Hyundai says it’s changing its corporate culture, top to bottom
Automotive News reports that Hyundai plans major changes and technology plays a big role in the transformation. In November, Hyundai converted its old vehicle presentation space into a virtual reality auditorium for viewing realistic 3D virtual models. It allows design teams in Europe, America and South Korea to simultaneously work on the same project. Going virtual is already helping speed the design process by doing away with costly and time-consuming clay models. – ANN
Alabama author sheds light on dark side of gig economy
The side hustle. That’s the slang most used for work created by the so-called “gig” economy, where driven millennials have the freedom of going from temporary gig to temporary gig without being tied down to their parent’s 9-5 grind. It’s supposed to be the next big shift in the world economy, though recently studies that have shown gig economy jobs exploding have been revised to say the growth has just been modest. – AL.com
Stovehouse heating up in Huntsville
When developer Danny Yancey was approached about buying the massive old Martin Stove building in Huntsville, he had to give it some thought. “My first response was, ‘What in the world am I going to do with it?’” Yancey said. He walked around and looked at the “bones” of the 226,000-square-foot building on Governors Drive between Memorial Parkway and I-565. He learned about large-scale industrial redesign projects called adaptive reuse, such as Ponce City in Atlanta. He did marketing studies. “The vision started coming to me,” he said. – AL.com
Renaissance Riverview Plaza gets top Marriott nod
Marriott International says its Riverview Renaissance Plaza hotel in Mobile has won top internal honor among Marriott’s North American properties. According to a Marriott announcement on Friday, the Riverview has been picked as the 2018 Marriott Franchise Hotel of the Year among Marriott’s Distinctive Premium Hotels in North America. – AL.com
Opinion piece delves into annual theater of core curriculum
One of the definitions of “farce” is “an empty or patently ridiculous act, proceeding or situation.” I can think of no better example than the effort by Sen. Del Marsh to repeal the Alabama College & Career Ready standards. First, Marsh was a staunch supporter of these standards. In an article by the Business Council of Alabama on April 23, 2013, describing a capitol rally in support of the standards, Marsh is quoted as telling reporters that any repeal effort was “off the table.” But times, and political aspirations, have a way of changing. – Alabama Political Reporter
Attorney general praises officers for being tough on bingo
Alabama’s attorney general is praising local law officers for shutting down what he called illegal electronic bingo halls in Walker County. Law officers recently seized 40 electronic bingo machines and other evidence from a Jasper business, The Daily Mountain Eagle reported . Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith said he and Carbon Hill Police Chief Eric House have also approached Carbon Hill businesses conducting similar games to tell them they were illegal. – WTVA
Google adds snakes to map app for April Fool’s
Remember Snake? It’s back — in Google Maps form! Snake, the iconic Nokia game first introduced on the Nokia 6110 in 1997, has been reimagined for Google Maps in celebration of April Fool’s Day. You can play it on iOS and Android versions of the Google Maps app. Just touch the sidebar option on the left side of the search bar and you’ll see the “Play Snake” option. – CNET
New Jeep Gladiator JT pickup can top $50K with options
Overheard on the floor of the 2018 Los Angeles auto show moments after the 2020 Jeep Gladiator JT pickup was revealed: “Cool, but I bet it will cost at least fifty grand.” Thankfully we’re not the betting type, because Jeep just announced official Gladiator pricing and the opening ante is $35,050 for the Gladiator Sport, just $2010 more the $33,040 MSRP of the Wrangler Sport. While it will be possible to option a Gladiator past the $50K mark, even the top-level Gladiator Rubicon starts off lower than that. – Car & Driver
