The New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square is one of the holiday's most cherished traditions, and this year might be its best one yet. Fiskars Living's Tom Brennan joins Cheddar to reveal what makes this year's Waterford New Year's Eve Ball so special. The master artisan explains the painstaking process of creating the iconic scene as the clock strikes midnight.
Brennan reveals why Waterford chose "Gift of Serenity" as this year's theme. He says it represents the spirit of balance and composure heading into the new year. The ball features 288 new crystals that make up the pattern representing the theme.
Finally, Brennan shows off some of the other ways that Waterford is celebrating the holidays. The crystal company is using the New Year's ball as inspiration for some new products including champagne flutes. He says it's a creative way to bring the spirit of the Times Square celebration into your own home.
If you put together the sales generated from Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon's Prime Day in the U.S., it still would be less than the sales from Sunday's Singles Day shopping holiday in China.
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Four years ago, Aziz “Hax$” Al-Yami was one of the best Super Smash Bros. Melee players in the world. But after suffering what he said felt like “an explosion” in his left wrist, Hax’s once-impressive tournament performances were marred by serious physical pain. So he found his own solution: a different type of controller. Hax talked to Cheddar Sports about his life-changing design.
Astronaut Scott Kelly saw the sun rise and set about 32 times each day during the 520 total days he spent in outer space. He also spent considerable time looking at Planet Earth. Naturally, it changed his perspective ー in the most literal sense. Kelly shares that new perspective through images in his latest book, "Infinite Wonder: An Astronaut's Photographs from a Year in Space."
The internet can be a toxic place ー but it doesn't have to be, according to Deepak Chopra. The bestselling author and new age advocate is helping to build a healthier internet through a new Amazon Alexa skill that delivers his daily "intentions." The skill is a result of a partnership with A.I.-provider LivePerson's innovation lab, LivePerson Studios.
Addyi, the female-libido-boosting drug that was approved in 2015, is getting a re-launch of sorts. Cindy Eckert, the CEO of Sprout Pharmaceuticals and founder of The Pink Ceiling, an incubator for female-led startups, explained to Cheddar the difference between the "mechanics" of an ED pill and a female arousal pill.
Photo-editing app VSCO has already hit 2 million paid subscribers after crossing the 1 million subscribers threshold just in the first quarter of 2018. “It’s really a testament to how consumer-driven we are,” VSCO CEO Joel Flory told Cheddar. VSCO charges $20 per year for its subscription, and the business is now operating at break-even, Flory said.
Hallie Huggins was a platoon leader in Afghanistan, where she learned the skills she now uses as executive at JPMorgan Chase. Huggins told Cheddar about her work for the non-profit "Carry the Load," which honors military members and their families and provides resources to those who are transitioning back into civilian life.
Luxury chocolatier Godiva is dedicated to female equity in its workforce. More than 75 percent of the workforce and 45 percent of director and managerial positions are held by women. Caki Halprin, head of North American marketing and innovation at Godiva, told Cheddar about Godiva's history in female empowerment and about efforts within the food industry to push back against gender inequality."There are definitely more male restaurant owners, more male leaders in the restaurant industry, although predominantly the majority of employees within the restaurant industry are female. So we do need to make that shift," Halprin said.
Can Resy disrupt the disruptors? The four-year-old restaurant-booking app recently acquired Reserve, a smaller competitor, as it seeks to take on OpenTable, the reigning king of online reservations that was bought by Booking Holdings.
