Well, almost. The app was initially designed to help you manage actual Starbucks cards. You could check your balance, reload depleted cards, and view your transaction history.
When everyone starts to accepts a phone scan of a credit card for payment, the journey to the dark side will be complete.
Rosabeth Moss Kanter's guide to understanding passion,
To determine whether your passion matches your aspirations, try these 12 questions.
1. Do I feel strongly about the need for this?
2. Does the idea fit my long-held beliefs, values, and convictions?
3. Have I dreamed about something like this for a long time?
4. Do I think that this is vital for the future of people I care about?
5. Do I get excited when I think about it, and convey excitement when I talk about it?
6. Am I convinced that this can be accomplished?
7. Am I willing to put my credibility on the line to promise action on it?
8. Am I willing to spend time to sell it to others who might not understand or support it?
9. Can I make this the major focus of my activities?
10. Am I willing to devote personal time, above and beyond organizational time, to see that this happens?
11. Do I feel strongly enough to ignore negativity and fight for this?
12. Am I committed to seeing this through, over the long haul?
Yahoo! Sketch centers you on a map and then invites you to sketch a search zone with your finger [iTunes link]. Draw a circle around your current location, or an oval along the highway, or any geometric search parameter that suits you, and Yahoo quickly returns a list of restaurants in the area.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the National Organic Program, says that organic is a “production philosophy” and an organic label should does not imply that a product is superior. Moreover, some say there’s no need to eat organic to be healthy: Simply choose less processed food and more fruits and vegetables.
The crux of the argument often comes down to the nutritional benefits of organic foods, something that’s hard to measure. To compare the nutrient density between organically and conventionally grown grapes, for example, researchers would have to have matched pairs of fields, including using the same soil, the same irrigation system, the same level of nitrogen fertilizer and the same stage of ripeness at harvest, said Charles Benbrook, chief scientist at The Organic Center, a pro-organics research institution.
There are multiple complex issues here. One, the need to feed seven billion people daily; Two, sustainability of production methods; Three, overall impact on the environment; Four, sustainable business model.
The researchers say their findings suggest that the taxes were more effective than subsidies. This conclusion doesn't surprise Karlan. He sites the theory of loss aversion: "People are just more responsive to price increases than decreases."
Karlan says a "sin tax" — charging more for unhealthful foods — would not change families' diets or approach to nutrition overnight. But it could serve as a first step in raising awareness of bad habits, alerting us to the kinds of things we choose to snack on.
The shops are two of a growing number of New York delis and pizzerias offering $1 slices, a phenomenon that has delighted, dismayed and disturbed pizza lovers, food bloggers and rival pizzeria owners while defying a basic fundamental of the city’s economy — charging as much as you can whenever and wherever you can.
The rule was a big success. Here’s why:
Rhonda Abrams lays out the case for gender differential growth,
Whatever the reason, a failure to grow through hiring contributes to wide-spread stereotypes of women business owners. Overwhelmingly, according to Count Me In's survey, poll respondents felt women weren't serious about growing substantial businesses:
• 86% said women were satisfied with just small businesses.
• 84% said women are more risk averse.
• 81% said women need to be in control and are hesitant to hire.
And here's the kicker:
• 78% said profits don't mean much to women business owners.
Seriously? Are we back in the days when women were perceived as making "pocket money" rather than supporting a family or growing a real business?
C'mon ladies. If you want to create a business of substantial financial value, you're going to have to hire. And here's another truth: being a good, fair boss is one of the most important contributions you can make to society and one of the most satisfying things you can do in your career.
Men hire and fire quicker and are more risk tolerant. Not necessarily good things, however it apparently impacts growth arcs.
A great story will include these elements:
I’ve always thought that the quickest and smartest folks at the brainstorming phase of design have been those who do standup and improv. They never say no. They never miss a beat. Improv requires players to accept what they are given, build on the ideas of others, and encourage wild ideas.
Everyone thinks that they know how to brainstorm, but in fact, brainstorming is usually plagued by problems like self-censoring, competitiveness, and ridicule…. Improv is a great way for students to learn to defer judgment.
Elizabeth King Humphrey shares a recent study.
Each study found that people in a bad mood performed tasks better than those in a good mood. Grumpy people paid closer attention to details, showed less gullibility, were less prone to errors of judgment and formed higher-quality, persuasive arguments than their happy counterparts. One study even supports the notion that those who show signs of either fear, anger, disgust or sadness—the four basic negative emotions—achieve stronger eyewitness recall while virtually eliminating the effect of misinformation