Life's come full circle.
Henson's, a Canadian brand, is advertising a set of razors with the smoothest shave ever.
And they look exactly like the ones that went out of style generations ago.
They work with old-fashioned double-sided blades.
But how do you sell them in a world where Gillette lines up four and six blades in a row for smoother shaves?
You go back to the basics.
Open up the top layer. Slip in the blades that have almost disappeared from stores today.
And apparently, they've worked on the design, so that it no longer nicks and slices skin like it did, back in the day.
Shaving was a ritual. A shaving round of soap, a brush for spreading and working up the lather, and then making careful, smooth moves.
One wrong jerk and the blade would draw blood.
Band-aids on the face were common.
That's why it is surprising to see the model reinvigorated.
And here's the kicker. No blades included. Use any of the regular old-fashioned cheap blades.
Henson claims the razor has been machined to expose only a small sliver of the blade - and that removes practically all chances of getting cut.
For all you know, it may beat all those fancy engineering acrobatics that the newer razors promise
Want to go retro for a close shave?
Honda plans a map for feet
Cars and 2 wheelers have maps.
But Honda's taking a step to help the visually impaired navigate.
Shoes or other footwear are equipped with special add-ons.
The person programs a route before they step out of home.
Then, the sensors take over.
The left shoe vibrates when a left turn has to be taken and both vibrate when the route is straight ahead - the system is being worked on.
The natural question that arises is - why wouldn't a mobile phone app be enough?
And of course, what happens in inclement weather like rain or snow?
The kinks have to be worked out for sure.
The product is set for a launch only by 2023 but it has already aroused interest.
Blind people possibly believe they will be more sure-footed with feedback right from the ground as they're walking.
It may be small innovations at first but if this works, it can scale to build in other signals to warn, orient or even new kinds of notifications users themselves can come up with.
The market is estimated at around 1.6 million people in Japan alone.
If it becomes a must-have, the possibilities and the potential to evolve are immense.
Honda may be known for its cars but if it starts at people's feet, there's no telling how far they could go.
The 'news' today is a world away from newspapers
The generational shift has happened.
A couple of decades ago, newspapers reigned supreme as the reputable sources.
But that has undergone an upheaval, not a change, as the report from Reuters highlights.
Print has been one of the worst affected, especially after the Covid crisis.
News Corp Australia suspended the print editions of 112 suburban and regional mastheads, axing almost 1,000 jobs.
In India too, there has been turmoil, but newspapers have kept a lid on the teams who were let go.
A Medium article link provides details as a personal project and the number of layoffs has been high.
Most of it is due to the drop in circulation owing to Covid but it is clear digital competition and dramatic changes in the underlying business model are altering the media landscape beyond recognition.
73% of the respondents in India accessed news through their smartphones last year.
What's troubling is that 53% use WhatsApp and YouTube as their sources.
The distinction between editing a story and publishing it has been lost in the bargain.
While there are reporters schooled the old way in verifying and checking sources, the 'news' as we know it is no longer the same.
And that has led to a drop in trust and belief.
There's no point in yearning for the times gone by but the need to bring back truth is a goal to aim for.
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