Ted

Grinding – Embrace It & Stop Looking for That One Magic Move

December 5, 2019 by Ted 2 Comments

As longtime readers may suspect, I am a bit of a newsy and as such, subscribe to an amazing array of sources of news and information. One such source is Fred Wilson, a cofounder of Union Square Ventures (USV), a New York City-based venture capital firm, who is a favorite of mine. Wilson does something that I admire and don’t seem to be able to equal – he posts to his blog EVERY day. Some of his posts are short, some long, some trivial, some surprisingly impactful.

Recently, Wilson (his blog: AVC, as in “A Venture Capitalist”) posted an item that really resonated with me – it’s about grinding…and I wanted to share this with Strata-gee.com readers. It is important…

What does Wilson mean by ‘grinding’?…

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James Loudspeaker Terminates Reps as Integration into Sonance Progresses

December 5, 2019 by Ted Leave a Comment

Early last week, a holiday week, sources reached out to relay the news that multiple manufacturer sales representatives were being terminated by James Loudspeaker. Happy Thanksgiving…you’re fired. In chats, I heard of the pain that some those reps felt – for while getting terminated is never a happy circumstance, getting terminated during holidays seems particularly poignant.

James Loudspeaker’s CEO & Sonance’s CSO speak to what is going on…

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NPR: American Speaker Manufacturer Says Tariffs May Force Him Out

December 5, 2019 by Ted 1 Comment

This week, National Public Radio (NPR) tells the story of the Minneapolis Speaker Company, Inc., known as MISCO, a St. Paul, MN-based manufacturer of speaker drivers and systems sold mostly on an OEM basis, who is struggling to continue to manufacture products here in the U.S. as they have for the last 70 years. What threatens their ability to continue to do so? In a word…tariffs.

See more on the MISCO story…

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Atlantic Technology Launches Its First Headphone, The FS-HAL1 In-Ear Monitor

December 4, 2019 by Ted Leave a Comment

Atlantic Technology, known for years for its high quality/high value loudspeakers designs, announced this week the launch of its first ever headphone, the FS-HAL1. True to their positioning in the market, the FS-HAL1 is a high-performance model targeted at music lovers and Hi-Fi enthusiasts who value better sound quality in an affordably-priced, convenient in-ear monitor design.

Learn more on Atlantic Technology FS-HAL1..

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Happy Thanksgiving!

November 27, 2019 by Ted 6 Comments

Always one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving is one of the few times where it is socially acceptable to completely stuff your face with a big, delicious meal, and veg out on the sofa watching football all day long. What could be better than that??

But read on to see my full and not-too-sappy holiday greeting…

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Is Darth Vader in Your Kitchen? Would You Like Him to Be?

November 27, 2019 by Ted Leave a Comment

Williams Sonoma's Darth Vader Star Wars themed toaster

Williams Sonoma launches a fun line of kitchen countertop appliances designed like popular Star Wars characters. These definitely should be on the top of your gift list for the person in your life who likes to cook…and loves Star Wars.

See Star Wars in Your Kitchen…

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The Greatest Barrier to ‘Smart Home’ Adoption is Complexity, New Study Shows

November 27, 2019 by Ted Leave a Comment

Lots of studies have shown that consumer adoption of various smart home technologies and devices is growing…and that is undoubtedly true. But a new study shows that adoption is not as strong as it could be but for the complexity of installing and using smart home devices.

This Study has Some Chilling Data for Integrators. Check it out…

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Consumer Confidence Drops for the 4th Straight Month in-a-Row

November 26, 2019 by Ted Leave a Comment

The Conference Board, in conjunction with Nielsen, announced on Tuesday that consumer confidence, a widely watched economic indicator, fell in November for the fourth straight month in-a-row. Consumers, it seems, are concerned about the current business climate and employment outlook. Even so, the level remains historically high and should not provide too much of a damper on current holiday spending by consumers.

Oct. Housing Data is Split: Home Construction UP, Home Sales DOWN

November 26, 2019 by Ted Leave a Comment

In new data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the readings appear split with housing starts showing increases while new home sales declined. Housing, a prime component of the overall U.S. GDP has been in a bit of a swell over the last couple of months, driven largely by low interest rates stimulating demand for homes.

See more on the latest housing data…

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Sonos Announces Record Fiscal 2019 Results; Acquires Snips

November 21, 2019 by Ted Leave a Comment

Sonos announced this week that it has acquired French AI voice control software maker Snips in a deal valued at $37.5 million. The company also released their Fiscal 2019 results in a letter to investors denoting a record year for the company – its first as a publicly traded one.

See more on Sonos’ new announcements…

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Ted