One Sec Tech

Source: New York Times

Three years ago Ben Huh visited a blog devoted to silly cat pictures — and saw vast potential.

Mr. Huh, a 32-year-old entrepreneur, first became aware of I Can Has Cheezburger which pairs photos of cats with quirky captions, after it linked to his own pet blog. His site immediately crumbled under the resulting wave of visitors.

Sensing an Internet phenomenon, Mr. Huh solicited financing from investors and forked over $10,000 of his own savings to buy the Web site from the two Hawaiian bloggers who started it.

“It was a white-knuckle decision,” he said. “I knew that the first site was funny, but could we duplicate that success?”

Mr. Huh has since found that the appetite for oddball Internet humor is insatiable.

Traffic to the Cheezburger blog has ballooned over the last three years, encouraging Mr. Huh to expand his unlikely Web empire to include 53 sites, all fueled by submissions from readers. In May, what is now known as the Cheezburger Network attracted a record 16 million unique visitors, according to the Web analytics firm Quantcast.

A more recent success for the company is a site called Fail Blog, which chronicles disastrous mishaps and general stupidity in photos and video. The network’s smaller sites include Daily Squee, with pictures of cute animals, and There I Fixed It, for photos of bad repair jobs.

Mr. Huh said his company, which makes most of its money from Web advertising, has been profitable since Day 1.

“Then again, it was just me and Emily in the beginning,” he said referring to his wife, who also works at the company. Cheezburger now has more than 40 employees and has not sought additional investment.

As the company has grown, so have the opportunities to make money, said Todd Sawicki, the company’s chief revenue officer.

“Only 1 percent of what gets submitted goes on the Web site,” he said. “The rest we can turn into T-shirts, books and other content that the audience loves.”

This year alone, Mr. Sawicki said, the company will generate a seven-figure sum from advertising, licensing fees and merchandise sales.

The company has published five books based on its blogs, one of which, a collection of the cats-with-misspelled-captions images known as Lolcats, hovered on the New York Times list of miscellaneous paperback best sellers for 13 weeks. Three more books are in production, along with a line of greeting cards and desktop calendars.

One secret to the company’s success is the way it taps into the Internet zeitgeist. It seeks clues to what is funny right now by monitoring the Web for themes bubbling up on community forums, blogs and video sites. Then it spins off new sites devoted to the latest online humor fads.

“Cheezburger figures out what’s starting to get popular and then harvests the humor from the chaff,” said Kenyatta Cheese, one of the creators of a popular Web video series called “Know Your Meme” that documents viral online phenomena, known as memes. “Things like Lolcats and Fail are easy to make, easy to spread and hit on an emotional level that crosses a lot of traditional boundaries.”

Most of the material the company posts is created by readers, who can Photoshop a funny caption onto an image or remix a popular video in minutes and submit it to one of the Cheezburger sites for consideration. The company says that each day it receives more than 18,000 submissions from readers.

Joe Olk, 28, is one of two dozen staff members who spend their days deliberating over exactly what makes something laugh-out-loud worthy.

Skimming through images on a computer monitor in the company’s spacious office in downtown Seattle, Mr. Olk paused over one photograph of a neon sign advertising services described as “Internet Massage.” “Now that is just weird,” he says with a snicker. “But also funny.” And with a click, it is posted online.

Employees do not check to see whether the person submitting content actually owns it before they put it on a company site, but they will remove it if they receive a complaint after the fact. The company says that before it puts an image into a book or calendar, it does seek permission from its creator, who might receive a free book or T-shirt.

Submissions that are funny but don’t fit into any of the current blog themes can inspire new blogs. For example, after noticing an influx of photos featuring comically bad knock-off toys and other products, the company decided there were enough to warrant a new site, which is slated to be introduced in the next week or two.

The tricky part, said Kiki Kane, 36, who oversees new site development for the network, is gauging whether an Internet trend has legs. She aims to introduce a new blog every week.

“We’re constantly monitoring the Web for new memes,” she said. “Those bits of cultural shorthand, inside jokes that you get right away just by seeing a visual image.”

Not every new site is a hit. One called Pandaganda, which collected images of pandas looking comically evil and sinister, fizzled after a few weeks, so Mr. Huh pulled the plug. “We kill about 20 percent of all the sites we start,” he said.

The idea of quickly tailoring a blog network to satisfy the fickle tastes of a Web-savvy audience, generating new sites to capitalize on a viral sensation and dropping the ones that don’t catch on, is what convinced Geoff Entress, a noted angel investor in the Seattle area, to help Mr. Huh purchase the original company.

“Being flexible and able to change as the environment changes is a huge asset to a consumer Web site,” said Mr. Entress, who has backed more than 35 local start-ups, including an online community for booklovers called Shelfari that was eventually bought by Amazon.

“The risk wasn’t that people wouldn’t like the product,” he said. “We already had the numbers showing they did. The risk was whether or not we could prove this was more than a fad.”

If the wacky cats are a fad, they are one that has had surprising staying power, as shown by a recent Cheezburger happy-hour event at Safeco Field before a Seattle Mariners game.

More than 1,000 fans turned up to listen to cat-themed songs blasted over the loudspeakers, snack on miniature cheeseburgers, slurp from plastic cups of beer and pose for pictures with Mr. Huh.

Tess Mattos, a 41-year-old knitting instructor who traveled up from Portland, Ore., for the event, said she had been a fan of the network’s flagship site for three years.

“It’s just a good, simple break from real life,” she said, adjusting the pair of sequined cat ears she was wearing. “It’s clever, but not mean-spirited.”

“People think we’re weird,” she quipped. “But have you seen the fans of ‘Twilight?’ ”

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My Take: Look, I’ve seen people blog on and on about everything from the ads on poll pads at the Lakers/Celtics playoff games to how to hire and fire an MD home cleaning company. Why wouldn’t funny cat photos garner attention? In this day and age, I think we need more laughter and nothing is funnier than cats doing silly things in photos, and what cats do them as pets.

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Cyclone Technology

It is also known as cyclonic separation. It is a method of removing particulates from an air, gas or water stream, without the use of filters, through vortex separation. Dyson vacuum cleaners utilize rotational effects and gravity to separate mixtures of solids and fluids. A high speed rotating airflow is established within a cylindrical or conical container called a cyclone. Air flows in a spiral pattern, beginning at the top of the cyclone and ending at the bottom end before exiting the cyclone in a straight stream through the center of the cyclone and out the top. Unfortunately, Haan steamers have yet to figure out how to utilize technology.

Cited: fiber2fashion.com

Eurostop, a leading supplier of retail management and EPOS systems to the fashion, footwear, apparel and lifestyle sectors has announced that Leading Labels, the out of town fashion retailers has invested in Eurostop’s e-rmis retail system. The company has also implemented Eurostop’s e-pos in all its stores to track sales at the register the, recording data at its head office. Since implementing the new system, Leading Labels claims that since implementing the new system it has improved management of stock flow in all its 23 stores resulting in more accurate and up to the minute sales data.

According to Mike Thornthwaite, Financial Director at Leading Labels; “It is critical for us that we have the right stock at the right place at the right time. Since implementing Eurostop’s system we have much better management of stock across our stores. We now have details from all our stores on one system which means that we have a complete picture.

“We are very pleased with the Eurostop system – it has definitely moved our business on significantly. We have traded well over what has been a difficult six months for the retail sector. Eurostop’s software has enabled us to maintain our margins and we are now looking for ways to develop the system and get even more out of it.”

Unlike many store groups with a centralized warehouse and stock system, stock is mainly delivered directly to Leading Labels’ stores. Using Eurostop’s systems the company is able to manage stock replenishments with the sales data. The team can also advise the buyers on hot sellers - and stock that is slow to move. The buyers make extensive use of the reports on colours and sizes – the data is used to identify popular items and make adjustments to deliveries as boxes are made up for each store.

Eurostop’s solution has enabled the company to handle till sales on behalf of some of its concessions. In terms of sales and stock replenishment this provides a much more accurate, up to the minute picture for both the concession and Leading Labels.

“Success for any retailer centers on the ability to adjust quickly to meet customer demand. With accurate, daily sales data, a business can make informed decisions about stock movements and cash flow. For companies like Leading Labels with many different brands and outlets, managing stock flow through and profit margins on lines is critical to the business. Eurostop’s systems have been designed to assist large retailers like Leading Labels manage, collect and analyze daily sales data – helping them to be agile in today’s turbulent times,” said sales and marketing manager at Eurostop, Phillip Moylan.

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My Take: It is good that businesses are still improving all over world. It means that maybe the recession is ending and business offices will now be able to afford their custom office furniture. Seriously, it does mean that offices will be a little for them office products that help keep your business running.

It might also indicate that more people will have jobs. I know there are some people wouldn’t mind installing custom wood entry doors on a regular basis as long as they had a job. Of course, anybody can hang up front entry door but it is a job and many people need one.

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Cited: fiber2fashion.com

Levi Strauss & Co., has begun utilizing i2 to design and deploy processes and tools to improve service levels to their U.S. retail customers. Levi Strauss is one of the world’s largest apparel manufacturers that have sales in more than 110 countries around the world.

The tools, which include a vendor managed inventory (VMI) functionality, are designed to more accurately replenish products on the retail floor at the SKU level, providing consumers with a better shopping experience and enhancing sales opportunities for retailers. In addition, Levi Strauss & Co. is leveraging associated outsourced managed services from i2 to improve its inventory management.

“We are pleased to partner with Levi Strauss & Co. and help them achieve their business goals, leveraging our managed services and retail solutions to support VMI with its channel partners,” said Gurdip Singh, i2 vice president, Retail and Consumer Industries. “Our goal is to continually monitor results and make recommendations that will allow LS&Co. to improve its service to its retail customers while minimizing inventory investment.”

Throughout its more than 20-year history of innovation and value delivery, i2 has dedicated itself to building successful customer partnerships. As a full-service supply chain company, i2 is uniquely positioned to help its clients achieve world-class business results through a combination of consulting, technology, and managed services. i2 solutions are pervasive in a wide cross-section of industries.

For those who are looking for something to go with their Levi’s . . . For your one stop shop for custom screen printing of Greek t shirts, sorority t-shirts, and fraternity tees. This retailer can also provide Custom Greek apparel at extremely competitive pricing. There award-winning graphic art department can turn your ideas into reality, making your Greek apparel stand out above the rest.

At the end of October it was also announced that Levi Strauss & Co. and Goodwill announced A Care Tag for Our Planet, a new initiative that aims to put billions of pounds of unwanted clothing to good use instead of into landfill. Beginning in January 2010, the Levi’s brand will be the first major retailer to include messaging on product care tags that encourages people to donate unwanted clothing.

“As a company built on values, we have long worked to promote sustainability in how we make our products and run our operations,” said John Anderson, president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co. “This initiative uses our global voice to empower hundreds of millions of consumers around the world to join us by providing simple and actionable ways to help care for our planet.”

“A Care Tag for Our Planet is Goodwill’s first partnership of its kind designed to increase the life cycle of clothing and textiles to address the approximately 23.8 billion pounds that end up in U.S. landfills each year,” said Goodwill Industries International CEO and President Jim Gibbons. “As the ‘Original Recycler,’ 166 community-based Goodwills in the United States and Canada collectively divert more than 1.5 billion pounds of clothing and textiles every year from landfill by recovering the value in people’s unwanted material goods. In addition to funding community-based services, these landfill diversion programs create job-training opportunities for more than 1.5 million people a year.”

“We’re launching with the Levi’s brand as a founding partner because it’s an iconic brand with the ability to make an immediate impact with consumers,” said Goodwill of San Francisco CEO and President Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez. “Our collective goal is to extend the idea of Care Tags beyond washing, drying and ironing—to encouraging consumers to donate these clothes when no longer needed. By doing so, millions of pounds will be diverted from landfill and thousands of lives will be transformed by the power of work in the Bay Area and across the country.”

The new care tags will be available in Levi’s retail and wholesale operations the U.S. beginning in January 2010 and the regional and global tags will appear in clothes in Fall 2010. The Levi’s brand and Goodwill will also spread the word to consumers through online viral campaigns and in retail store communications.

This partnership was reached through shared values held by each organization: Levi Strauss & Co.’s goal to reduce the environmental impact of its products and Goodwill’s commitment to help communities recycle usable items while helping those in need. The initiative was conceived by BBDO West, Goodwill of San Francisco’s pro bono agency, which came up with the unique idea to use care tags to communicate this message.

Levi Strauss & Co. has been a leader in environmental issues over 20 years and they were the first to establish requirements for suppliers, guidelines on water quality and restrictions on the substances used in their jeans. The company took their 501 jeans and conducted a study from the very beginning of the manufacturing process to completion to help determine if greater environmental improvements could be made. The main finding that the study came up with was that the greatest opportunity to help climate change and water impact is after apparent jeans and taken home by consumers. This is one of the reasons that Levi’s is trying to convince consumers to wash less, in cold water and line dry when possible as well as to donate used closing to keep it out of landfills. Doing each of these together can help reduce the climate impact from washing and drying jeans by more than 50%.

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My Take: I am not sure what to say about the i2 except people love Levi’s and the more they can get the more they will love them. However, I think the idea of encouraging people to donate their jeans is fantastic thing. I am sure that there are a lot of ripped skinny jeans out there that somebody would love to get rid of. Someone probably has some lowrise jeans there willing to part with as well.

It might be a good idea to do the same thing with cool T shirts! I know many people do not want to get rid of their funny tees, but when you do not need them anymore or you have too many it is time to get rid of some. No matter what, donating clothes is a good thing. Can you imagine someone was about to start a new job that needs lined work pants and can’t afford them? However, if somebody happened to donate a pair that person might be able to afford them. Carhartt makes a fantastic pair and they are expensive.

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Cited: fiber2fashion.com

To help streamline operations, bolster competitive advantage and enhance customer service western-wear giant Sheplers recently deployed the Epicor Retail Store Point-of-Sale (POS) solution, which was announced by Epicor Software Corporation.

Since 1899, Sheplers and western-wear have been synonymous. As the world’s leading purveyor of apparel and accessories for a country/western lifestyle, Sheplers offers a broad selection of leading-brand apparel and boots for men, women and children, as well as home decor items. Widely known for its outstanding customer service, Sheplers provides a unique and convenient shopping experience through its 20 stores throughout the United States, online 24/7 at Sheplers.com, and via its award-winning catalog, which was recently rated one of the top ten catalogs for customer satisfaction in the US.

After conducting a thorough assessment of the top five POS suppliers, the Sheplers team unanimously selected Epicor as its POS partner. Looking to improve the accuracy and speed of transactions, reduce manual intervention, accept debit cards and run promotions via customer receipts, Sheplers will rely on Epicor’s solution to support a range of retail transactions, processes and workflow.

“Epicor got it right,” said Jim Ritter, executive vice president and CFO, Sheplers. “We were impressed with the solution’s overall functionality and with the organization’s credibility, stability and proven track record with its sizeable install base.”

Epicor Retail Store POS is an industry-leading .NET-based solution that handles all in-store related functions including returns, tendering, promotions, price lookups, gift cards, merchandise credits, credit and debit card handling, local in-store order and layaway, customer information, cash management, electronic journal, reporting, task management and manager’s dashboard. The feature-rich system boasts real-time central lookup features and a highly flexible configuration to meet unique business requirements.

In addition to implementing its best-of-breed POS solution, Epicor is also providing best-in-class customer service via its professional services team. As the first line of support for Sheplers employees, Epicor’s retail technology experts provide help desk functionality to keep all POS systems and transactions running smoothly, ensuring Sheplers’ customers experience the outstanding service they’ve grown accustomed to expect.

“For more than 100 years, Sheplers has been a trusted source of popular western-wear brands and fashions to consumers across the country,” said David Henning, executive vice president and general manager for Epicor Retail. “We’re pleased to be their POS technology partner, helping them maintain their competitive position in the market by strengthening their retail operations through leading-edge software, hardware and services.”

To become more profitable, productive and competitive many retailers around the world use Epicor Retail solutions. With leverage proven Microsoft.net technology, Epicor’s solutions improve business operations as well as meet today’s varied shopper’s expectations and service. Aéropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, and Ann Taylor to Zales and Zumiez are only a few of the regional change to multichannel global brands that receive the comprehensive retail management solutions of Epicor.

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My Take: Maybe if more retailers use this program and make a bigger profit they can lower their prices. I think not. When businesses start making money they have a tendency to continue making money. Then again, if businesses are making money maybe that is a good sign that the recession is ending.

Worrying about money is not what people want to do. They would rather sit back and relax on the weekend. Guys with take out their frustration by watching a football game and the ladies would lounge in a tub with candles for aromatherapy. To be safe, they would need to use a warmer, which is electronic, on the other side of the room.

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