What You Need to Know Today: December 7

Good afternoon, Early Risers!

Here’s what you need to know

TECH

Most indispensable gadget in 2015. Fortune.com just published their Best Of in Business 2015 list and Amazon’s Echo device stole the show for most indispensable gadget. What is it? The $179.99 gadget is a cylindrical speaker that acts as a personal assistant. Watch Echo do its thing here.

+ Top 10 apps of 2015. What are your favorite apps from 2015? Tell us.

This sports startup is bringing the lab to the playing field. In University, I had a group project (remember those) where my group and I performed an ergonomic assessment at a local factory. We took pictures on our smartphones of workers performing their daily tasks, and then calculated, with pencil and paper, the forces these workers exerted on different joints in their bodies on a daily basis. What does this have to do with sports? There’s a new tech company called Motus that last year introduced a one-sensor pack that fits into a baseball pitcher’s elbow sleeve. The sensor measures the stress on the pitcher’s elbow as he throws the ball. “This is particularly important today, as pitchers throw harder than ever before and there is an epidemic Tommy John surgery,” says Joe Nolan, CEO and founder of Motus. Today, Motus releases a new 5-sensor pack that provides pitching staff with full biomechanical analysis of a pitcher’s throw.

CAREER

Meet the 22-year-old on his way to becoming a billionaire. Last week, someone shared with me this article about an 89-year-old billionaire who has built his fortune building industrial parks in Israel. I think that 22-year-old John Henry (not to be confused with John W. Henry) is on his way to becoming a billionaire in a similar way. Henry is launching the first VC fund ever in Harlem — here’s how he’s doing it.

Brick-and-mortar office vs. virtual. This weekend, at our annual Toys for Tots drive in Denver, some lucky attendees got to experience an exclusive in-person seminar run by three of ETR’s executives (with all proceeds going towards TFT). One of the questions asked during the seminar was, “Are brick-and-mortar offices better than virtual?” The answer was a resounding, yes. If that surprises you, it shouldn’t. 2016 is predicted to be the year of coworking, says Inc. So if your team is not yet in the position to rent office space, a cheaper and more cost-effective way to get the beneftis of a brick-and-mortar office is to take advantage of coworking spaces in your area. Read more.

LIFESTYLE

The best book on addiction is back in print. “I remember coming across this mention and making a note of it. I looked for the book on Amazon a few days later. The only copy available was a Bantam Paperback from 1947. It cost $13.98 with shipping. (Today it starts at $75.00.) Little did I know, the book that would arrive would become one of my all time favorites and that I would play some role in not just helping it find a new audience, but bringing it back into print after decades in obscurity.” Ryan Holiday explains why this book you’ve probably never heard of is the best book on addiction you’ll ever read.

+ Movies that adapt to your interests. Imagine video-sales-letters that could do this… scary.

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#NOWYOUKNOW

15 Most Memorable Moments in Business Travel

1. When the Brazilian women’s volleyball team gets assigned to your plane…

Not actually 😉 … American Express Global Business Travel celebrates its 100th anniversary and they compiled a list of 15 of the most memorable moments in business travel. Think breakthroughs and ah-ha moments.

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