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U.K. Tweaks Bank Notes to Cater to the Blind; LinkedIn Adds More Tools for Influencers
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Welcome back. This week's newsletter was written by Katie Deighton and Ann-Marie Alcántara, filling in for Nat. The U.K.'s bank notes are now fully accessible for visually impaired people thanks to a redesign of the £50 note, but a similar plan for U.S. bills remains years away. LinkedIn has a new setting for content creators. And hearing aids are getting a tech upgrade, but not without some challenges.
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The new £50 note was the last British denomination to be redesigned for printing on polymer material with tactile dots to help visually impaired people. PHOTO: BANK OF ENGLAND
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The Bank of England said it will add raised dots to its new £50 note, meaning all the notes in circulation in the U.K. will be distinguishable to people who are blind or partially sighted, Katie Deighton writes for the Experience Report.
Accessibility advocates have been pressing the U.S. Treasury to make similar changes to the design of its paper currency, which they say makes it difficult for people with no or little vision to distinguish between bills.
The Treasury in 2015 said the $10 bill would be updated in 2020, with anticipated changes including tactile features. But the redesign for the $10 bill is now expected in roughly 2026, with all other notes except the dollar bill slated for redesign by 2038, according to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
“While other countries around the world have rolled out acceptable solutions during this time, Treasury keeps spinning its wheels, stalling any real workable solution that our older generation may never get to experience,” said Eric Bridges, the executive director of the American Council of the Blind.
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Influencing, the LinkedIn Way
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Months after adding its ‘stories’ format, LinkedIn is offering ‘creator mode,’ another feature designed to get users to add more content to their profiles. PHOTO: LORENZO DI COLA/NURPHOTO/ZUMA PRESS
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LinkedIn is introducing “creator mode,” a new setting that encourages users to post more content, perhaps with an eye to becoming influencers, reports Ann-Marie Alcántara.
The setting alters the look of someone’s profile and moves up sections that highlight posts and links, while also suggesting that other users follow the person, rather than adding him or her to their networks.
LinkedIn’s new setting arrives as the company faces growing competition from startups like Clubhouse and Upstream, which emphasize audio-only conversations or networking based on professional groups.
Creator mode will likely draw more people to the platform and succeed in getting them to post content, business professionals said.
“What LinkedIn lets you do—which is powerful—is you can become a micro-thought leader in one little space,” said Jason Lemkin, chief executive of SaaStr Inc., a business software event and content website.
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Hearing Aids Get Twenty-First Century Upgrades
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Nuheara’s IQbuds²MAX ‘hearing buds’ are intended for people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. PHOTO: NUHEARA
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New hearing aids resemble regular earbuds and often use technology such as machine-learning to improve the user experience—but they also present new challenges to some people with hearing loss, reports Julie Jargon.
Existing devices like Apple’s AirPods Pro can amplify quiet sounds, and smartphones can be used as hearing aids, experts say. Other devices, like Nuheara’s “hearing buds,” use an algorithm that lets customers personalize their devices.
But the innovation can create tech-support headaches for people who aren’t very smartphone-savvy.
“It’s a very straightforward app but she’s just not comfortable with it and she’s not going to get comfortable with it,” said Rebecca Woan, the daughter of Joan Korach, who uses Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids paired with her iPhone. “It’s not the fault of the app, but her ability to use the app.”
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“Seeing these shows again is invigorating… It just takes your mind off things like the lockdown.”
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Frank James, a resident at Commonwealth Senior Living in Charlottesville, Va. The 91-year-old watched a Broadway production of “Aladdin” in virtual reality using a set from MyndVR.
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Paper vaccination cards are, in most cases, the only proof that people have gotten shots. PHOTO: SHANNON STAPLETON/REUTERS
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The lack of a central inoculation database means Americans are hanging on to their paper vaccination cards. [WSJ]
Robinhood is eliminating a feature that rains digital confetti on-screen, following criticism that the trading app gamifies investing. [WSJ]
Companies are asking customers to take shorter showers, do laundry at cooler temperatures and turn off the tap while brushing their teeth to reduce carbon emissions. [WSJ]
Spotify has acquired Betty Labs, the company behind live-audio app Locker Room. [WSJ]
An experimental rock concert in Europe tested the limits of indoor unseated shows during the pandemic. [New York Times]
Coca-Cola Japan's new subscription service lets customers collect drinks from vending machines with an app. [Time Out]
Chipotle’s CFO suggests autonomous cars will be delivering orders in about five years. [Cheddar]
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