SmartWater A New Way To Protect / Prevent Theft

The age-old method to discourage theft and or recover stolen items was to inscribe the object with engraved names or ID numbers. But this new concept involves a chemical that evaporates and is invisible.  But leaves behind a DNA that identifies the rightful owner. Called SmartWater I recently read about it in Professional Builder magazine. The story is about using an invisible chemical for marking tools and other equipment on jobsites as both a deterrent to theft and for possible recovery of the equipment and identification of persons who removed it from the jobsite.

If you are interested, here are the links to the article, and to the company that makes SmartWater.  

http://www.probuilder.com/liquid-deterrent-helps-prevent-theft

SmartWater to mark theftable construction equipment

http://www.smartwater.com/

SmartWater  video describing how it works

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SmartWater

Smart water, a traceable liquid  Wikipedia

YouTube RED Goes Live on Oct 28

http://digiwonk.wonderhowto.com/inspiration/ad-free-videos-offline-playback-more-youtube-red-goes-live-october-28th-0165579/

For $10 a month, you can have ad free YouTube and watch YouTube videos off line (but perhaps only on mobile devices ?) And listen to programs in the background (think streaming music).  I think you can do all of this free now, if you know the correct add-on programs to download or add to your browser. 

A good reason to join might be access to Google Music, 30 million songs that you can listen to for free (with subscription). If you are already a Google Music member, you will be ‘rolled free” into the new YouTube Red.

I figured this would eventually come, offering unlimited free space to upload your videos couldn’t last forever, Google was forced to find a strong reason to continue adding storage space, and subscription revenue from subscribers would be just that. And YouTube would need some sort of location for new and original content to compete with the likes of NetFlix, and others are slowly choking the reasons to have so-called “cable TV" in one's home. 

In some future age, I predict a super high speed Wi-Fi, perhaps broadcast from existing cell towers, will be supplied to households for $20 a month and thus end most people’s need for cable at all. They will be able to use this super-speed Wi-Fi for everything (with some sub-subscriptions like YouTube Red and NetFlix, and sports channels).  Progressive nations, like Great Britain and others, will probably offer this new high speed Wi-Fi for free, buying it in bulk for all 60 million of their citizens at a much lower price than selling it one person (or household) at a time. Free Wi-Fi is already cropping up in some American city centers, maybe someday all will have to have to be competitive in attracting new industries (i.e. jobs). The question is which government or commercial business will end up paying for it. 

Wal-Mart Steps Up On Line Business

News reports in business magazines said last week that Wal-Mart will be spending massive money next year to update and modernize stores and beef up their on line ordering to compete more with Amazon.

Tonight, by accident, I stumbled into Wal-Mart's improved on line ordering and found it greatly improved. I needed to get a special young girl’s bike helmet for my granddaughter’s birthday.  I wanted a special color but no logos of movie characters. Amazon only had 2 that came anywhere close to the specifications I needed.  Wal-Mart’s website had 240 different bike helmets, and many were for children.  They blew Amazon away in that category for me tonight. I found one that fit the ideal specification.

Then, ordering was almost easier than Amazon.  I had a 2003 email and password in my password book, and tried it, Wal-Mart still had it in their computer and connected me to check out right away.  That’s rarely true for 12 year old log-ins and passwords on other websites. Then, WM charged no freight if I would pick it up at my very-near-by Wal-Mart in 48 hours (which I could do very easily and WM mailing it would miss the party date).  Then, WM took PayPal for payment, that was fast.  On top of that, they offered to text me when it hit the store for pickup if I would share by cell phone number.  But, fortunately, that was not a requirement, and I didn’t give it to them for fear of future advertising text messages?  I was checked out with no information other than PayPal and which Wal-Mart I wanted to use for the pickup.  That’s slick.

Considering the depth and potential of Wal-Mart’s distribution, which probably rivals that of Amazon, and Wal-Mart’s vast product selection (much more than in stores) they might become a serious player in the new world of “retailing”.