What the experts see coming in 2023

 

Source Visual Capitalist

Lego is 65 years old

You're probably familiar with Lego bricks. If you're like most people, you played with them as a child. If you have children of your own, there's a good chance you have a house full of bricks and mini-figures and a few thousand other pieces. You've probably even stepped on a few, which--admittedly--isn't the most fun you can have with Lego. 

The Lego brick is 65 years old this year. On January 28, 1958, the company patented its iconic design. Few toys have had the same kind of lasting impact on both children and adults.

There is something about the ability to build whatever you can imagine that makes Lego different from other toys. This ad, from 1968, is a great example of exactly that.

 

"Lego ... the thoughtful toy," the headline reads. I first saw this ad when I came across a post the company shared on LinkedIn. Those three words "the thoughtful toy" are  what makes Lego so beloved as a toy--and as a brand. 

The rest of the ad explains why:

• Give Lego. It's not just another empty-minded amusement. Children can turn these colorful, safe, plastic bricks into factories, skyscrapers, locomotives, merry-go rounds, almost anything imaginable.
• There's a good reason for Lego. Children don't have much chance to think these days, what with all the war equipment, "shooting irons," and monsters they get. Why not give them a Christmas gift that lets them create something? A gift that stretches the imagination, that widens the world they live in.
• A gift that lasts. The perfect gift.
• Give Lego. And let your children explore their dreams.

There is a lot about that ad that I love.  While the distractions might look a little different, the reality is that the case for Lego bricks is mostly the same. You can replace "war equipment, shooting irons, and monsters" with iPhones and Nintendo Switch and whatever else kids obsess over today, but although "toys" look very different,  not much has actually changed. 

Lego's brand, even then, was a toy that facilitates "learning through play." It's something that lets you take an idea in your head and make it real. That hasn't changed.

Lego bricks are a toy, of course, but they are a toy you imagine and build with. And, that imagination doesn't stop just because you reach some arbitrary age. 

The company is always creating new sets, and adding new pieces and technology, but a Lego brick today will always fit with one from 1958.

The brand has been so beloved for so long because every time a parent passes along a set of bricks to their child, they pass along all of the imagination and memories.

Lego bricks are still something that engages children and adults alike as they explore their dreams and their imagination. It's why--even today--a Lego brick is the same thoughtful toy it was 65 years ago.

Adapted from Inc.

 

Learn from our cruise mistakes (video)

 

You can also watch this video by clicking on the Play Button

The easiest way to travel full time?

Austin Wells loves to travel the world but he doesn’t like long flights or jet lag. That’s why, Wells, who is 28 and lives in San Diego, leased a residence on board a luxury boat for 300,000 dollars.

He will move and work remotely from the cruise for at least three years as it sails around the world. It comes complete with medical services, a farmer’s market, private kitchens, an exercise center, 24-hour room service, a co-working space and a spa.

His room is on a mega cruise ship named the MV Narrative, made up of more than 500 private rooms and apartments, which will be home to around 1,000 residents who will live on board permanently.

Wells — whose job at Meta’s augmented and virtual reality division, Reality Labs, is fully remote — will work U.S. West Coast hours when the ship sets sail in Europe in 2025. That will result in working some very unsociable hours, including late evenings and early mornings.

"But I will be able to see a city noon to afternoon and then start my workday around 6 or 7 p.m." he told CNBC.

• What is the MV Narrative?

 The MV Narrative is an upscale residential ship now under construction in Split, Croatia, from where it will set sail in 2025.

There will be 11 types of residences on board, with the largest — “Global” at 200 square meters — on two levels, with up to four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large balcony, a dining room that seats six and a walk-in closet.

Some apartments will be on a deck with a Champagne and whisky bar, cigar lounge and a small pool.

Other facilities will include 20 restaurants and bars, a 1,000-square-meter gym and spa open 24 hours a day, three swimming pools, a school, library, bank and office spaces. The ship will also have a theater for performances and movies.

The MV Narrative will dock at ports for around three to five days, which is longer than average for liners, allowing residents to explore.

A sample itinerary will include three days docked in Rome, then three days in Naples, followed by stops at smaller places such as the seaside towns of Sapri and Marsala, and reaching Venice before sailing on to Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Greece and then Turkey.

The ship will also go to the Arctic Circle. In total, it will spend three years or so traveling the world

• What it costs

Wells spent around $300,000 on a 12-year lease for an entry-level “Discover” studio, which at 25 square meters includes a foldaway bed,  desk and separate shower room.

Most leases are either for 24 years or for the life of the vessel — around 60 years.

The MV Narrative is more affordable than other residential boats. The World, for example, is a lavish liner where a penthouse apartment costs around $20.5 million dollars, and there are only around 150-200 people on board at any time.

While the MV Narrative’s units are still pricey — at around $1 million to $8 million for a life-of-vessel lease —it launched fractional ownership options in November 2022, with a 25% share starting at around $600,000, allowing residents to stay on board for three months a year.

“All-inclusive living fees” start at around $2,100 a person per month, covering things like food and drinks from the ship’s restaurants and bars, laundry, fitness classes and medical checkups.

• Who’s buying

Austin Wells will be one of the youngest adult residents on board — around 30 years old when he moves in. Residents will range from mid-life entrepreneurs to families with children.

Children can attend the ship’s “world schooling” program, which blends online learning with small group teaching, field trips and workshops with experts from the countries the ship docks at.

Retirees and those close to retirement are also buying apartments. One future resident is an ER nurse with about 30 years of working experience who will work in the MV Narrative’s medical team part time.

Adapted from CNBC