text:
Maybe you're the kind of person who holds your plank an extra 15 seconds during 6am HIIT class (showoff). Maybe you need a full day to recover from 20 minutes on the elliptical.
Direct To Consumer Founders
Either way, this one likely applies to you: tech obsession. The zeitgeist's current fixation with new-wave, at-home, tech-enabled fitness is changing the way we define success, both in terms of personal health goals and in terms of happy business endings (read: IPOs).
This week on Business Casual, we talk to Mirror CEO Brynn Putnam to understand exactly how tech's influence on today's fitness startups is impacting the business world. Brynn explains…
What about the at-home fitness business model works
How good tech and smart engineering can scale the unscalable
Why every company is fighting for a tech valuation, even if it doesn't deserve one
One parting idea: Putnam thinks in-home fitness streaming devices can become the next iPhone. Do you?
Note: Business Casual transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and human transcription. They may contain errors, although we do our best to avoid them. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting a transcript in print. Questions? Errors found in a transcript? Email businesscasual@morningbrew.com
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[00:00:04] [intro music plays]
Kinsey Grant, Morning Brew business editor and podcast host [00:00:06] Hey there, and welcome to Business Casual. This is the weekly podcast for Morning Brew, delivering you the answers to some of businesses' biggest questions. I'm Kinsey Grant, your host and Brew business editor.
Kinsey [00:00:17] And now let's get into it. If there's one thing that people love to talk more about than bragging about the books they've just read, it's bragging about how much they work out. It's compulsive, like accidentally doing your Zumba top moves at the club. But the way that we exercise today is a far cry from Jane Fonda or really any other time, for that matter. And the exercise industry as a whole is worth a metric ton of money. In the U.S. fitness industry alone, when we're talking health clubs and gyms, it's a total of $27.8 billion dollars in revenue in 2017. But these days, it's about way more than health clubs and gyms. Increasingly, the way that money is made in the fitness industry is far less about personal trainers and more about sharing on social media, incorporating technology, and achieving that sought-after viral success, because good form matters, but becoming a cult favorite matters more. And in the age when ClassPass recently became a unicorn and Peloton just IPOed, it seems like the right time to talk about it. So today we're going to try to understand the sweaty, nuanced beast that is the ballooning tech-forward fitness industry. And I've got a big question: How has this generation's obsession with new wave at home kinds of fitness changed the business of working out? And to help answer that question, I am talking to Brynn Putnam, the founder and CEO of Mirror. Welcome to Business Casual!
Brynn Putnam, founder and CEO of Mirror [00:01:37] Thanks for having me.
Kinsey [00:01:39] Really excited to talk about Mirror. And I think maybe for the people out there who haven't heard of the product yet, I'm going to do my best describing it. It's kind of an indescribable product, but you might know it as the gift that Alicia Keys got for Christmas. And that was kind of when you guys really hit that viral moment. But it's a piece of fitness tech that when it's not used, looks like a plain old mirror, but when turned on, it's called a connected fitness system. Lets you stream live on-demand classes in your home, uses a responsive display, so you get to see yourself working out on one end, but you also get to see someone either leading a class or, you know, eventually doing personal training, correct?
Brynn [00:02:12] Yep, absolutely. It's a nearly invisible interactive home gym where you can see yourself as well as your trainer, your community, personalized metrics and tips and all in a single, beautiful in-home display.
Kinsey [00:02:25] Yeah, and it works with an app, correct, on your phone?
Brynn [00:02.28] Yes, it's controlled by a companion app.
Kinsey [00:02.30] Nice. So very much the tech-forward part of the business. We actually got to stop by the Mirror showroom a couple weeks before we recorded this podcast and tested out the product. It's, it's kind of hard to, like I said, indescribable. It's hard to kind of explain how it works. But we did a lot of different classes. We did, like, cardio strength training. We tried some yoga. We got producer Josh doing some yoga too. And it was really close. It's, you know, it's cool to be able to try out the different things that maybe you're a little too nervous to do in a class. You don't want to spend the $35 for a class that you're not convinced you're going to love.
Brynn [00:03:00] We've seen that a lot. It's been really exciting to see people exploring. So, over the course of their time with Mirror, members generally explore over five different types of classes, and you see member behavior that you probably wouldn't see out in the wild. You see men trying bar classes or older students trying really involved cardio dance routines. So it's been really exciting to see people willing to explore from the privacy of their own home.
Kinsey [00:03:22] Yeah. And you guys started in 2016. That's when you founded the company.
Brynn [00:03:26] We did. We started developing the product in 2016, spent about two years in development, and then launched in September 2018.
Kinsey [00:03:33] OK. And since then, it's been a lot of press and then it's been a really kind of inflection point for the fitness industry as a whole, I would argue. But I want to talk about industry analysis on the whole and just as I can. But I think it's kind of first important to hear your perspective about why the fitness space was where you wanted to kind of dedicate your career. And that's, you know what—what were the core tenets of this industry that drew you to it in the first place?
Brynn [00:03:58] Absolutely. So I've spent really my whole life in health and wellness. I was a professional dancer at the New York City Ballet, went to Harvard, kept dancing professionally, and really got involved in fitness as a side hustle to make ends meet. When I returned to dancing post-college at that point, there were really no boutique fitness studios. You had your neighborhood yoga studio, maybe a local Pilates studio. But this idea of paying a premium for higher-quality classes and instructors really was just developing at the time. But I really liked the business model. I thought it really aligned the interests of the gym and the member. The idea that people were paying for an incredible experience versus paying for fancy showers or the latest treadmill, I mean, I saw my members really making progress.
Brynn [00:04:39] So when I retired from dancing, I opened a studio called Refined Method in 2010, and then grew that over the next decade to multiple locations here in New York. What has been really personally rewarding for me is just this kind of learning that fitness is really the baseline of confidence for many people. If you feel comfortable in your own body and comfortable in your own skin, that translates into success in your career, translates into interpersonal success, and it's really essential for everything you want to accomplish. And so if I can be a part of that success, and then use technology to scale that confidence, it's really personally rewarding.
Kinsey [00:05:14] Why do you think it is that people pay so much for a workout? You know, whether it's I pay a couple hundred bucks a month for unlimited bar classes. People pay even more than that for an Equinox membership. Do you think it's because people are trying to achieve that kind of confidence?
Brynn [00:05:28] I think that, frankly, people are really learning to prioritize health and wellness. So discretionary income has really shifted over time from designer handbags and sporting events to things like health and wellness experiences, because people understand that if they invest in their health and well-being, it pays dividends. And so I think those experiences do cost money. You have to maintain high-quality talent, beautiful facilities, and people are willing to invest.
Kinsey [00:05:54] OK. When we talk about people investing, you typically don't share specific sales numbers. Or are you willing to give any sort of ballpark number for how many Mirror devices you've sold?
Brynn [00:06:06] Well, we've sold tens of thousands. We exceeded our 2019 sales target quite significantly, almost 2x what we were hoping to sell. So that was incredibly exciting for us. I think other things that are really exciting for us is just the breadth of our member base. So 50% of our members are in the South, Midwest, and Southwest.
Brynn [00:06:25] We have almost 50% of our devices financed. Close to 70% are sold to households with less than a $100,000 in household income. And we have a really wide distribution across all age ranges and genders. So, it's been really exciting for us to see that the Mirror is truly a national platform.
Kinsey [00:06:43] Right. And when we talk about reaching a kind of wider swath of the country, price is obviously something that is an issue when we talk about any kind of fitness, but especially something like a Mirror. You guys, the base cost is $1,495? And then you have to get a subscription of $39 a month. Do you find that to be a prohibitive price tag for many people? And what share of, you know, overall, since your founding, have you noticed more people financing the product?
Brynn [00:07:12] I think for us, people really understand the value of the Mirror. So for $39 a month, you're able to have unlimited live and on-demand classes for up to six members. Most of our households have over two users, which means that generally you're not seeing just the parents in the house using the device, but also multiple children finding value. So for a family that's used to paying for a country club or multiple gym memberships or a series of class packs, in many ways they're seeing a great savings. But we also offer expanded financing as of earlier this year, which enables people to pay over time. So zero dollars down, 0% APR. And I think that's been really important for people to be able to access the content they want to access.
Kinsey [00:07:53] Okay. Have you ever encountered pushback in—and you guys have raised a good deal of venture money. Have you found pushback in that this is a pretty expensive product, that your addressable market might not be as large as something that's a $29 a month for a gym membership?
Brynn [00:08:09] Honestly, no. I mean, I think for us, we really have aspirations to be the place that you turn for all interactive immersive experiences. So fitness is one segment of our market and I think we could build a multibillion dollar business off of fitness alone. But we really have aspirations to be truly the next iPhone, which means that our market is anyone who enjoys immersive interactive experiences at home in a wide range of disciplines.
Kinsey [00:08:31] I want to talk more about this idea of becoming the next iPhone in just a second. But quickly, are you profitable?
Brynn [00:08:37] No, we are not profitable, but we certainly have a clear path to profitability within the near future.
Kinsey [00:08:41] Do you have any sort of a time frame on achieving that goal?
Brynn [00:08:48] I come from a bricks-and-mortar business, where a client 1 pays for client 2, studio 1 pays for studio 2. So building a business where the unit account economics fundamentally work is kind of in my DNA.
Kinsey [00:08:59] Okay, got it. So about this whole idea of becoming the next iPhone. I've heard you say before that you guys view yourselves as becoming the third screen in someone's home. Explain to me more what you mean by that.
Brynn [00:09:10] Yeah, I think that we live in a world in which people want dedicated devices for different things. I think your phone is the perfect device for small informational interactions. A quick text, a short note. Your TV is really great for passive entertainment. Lie back on the couch and enjoy something. And the Mirror is built for interactive immersive experiences. It's about something where convenience, privacy, and community really make sense. Fitness is obviously a great first experience for us, but there are many experiences where all those tenets hold true. So we really view ourselves as building dedicated real estate in the home and building a brand and community around this new type of interaction.
Kinsey [00:09:48] Sounds like a massive undertaking. A difficult, maybe even lofty goal to achieve. How do you go day to day about achieving that goal of kind of becoming the next iPhone? That took tons of capital and a long, long time.
Brynn [00:10:06] I think the biggest thing is saying no. I think when you're building something where the possibilities are endless, then the growth potential is unlimited, it's very tempting to do too many things at one time. But I'm a ballerina by training and the dance—each day you sort of show up and try to be incrementally better than the day before, and 100% is never achievable, but always the destination. And I think when you unite, sort of better is better. With this unlimited potential, you get a lot of discipline and focus about what you tackle and how you execute. So for us, it means really just doing things in phases and steps, but knowing that our mission is quite big.
Kinsey [00:10:41] So your mission is more than just fitness, as you said. What do you think is then the next most easily attainable goal for using the Mirror tech beyond just doing a yoga class or doing a bar class or something like that?
Brynn [00:10:53] Yeah. So we are about to launch meditation in partnership of Lululemon, and that enables us to move from our core offering fitness into greater wellness. From there, we move into some interesting applications for some of the more senior members of our population in physical therapy, rehab, and senior wellness. So we're moving sort of incrementally outside of our core over the course of the coming months.
Kinsey [00:11:16] Telemedicine comes to mind pretty quickly. I mean, that seems like easy money for you guys. And that's a huge ballooning market as well.
Brynn [00:11:23] Yeah, absolutely. We launched personal training a few months ago, which was the first time we enabled the camera and microphone in the Mirror. And so we moved from not just one-to-many class content, but one-to-one personalized experiences. And with that unlock, there is so much potential for things like telemedicine, where that one-to-one interaction makes sense.
Kinsey [00:11:43] Did you initially build the Mirror before you unveiled that tack? Did you build it with the camera and microphone knowing that you weren't ready to use it yet?
Brynn [00:11:51] Yep, absolutely. So it's really important to us that the Mirror you buy today will be the Mirror that you use far into the future. And so we built the device with the camera and microphone inside knowing that it would be a future on lock.
Kinsey [00:12:01] Okay. I would talk about this aspect of at home fitness. And I know that it'll be more than fitness eventually or ideally it will be. But for the purposes of today, we talk about at-home fitness. We've seen a huge expansion in this market from the Pelotons of the world to even Flywheel new ordering classes through Hulu. Things like that. Why do you think that there is such a draw for people to working out in their homes as opposed to the more traditional model of getting a gym membership and going three or five times a week?
Brynn [00:12:30] I think the idea that at-home fitness is sort of a new trend or a fad even is a bit of a misperception. So Bowflex built a multibillion dollar business pre-internet off of catalog sales, selling to people and home folks like Jane Fonda, who you mentioned earlier, had booming businesses off of workout DVD and tapes.
Brynn [00:12:51] So I think there's always been this in-home need, but there's just been this much mismatch where you were sort of sacrificing quality for convenience. And so with the advent of technology and frankly, I think a greater shift of dollars and talent into the space as a result of the boutique boom, you're seeing just better options. So behavior that people were already doing is now being met with better tools to serve their needs.
Kinsey [00:13:15] Right. And I think that you make a good point in that the influx of tech is the most important part of this year. I mean, the fitness app market is skyrocketing, it's gonna be worth $14.7 billion dollars by 2026. That's not a small sum of money. Do you view yourself more as, at least in today's terms of what Mirror is, a tech company or a fitness company?
Brynn [00:13:36] Neither. We really view ourselves as a media company, so it's essential for our growth and all of our success to have a dedicated channel into the home. But fundamentally, we were the first media company that owns not just a unique channel, but also original content. And for us, we think that all of our future success is truly pinned on how well we can create incredible content that serves our members' needs.
Kinsey [00:13:58] We talked a lot, at least in recent months, especially after Peloton's S1, when they announced that they're going to list shares. They call themselves a technology, media, software, product experience, fitness, design, retail, apparel, and logistics company. That was a lot of words. [Both Kinsey and Brynn laugh] Do you think that, you know, this theme of "I'm not just a fitness company" or that Sweetgreen as a tech company, not a salad company, is that, you know, impair your ability to kind of think realistically in any way?
Brynn [00:14:28] No. I mean, I think we're fundamentally building our business differently than all of our other competitors in this space. Most of our competitors are product-first, tech-first companies. They are growing via product line extension. You build a bike, you build the treadmill, you build a rower, and so on and so on. We really have a hero product and it's a platform. And all of our future growth comes from adding additional content and experiences onto our channel. So we've oriented everything about our business just very differently from the competition. Everything from how we hire, who we hire, and where we invest our time and money. So I do think we have a very different approach.
Kinsey [00:15:06] OK. Two questions. First, do you see any sort of possible future in which you can use Mirrors platform without having a Mirror device in your home?
Brynn [00:15:15] Yes, absolutely.
Kinsey [00:15:17] So using something like an app or you subscribe via an app on your phone and that's all you have. You don't have the actual Mirror product.
Brynn [00:15:24] Certainly am. And I think Apple and the content will be available to our members in Q1. So we've had so many members who want to continue their Mirror experience when they're away from their Mirrors, you know, traveling on the road. And so that's something we'll release shortly. I think that there's a future in which you'll be able to access the mere content and experience via other devices and platforms. But again, we're sort of stuffing our way forward.
Kinsey [00:15:46] OK. And then second question, who do you think is your biggest competition right now?
Brynn [00:15:48] I think—I don't, I don't mean this in an arrogant way, but I really do think we are in a category of one, and we're sort of competing against ourselves and achieving our mission and vision that we've set out to create.
Kinsey [00:16:02] Do you think that, let's just say like Apple or Peloton? Who do you think about more in terms of, let's build the best version of Mirror possible?
Brynn [00:16:12] Truly neither. I don't really think there are many folks who can, who can chase us.
Kinsey [00:16:16] OK, we'll talk more about who might or might not be chasing you shortly. But really quickly, let's take a quick break to hear from our partner. — And now back to the conversation on fitness and the future of fitness tech with Mirrors at Brynn Putnam. So we were just talking about your competition or maybe lack thereof. You guys, you mentioned just a second ago, you know, you raised close to almost $75 million so far. What do you find the possible investors are most interested in as part of your pitch? Is it the media platform? Is it the opportunity for, you know, telemedicine or something like that? Is it an ecommerce opportunity?
Brynn [00:16:56] I think people just really want to know that members love the platform, that we create content experiences that people love, and that we're able to continue to create new experiences that our members love. So really understanding how members are engaging with the platform and that we're generating that member love is really most important.
Kinsey [00:17:13] Do you hire more engineers or more fitness instructors?
Brynn [00:17:19] [Brynn chuckles] In terms of headcount, we have more engineers than fitness instructors. But in terms of sort of, the areas of growth for our company right now, we're really investing heavily in member experience as the number of Mirrors in the world increase.
Kinsey [00:17:32] And when we think about beyond just Mirror, if you had to pinpoint the biggest opportunity for growth in this sort of fitness, tech, media space, what are you looking to?
Brynn [00:17:42] I think that anyone who can really execute across, who can execute in the content space, is someone to watch. You know, I think there's lots of people can build great hardware. There's even more people who can build great software, but someone who truly understands what the member wants from their fitness experience. I think those folks are few and far between. You know, the decade that my team spent folding towels and correcting squats in bricks-and-mortar gyms really does translate into a uniquely good experience.
Kinsey [00:18:16] We think about the experience of working out. Not always super positive. You know, not everybody goes to Equinox can afford to or even has one near the home if they could afford to. But big-box gyms are still healthy. You know, in terms of opening—they're opening new real estate, they still exist.
Brynn [00:18:36] I think people fundamentally need instruction. I mean, I think that, you know, you would never turn to the person next to you and say, how should I fix my heart disease? But you would go on Instagram or turn to a friend who's in good shape and say, how can I lose weight? How can I get stronger? Or how can I be in less aches and pains from my running training? And so there is this sort of deficit in the fitness space between what people want and need to be successful, and the guidance that they need. So I think people, when they find great instruction and great experiences, are excited about it.
Kinsey [00:19:12] That aspect of community has been a big part of your success so far. A lot of your marketing, that at least I've been found on my own, has been through social media influencers—people like bloggers and famous people are big fans of your products. I think Karlie Kloss partook in one of your funding rounds as well. What does that mean to you and how did you achieve that?
Brynn [00:19:32] Yeah. The celebrity following has been frankly, largely accidental and very exciting for us. You know, we had a few celebrities who were early members and then the word spread very quickly through the community. So it's really like kind of one of the first groups of people to demonstrate the network effects of the product. When you like something, you tell a friend, you tell your stylist, your lawyer, your banker, another actress and the word kind of spread. So it's been a really fun community for us. I think what's really interesting is that, sort of, the device itself inspires sharing. And so we have seen sort of the word of mouth organically grow really fast.
Brynn [00:20:09] I was reading [Brynn chuckles] some of the pieces that have been written about me or because it is—it is the sort of product that almost inspires think pieces. I know that The New York Times is written about it. The Atlantic recently wrote about Mirror. The New York Times called it the most narcissistic exercise of equipment ever.
Kinsey [00:20:23] What do you think of that?
Brynn [00:20:26] I mean, I think. What's the saying? No press is bad press on a New York Times piece. [Kinsey and Brynn laugh]
Brynn [00:20:34] I think that unfortunately, many people and particularly women, spend a lot of time looking in the mirror and criticizing themselves and thinking about ways in which they could be different or, you know, quote unquote, better. And I think giving people the opportunity and encouraging them to look in the mirror and have that experience be one that builds confidence rather than criticism is an important part of our mission. And so it's so exciting when we see members taking Mirror selfies themselves or moms with their young children. And they feel happy and they feel proud. So —
Kinsey [00:21:07] It's OK.
Brynn [00:21:08] I wouldn't, you know, I think if someone wants to look in the mirror and feel good about themselves, that's a wonderful thing. We did make the decision early on to try to define core values, which we passed to the team. And then we really use those core values to help bring new people into our organization. And one of those is obviously the mission to make—to build experiences that connect people to a better version of themselves.
Kinsey [00:21:32] This idea of a better version of yourself, if you buy this product or if you subscribe to this platform, is something that we see a lot, especially in the kind of fitness tech media nexus that we've been discussing in the past. A couple of questions. Do you think that everybody can kind of lay claim to that "here by this and you'll be the best version of yourself?" Or at a certain point, do you think that the audience gets oversaturated with becoming the best version of themselves?
Brynn [00:21:59] I think fitness marketing, marketing traditionally has been about physical results. It's been about pounds down, you know, muscle gains, miles run. It's really been very metric-oriented. And Mirror does none of that. We're very—we have very lightweight metrics as part of the experience. And we really believe that any metrics or destination should be about giving our members a sense that they're doing a great job, really just giving them a virtual high five. It's a pretty meta concept.
Brynn [00:22:32] I think most of fitness fails is frankly, because fitness is inherently about doing things that are uncomfortable in the present with the promise of delayed results in the future. Which is really hard. [Brynn laughs] So I think shifting kind of the focus to creating an experience that people love that makes them feel good in the present and then that likely will translate into a long-term results or changes. But it really is about getting people to show up and feel good.
Kinsey [00:22:59] Do you ever wish at times that maybe you could dedicate your life's work to something with a little bit more instant gratification?
Brynn [00:23:07] [Brynn laughs] On hard days, maybe, yeah.
Kinsey [00:23:09] Can't we just sell like tablets or something? Wouldn't that be so much easier, though, Candy? OK, so we will talk more about Mirrors, kind of experience and what comes next in just a second. But quickly, let's take a break to hear from our partner. — And now back to the conversation with Brynn Putnam from Mirror. So we mentioned at the top of the conversation that you started first working on this product in 2016. It is only 2020. It's not a very long lifespan of your company so far. But from the beginning, did you ever set out thinking, we want to IPO, we want to get bought, or we want to become the next great American company? What was your strategy from day one and has that strategy evolved?
Brynn [00:23:52] Our objective from day one has always been Mirrors in every home. What that looks like from our business perspective in terms of an exit has been less relevant to me than sort of the impact that I hope to have at this business. I spent 10 years building my first business and built, I think, a really wonderful workout product and experience. It was really only able to impact kind of my local New York City community. And so really this time around, it was thinking about what are the components of a business that scale? Because I wanted to have an impact that was big. How that translates on the business side has been less of a focus.
Kinsey [00:24:31] The idea of scalability is really interesting to me—that we think about the kind of capital intensive products like a restaurant or something like that. That takes a lot of money to build a gym. You know, your typical fitness club, obviously takes probably even more than that. A ton of money to build. That's a ton of real estate. But that that you can make one product and use this tech platform to then scale it without those costs is really interesting. And I imagine something that investors have been keen on.
Brynn [00:25:01] Absolutely. I mean, when you build a gym, most people work out before, after work. And generally you have 15 to maybe 30 spots that you can fill during those given hours. So the amount of unique individuals that you're able to reach is really small versus technology—one of my incredible instructors can spread their knowledge to hundreds or thousands of people in one class. So it's just a much higher impact business model and frankly, I think more rewarding to run.
Kinsey [00:25:33] Why do you think that there has been so much interest lately? And I know that we've kind of talked about part of this is just that we have better tech now. But why do you think there's been so much interest in companies like ClassPass, Peloton, SoulCycle Flywheel in recent years? More so than in previous decades.
Brynn [00:25:49] I think some of it was, frankly, the boutique fitness boom. The idea that fitness historically has been sort of a side gig for people, myself included. It was something that actors, models, dancers did on the side. It wasn't an industry that really attracted someone's full-time focus or high-level professionals. And then the boutique space demonstrated that it could be a truly profitable big business. And as a result, more talent, more attention, more investment dollars went into the space. And then I think the next question was just how do we take the learnings from that space and scale them to a broader audience?
Kinsey [00:26:22] It's interesting because I feel like for so many different industries, the opposite would be true, that a boutique is an offshoot, not the thing that kind of, is the impetus for all of this incredible growth. It's wonky to me. Yeah, but. But cool. OK. So when you think about the valuation of a lot of these companies, I think the argument that was often made around the Peloton IPO, which wasn't successful right away, you know, it stumbled a bit, Peloton did, before shares and now they're up something like 20% from their IPO price. But a lot of people said that this is because it's a fitness company that's being valued like a tech company. Any comment on the valuations of these sort of fitness boutique techie media e-companies when they reach the sort of judgmental public markets?
Brynn [00:27:08] Yeah, I mean, I think that the market likes certainty and some of these businesses are not easily classifiable, you know, is it an ecommerce business that sells bikes? Is it a hardware business? Is it a software subscription business and a media company? And Peloton didn't neatly fit into one category or the other. So I think there was some amount of sort of stabilization that needed to occur during the IPO.
Brynn [00:27:34] And it's something that we frankly think about a lot. But I think that, you know, no matter what. When you sort of hit the public market—to get a private valuation, you have to like fool one person one time [laughs] and to get a public valuation, you have to fool a lot of people all the time. So the bar is definitely raised and the standards are quite high.
Brynn [00:27:53] I imagine it's helpful, though, that you can at least call yourself a SaaS company—software service. They have been rewarded much more handsomely in public markets than something like a bike. [chuckles]
Brynn [00:28:05] And I think many of SaaS friends would be pretty excited to be getting $40, $50, $60 a month from their members. [chuckles]
Kinsey [00:28:13] Yes, I imagine they would be. So when we think about the health of public markets as a whole, do you think that they will be friendly to more IPOs like this? I mean, I know SoulCycle put off plans for an IPO, citing market conditions in 2018. Is that something you would see happening again if, say, Mirror—tomorrow, we're ready to go public?
Brynn [00:28:33] Yeah, I mean, I think the market is about comps and we're obviously very grateful to Peloton for creating, you know, sort of the first comp in the space. And I think there will there will likely be more. But, you know, you definitely have to hit the fundamental mechanics of what makes a good business, you know?
Kinsey [00:28:48] Do you ever worry about the recession or any coming recession?
Brynn [00:28:52] You know, I built a very large boutique studio chain in the middle of a downturn. And I think people prioritize spending and health and wellness as a category where people continue to prioritize, especially when times are not as good.
Kinsey [00:29:07] Even if their discretionary income is shrinking?
Brynn [00:29:10] Yeah, I think so.
Kinsey [00:29:11] Okay. So now we will go to our famous wheel—I have it out here—hit the middle button, and we'll take it for a spin. — And, OK. Call me crazy. So what is your hottest take, Either from a pastime that has been correct or something that you believe right now that you are in the minority, you think people will call you crazy for? A hot take, anything like that.
Brynn [00:29:35] Oh, wow.
Kinsey [00:29:18] Doesn't have to be about your specific line of work. [laughs]
Brynn [00:29:44] I think I'm sticking with my area of expertise. I always sort of answer when asked what my favorite workout is, it's the table pushaway. That's usually my favorite workout. [Kiney and Brynn laugh] And for the majority of people, the level of sort or physical change or transformation, particularly when it comes to fat loss that people want, is generally best met by dietary changes more so than exercise.
Brynn [00:30:13] Exercise is certainly a component, but exercise without the sort of attendant dietary changes is likely not going to get you where you want to go.
Kinsey [00:30:20] Interesting. So it's not a lie when people say abs are made in the kitchen?
Brynn [00:30:23] Absolutely.
Kinsey [00:30:25] All right. If that's all you get from this episode. OK. Take another spin around our wheel here and we're going to get—looks like—Rapid Fire. What do you think is the most overrated fitness trend?
Brynn [00:30:43] I mean, I think the shake weight remains strong as an example here. [laughter]
Kinsey [00:30:46] That one will go down in the annals of history. The best informercial of all time.
Brynn [00:30:57] No matter how many crazy things have come out since then, I think that visual image is probably as strong.
Kinsey [00:31:00] OK. Next: Rapid Fire. How many times do you work out per week?
Brynn [00:31:03] I work out two to three times per week. I work out much less now than I ever did as a professional dancer or fitness professional. Partially the result of having a small child and a growing business. And I think also because, I think the reason that I work out has shifted over time. So for me, it's shifted from being the thing I do for my job to something I did for a very specific fitness results now, something I do to have a little bit of quiet [laughter] from my life there.
Kinsey [00:31:31] OK. And last Rapid Fire: worst class you've ever taken.
Brynn [00:31:38] [laughter] Freshman Russian language, but I know that's not.
Kinsey [00:31:45] You know what? Oh, okay that's good. And one last thing around our wheel to close it out. Let's see what we're gonna get. — It's —In or out, are you in or out on wearing wearable fitness trackers for everyday life in any fitness tracker you prefer? Apple Watch, Fitbit.
Brynn [00:32:08] I think fundamentally fitness trackers are about giving people a simple metric and one that they can feel success around. So the 10,000 steps to me is just a simple way to move more during your day and something that shouldn't be really discarded as a tool for those who can use them.
Kinsey [00:32:31] OK. Well, that answers everything. Thank you so much for coming on Business Casual. Really appreciate it. And I had a blast talking to you.
Brynn [00:32:37] Ditto. Thanks for having me.
[00:38:41] [outro music starts]
Kinsey [00:32:42] Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of Business Casual. Next week on the show, we are bringing you the biggest crossover event of the decade, or at least since we did our decade in Review podcast. In honor of Valentine's Day, Morning Brew is celebrating with what we are calling merger week. We're dedicating an entire week of content to mergers and acquisitions. What makes them work and what makes it all fall apart? And Business Casual will be doing its part by bringing on Dan Primack from Axios. Dan is a verified M&A expert and the creator of the pro rata podcast and newsletter. I'm really excited to speak with him.
Kinsey [00:33:16] And speaking of love being in the air, I would love if you would hit subscribe on your platform of choice and leave us a rating and review. And in the meantime, have a great day.
Direct To Consumer Episodes
How to Do the Right Thing...and Make Money
Founders Episodes
Marc Lore Presents: Telosa, a Desert City Utopia
The Key to Ending Hunger, With Goodr's Jasmine Crowe


Do you ever wonder what happens to the Dayton Philharmic Designer Show House when it is purchased and all the interior and garden designers go home? The answer: a lot! Flip and Jane Sheridan purchased this house on Adirondack Trail in Dayton during the event, then have set out to imprint their style on the inside and outside spaces. A designer herself, Jane has a good eye for ideas that would work with this Arts & Crafts / Swiss Chalet. Unilock Courtstone creates the perfect informality for the driveway surfacing, while mortared Oakfield flagstone sidewalks usher you through Jane's lush gardens and Bavarian style fence with crossing round pickets. Picking up color and detailing from the house, we rebuilt a peaked pergola that anchors the transition from upper to lower garden levels.


There are a few common ways worth mentioning when discussing discolorations and the source of oxygen.
Temperature too high during cooling gas introduction - is seldom a result of the brazing filler. There are a few common root causes for component discoloration. Most common is high temperature when cooling gas is introduced into the furnace. Even very pure cooling gas will oxidize and discolor components if the temperature is too high.
Some brazing filler metals are more sensitive than others to oxidation and oxidation can occur at any stage in the brazing profile as long as the temperature is high enough.
Binder burn-off oxidation is one common issue, which can happen if the temperature of the component is too high when the polymer in the binder decomposes. Binder burn-off oxidation starts becoming critical at temperatures around 600°C and over.
Höganäs brazing pastes normally contain 10% organic material and 90% metal. Out of the 10% organic material, 8% - 9,8% is solvent which should be dried off before the component is put in the furnace. The other 0,2%-2% is polymer which will decompose in the furnace in the temperature interval: 240°C-350°C.
When the polymers decompose, much of what is formed are gas byproducts such as: N2, O2 and CO. Generally speaking, an oxidizing semi-atmosphere is formed during binder burn-off.
The binder burn-off products form a semi-atmosphere around the parts which can be oxidizing if the temperature is too high. Thus, they need to be removed from the furnace before the temperature is increased. The vacuum pumps are generally sufficient enough to remove the semi-atmosphere but the process can be sped up by introducing a sufficient flow of pure process gas, such as N2.
Even if the temperature is not deliberately increased to over 600°C during binder burn-off, there is still a possibility of oxidation. Due to the inherent low heat transfer at low temperatures in a vacuum furnace, the middle of the batch may be trailing in temperature. Because of the lack of atmosphere inside the furnace, radiation is the primary way of heat transfer. The inherent issue with radiation is that the middle of the batch will be in "shade" which usually has the following effect on the temperature ramp, shown in the diagram below. The effect may be binder burn-off oxidation of the outer batch, since once the inner batch reaches burn-off temperature (300-400°C) the outer batch may have already reached a critical temperature of 600°C or over.


text:
Inside Information may refer to:

Non-public information used in insider trading, of a corporation's stock or other securities (such as bonds or stock options)
Inside Information, expose of the Gestapo by Hansjürgen Koehler 1940
Inside Information, crime novel Nicholas Bentley 1978
Inside Information (1934 film), an American film directed by Robert F. Hill
Inside Information (1939 film), an American film directed by Charles Lamont
Inside Information (horse) (born 1991), a racehorse and winner of Breeders' Cup Distaff
Inside Information (album), a 1987 album by British-American rock band Foreigner, or the title track

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


One of the reasons I believe APIs are growing so popular is they are getting easier, and easier to use.
The main reason they are getting easier to use is due to the adoption of RESTful approaches when delivering APIs.
Once users get past the confusing acronyms and jargon us programmers use, and realize whats going on, they can start accessing the data and functionality that's behind the curtain.
RESTful APIs open up data and functionality to anyone, and we are starting to see a new breed of hackers from many disciplines including journalism, social media marketing, and government, to name a few.
As technology becomes increasingly important in our every day lives, people can't wait for IT or programmers to deliver, savvy users start hacking on their own.
A very innovative example of this I saw lately was by Social Media Strategist, Tom Critchlow. Tom wrote a great post called, Using Tools & APIs To Track Your Social Media Strategy. Through a need to understand the impact of his social media efforts, he learned that he can query top social sites using their API to quantify the impact of his site(s).
Then using Google Docs, along with with the power of Google App Scripts he pulls counts for shares, likes, etc for his site using Social Media APIs.
Using RESTful Social Media APIs, and Google Docs, he is able to hack these APIs, get the data he is looking for, store it in a spreadsheet, and then visualize it.
His efforts truly represent the power of APIs, and how important it is that we deliver simple, RESTful interfaces that developers and non-developers can use in our every day business.


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English Teacher in Kuwait
Country: Kuwait
Start date: 1st August, 2020
This international school in Kuwait is looking for an experienced English teacher to start in August 2020.
This school was set up in 1969 and was the first Secondary school offering a British education in Kuwait; it is a member of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) and is accredited by British Schools in the Middle East (BSME). In 2011 the school also achieved British School Overseas status, approved by the UK Government Department for Education and monitored by Ofsted (the official body for inspecting schools).
This school has an enviable academic record and is outstanding in the region. The school achieves its mission through a combination of academic and extra-curricular activities.
This is a private, co-educational day school offering a British style curriculum from Kindergarten to A level
Students and teaching staff
The school serves both the local and international communities, with children from over 50 nationalities and close ties are maintained with the U.K. and with other overseas British and International schools.
For further information or to apply please contact leisha@ticrecruitment.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


2 hours ago at the weather station it was +16.1 °C+61 °F, variable clouds, high air pressure, calm.
Today we expect +17..+22 °C°F, +63..+72 °C°F, mainly without precipitation, light breeze. Tomorrow: +23..+20 °C°F, +73..+68 °C°F, rain shower, gentle breeze.
40 minutes ago, the minimum air temperature ( +11 oC +52 oF ) was observed in Moscow in Sheremetyevo (airport).
2 hours ago, the maximum air temperature ( +16 oC +61 oF ) was observed in Moscow in Moscow (Balchug).


text:
Snowplow kills 2 in Kansas after Midwest storm
Posted: Jan 24, 2020 / 11:53 AM CST / Updated: Jan 24, 2020 / 11:53 AM CST
KANSAS CITY, Mo.– A snowplow has killed two pedestrians in Kansas after winter storm coated roads across parts of the Midwest.
The fatal snowplow crash happened shortly after 5 a.m. Friday on the northeast edge of the Kansas State University campus.
Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner says he doesn't know the names or ages of the victims.
The accident is under investigation.
The National Weather Service has issued winter weather advisories for parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and a large swath of Missouri.
Freeman Blood Drive
JOPLIN, Mo. -- A local hospital system is saying they're reaching a critical need for blood.
Cancelled blood drives, holidays and a pandemic add up to a shortage of blood donations. One person giving a pint of blood can save as many as three lives. Community Blood Center of the Ozarks urgently needs to replenish and maintain its supply of all types of blood, but there is a critical appeal for type O negative donors.
by TIA GOLDENBERG, Associated Press / Jan 18, 2021
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel's education minister says he is banning groups that call Israel an "apartheid state" from lecturing at schools — a move that targets one of the country's leading human rights groups after it began describing both Israel and its control of the Palestinian territories as a single apartheid system.
The explosive term, long seen as taboo and mostly used by the country's harshest critics, is vehemently rejected by Israel's leaders and many ordinary Israelis.
Three inmates escape from Missouri jail, multiple agencies assist in the search
by Chris Six / Jan 18, 2021
IRON COUNTY, Mo.- Authorities are still searching for three Iron County inmates who escaped the Iron County Jail over the weekend. Authorities do not know the direction of travel of the inmates.
According to a Facebook post from the Ironton Police Department, the escaped inmates are:


Glad you're here. What are your thoughts?
In ten short days, it will be November 13, and time for the monthly discussion at Cindy's Lucky 13 Film Club. My blogging guest is FILM CRITIC BILL WHITE, who knows more about films than anyone I know. As my guest conversation starter, he will be focusing on the concept of the femme fatale pre-1970, while I will focus on her from 1970 to the present.
Commit to an initial viewing or a revisit to a film featuring the femme fatale.
What power does she exude?
Has she changed over the years?
Who is your favorite and which film?
All are welcome on the 13th of November to participate. See you soon!
Is this something that we write and post on our own blogs before the 13th? Or do we post it on the 13th?
Jordan, no, just come to my site here and comment with your observations. Whatever film you watched can be your contribution about the femme fatale.
Ok cool 🙂 I think I understand the concept of the femme fatale but I might wiki it just so I get it right.
I'm thinking Kathleen Turner in "Body Heat".
Looking forward to you and Bill on this one!
Thanks, Pete. Won't be the same without you. See you soon!
I would love to hear your thoughts about The Last Seduction….
They are pretty positive thoughts, Cindy. The script alone is a real gem, and Linda steals every scene.
Great selection within the posters. I'd add The Third Man and The Big Sleep.
Of course. Barbara's voice is incredible.
Hi Cindy. to what address should I send my now completed femme fatale piece?
The Last Seduction (mentioned above) is a great shout! I will try and watch something relevant early next week and swing by on the 13th.
Good topic! I'm a whole day ahead of you, so I hope I can participate.
Oh, my! That's right; you're in Asia. Your thoughts would be beneficial to the discussion–even a day later won't hurt a thing.
Okay, I will try to time it right and join in. Good topic for a discussion.
There's so much to discuss!
Great, Ruth! Any particular one you are going to check out? I revisited L.A. Confidential. It still holds up.
You reviewed Double Indemnity this year, that sure works!
Btw, just posted my thoughts on Spectre, curious to hear what you think!
Most women I know are NOT seductresses. But interesting how cinema and literature do not tire of the f fatale.
That's a good point, Diana!


Treats and controls circulating microfilaria found in heartworm positive dogs.
Advantage Multi utilizes two effective ingredients, imidacloprid and moxidectin. Moxidectin kills baby heartworms that have been deposited in your dog or cat through the bite of a mosquito, preventing them from growing into adults, migrating to the heart, and causing disease. Moxidectin also kills common intestinal worms by intestinal worms by disrupting nerve transmission resulting in the paralysis and death. Imidacloprid kills fleas through contact. As fleas come in contact with your treated pet, imidacloprid is absorbed through the fleas skin where it acts on the nervous system resulting in spasm and death. Fleas do not need to bite and ingest it through the blood to die like oral treatments require.
Store at room temperature between 39°F (4°C) and 77°F (25°C), avoiding excess heat or cold.
For the first 30 minutes after application, ensure that dogs and cats cannot lick the product from the application sites on themselves or other treated pets. Separate treated pets from one another and from other pets to reduce the risk of accidental ingestion. Wash hands with soap and water after handling. Do not let children touch the treated pet's skin for at least 30 minutes after applying the product. Do not get these products in your pet's mouth or eyes.
Remove one dose applicator tube from the package. As specified below, administer the entire contents of the Advantage Multi for Dogs tube that correctly corresponds with the body weight of your dog.
Your dog should be standing for application. Part the hair on the back of your dog between the shoulder blades until the skin is visible. For dogs weighing 20 lbs or less, place the tip of the tube on the skin and apply the entire contents directly on the exposed skin at one spot between the shoulder blades. For dogs weighing more than 20 lbs, place the tip of the tube on the skin and apply the entire contents directly on the exposed skin at 3 or 4 spots on the top of the backline from the base of the neck to the upper back in an area inaccessible to licking. Do not apply an amount of solution at any one location that could run off the side of your dog.
3-9 1.3-4kg While your dog is standing, apply Advantage Multi 9 for Dogs(green box) topically according to the above instructions. Apply each dose once every 30 days.
9.1-20lb 4.1-9kg While your dog is standing, apply Advantage Multi 20 for Dogs(teal box) topically according to the above instructions. Apply each dose once every 30 days.
20.1-55lb 9.1-25kg While your dog is standing, apply Advantage Multi 55 for Dogs(red box) topically according to the above instructions. Apply each dose once every 30 days.
55.1-88lb 25-40kg While your dog is standing, apply Advantage Multi 55 for Dogs(blue box) topically according to the above instructions. Apply each dose once every 30 days.
88.1-110lb 40.1-50kg While your dog is standing, apply Advantage Multi 55 for Dogs(brown box) topically according to the above instructions. Apply each dose once every 30 days.
*For dogs over 110 lbs use the appropriate combination.


Many customers are looking to take out complexity and cost, and speed up their supply chain. OpenText helps us to be responsive to their desires and requirements to increase the amount of electronic data interchange, thus enabling frictionless business transactions. That's a big part of our plan to earn a greater share of our customers' semiconductor wallet.
With its global logistics network and strong portfolio of power semiconductor devices, ON Semiconductor is a preferred supplier of power solutions. The company's development and manufacturing centers span the globe and employ more than 22,000 people worldwide.


Explore shape effects that can be applied to shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.
Select the shape that you want to apply the effect to. Alternatively, if you just want to follow this tutorial step-by-step, launch PowerPoint. You will see the Presentation Gallery which allows you to set all attributes of your new presentation, such as a preset Theme or template. Make selections or just click Cancel in this gallery to open a blank presentation with a new slide, PowerPoint 2011 users can change the slide layout of this slide to Blank by selecting Layout | Blank within the Home tab of the Ribbon.
Within the Home tab of the Ribbon, locate the Insert group and click the Shape button to access the Shape gallery with different types of shape options that you can see in Figure 1. Select any shape option to access the related submenu, select the shape you prefer (we selected the Rectangle shape, as you can see in Figure 1).
Click and drag on the slide to insert the shape, or click once on the blank slide to place an instance of the shape. Select the inserted shape so that the Ribbon area now shows the Format tab, as shown highlighted in red in Figure 2. Activate this Ribbon tab by clicking on it.
Within the Format tab, locate the Shape Styles group, within this group, click the Effects button (highlighted in blue in Figure 2 above) to view the Effects drop-down gallery, as shown in Figure 3.
Applies a shadow to the selected shape. PowerPoint provides three types of shadows: outer,inner, and perspective. You can apply any of these, or customize them to your requirement. Learn how to apply Shadow Effects to shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.
Adds a reflection to the selected shape, and you can choose from several reflection styles. Remember, you should not use shadow and reflection for the same slide object such as a shape. Learn how to apply Reflection Effects to shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.
Provides a hazed, blurred color perimeter outside the shape area. PowerPoint provides several glow variations; the glow colors are based on the Theme colors although you can also choose any other color as well. Learn how to apply Glow Effects to shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.
Applies bevel effects to the selected shape. You can also customize your own bevel. Learn how to apply Bevel Effects to shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.
Imparts parallel, perspective, and oblique 3-D effects to the selected shape. Learn how to apply 3-D Rotation to shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.
Although this effect is not listed within the Shape Effects gallery (see Figure 3), you can access it through the Format Shape dialog box. This effect makes the shape edges feathered, almost like a moth-edge. Learn how to apply Soft Edges to shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.


This latest congressional corruption highlights who owns and controls the U.S. Congress, and at whose expense.
This is government at its worst.
Previous Previous post: Major ISPs now say they won't sell your browsing history. Yeah. Right.


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Share this Story: Shakespeare's identity at play: What if he was really an Italian immigrant to London named John Florio?
Shakespeare's identity at play: What if he was really an Italian immigrant to London named John Florio?
Who was the Bard? Four centuries after his death on April 23, 1616, that is (yet again) the question. Montreal writer Lamberto Tassinari's book – John Florio: The Man Who Was Shakespeare – first appeared in Italian in 2008, then in English in 2009. It has now been translated and published by a respected press in France. And the French – along with some Québécois – are lapping the idea up.
Mark Abley • Special to The Montreal Gazette
As Montreal author Lamberto Tassinari explains, his premise touting Italian migrant John Florio as the actual Bard "allows me to establish a theory of everything of the Shakespearean universe. I can now answer all the problems and questions left unsolved by other theories." Photo by Allen McInnis /Montreal Gazette
You know the official story: William Shakespeare was an actor from Stratford-upon-Avon. As a young man he moved to London, ran a theatre, wrote at least 38 plays and a profusion of poems, and made enough money to retire early. He died in Stratford on April 23, 1616 – four centuries ago on Saturday – leaving his "second best bed" to his wife in a dry, unliterary will .
What if the official story is wrong?
Shakespeare's identity at play: What if he was really an Italian immigrant to London named John Florio? Back to video
For the past 160 years – ever since an American called Delia Bacon announced that Hamlet, Macbeth, and all other plays by "Shakespeare" were the product of a clique of courtiers led by her namesake, Sir Francis Bacon – the true identity of the English language's greatest playwright has been held up to question. Until recently the main challengers were aristocrats: the Earl of Oxford, the Earl of Derby, and others.
Over the past decade, however, an Italian Montrealer named Lamberto Tassinari has been propounding a very different notion. Tassinari is convinced that the plays of "Shakespeare" were written by an Italian immigrant to London named John Florio. Initially his theory drew little attention. But having appeared in Italian in 2008, then English in 2009, Tassinari's book John Florio: The Man Who Was Shakespeare has now been translated by the theatre critic Michel Vaïs and published by a respected press in France. And the French – along with some Québécois – are lapping the idea up.
"It's absurd to suppose the man from Stratford wrote these plays," Tassinari declared this month at the Montreal launch of the French edition. It was standing room only in a bookstore on the Plateau Mont-Royal, and Tassinari – a tall man of 71 with a broad smile and prominent black glasses – was in full rhetorical swing.
"He was a mediocre actor, ambitious in everyday life, but nobody who could have written the plays. That's a fable – a religion. He didn't even know the Bible well enough to write what's shown in his plays. Yet he has become a monument."
Lamberto Tassinari at home in Little Burgundy: the idea of Shakespeare, the Stratford man, is "a fable – a religion," he says. Photo by Allen McInnis /Montreal Gazette
Tassinari is a generous and thoughtful man but, it must be said, not a Shakespeare scholar. Born in Tuscany, a philosophy graduate of the University of Florence, he moved to Montreal in 1981 and spent 25 years teaching Italian language and literature at l'Université de Montréal. He founded and edited a superb transcultural magazine named ViceVersa, which published work in French, English, Italian and Spanish between 1983 and 1996.
The warm reception he received at the launch had a certain anti-English undertone. "When one speaks of love in English," said a man in the crowd, "it's not the same as love in French or Italian. Don't you agree?" Tassinari looked uncomfortable; if he's correct, Florio had chosen to write Romeo and Juliet in English rather than Italian. Asked about the plays' devotion to the monarchy, Tassinari conceded it was "strange. Florio chose his patriotism. He decided to be English."
To some Shakespeare admirers in the past, it was scandalous that England's national playwright was a commoner from a small provincial town. Shouldn't he have had noble blood? For different reasons, Tassinari shares the scorn. The author whose work he admires was, in his mind, a cosmopolitan, multilingual, urbane scholar. At the launch, Tassinari joked: "He didn't come from La Pocatière!"
There are, without question, oddities, surprises and gaps in the official story. There are even a few lost years when nobody knows what the young Shakespeare was up to. Yet in their zeal to disprove the official story, doubters like Tassinari are prone to overstate their case. He claims that the Stratford man came "from a family of illiterates, in a village without culture, with a brief and rudimentary education." But at the local grammar school that Shakespeare almost certainly attended, reading Latin classics was central to the curriculum.
Dozens of candidates have been proposed as the "real" Shakespeare, nearly all of them wildly unlikely. The Earl of Oxford, for example, was a mediocre poet who died in 1604, years before Antony and Cleopatra, The Tempest, and other Shakespearean plays were first produced. Yet the 2011 film Anonymous , which starred Mark Rylance, Vanessa Redgrave and other leading actors, promoted the Oxfordian theory.
It's easy to see why Florio, by comparison, is an attractive choice. He was a widely travelled migrant, a highly educated man who forged his own destiny in a troubled age, a gleeful lover of language. He was fluent in Italian, English, French, Spanish and Latin, and probably knew Greek and Hebrew. "If I'm right," Tassinari says, "the Shakespeare story is less pure. It's dirtier. It comes from life, not from the void."
The preface to the French edition of his book was written by Daniel Bougnoux, a critic based in Grenoble in southeastern France. So impressed was Bougnoux with Tassinari's thesis that he quickly wrote his own book on the subject, Shakespeare: Le choix du spectre; it came out in February. The Florio hypothesis has gained wide attention in Le Monde, Le Devoir, and other French media. In the francophone realm, other claimants have fallen by the wayside: if Shakespeare was not Shakespeare, he must have been Florio.
Mainstream scholars – dismissed as "Stratfordians" by the doubters – have usually ignored the skeptics, on the principle that they deserve no publicity. But the volume of noise has grown so loud that defenders of the traditional view are now striking back. Last week, an ebook of essays appeared in France entitled Shakespeare: combien de prétendants ? It takes direct aim at the Florio hypothesis.
"Shakespeare was primarily an actor, a director of a theatrical company and a playwright," says François Laroque, a contributor to the book and a professor at the New Sorbonne, "besides being of course a poet of great genius. He was not at all a linguist, a courtier, and a kind of walking encyclopedia as Tassinari would have it. Many of his arguments are biased, misguided, and sometimes extraordinarily stupid."
Among the major weaknesses of Tassinari's argument, it appears, are a lack of evidence that Florio had any practical knowledge of the theatre, and a difficulty in imagining how and why the authorship deception could have been so brilliantly carried out. Or as Michael Dobson, director of the Shakespeare Institute, wrote in 2011: "Any theory suggesting that the theatre professional William Shakespeare did not write the Shakespeare canon somehow has to explain why so many of his contemporaries said that he did, and why none of the rest ever said that he did not."
Lamberto Tassinari sits in the dining room of his two-storey house in Little Burgundy, its walls a bright jumble of paintings, a cat by his feet. He doesn't want this story to be about his struggle to be heard. He wants it to be about Florio. Only Florio, he thinks, can explain the apparent knowledge of Italy in Shakespeare's plays; only Florio, he claims, shared the playwright's lavish originality with language. As Tassinari puts it, "Florio's candidacy allows me to establish a theory of everything of the Shakespearean universe. I can now answer all the problems and questions left unsolved by other theories."
Today he's not alone in proposing that Florio was, at some level, deeply involved with Shakespeare. Attention is at last being paid. The University of Toronto Press has issued a critical edition of Florio's first Italian-English dictionary . And the British scholar Saul Frampton recently suggested that Florio was the main editor of Shakespeare's First Folio , published in 1623.
Reluctantly, Tassinari admits he felt hurt by the long neglect of his ideas. "At first," he says, "I was so full of hope. Sometimes it was hard being in social gatherings with orthodox scholars where it's not safe to contest their position. I saw that on many occasions. What I say is a heresy, an offence."
He gives a sad smile. "Once you're there, there's no way to stop. I know this became a fixation for me. But now I feel more calm."
markabley@sympatico.ca
Born in London in 1553, John Florio was fluent in Italian, English, French, Spanish and Latin, and probably knew Greek and Hebrew. Photo by Courtesy British Museum /Wikimedia Commons
John Florio: 'A Jew, an Italian, a spy' – and Shakespeare too?
Who was John Florio, and why don't more people know his name?
The first question is easier to answer. Born in London in 1553, he was the son of a former friar, Michelangelo Florio, whose forebears had converted from Judaism to Catholicism but who became a Protestant preacher. This was dangerous in Italy at the time, and even more dangerous in London when "Bloody Mary" assumed the throne. The identity and nationality of John Florio's mother are unknown. She may well have been English, but Tassinari imagines her as Italian.
Father and son moved to Switzerland, where John Florio spent his early childhood. He attended university first in Germany, then in Oxford after returning to Queen Elizabeth's England in the 1570s. Florio became a language teacher, a translator and a lexicographer – he composed two superb Italian-English dictionaries. His wife Aline is thought by some to be the mysterious "Dark Lady" of Shakespeare's sonnets . Florio moved in high circles at court, and worked in espionage for the Queen's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham (who sanctioned the torturing of Catholic priests and oversaw the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots).
"A Jew, an Italian, a spy," Tassinari says. "Florio was all of these. It's embarrassing to say that therefore Shakespeare was too!"
Florio is best-known for his magnificent English translation of the French essayist Michel de Montaigne, which appeared in 1603. In language and ideas alike, it had a huge influence on British authors, Shakespeare included. The work displayed verbal exuberance and a talent for coining new expressions. Almost 1,200 words in the Oxford English Dictionary were, it seems, first printed in a text by Florio.
He died in poverty in 1625, and for centuries his reputation languished. Apart from a 1934 biography, his contributions to English culture in the Renaissance were often forgotten. Although a few people had previously suggested that John Florio, his father or both had a hand in writing Shakespeare's plays, momentum for this belief has gathered force only recently – thanks in good part to Tassinari.


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3 Stocks with Jaw-Dropping Growth Potential
Heron Therapeutics, Pacira Pharmaceuticals, and Supernus Pharmaceuticals are all expected to produce major EPS growth, but should investors add these stocks to their portfolios now?
George Budwell
(TMFGBudwell)
Oct 11, 2015 at 9:41AM
The market hasn't been particularly kind to healthcare stocks in general, of late, and biotech stocks in particular are being shunned. But that doesn't mean investors should necessarily follow the market's lead.
In fact, I think quite the opposite is true. Many healthcare companies are setting up to produce jaw-dropping levels of growth on their top and bottom lines over the next decade, sparked by an unprecedented level of innovation. For instance, Heron Therapeutics (NASDAQ: HRTX), Pacira Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: PCRX), and Supernus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SUPN) are all slated to produce a 5-year annualized EPS growth rate of over 70%, according to S&P Capital IQ.
So while the market is shrouded in fear and selling off everything in sight, I'm considering buying these three small-cap biopharma stocks. Here's why you may want to do the same.
A compelling speculative buy
Heron has had an absolutely wild year in terms of its share price:
This volatility was caused by positive clinical updates for its late-stage experimental medicine Sustol, indicated for chemotherapy-induced nausea, and its mid-stage post-op pain medicine HTX-011.
Heron's next catalyst will be the upcoming FDA review of Sustol, which is slated to wrap up on Jan. 17, 2016. If it's approved this time around -- and the strength of the drug's late-stage results suggests it could be -- analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ estimate the company's EPS could grow from a loss of $2.80 per share this year to (positive) $4.48 per share in 2019. Given that the drug's peak sales have been projected to be in the $400 million to $500 million range, that monstrous EPS growth estimate may be realistic. Even simpler than that, though, Sustol would only need to generate a few hundred million in sales to be a major driver for a company with a sub-billion dollar market cap.
With Heron on the cusp of hopefully winning its first regulatory approval, and with its clinical pipeline sporting a potential blockbuster in HTX-011, which is showing promise in mid-stage testing, I think this small-cap biotech is definitely worth checking out by investors seeking high growth opportunities.
Exparel could be the real deal
It's not uncommon for highly touted experimental therapies to flop once they reach the market, or at least seriously underwhelm from a sales perspective. Pacira's post-surgical pain medicine Exparel hasn't done that. In the second quarter, for instance, the drug posted a 27% increase in year-over-year sales to $57 million. Wall Street thinks Exparel could drive Pacira's EPS to soar from $0.02 per share in 2015 to $5.84 in 2019.
Source: Pacira
That's the good news. The bad news is that the post-operative pain med market could become flooded with new therapies in the not-so-distant future. In addition to Heron's aforementioned HTX-011, several other biopharmas have candidates under development that may eventually compete with Exparel, though they are all at least a few years away from completing their clinical trials.
As Exparel accounts for about 99% of Pacira's revenues at the moment, investors should keep a sharp eye on any looming threats to the drug's blistering sales growth. That said, Pacira's top line should hopefully maintain its upward trajectory over the next few years, based on the drug's strong uptake so far.
Rocket-like growth at Supernus
Although it took Supernus more than a decade to transform into a commercial operation, the FDA's 2013 approvals for its epilepsy treatments, Oxtellar XR and Trokendi XR, have turned the company into one of today's fastest growing biotechs. Since their commercial launch, the two drugs have fueled impressive top-line growth for Supernus:
Source: Supernus
More importantly, Wall Street doesn't think this growth is going to subside anytime soon: Analysts have Supernus' EPS growing from $0.13 this year to $2.77 in 2019.
While Supernus' current estimated growth rate is certainly nothing to sneeze at, this stock could really take flight if SPN-810, the company's experimental treatment for impulsive aggression associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, succeeds in its ongoing late-stage trial. According to the company, this indication represents a $5.5 billion market opportunity, suggesting that SPN-810 could generate between $800 million to $1.2. billion in peak sales as a result. Unfortunately, SPN-810 is a couple of years away from a top-line data readout, so potential investors should probably stay focused primarily on the continuing commercialization of Oxtellar XR and Trokendi XR.
Are any of these stocks compelling buys right now?
I think all three stocks could be big winners, but Pacira and Supernus represent the better buys at present, given that they already have products on the market. Heron could soon follow in their footsteps, but it's important to remember that nothing is guaranteed when it comes to the FDA (or, for that matter, commercialization of a drug). So, I'm personally leaning toward adding Pacira and Supernus to my portfolio in meantime, and keeping Heron at the top of my watch list as Sustol's regulatory process unfolds.
George Budwell has been writing about healthcare and biotechnology companies at the Motley Fool since 2013. His primary interests are novel small molecule drugs, next generation vaccines, and cell therapies.
Pacira BioSciences
NASDAQ:PCRX
SUPN
Supernus Pharmaceuticals
NASDAQ:SUPN
Heron Therapeutics
NASDAQ:HRTX
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I started my first company in 1994 and sold it in 2007. Free free to read more if you're interested! eCommerce has changed a lot over the years.
In my spare time, I enjoy blogging and writing articles. Feel free to read some of my work. I'm a Forbes contributor.
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As American and European stocks continue to fall, a financial collapse may be looming. If the ongoing debt crisis forces European countries to default on their debt or abandon the euro, the consequences will have a major impact throughout the world. Many signs point to a worsening economic situation in Europe. With radical leftists leading in some polls, Greece could become the first country to reject austerity measures and default on its debt. CBS News reported in mid-May that Greek citizens had withdrawn so much money from their accounts that many of the nation's banks were on the brink of collapse. However, Greece is not the only country at risk. Spain's economy also continues to weaken. BusinessWeek reported in late April that the country's unemployment rate was at an 18-year high of 24 percent. Economist Harry Dent recently appeared on CNBC television and predicted that Spain would default on its debt.
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Focusing on the elements of the article that speak to web video, here is a short summary of Mr. Ramsey's predictions for 2010. (We've bolded the parts we like best).
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Going for a Ride is out!
My novella, GOING FOR A RIDE, is out in Erin Nicholas' Sapphire Falls Kindle World. Get your copy at Amazon. Kindle Worlds are collections of novellas set in another author's world. Since Amazon invented Kindle Worlds, the stories are exclusive to US Amazon/Kindle, but Nook/Kobo/iBooks readers can still read it on the free Kindle app. International readers can read it by opening a US Amazon account. Hope that workaround helps!
Star wide receiver Nick Hansen is used to a stadium full of adoring fans after the glory of four winning college football seasons, but that's all in the past when he flubs the tryouts that would make him an NFL draft pick. Now he's spending the summer working for his uncle's traveling carnival company and trying to figure out who he is without football.
Free-spirited Kelsey Brown returns to her hometown of Sapphire Falls, Nebraska, for the annual festival and a much-needed break to figure out her next career move—follow her corporate advertising job in its relocation or feed her artistic soul with the photography that she loves. But when she discovers her long-time football hero crush is working the festival, she quickly decides she's going for a ride. With him.
Sizzling summer nights in Sapphire Falls soon lead to a future neither of them could have imagined. But can two very different people follow their dreams together?


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Cafe Petri is a quaint spot for an espresso and a snack. Catch up with an old friend or have a quick bite in this central (and adorable) hotel cafe.
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Impetigo, erysipelas, cellulitis and necrotising fasciitis represent a spectrum of soft tissue infections. Most are of mild to modest severity, but a few are life-threatening. This module aims to explain important clinical differences in presentation and to enable the clinician to differentiate those patients with life-threatening features from those who can be safely managed in the community.
Impetigo is a superficial infection of the epidermis. It is caused by Staphylococcus aureus and group A beta-haemolytic streptococci (GABHS, also called Streptococcus pyogenes). Treatment needs to cover both organisms as they often co-exist.
30% of population carry Staphylococcus aureus in the anterior nares and may get recurrent impetigo around the face. Children may carry it around the perineum where it can cause a desquamating infection. Up to 90% of patients with atopic eczema are chronically infected with Staphylococcus aureus which may be responsible for eczema flares. Burns may be secondarily infected by Staphylococcus aureus, delaying healing.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), either hospital or community acquired, is now a frequent cause of impetigo, especially with folliculitis or abscesses.
Several clinical forms of impetigo exist. All forms are more common in children, with the bullous form seen mainly in the under twos and the non-bullous two to five year-olds. Adult contacts may develop crusting impetigo or folliculitis around shaved areas on the face and axillae.
1. Non-bullous impetigo is the usual form. Red macules form initially, then golden crusts. It is itchy but not painful. Regional lymphadenopathy is common.
Fig 1: Non-bullous impetigo. Reproduced with permission from Wellcome Images.
2. Bullous impetigo. Here there is sloughing of the epidermis due to toxin production. Vesicles/bullae may be on face, buttocks, nappy area or trunk.
Fig 2: Bullous impetigo. Reproduced with permission from Wellcome Images.
3. Folliculitis is infection of the hair follicles due to Staphylococcus aureus.
Fig 3: Folliculitis. Reproduced with permission from Wellcome Images.
4. Ecthyma, which is deeper, ulcerating & associated with lympadenitis.
Fig 4: Ecthyma. Reproduced with permission from Wellcome Images.
5. Secondary infection of pre-existing skin disease or traumatized skin, also called impetiginous dermatitis.
Fig 5: Impetigenised dermatitis. Reproduced with permission from Wellcome Images.
Systemic upset is rarely seen.
Complications are rare and seen mainly in neonates or imunosuppressed patients. They include meningitis, sepsis, secondary cellulitis, pneumonia and septic arthritis. Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis is occasionally seen in young children.
Neonates have a much higher incidence of developing sepsis and meningitis so require paediatric referral.
Cellulitis is an acute, spreading bacterial infection of thedermis and subcutaneous tissue, usually complicating a wound,ulcer, or dermatitis. Affected skin becomes tender,warm, erythematous, and swollen. Any age group may be affected & numerous organisms can cause it.
Erysipelas is a superficial cellulitis with invasion of the lymphatics. It is generally caused by Streptococci, especially Streptococcus pyogenes. Lesions are classically well-demarcated, fiery red and raised. Apeau dorange appearance (dimpling) is due to tethering of hair follicles within the oedematous dermis. Infants and the elderly are more commonly affected.
Fig 6: Cellulitis. Reproduced with permission from Wellcome Images.
Fig 7: Erysipelas. Reproduced with permission from Wellcome Images.
Red, oedematous tender spreading areas, which are well demarcated in erysipelas but diffuse in cellulitis. There may be small haemorrhagic areas.
Sometimes lymphangitis and regional lymphadenopathy.
Entry wound, bite, septic source or pre-existing skin pathology such as venous eczema or athletes foot is often apparent.
Usually mild. Fever, tachycardia, confusion, hypotension, and leukocytosis are sometimes present and may precede visible skin changes.
Commonest site is the leg usually unilateral, but bilateral cellulitis does occur rarely.
Arm and breast cellulitis occurs after mastectomy.
Other types of eczema, (eg atopic or contact).
Fig 8: Panniculitis. Reproduced with permission from Wellcome Images.
Thrombophlebitis results in chronic skin discoloration and scarring, sometimes with oedema. However there is no erythema and generally no discomfort unless there is associated eczema.
Fig 9: Post-phlebitic limb. Reproduced with permission from Wellcome Images.
3. Leg eczema. Various forms can affect the leg.
Discoid eczema can arise at any age and results in round or oval plaques. Dry discoid eczema is often relatively non-itchy, and is often due to over-dry skin. Exudative or wet discoid eczema is often triggered by an injury to the skin (insect bite, burn or cut), and colonised or infected by Staphylococcus aureus. Discoid eczema starts with a single patch on one leg, but soon multiple lesions appear on both lower legs and may later affect the trunk and arms.
Atopic eczema is seen mainly in children. In older children and adults it is commonly found behind the knees, but can affect large areas during flares or if secondarily infected. Characteristically, atopic dermatitis is very itchy.
Fig 10: Leg eczema. Reproduced with permission from Wellcome Images.
(also called venous eczema, stasis eczema or gravitational eczema) develops secondary to poor venous drainage in the leg. Episodes of cellulitis or deep vein thrombosis damage the valves, back pressure develops and fluid collects in the tissues, resulting in chronic skin inflammation. The affected leg is usually swollen, due to both inflammation and lymphoedema. Dermatitis is usually bilateral, with yellow crusting, scaling, and marked itching. It may become secondarily infected, in which case discomfort and erythema would increase, helping to differentiate acute cellulitis from the chronic appearance.
This is an inflammation of the superficial leg veins, resulting in a tender red or purple subcutaneous cord and associated swelling along the track on the vein. It may be secondary to deep vein insufficiency, cannulation or injection (eg in iv drug abusers) or malignancy (causing migratory thrombophlebitis known as Trousseau Syndrome).
Fig 12: Thrombophlebitis. Reproduced with permission from Wellcome Images.
This does not usually cause significant erythema or blistering, though there may be associated superficial thrombophebitis. Similarly it is not generally tender, though there may be tenderness along the deep veins. Pitting oedema may be present, and swelling may be marked compared to the unaffected side (more than three cm).
Fig 13: Deep vein thrombosis. Reproduced with permission from Wellcome Images.
Patients with Class I cellulitis can be managed in the community with oral antibiotics (1,3).
Facial and orbital cellulitis. These require urgent assessment by the appropriate specialities because of the high risk of local complications.
Swab any broken skin. Culture blister fluid.
Necrotising fasciitis is a rapidly spreading infection of the subcutaneous tissues, with characteristic widespread fascial destruction. There may also be necrosis of the underlying muscle, depending on the organisms involved. It may be caused by single bacterial species (Clostridium perfringens or Group A Streptococci, Bacteroides and Staphylococcus aureus), or be polymicrobial. Anaerobic organisms are often present in addition to aerobes and can form gas (gas gangrene). A saltwater variant also exists, in which a minor skin wound becomes infected with a vibrio species. All varieties are rapidly progressive, resulting in massive tissue loss, multiorgan failure and death if not rapidly treated with surgical debridement. Initially diagnosis may be very difficult with presentations similar to cellulitis so a high clinical index of suspicion is required.
Groups at increased risk of necrotising fasciitis include IV drug abusers, alcoholics, those with immunosuppression, chronic disease and haematological malignancies. However, half of cases occur in young and previously healthy individuals.
a) Patient complains of severe pain but there is no visible skin change.
This is one of the best early diagnostic features. Pain may be severe before any skin changes are seen, & very marked tenderness may be present, despite apparently normal skin appearance, due to the deep nature of the infection. Spread is characteristically rapid and response to antibiotics poor. Systemic toxicity develops, manifested by high fever, hypotension, leucocytosis, delirium, and renal failure. Later, more obvious, signs are visible skin bruising, then necrosis, and gas in the tissues detected on palpation or imaging (eg x-ray).
However, any suspicion of necrotising fasciitis requires immediate surgical referral and assessment by an experienced surgeon. The patient will also require intensive care, so early involvement of intensivists is necessary.
Severe pain with minimal skin changes is suggestive of necrotising fasciitis.
Blood cultures are only indicated in class III or class IV cellulitis.
Use mupirocin nasal ointment to eradicate nasal carriage when treating impetigo on the face.
Dont forget MRSA as a cause of infection not responding to treatment.
CREST. Guidelines on the management of cellulitis in adults. Clinical Resource Efficiency Support Team. 2005.
Eron LJ & Lipsky BA. Use of cultures in cellulitis: when, how, and why? Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2006; 25:615-617.
Stevens DL, Bisno AL, Chambers HF, Everett ED, Dellinger P, Goldstein EJC et al. Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Skin and Soft-Tissue Infections. Clin Infect Dis 2005;41:1373-406.
Swartz MN. Cellulitis. N Eng J Med 2004;350:904-912.
Su YC, Chen HW, Hong YC, Chen CT, Hsiao CT, Chen IC. Laboratory risk indicator for necrotising fasciitis score and the outcomes. ANZ J of Surgery 2008;78:968-972.
Useful information and upto the point.


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Q: piping in shell implementation in C I am implementing a shell in C. This is the function i use for piping. When i put     "ls | a" in the code (i.e. pipe a valid command with invalid one),It doesnt exit the child process like it should. How do i make it go back to main function?
same thing happens when i do      ps | ls or     ps | pwd etc. but     ls | ps works the same as in bash. i know      ls | ps or      ps | ls dont make sense but atleast they should give same output as bash.
void exec3(char **args, char **args2){
    int fd[2];
    pid_t pid,pid1;
    int status;
    pipe(fd);
    int e=0;
    if ((pid = fork()) < 0) {
        printf("*** ERROR: forking child process failed\n");
        exit(1);
    }

    else if ((pid1 = fork()) < 0) {
        printf("*** ERROR: forking child process failed\n");
        exit(1);
    }

    else if (pid == 0 && pid1!=0){
        printf("in 1\n");
        close(1);
        dup(fd[1]);
            close(fd[0]);
        close(fd[1]);

            if(execvp(args[0],args)<0){
                printf("**error in exec");
                close(fd[0]);
                close(fd[1]);
                exit(1);
            }
    //printf("exiting 1\n");
    exit(0);
}

else if (pid1 == 0 && pid!=0) {
    printf("in 2\n");
    close(0);
    dup(fd[0]);
    close(fd[1]);
    close(fd[0]);
    if((e=execvp(args2[0],args2))<0){
            printf("**error in exec2 ");
            close(fd[0]);
            close(fd[1]);

        exit(1);
    }
    exit(0);
}

else {
        close(fd[0]);
        close(fd[1]);
        fflush(stdout) ;
        while (wait(&status) != pid);
        while (wait(&status) != pid1);
    }
}

A: You are close to the solution. Look at how popen() is implemented, that is what you are trying to do.

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