FAO Schwarz Reopens at Rockefeller Center in New York City

FAO Schwarz Makes a Comeback

FAO Schwarz reopens at Rockefeller Center in New York City. Domain: faoschwarz.com

FAO Schwarz And Its Piano Are Back In NYC

CNBC.com video above published Nov 19, 2018: Iconic toy retailer FAO Schwarz is making its return to New York City after shutting its famed flagship store on Fifth Avenue in 2015, when the brand was still owned by Toys R Us. Now under a new owner, FAO Schwarz will bring its plush stuffed animals and walk-on piano keyboard — featured in the 1988 movie "Big" with Tom Hanks — back to life, and just in time for the 2018 holiday season. 

The store is at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan. FAO Schwarz, meanwhile, has already embarked on expanding around the globe. The goal is to make the space "experiential" and one that can "deliver theater and can drive customers," David Conn, CEO of FAO Schwarz's parent company ThreeSixty Group, told CNBC last month. Brands featured in the 20,000-square-foot 30 Rock store include two of those also owned by ThreeSixty — electronics from The Sharper Image and toys from Melissa & Doug. There are walls of Barbie dolls, a Build-A-Bear Workshop station, a racetrack for kids to play with cars, a space where a magician will teach tricks, a candy shop and so much more for visitors to do there, beyond shopping. And, of course, FAO Schwarz brought back its iconic keyboard on the floor. (This time it's also on the ceiling, in bright lights, to spark the curiosity of those walking by.) The massive clock tower is there too, along with a new centerpiece, a rocket ship. 

Without Toys R Us now that it's bankrupt, there is a huge share of the toy market left up for grabs, giving FAO Schwarz the chance to make a name for itself again. FAO Schwarz will also be selling its own branded items inside other retailers including Kohl's and Hudson's Bay this holiday season. Back at 30 Rock, FAO Schwarz will offer everything from hot items like Hatchimals to the brands older generations of consumers grew up with, like Steiff teddy bears. Its goal is to be a store that customers remember and keep coming back to. The experience is the key. It's a strategy many retailers are employing to lure consumers out of their homes and into the stores — but it's also part of FAO Schwarz's heritage. The fun of going to the old store is a memory for many generations, but today's shoppers may find many "Instagrammable" moments inside the walls of the new store.

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How Uber Disrupted the New York City Taxi Medallion Market (video)

How Uber disrupted the New York City taxi medallion market

CNNMoney video above published Jun 5, 2018: CNN.com's Jon Sarlin explains how Uber (domain: uber.com) moved into the biggest market in the country and defeated the formidable yellow cab industry.

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Ridesharing App Via: Technology, Transportation, Commuter Vans

source: ridewithvia.com

Via Transportation, Inc. (domain: ridewithvia.com) also known simply as Via, is a privately held U.S. transportation network and real-time ridesharing company based in New York City. Via operates in all five boroughs of New York City, areas of Chicago, and Washington DC. The company's technology is used in ridesharing ventures in Paris, United Kingdom, and Austin, Texas.

• CEO and Founder: Daniel Ramot (Jun 2012–)
• Type of business: Privately held company

Texas town ditches its bus service for ride-sharing app Via | TheVerge.com Mar 12, 2018: "Trading public transportation for subsidized private van service" Arlington, Texas, ditched charter buses as public transportation for a ridesharing service Via, which will offer $3 rides and have 10 commuter vans on call.

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UberRUSH, On-demand Delivery, LIVE in NYC, SF, and Chicago (video)

UberRUSH is an on-demand delivery network just launched by Uber (uber.com) in New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago. By "tapping into UberRUSH," business owners can make faster, cheaper, more reliable deliveries–and save customers the trip. Learn more at: uber.com/rush (note: the company is using other domain names such as uberrushnyc.com which currently redirects to rush.uber.com/how-it-works )

Uber Technologies Inc. is an American international transportation network company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Founded: March 2009, San Francisco, CA; Founders: Travis Kalanick, Garrett Camp. (source: Wikipedia).  Uber is a decacorn (total valuation in excess of $10 billion): in June, 2014, Uber raised $1.2 billion in a Series D round, with a total valuation then of over $18 billion. (Timeline of Uber).

Principal domain name: uber.com

Uber is touting these competitive advantages for businesses tapping into UberRUSH:

Low delivery costs, zero overhead:When you tap into the UberRUSH network, you pay only for the deliveries you make. Nothing more. And because couriers don't need to make roundtrips, you can actually expand your delivery zone.

Delivery right when you need it: When customers are waiting, every minute counts. UberRUSH helps you avoid costly bottlenecks during your busiest hours. You can get as many deliveries on the road as you need. As fast as you need them.

Know the exact location of your deliveries: Real-time tracking means you and your customers can always see where the delivery is on the map. This visibility helps make for smoother pickups and dropoffs. No more nervous phone calls from customers.

UberRUSH integrates with platforms like Shopify and Clover so you can build deliveries right into your day-to-day operations. No need to worry about complicated set-up or installation.

You can get as many deliveries on the road as you need. And it only takes a few seconds to set them up. If you’re delivering something that is fragile or spillable, please let us know. We’ll take good care of it.

The map [on UberRUSH webpage] shows you exactly when your courier will arrive at your business. After you make the handoff, you can track the delivery in real time. Or just go back to whatever else needs to get done. Your deliveries are on autopilot at this point.

You have the option to share the tracking link with your customers, giving them the ability to follow their delivery live on the map. We also notify them when the courier is arriving. Real-time tracking goes a long way towards customer satisfaction.


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Data Records, Hacker Threat, Safer Data Security, RRE Ventures (video)

Hacker Threat and Safer Data Security: A Timeline - Jim Robinson, RRE Ventures' managing partner, discusses protecting against cyber threats with Bloomberg's Cory Johnson and Carol Massar on "Bloomberg Advantage Primetime," October 1, 2015. Note his reference to blockchain technologies.

RRE Ventures is a New York City-based venture capital firm focused on investments across several disciplines, including software, internet, mobile, financial services, consumer and enterprise hardware, and other related technologies. Focus: Seed, Early Stage Venture, and Later Stage Venture Investments. Investment Size: 100k - 25M (sources: rre.com, wikipedia, crunchbase).

Domain name: rre.com

RRE Ventures Twitter handle: @RRE https://twitter.com/RRE

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Accountable ICANN and Carnegie Hall Require Active Board Oversight

This Sounds Like ICANN - Discord Breaks Out at Carnegie Hall http://t.co/HJHlWntOxj via @WSJ #domains #IANA #ICANN

— Domain Mondo (@DomainMondo) September 17, 2015

"... ICANN may need Board reform—that should have been priority #1. Almost every failing of ICANN can ultimately be attributed to a Board of Directors that was not activist, failed to question, failed to challenge stakeholders, management, staff or GAC advice, failed to be vigilant, pro-active. Therefore, review and improve processes for selecting members of the ICANN Board of Directors, which will lead to independent, activist, vigilant ICANN directors, reflective of the diversity of the global multi-stakeholder community, who will question, investigate, and push back (when necessary or appropriate) against policies advanced by self-interested ICANN stakeholders which are to the detriment of the global public interest or the global multi-stakeholder community; directors who will question and hold accountable ICANN officers, ICANN staff, GAC advice, and all ICANN stakeholders, including policy-making proposals, inquiring as to whether ICANN policies and principles have been followed ...."--John Poole, Editor, Domain Mondo; see ICANN CCWG-Accountability Co-Chair Comments on the Public Comments

The CCWG-Accountability and ICG--meaning the Enhancing ICANN Accountability and IANA Transition on-going processes--could learn a lot from looking at what's happening at Carnegie Hall in New York City:

Discord Breaks Out at Carnegie Hall - WSJ: "...“These matters implicate Carnegie Hall’s obligations as a nonprofit organization and as a public trust,” according to Mr. Perelman’s letter. Such lack of transparency, he said in the letter, fails to meet the standards of the New York State Nonprofit Revitalization Act, which mandates that board members take an active oversight role over staff action and, he wrote, “imposes greater restrictions and approvals in connection with related-party transactions.” ..." (emphasis and link added; read more at the link above)


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