What You Need to Know Today: December 14

Good afternoon, Early Risers!

Here’s what you need to know

TECH

The truth about digital wallets. Last week, Walmart rolled out its Walmart Pay service (we covered it here). The truth is almost all digital wallets (Apple Pay, Android, etc.) are what The New York Times’ tech reporter Mike Isaac calls, “solutions in search of problems.” They’re not solving any real problems. Debatable? Sure. But the point is digital wallets need to do more than just make it easier to pay. Because how hard is it to pull out a card and swipe it? About as a hard as pulling out your phone and tapping it. Or worse, pulling out your phone, opening an app, and scanning a QR code. A better solution to a bigger problem is to offer self-checkout options from your mobile device so customers don’t have to wait — which is what Farhad Manjoo explains here (skip to the bottom).

What you don’t want for Christmas. Physiotherapists and Chiropractors will be sending Apple Christmas cards in the mail this year. These specialists are seeing an alarming number of young people come into their offices with hyperkyphosis. A condition typically only seen in the elderly. The iHunch (clever) is not only bad for posture, but it’s bad for your mental game, too. Amy Cuddy explains.

+ If you’re wondering, “Where have I heard the name Amy Cuddy before?” She gave a great TED talk on body language back in 2012. #PowerPosing

CAREER

The life of a 21st century butler. Being a butler sounds hard. Not that it was ever easy, I imagine. But nowadays, most butlers are required to have a degree in engineering if they expect to get hired. If they don’t, they’ll be spending hours flipping through manuals, calling manufacturers, and troubleshooting all the connected smart-home devices rich people own. But if you’re a tech-savvy millennial, who enjoys solving tech problems, this might be the job for you.

Your BIG idea can wait. You hear all the time that you need to think BIG. If you’re not thinking BIG, you’re wasting your time. This is not true. And it adds a lot of unnecessary pressure. Pressure that can paralyze you from taking action at all. As you’ll see in this story, there’s a lot of value in thinking small. Don’t get caught up in the hype of thinking BIG all the time. Look at Elon Musk. His BIG dream is to end global warming. It’s not going to happen if he only thinks BIG. That’s why he’s been thinking of small ways (Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity) to achieve his BIG dream.

LIFESTYLE

The secret to becoming a morning person. “Main Point: If you REALLY desire to be an early riser and you’re willing to commit to it then the one thing you really need to understand is that you need to break your negative connection with the early morning by (a) making it as easy as possible to get the day started after you wake up (b) waking up with energy (c) having a reason to wake up,” says Ariel Banayan. Here’s Ariel’s step-by-step guide for getting up early.

Australia opens its first hangover clinic. With a show of hands, how many of you would have paid $140 to have your hangover cured in half an hour yesterday?Australia’s first hangover clinic does exactly that. You get an IV drip and a vitamin cocktail while you lounge with your mates watching UFC highlights. Sounds terrible.

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#NOWYOUKNOW

Conor McGregor’s Pay Out

From Celebrity Net Worth

Conor McGregor, who is a former plumber, likes to talk a big game. Fortunately (for him), he also tends to win big. And thanks to last night’s win, he also just EARNED big.
In case you somehow did not see this news yet, last night, Mr. McGregor knocked out Brazilian fighter Jose Aldo 13 seconds into the first round. Just for showing up, Conor was paid $500,000. Aldo earned $400,000. Conor also earned a $100,000 bonus for winning. But, just like in professional boxing, the real money for UFC fighters comes from Pay-Per-View revenue share, merchandise and ticket sales.Click here to find out how much Conor actually made. Wow!

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