the human body? Is it destined simply to be replaced by machines? The fact is that people remain a weak link in modern farming. According to some sources, agriculture is considered the most hazardous occupation globally. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) accounting for 93% of occupational injuries. And of these, lower-back pain is the most frequent, with shoulder injuries coming in second. Exoskeletons for the Assist Exoskeletons are devices that are worn on the body to augment the natural capabilities of a human worker. Once confined to the world of science fictionwho can forget Ripleys exoskeleton-enhanced final battle in the movie Aliensthese have now become practical for use in many industries. There are two major categories of exos (as they are known in the industry): powered and passive. Powered exos use motors to provide additional force for certain actions, such as lifting objects or wielding heavy tools overhead. These tend to be complexand expensivebits of machinery that require recharging and regular maintenance. While these may be suited for specific manufacturing tasks, they are typically beyond what farmers typically need or can afford for the foreseeable future. Passive exos are the other class of devices. These take the energy created from one motionsuch as bending overand then release that energy to the wearer for the opposite motion, such as lifting an item from the ground to waist level. These passive devices do not require the expensive motors, wiring, batteries, and sensors found in powered exos. Instead, they use a variety of materials to store and release energy: springs, torsion bars, gas pistons, elastic bands, and flexible beams. Some designs rely on a rigid frame while others are made from fabric and other flexible materials. According to some sources, current passive exos can cost from $2,500 to more than $14,000, depending on design and which parts of the body are supported. Designs vary based on the type of targeted task. For example, lifting boxes of produce could require one sort of assistance, while reaching overhead to harvest fruit could require something different. But can they actually help farmers and farmworkers? The Benefits Many studies have shown clear benefits from wearing exos in other industries such as warehouse work and manufacturing. According to Karl Zelik, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt University, one longitudinal study of warehouse workers tracked more than 281,000 hours of work while wearing exos. Historical data would predict 10.5 back strain injuries over that period, but the study revealed that there were none. Not as much research has been done in farm settings, but the existing studies point to clear benefits. For example, one test of an upper limb exo in orchard management tasks reduced muscle activity by up to 40%. Reduced muscle activity results in less fatigue and strain, which in turn lowers the risk of injury. Another study gave a back support exo to farmers for their daily operations and several of the subjects cited increased productivity by reducing fatigue. Many of the subjects also reported feeling more protected when shoveling. In some cases, the exo helped them maintain proper posture when lifting, which can reduce the risk of lower back injuries. Sarah Ballini-Ross is co-owner of Rossallini Farm in Oregon; she and her husband sometimes use exoskeletons in the work on their diversified operation. She is also an expert in exo technology and founder of Evolving Innovation, a consulting firm that provides safety technology and ergonomic solutions services. Ballini-Ross said that fatigue reduction is an important factor in their use of exos. A lot of the farmwork really involves that repetitive lifting from ground to waist level, so my exo is the first thing I grab when it comes to doing hay. Other tasks where she wears it is on inventory days when we unload a couple of tons of 50- to 70-pound boxes. Not a Cure-All In spite of the benefits, exos are not the solution for every case. Not all passive exos are the same, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Some exos can restrict movement to enforce proper lifting posture, which can reduce injury. However, other designs might not have this feature, which means that the worker could place themselves in an awkward or dangerous position that could lead to injury. For example, the same feature that enforces proper posture when lifting might restrict movement that requires rotating the body, such as when shoveling. A warehouse worker is likely to do a similar task over and over all day, but a farmworker often has to rapidly switch from one task to another. Even passive exos can be bulky and awkward to maneuver in during daily activities. Farmers in one study cited the fact that they can make it difficult to get in and out of the cab of tractors and other farm machinery. And having to take the exo on and off throughout the day can take up significant time. Most passive exos have at least some fabric, but this fabric can get soiledespecially from sweat on hot days or during strenuous activitieswhich can make them unpleasant to wear. Most also include Velcro-style hook-and-loop fasteners. These fasteners make it easy to adjust the fit of the device for workers of different sizes, and to accommodate the presence of layers of clothing. But those hooks and loops can also grab foreign materials, impairing their functionality and appearance. Ballini-Ross noted, I use my exo when trimming the hooves of our sheep, and hair and straw gets stuck in the fabric. So when I take my exo to a presentation or a conference, I have to think twice because maybe Im bringing a little too much of the farm with me. Obstacles to Adoption Education may be the biggest barrier to more widespread adoption of exos in agriculture; many farmers simply arent aware of the products and their potential benefits. Close behind comes the question of expense. Even passive exos can be costly, and nlike heavy farm equipment, the manufacturers are not set up to provide payment plans or other terms to ease the financial strain. But the problems go beyond those two obvious factors. For example, many farms rely on a transient workforce. A small farm does not have the resources to stock a full range of exos to meet the needs of different body sizes. Furthermore, different tasks could require different exo designs. Harvesting or weeding some low-growing crops require bending and stooping, which needs a different type of support than lifting boxes of produce or shoveling. In addition, a farmworkers needs vary with the season. Providing exos for these workers for just a week or two may not be feasible. Another part of the problem is that the exo industry has not yet focused on the needs of agricultural workers. The low-hanging fruit is in other industries, such as warehouse logistics, construction, and manufacturing. These applications have narrowly defined tasks with lots of repetition, and often involve large corporations with the capital to invest in new technology. To really be embraced in agriculture, exo manufacturers would need to create exos that are modified for farm work. For example, one study found that a typical exo requires adjustable straps that go around the thighs. This design blocks access to pants pockets where farmworkers keep tools such as pruning clippers where they can reach them easily. But with little demand for agricultural exos, companies have little financial incentive to design around these problems. While exoskeletons have proven their value in terms of reducing workloads and related injuries for some farming tasks, significant obstacles remain. But as farmers become more aware of the benefits, as the costs continue to come down, and as manufacturers respond more to the specific needs of agricultural tasks, we can likely expect to see more exos down on the farm. Alfred Poor, Ambrook Research This article was originally published by Ambrook Research, an editorially independent publication backed by Ambrook, a company making sustainability profitable in natural resource industries, starting by providing accounting and financial management software for farmers.
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E-Commerce
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