shipping

A floating metropolis for startups

Imagine a floating city of entrepreneurs; a veritable Googleplex of the sea. That's the vision behind Blueseed, a San Francisco startup.

The company plans to deploy a cruise ship 12 nautical miles from Silicon Valley -- in international waters -- and convert it into a metropolis of floating offices so foreign workers can launch their companies without obtaining work visas.

Despite a number of bills currently in Congress that aim to expand immigrant work visas, "there is no entrepreneurial visa," says co-founder Max Marty. "I think that's a terrible problem."

The answer, according to … Read more

Cargo ship with metal sails would save 30 percent fuel

Can wind energy really power modern cargo ships? We've seen the idea of hybrid freighters before, but this concept from the University of Tokyo has a remarkable sail system.

A model of the UT Wind Challenger was recently shown off at the Sea Japan trade show in Tokyo. It would have giant telescoping sails that rise above the deck when wind conditions are good.

As seen in the vid below, University of Tokyo professor Kiyoshi Uzawa and collaborators believe this hybrid system could cut fuel consumption by cargo ships by about 30 percent. … Read more

James Bond/Batman boat is anything but a prop

A superyacht worthy of a James Bond supervillain -- or even of Batman's Bruce Wayne -- launched for the first time recently when the $15 million Adastra took a test drive on the Pearl River in Zhuhai, China.

Commissioned by Hong Kong shipping magnate Anto Marden, who owns and cruises to a pair of islands near Indonesia, the craft is based on the design of speedy Batboat-like "power trimaran" vessels such as the Earthrace and the Cable and Wireless Adventurer. But unlike those boats, the Adastra -- as you'll see -- was meant to be a luxury yacht, which, according to design firm John Shuttleworth, called for some new thinking.

… Read more

Can't someone please fix online shipping, already?

As I write this column, I'm on my seventh day of waiting for a Nordstrom package to arrive, and I am fuming. My order was received April 6, it didn't ship until three days ago, and it's still not here. And all I can think is, "I wish I'd ordered that through Amazon."

That's the sentence that should, and probably does, strike fear into the heart of any company doing e-commerce retail today. So why is Amazon still one of the few companies successfully executing free and timely shipping?

"Free shipping is … Read more

Titanic disaster unlikely to happen in this age, experts say

Given that the builder of the Titanic is said to have famously bragged that his amazing new ship could never be sunk, it's dangerous to argue that an accident like the one that sent the famous vessel to the bottom of the sea 100 years ago could never happen again.

But with the centennial of the April 15, 1912, disaster quickly approaching, there's every indication that modern science and technology in combination with a much greater awareness of seaborne hazards, make such a tragedy -- at least on the scale of Titanic--extremely unlikely today.

It's not, of … Read more

J.Crew uses tech to fuel global e-commerce ambition

U.S. apparel retailer J.Crew this morning expanded its international distribution from 29 to 107 countries, spanning an astounding 41 currencies.

That's quite a jump in a single day for the retailer, known for clothing everyone from Michelle Obama to, well, me. Businesses -- even digital ones -- just don't scale that quickly.

But there's a secret to how J.Crew did it: a partnership, and a whole lotta tech.

With a platform provided by New York-based FiftyOne, J.Crew is bringing its modern prep style to Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East and South America. That … Read more

How to shop only items sold by Amazon

Avoid ordering goods from third-parties on Amazon with this crafty add-on for Chrome and Firefox.

If you're concerned about the shipping or packaging methods that other companies use, this is a great way to avoid buying from those companies. When you are looking for particular items, only the ones that Amazon has for sale will appear. Keep in mind that while Amazon does have a lot of items for sale, you may not be able to find every item you seek. Here's how to get started:

For Chrome:

Step 1: Add the Shipped and sold by Amazon extension&… Read more

Get free next-day shipping from the Apple store

Procrastinators of the world, rejoice! If you want to give someone the very best gift of all--an Apple product--it's not too late. Apple is offering free next-day shipping on select items.

Don't worry--"select" doesn't mean only lame stuff like cases and cables. You can nab free expedited shipping on iPhones, Apple TVs, non-engraved iPods and iPads, and non-customized Macs. Normally this runs at least $16--and sometimes a lot more. (Depends on the product, natch.)

To get the deal, make sure to choose "free Express Shipping" at checkout.

Lots of other stores offer … Read more

Paul Allen's Stratolaunch: Grand plan for next-gen space travel

Billionaire Paul Allen today announced his grand ambition for the next generation of manned space travel: the largest aircraft ever built, which would be capable of orbital missions with quick turnarounds, greater safety, and better cost-effectiveness than anything previously launched.

At a press conference this morning in Seattle, Allen--a co-founder of Microsoft--along with Burt Rutan unveiled their new company, Stratolaunch Systems. Allen and Rutan previously collaborated on the creation of SpaceShipOne, which won the Ansari X Prize for being the first privately funded spacecraft to leave the Earth's atmosphere.

Now, Allen and Rutan are at it again, and at … Read more