Sephora’s study In fall 2019, after R&B singer SZA said she’d been racially profiled in a Sephora store. Around the same time, the company commissioned a study to better understand how Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) experience American retail—both within its own stores and at other brands. This week, Sephora publicly shared its findings, which paint a picture of consistent discrimination toward Black and brown customers and employees. … [Read more...] about Sephora has a sweeping new plan for combating racism. But will it work?
Getting a new debit card
The Capitol riot is spurring new interest in gun-detection AI
For ZeroEyes’ AI to detect a weapon, it must be at least partially exposed. “It’s all based on pixels,” says Lahiff. According to him, with some training the technology can detect a gun on surveillance video about as well as a human being could. And, he adds, there’s a “human in the loop,” meaning that all positive gun detections are sent to a control center where a human being confirms a positive detection before sounding the alarm to the client and to law enforcement.“Avoiding and managing false positives and [maintaining] privacy are the two things you have to get right in order to sell this,” says Dave Fraser, the CEO of ZeroEyes’ competitor Omnilert. Omnilert’s main business has been selling multi-channel mass alert systems to schools, manufacturers, and retailers. Because any gun-detection system involves mass alerts, it made sense of Omnilert to add on the gun-detection AI, Fraser tells me. … [Read more...] about The Capitol riot is spurring new interest in gun-detection AI
IRS stimulus checks: Painfully slow mailed-out payments frustrate many Americans
“As a vital part of the nation’s critical infrastructure, the Postal Service is helping the U.S. Department of the Treasury provide important Economic Impact Payment letters, checks, and debit cards to American households,” spokesperson Kim Frum told Fast Company. She confirmed that the payments are being sent first class and “handled at that service standard.” … [Read more...] about IRS stimulus checks: Painfully slow mailed-out payments frustrate many Americans
My company has gone through 3 growth cycles in 18 months. Here’s how I navigated them
Stay involved to spot issues until the ways of working are clear, which will set you up to take a step back. Right now, I’m deep in the weeds of every expense associated with the delivery channel to make sure we are building the right foundations for long-term success. In the future, I won’t know the ins and outs of each marketing expense, but for now I’m very involved in building the financial framework we’ll use moving forward. Clear metrics and financial goals give everyone room to run without friction. … [Read more...] about My company has gone through 3 growth cycles in 18 months. Here’s how I navigated them
Paris is turning its iconic street into pedestrian gardens
vision of a “15-minute city” where it’s possible to easily get anywhere you need to go for day-to-day errands on foot or by bike—the Champs-Élysées will now also be redesigned, in a $304 million project that will turn the mile-long street into what Mayor Anne Hidalgo calls “an extraordinary garden.” … [Read more...] about Paris is turning its iconic street into pedestrian gardens
