jenamety

> Is this appropriate for businesses to be doing?

Ethically yes

From a business standpoint yes:

If they are concerned about 300 families from passengers from a stricken airliner coming after them for billions, then yes, yes it is.

If they are concerned about the FAA restricting drone use altogether, then yes. (they've already required drones be registered. If they're aircraft that cant be operated safely then FAA can ground them all, and much of the world follows our FAA's rulings)

A civilian UAS & manned aircraft collision resulting in loss of life is statistically inevitable. How DJI fares in court by showing it exhausted all means to prevent their products from doing harm when the unfortunate does occur, is something they can be proactive with.

>I have even seen it suggested that the employees could even have gone by taxi, though I don't know if that was really practical.

I have a feeling the contract with the Pilot and FA unions squashes that idea rather quickly.

interestingly they list "Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year*"

do you only get points once a year? 25k doesnt seem that high for 2% back limit especially for a business?

this 2%. nerdwallet for help. I have yet to see anyone beat the 2% back other than bonus signons - but those are 1 time and on a 2-3 year horizon go with 2%.

Fidelity has a 2% one as well that deposits cash into a fidelity investment account vs CapOne where you have to apply points to other transactions to utilize the full 2% back (and CapOne redemption only applies to certain Merchant Category Codes... FYI Timeshare/Rental in Orlando for a week is not redeemable by CapOne and is not the same MCC as a Hotel)

"Start Small, Stay Small: A Developers guide to launching a startup" by Rob Walling.

really got me thinking about best ways (ie most time efficient + value) to vet an idea before lifting a finger building.

I have previously integrated with eFax in 2010, so an internet fax provider is not new to me, but forgive my ignorance as I haven't visited the space in a while. Which innovation are you excited about and referring to? From the comments it seems to be 'developer friendly API' or 'Simplicity in pricing' as the to big draws, just curious what has changed since my last days?

yes, but that's far from attractive. i calculated it out for my family of 4 and based on my amazon spending (maybe mid to slightly above avg) 5% on amazon doesn't beat the 2% i get on all transactions. If they want to be top of wallet (and visibility into my other spending) they need to have better than 2% on the non-amazon transactions.

>it seems like a weird area to focus on

i see it as you the consumer are the focus, not the products you buy.

Knowing you as a consumer is the goal to be able to serve your every purchase. I'm really surprised Amazon doesn't have a branded credit card that offers unbeatable rewards, thereby seeing all user transactions.

So if i knew you order toothpaste on average every 48 days, i could put a new one in cheapo snail mail on day 43. who is in the best position to predict this and take it completely off your mind? current grocers or amazon? your scenario presumes you need to invoke the order yourself. Amazon is going to be predicting your needs (poorly at first but improving over time). I'd wager this big picture includes getting audio feeds from your house 'hey - who drank the last of the milk?' 'are we out of eggs?', 'that's a shame, these strawberries went bad before i could use them'. I'm sure amazon has considered trash/recycling services to scan product barcodes to see what you've used up to add to the 'predict you' models.

A big challenge is going to be charging me for product i don't need yet. if i get toothpaste 15 days in advance of needing it because i traveled for 15 days of the period, then i'm not going to like being billed for something so soon. i'll feel scammed, like they're trying to ram product/sales down my throat. for this i'd be curious to see if there's a way to charge when the product begins to be used- so medicine shelf time doesn't cost you. That and no-brainer returns. (think dash button for come pick a product up)

Just my 2 cents

very cool, thanks

i'm seeing two (obvious) bigger picture trends here that this story reinforces.

1. Digital authentication for purchasing is moving towards non-transferable biometrics ( i cant divulge my thumbprint like i can my pin )

2. Goods of all kinds are being delivered faster

The scary thing for me is that thieves love goods delivered quickly, so they can turn them quickly, and cut down on their ability to get intercepted.

So what does the 'mugging' or identity theft of tomorrow look like? Am I taken at my doorstep and forced to make purchases from my phone with my thumb, while a drone arrives 10 minutes later with 10 iPads OR do I have my phone stolen and thumb lopped off with tree clippers so the fraudster has more time? What happens as retinal scanning becomes more common? What if it is my blood that unlocks my finances & credit?

edit: i've heard thumbs are available for purchase