Passport’s Picks of the Week
This week’s installment of picks of the week touches on a flying saucer, new Airbnb features, and how a hacker is making his autonomous car software public. Deep dive into some of our team’s must-read picks this week…
The Irrational User: Startup Grind
Humans are predictable in their unpredictability. Cognitive biases largely influence what we see as completely irrational human behavior and demonstrates why no matter how logically sound your product or service is, users will find a way to deviate entirely from your predictions. Instead of fighting them, harness the power of logical fallacies to engage users.
– Sara Wasserboehr, Graphic Designer
A Famous Hacker Is Working Around Regulators By Making His Self-Driving Car Software Public
Hotz, the infamous hacker that unlocked the iPhone at age 17, has just released his open source semi-autonomous Tesla-like driving system to the public. To the surprise of the NHTSA and the California DMV, Hotz had been working on this driving system independently, but stopped after receiving warning letters from the federal government. The government warned Hotz to stop unless he could prove it was safe (at the expense of $21K per day!). Since, Hotz has been approached by Elon Musk to join his team (with big bonuses), and expressed doubts that Hotz could complete the project independently. The open source software could be the basis for other manufacturers and independent projects, alike.
– Brian Sullivan, Sales Analyst
Airbnb Is Turning Itself Into An ‘Experience’ Machine Beyond Just Booking Places To Stay
I have not used home-sharing app, Airbnb; however, with its new ‘experience’ oriented features — it just might be my go-to app to book my next vacay. Airbnb is not just solely focusing on booking a place to stay, it’s now offering users events and things to do in the specific rental area. I think that’s a good enough excuse to go ahead and book my next vacation, just saying.
– Kimberly Kufel, Content Marketing Specialist
Flee Your Family Aboard This Flying Saucer Concept
Zooming around the air in a flying saucer is possible and not just in the The Jetsons. Actually, the concept is inspired by the famous TV show’s vehicles, which of course consisted of flying saucers. Charles Bombardier’s concept of a flying saucer, dubbed the Jexet, would be the size of a “small car, with room for one person”, which is perfect for fleeing from your family during the holiday season (hint, hint). Bombardier’s idea would feature LED lighting inside the device, as well as built-in navigation. Let’s just say, The Jetson’s vehicles aren’t too far out of reach…
– Daniel Bliley, Director of Marketing