Kamil Khan's Sauder Blog

Kiip Found and Sauder alumni Bryan Wong announced plans to expand Kiip to begin to advertise on SmartTV’s, Nest thermostats, and in connected cars. Kiip’s API’s can be applied to any internet connected device, including smart fridges or smart lighting. This application would allow users to be rewarded for saving a certain amount of electricity; “save enough energy consumption and PG&E could reward you with cinema tickets.”

Wong said that this move should serve as a hint as to where Kiip is headed. “Kiip was never just designed for mobile advertising.”

As a Sauder student and aspiring entrepreneur, it is interesting to see Bryan’s company mature and expand. Knowing that he went to my school just a few years ago somehow makes Kiip and his vision feel more real, and as a result, more inspiring. With the growing amount of internet connected devices and the increasing demand for new methods of advertisement, I believe that Wong is taking Kiip in the right direction. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Vancouver’s Housing Solutions

Kamil Khan commented:

This is a very interesting idea… however, isn’t a high rise more effective in housing people on a small plot of land? While this certainly is an interesting idea for a home, perhaps it’d be more suited for more rural areas in developing nations as opposed to an alternative to an already effective method of housing.

Legalization for Profit

Kamil Khan Posted:

You make a good point, and I agree that marijuana legalization will benefit BC through taxes. However, taxes aren’t the whole image. BC would save millions on policing, and new industries and business would boom, creating jobs and economic growth in the lower mainland. Although the health effects may be controversial, the economic benefits are clear.

 

Should Coding be the “New Foreign Language” Requirement?

This is an interesting blog post, which touches on a point which, I as a BUCS student, find to be very important and relevant to my degree at UBC. In their blog post, Anna and Helen argue that in order to help incentivize students to pursuit computer science, the “core of our economy going forward” (Todd Park, U.S. Chief Technology Officer), coding should qualify as a foreign language in high schools.

They cite sources claiming that computer programming jobs are growing at twice the national average, and stress the importance coding has in empowering people to create. As a computer science student, I feel like I hear the benefits of learning to code. During alumni week in COMM 101, we saw the importance data, technology, and software had in many successful Sauder-made entrepreneurs. However, it is bizarre to see such low interest in the subject. Only 1.5% of Sauder students are enrolled in the BUCS program; compare that to the 30% who go to accounting.

There is no doubt that computer science is the future, and I agree with Anna and Helen that more must be done to encourage students to learn it in high school.

Start-Up weekend, a launch-a-start-up-in-54-hours event has begun at UBC yesterday evening. Being hosted by Entrepreneurship at UBC and featuring accomplished judges such as Mozilla Labs Director David Ascher, Venture Capitalist Ray Torresan, and CEO and Co-Founder of Battlefy Jason Xu, among others. This year’s startup weekend is said to be technology-focused, as is apparent with the 1:1 ratio of business-oriented and software/hardware-oriented participants.

It is encouraging to see UBC foster and embrace the entrepreneurial spirit found in the thousands of bright, forward-thinking students which attend here. Entrepreneurs are the driving force of Canadian job creation, innovation, and economic growth. In fact, the over 1 million small businesses in Canada employ over 48 percent of Canada’s total workforce.

In my opinion, it is vital for UBC, and Sauder in particular, to put a strong emphasis on the power and importance with entrepreneurship. Most of Sauder’s most accomplished alumni are entrepreneurs themselves, and the more successful start-ups that come out of UBC, the more inspiring and reputable the school will become.

Sony releases it’s PS4 weeks before Microsoft’s Xbox One release date.

The clock struck 12 on November 15th, marking the release the Sony’s PlayStation 4, and the start of the console wars.

They say that the living room entertainment is the final home frontier for technology companies to dominate, and boy has the competition been aggressive. In the past few years we have seen the console wars elevate, with increased efforts from Microsoft’s Kinect, Apple’s Apple TV,  and Samsung’s SmartTV’s. Everyone is fighting for the couch. Which is why the release of the PS4 is so important.

Sony has claimed that is has already “sold” over 1 million PS4’s through preorders, and is expected to sell many more in the upcoming days. Strong preorders are said to be due to Sony’s dedication to the “hardcore gamer”, as opposed to Microsoft’s focus on families, casual gaming, and television.

But perhaps the preorders don’t show the whole story. Most preorders are purchased by “hardcore gamers”, and not the average family. I believe that the console wars are about more than just gaming. They are about entertainment, be it through movies, games or television. Which is why the PS4’s lack of diversity and functionality should be worrisome, and why you shouldn’t count Microsoft out just yet.

Rob Ford’s controversial refusal to step down as the Mayor of Toronto after allegations of use of crack has left local citizens frustrated. But what impact does Mayor Rob Ford’s negative press have on local businesses?

Andrew Liang, director of Cormex’s MediaLAB project believes that the increased attention will decrease international investment in the city; “Why anybody down the road would think favourably on this city as a place to invest in, I don’t know,” he said.

However, not everyone agrees with Andrew. Janet Ecker, president of the Toronto Financial Services Alliance is clear to explain that the “theatre of the absurd” politics doesn’t have an impact on investments if the fundamental business aspects of the city remain unchanged.

Although there are many views, none of them are positive: they are either neutral, or negative. Furthermore, it is clear that the longer the major chooses to remain in office, the worst the effect is going to be. It is therefore vital for Rob Ford to step down in order to help salvage the city’s worldwide reputation.

It is ironic that the best thing the Mayor can do for the city is to not be the Mayor of the city.

US electric auto make Tesla Motors’s stock dropped 30% in the past month after a disappointing financial quarter and headlines about their cars catching fire.

Tesla lost $38 million on $431 million in revenue this past quarter despite a record-breaking 5500 car deliveries and an increase in profit margins for 14% to 21%. Many investors believed that Tesla stock had an inflated price, with the New York Times calling this drop a “reality check”.

However, headlines can be misleading. On the surface, it may look like a company in turmoil. But a further investigation shows that the loss is due, not to decreased demand, but to production constraints and the expense of R&D. In fact, Tesla’s sales are increasing at an increasing rate, and the $38 million loss is simply due to Tesla’s “growth cycle as a young company still breaking ground.”

While there may be many sceptics, I think that it’s clear that Tesla is the future of the automotive industry. Like every successful technology company, Tesla has to face and overcome many hurdles, and these minor setbacks should not be seen as a weakness, but as a sign of strength.

Samsung recently released it’s new Galaxy Note 3 + Gear. The monstrous “phablet” device boasts a 5.7″ screen, and come bundled with a 1.63″ touchscreen “smart watch”. What does this $329 accessory do? In a sentence: everything your phone can do and less.

After being put in the spot light for it’s massively successful Galaxy S3, Samsung is feeling compelled to show off it’s innovation in the tech industry. But what could have potentially been a foray into the extremely young market of wearable technology has proven to be nothing more than quick gimmicky money grab.

The Verge, a popular technology website, gave the Galaxy Gear a mere 4/10, calling it “unintuitive, oversized and overpriced.”

The Galaxy Gear shows that Samsung is not an industry innovator: it is an industry refiner. I am certain that once the market matures, Samsung will release a more meaningful product. But for now, it’s just throwing things at the wall, and seeing what sticks.

Michael Hallatt is victorious after recent legal dispute between him and Trader Joe’s.

Michael Hallatt is a Canadian entrepreneur and owner of Pirate Joe’s, a Vancouver store which sells nothing but  Trader Joe’s merchandise. Every week, Hallat must make the trip to Washington to purchase groceries from Trader Joe’s, and return to resell them at his store. This year at Sauder FROSH, I’ve had the opportunity to get to hear  Hallatt speak about the struggles he’s had to deal with to keep his store Pirate Joe’s in business. He explained his experiences dealing with the cease and desist letter he received from the US grocery giant, and how he believed he wasn’t doing anything wrong. After ignoring the cease and desist order and continuing his business operations, Trader Joe’s decided to press charges. Now, it seems that Michael Hallatt may have finally caught a break.

Judge Marsha Pechman recently dismissed the court case against Hallat, claiming that Pirate Joe’s shows to have done “no economic harm” because the products were all “purchased at  at Trader Joe’s at retail price.”

It is somewhat inspiring to see someone fight so strongly to maintain their own small business, despite mounting external pressures trying to get him to give up.