Extruder definition

Reinsurance companies, which insure insurance companies, have been fleeing California over the last few years, though the state has prevented insurance companies themselves from dropping policyholders. But the costs of insurance have been rising. New homeowners also have more trouble getting policies, which may make it more difficult to get a mortgage. The value of some houses may fall. By better predicting where wildfires may get out of control, the startup believes it can set the right prices for insurance companies and stabilize the system. … [Read more...] about This startup can predict where the next California fire will start

Ben Ellis: Analytics is essential, but you also have to realize what it’s good at and what it’s not. It’s good if you have a series of data points and [you can tell] what’s the trends, what’s the regression. But how can you understand the impact of one more unit of X or Y; what it’s not good at is discontinuities. Analytics, almost by definition, if the context or the environment in the feature is markedly different than the data set, it breaks down. So, I think you need to use analytics, but you also have to understand context. … [Read more...] about Here are the new rules of leadership

3. “Hands-on” > “hands-off” leadership. Nothing kills morale more than bringing on a new leader who nobody thinks can do any actual work. I’m an engineer at heart, and the only way I was able to move up the ladder or start my own company was to work hard at being a manager, as well as a leader. (As I explained in my last Fast Company piece, those are two different things.) The more people, groups and products you manage, the easier that becomes. But that doesn’t mean lose sight of where you came from–and how you got there. … [Read more...] about Your First 5 Hires Can Make Or Break Your Company–Here’s How To Choose Carefully

“At this point, we really feel that there is not a mystery-verse built out anywhere, and Conan Doyle is the definitive voice in that arena, I think, to this day,” the star said about future installments of Sherlock Holmes. “So to me, why do a third movie if you’re not going to be able to spin off into some real gems of diversity and other times and elements?” … [Read more...] about Exclusive: Robert Downey Jr. on planning a ‘Sherlock’ universe with Marvel-style world building

There is a lot more to being a monger, though, than just reading info off of a card and eating cheese with new pals. You have to know exactly how the cheese is supposed to taste, so you can determine whether the batch this customer might be buying is consistent with the standard. You have to be able to walk people through a Choose Your Own Adventure-style decision tree; asking whether someone prefers cow, goat, or sheep. Mild or wild. Sweet, sour, or bitter. How far out of their comfort zone they seemed willing to be pushed. … [Read more...] about I worked undercover at a cheese shop while writing a book about cheese. Here’s what happened