Last week I had to send some documents to Bangladesh -- a small third world nation, 8K miles from the US. Quite far, right! If you thought there were no shipping services from the US to Bangladesh, think again. There is! FedEx operates there and much like the US they have big office spaces, employees, pickups, and drivers, there too!

With no other option on hand, I went to FedEx to ship the documents. As soon as I entered a young employee greeted me. I informed him that I had some documents that needed to be shipped.

He asked back, ‘Where’?

‘Bangladesh’, I said.

He looked with utter amazement. ‘Where’? He asked again!

‘It’s a small country besides India’, I said.

‘O! near Russia’? he frowned!

I was baffled by his lack of geographical knowledge. Or has he been watching too much of CNN lately?!

Puzzled, I handed him the documents which were in a clear report cover. He asked me whether there were any passports or credit cards inside. I politely answered, ‘No’. He said he still needed to check the documents! I nodded my head in the affirmative. He started browsing every single page of the 35+ pages. I stood still, awed and terrified waiting for his examination to be over – a horrible, lengthy experience!

Soon after his examinations were done the documents were weighed inside a FedEx envelope.
‘1.4 lb., will go out tonight and reach Dhaka in 3 days, fee $122.69’, he looked at me!
‘That’s expensive’, I could not help but exclaim!

The FedEx envelope made of heavy cardstock paper seemed to weigh a ton! I asked him if there was a cheaper option, even if that meant the package got delivered a couple days later. He replied quickly. No, and asked me to come to the other side of the counter. The screen showed another option -- 7 days later but it was the same exact rate, $122.69. Really, FedEx!!

With no other real option, I paid the charge with my new Chase Reserve card (the only consolidation of the already horrible trip). I smirked to the idea of how Airposted started, from the same problem – the hassle and high costs of shipping! Even shipping paper is so expensive - it surprises me.

I do not blame FedEx for charging their customers so high. After all, they must! They must pay for their huge offices, shipping and distribution centers, pickup and drop off locations, planes, ships, trucks, cars and thousands and thousands if not millions of employees. The list goes on and on. I don’t blame them at all!

But when you compare their fee(s) with a person’s airfare it shocks me. A one-way airfare to Bangladesh costs $550 roughly and if you carried 4 of these ‘1.4-pound documents’ you could well make up for all the fare!

Enter Airposted! A tech startup that is trying to change the way products is shipped around the world. A simple concept, connecting people who are traveling to people with shipping needs.

People traveling carry items and get paid for carrying them which offsets their travel fare. A traveler can typically earn up to $500 every trip and all they need is to just sign up and put their travel dates. (www.airposted.com) After signing up, they can start sending and receiving offers from the thousands of buyers/senders on the platform who requests items.

Both the buyer and traveler are in charge to set a fee that works best for them – Airposted is an open and social platform! Users can message each other within the platform and decide who their best fit is, before confirming a deal and paying. Airposted buyers are always happy since they pay a small shipping fee and deliveries often happen faster than FedEx.

Though there is no ‘send’ option now, there are plans for that. Airposted has a clear vision -- to operate in seven continents with drop-off and pick-up locations. The vision implies on never to own a pickup, plane, ship or rocket!

Sooner or later, these shipping and logistic goliaths will need to surrender to the power and rise of technology and the shared concept. A 200+ Billion-dollar industry is about to get disrupted! A wind of change is coming, a strong, strong gust of wind that will hopefully revolutionize, transform and revitalize the ever-stagnant shipping industry for the better.
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Note: FedEx did deliver my package a day earlier than scheduled!

CES — arguably the biggest event that hosts presentations of new products and technologies in the consumer electronics industry! An annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association that attracts attention from all around the world. It is a showcase of the immortals of the industry.

Amidst hundreds of new, disruptive products showcased at the event I have picked my top five. The five products or technology that I think will reshape the world.

Robots:
CES hinted strongly at a big future for the prospect of robots in your home. Amazon’s Alexa and Google home are trying to better their devices so they can engage in conversations with humans. These voice assistants are the first steps towards the future which robots will dominate. Autonomy is a key defining factor of robotics. The basic idea of a robot — a movable machine that can engage in a communication by decoding a message, can logic, reason and take required actions. It should also be able to assess surrounding conditions.

IDC forecasts that worldwide spending on robotics and related services will hit $188 billion in 2020. Last year saw 128 robotics-related startups pull in $1.95 billion in funding (Katie C., 2017)

Driver-less cars:
Volvo, Tesla, Uber, and Google’s Waymo are all trying to get their first driver-less cars on road, prioritizing safety and efficiency. Uber inked a deal with Volvo in August to purchase 100 cars by the end of the year, the goal of outfitting them with the ride-hail company’s autonomous hardware. Elon Musk has already said that he looks forward to the first autonomous Tesla to travel from LA to New York by end of the year. Certainly, a massive and exciting, next few years for the auto industry!!

Asus’s smartphone that puts AR and VR on your palm:
Asus introduced ZenFone AR, the first phone that doubles down on the future, promising both virtual realities (with Google’s Daydream platform) and augmented reality through Google’s Tango technology. Mark Zuckerberg has already said in public, he considers AR and VR to be the next big things and Asus’s attempt in putting them to every man’s palm are the baby steps.

Honda’s Bike that balances itself:
Honda is making the first ever bike that balances by itself. This will increase safety by many folds while drivers enjoy driving their bikes with more freedom. Everyone had wished for self-balancing bikes but none thought this concept would be a reality this soon.
 
Sony’s Razor thin watch:
The future is here!
Sony introduced their e-think watch concept, which shows time and can change design and color. Outstandingly, the display is razor thin. The wearable market is certainly looking dominant and a fashionista.
 
Final thoughts:
CES 2017 has been a boundless event with tech firms and manufacturing companies showcasing their best products — products that will surely disrupt the coming decades. As we move to the first quarter of the 21st-century things are looking promising and ever more exciting. But there is one major setback — the price tag!
 
The Ewaybot (a 4-feet-tall humanoid) costs roughly $30,000 and the self-driving cars are still without a price tag. The middle classes won’t be able to afford these products any soon like it was for computers. Computers were afforded and popularized nearly 40 years after they were invented. The key — mass production! Like computers, these life changing products are going to need time to be perfected and mass produced, so they can be afforded by the middle class and gain popularity. And that will change and revolutionize the world we live in!
The first quarter of the new millennium is nicely shaping the era — the era of robots, autonomy, and AI.

Image credit:
(Lee, N. 2017), Gizmodo.com, Cnet.com

“Are you paying attention? Good. If you are not reading carefully, you will miss things. Important things. You will not pause, and you will not get interrupted. You think that because you’re sitting where you are, and I am sitting where I am, that you are in control. Think again!

What I will need from you now is a commitment. You will read closely, and you will not judge until I am finished. If you cannot commit to this, then please don’t read. But if you choose to stay, remember you chose to be here. Pay attention, read and understand”!

What do self-driving cars, web search results, industrial robots, face recognition or tumor detection have in common? Artificial Intelligence! The power of computers to logic and reason and then take decisions. Fascinating! Alan Turing credited as the father of AI built the Turing machine during the Second World War in Hut 8, Bletchley Park. That AI machine would go on to break Enigma and reduce the war by at least 2 years, saving millions of lives! Maybe Steve Jobs could not be any surer when asked about how he came up with the logo of Apple Inc.?! I always felt it came from, and resembled the bitten apple (Turing’s last meal)!

It is due to AI that we see friends and page suggestions on our FB or IG page. Thanks to AI, that we have Siri (love it or hate it)! Thanks to AI, Google understands and suggests near perfectly when we search. Thanks to AI, Amazon recommends us items we were thinking of purchasing! The power and scope of AI, much like the internet in the early 90’s is incredible.

Artificial intelligence will fuel the shared, social economy of the future and there is no doubt to it. It will be used for everything in the coming days, from Augmented reality and Wars to the cure for the next epidemic. It will take us humans to a new generation, a generation where our best friends may well be Robots. A generation that will be more individualistic and probability oriented. It may take two or three decades but it will happen! Google Home or Amazon’s Echo are just the first steps towards Home Robots, something that will take over our homes, offices and lives.
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AI has transformed the business world too. Businesses are increasingly using AI to help predict future business sales and production costs unlike ever before — increasing efficiency and reducing human labor costs! Any guess on today’s big tech news? Bridgewater Associates, world’s largest hedge fund is already replacing managers with artificial intelligence software (Solon, O., 2016). The applications and benefits of AI are unbelievable. You just need to observe and absorb its growing significance.

Fifth generation programming languages have contributed significantly in AI research and the BIG 5 tech firms have recently partnered to answer three philosophical questions:

1. Is artificial general intelligence possible? Can a machine solve any problem that a human being can solve using intelligence?
2. Are intelligent machines dangerous? Can a machine intentionally cause harm? (paraphrased)
3. Can a machine have a mind, consciousness, and mental states in the same sense that human beings do? Can a machine be sentient, and thus deserve certain rights? (paraphrased)

Give yourself a second and re-read the questions! Do not read them lightly! Remember, you chose to stay, you chose to read.

We sit on the edge of something extraordinary, something so revolutionary that will reshape the Universe and pave in for changes that now seem impossible!

Hope 2016 was great. What about 2017? How do you want to leave it for 2018? I always believed, your life is a plain canvass and you are the painter. We try to build and better ourselves, bit by bit — every day and every year. And that’s why, ‘It is not important where you start in life but where you end at’!
Here are 8 cool ideas for your New Year’s resolutions.

1. Learn Something New Each Day.
What have you always wanted to learn to do? Learn guitar, cook, speak French, code or be a better dancer? The possibilities are endless. Set few goals apart for the year and give them a realistic time to be achieved. Fortunately, the internet makes it incredibly easy to learn new things.

2. Travel.
This will significantly reduce your stress and rejuvenate your soul and mind! Plan a vacation. Visit a country you’ve always wanted to see. Budget problem? Not anymore! Thanks to Airposted, a peer to peer shipping website, which lets you earn more than $500 every time you travel overseas. The catch? None! Just carry products for people where you are traveling to and earn $$. Once you register you will find these people who requests for products and are ready to pay a courier fee to you for carrying. Carry few products and earn as much as you want!
Visit https://www.airposted.com to register and put up your travel dates when you are ready.

3. Workout and Eat Fewer Calories.
There are many reasons why most of us should set a resolution of working out and eat fewer calories. The most obvious — to look and feel better. You do not need to be a bodybuilder or the strongest person in your gym, but considering this resolution will help you be more happy and confident. Weight loss is a must and planning and eating the right diet will help you achieve remarkable results, both mentally and physically.

4. Set Aside 30 minutes a Day to see where you are in life.
Let’s call this a ‘Recap’ of your day. Think about the progress you are making and the direction you are heading. Stop telling yourself that you do not have enough time. This is a must. More important than picking a hobby or learning something new each day, you should try to set aside 30 minutes every day for yourself. Think, understand and realize what you are up to, if it is what you want and where you would like to be.

5. Stop Procrastinating.
Let 2017 be the year of getting things done, getting them done timely. Do not wait until the last minute! Procrastination is a habit and may take time to go, but let’s start building a routine where we do not procrastinate. It will pay off in the long run!

6. Pick Up a Hobby.
Yes, you read it write! Hobbies can lower your stress levels and boost your brain power. Not my words, science’s! Therefore, in 2017, start a hobby or two.

7. Strengthen Your Personal Relationship.
Don’t make all your resolutions self or career oriented. Include that special someone in your life in your resolutions. Try to spend time with them and let them know how special they are to you. Express yourself!

8. Create a Positive Attitude, it brings peace.
There is an old saying, ‘happiness cannot be bought’. Greet the New Year with a smile. Try to stay positive and optimistic. Scientific studies have shown, optimism makes you more resilient and it can even help you to live longer.
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Remember, a New Year is like a blank canvass? You paint it the way you want! So, plan, be happy and live your best life! Paint it with a bunch of colors and paint it right! Stay happy and life will be a breeze!

1800’s belonged to Industrial Revolution, early 1900’s to the Great Wars and the decades following 1950’s to the PC & Internet. What does the 21st century belong to? Artificial Intelligence, Self-driving cars, Mars expeditions, World Wars, the cure to cancer and HIV or maybe the social, shared economy? While they all can define the century, I think 21st century will impulsively belong to a more shared and social world with AI paving the way.

The dot-com bubble burst welcomed the new millennium, I was in 2nd grade. Every year our school had an interesting policy. Our class sections were changed, dividing all students to promote diversity and friendship. While it helped students to be more social, it also meant parting with your old friends. The only time you could see them in school is during the tiffin break. In a class of 25 and with 5 sections it almost meant you never would sit with your best friend again. I hated it and so did everyone else!

The internet had just launched in Bangladesh at the time and we had dial-up connections. A lot of people were using it. The technology behind internet was fascinating for a third world country, much like the landing on the moon. People were awed by the power and scope of it. Growing up 15000 miles from the US, I was intrigued by the World Wide Web too. Stories of the dot-com boom and giants like Microsoft, Amazon and Google were all that our school’s computer class lectures were about! I always wished we had a way to connect to our old friends through the internet — something like a yearbook but that would be using the internet (free and interactive). Cell phones were just picking up at the time and they were expensive!

Enter 2004–05! It did not take long for my dream to become reality as a sophomore in Harvard developed Facebook and built it into a company that would go onto connecting nearly half the world. Thank you, Mark! Facebook started the revolution of a more social and shared approach to life, and technology startups like Uber and Airbnb soon capitalized. They created a business model that stood on the pillars of sharing and socializing. The concept picked up in no time, it was a win-win for everyone. If one could save some money the other could earn some.

Always fascinated by Facebook, the idea of Airposted came to me in the Summer of 2014. I want Airposted to be the leading social platform for the shipping industry. Using Airposted a shopper will be able to purchase a good from a country where they are the cheapest or uniquely available. Then get them shipped at the most affordable prices — by a traveler heading their way (We all know how expensive FedEx, DHL, and all those traditional shipping services are)! This not only opens new boundaries for unique products, it also aims to end price disparity while travelers get to earn some extra money. According to the Air Transport Action Group, the world’s airlines carried a total of over 3 billion passengers in 2013. Oxford Economics projects significant growth in aviation through 2030, with passenger numbers expected to reach 5.9 billion. There is significant room to run and connect!

Airposted, as the name suggests looks to unite the travel and e-commerce world, building a smooth, easy platform for its users that would potentially revolutionize the ever-stagnant shipping industry. All of this with the help of the social concept, started by Facebook and the shared concept, institutionalized by Uber and Airbnb.
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So, if shared economy is rebuilding the 21st century what will be driving it? Enter Artificial Intelligence.

Though the future is generally hard to predict, a prediction for the shipping industry seems pretty foreseeable! The industry has been untouched since the first man landed on the moon! Yes! Since Armstrong’s visit in 1969! Traditional shipping companies’ monopolistic approach towards the industry hasn’t made it any easier.

Remember Apple Inc.’s famous Super bowl ad in 1984 introducing the Macintosh? It still resonates in millions of hearts! The ad made a statement, “You will see why 1984 won’t be like 1984”! And didn’t the bitten fruit of Eve or the last meal of Alan Turing change the year and the decades forever?!

With the advent of the internet, smartphones, apps, social media and the shared economy — the world has kept on innovating and changing! One had hoped the shipping industry will innovate too — but it looks it has promised not to!

Enter Airposted! Fortunately, like a breath of fresh air, Airposted (a P2P shipping website) has stepped to change the dynamics of the shipping industry — with a vision to simplify shipping through connecting people.

Airposted has a simple and easy to understand user interface, that allows shoppers (users in need to get something from another part of the world) to connect with travelers (users heading their way). Users can create their own profiles, with pictures and blurbs about themselves. Users are also able to message each other and upload their Facebook links, making them more trusted and credible. Airposted finally lets their users make choices — whom to send requests and who not to! A shopper can make offers and counteroffers on the traveler’s carrying fee — with the goal being to settle for a fee that works for both.

Airposted is tackling the shipping industry in a very unique way! They are rewarding their shoppers by putting an end to; price disparity and hassle of overseas shipping. On contrary, travelers are rewarded with the opportunity to earn some extra money for carrying products and making new friends and connections.

The security aspect has been well thought out as well. Airposted uses PayPal to process their user’s payment, making transactions secure. They accept payment by PayPal and any major international debit/credit card. Airposted’s approach to handling shopper’s and traveler’s security also seem legit. It is safe and secure for both parties. Shoppers do not need to worry about their money (once they reach a deal with a traveler and pay for the product, Airposted holds their money in escrow, unless the traveler delivers the product and the shopper has left a feedback). Once feedback is left, the traveler gets their money paid out to their PayPal email linked on file. In case of disputes, email Airposted with your order number and there is an 8 hour get back promise. Sounds great! Right?

With over 25,000 visits in 20 days and shoppers and travelers signed up from more than 15 different countries of the world; Airposted’s idea of a social platform for shoppers and travelers seems to be working! In the current age of Uber, Airbnb, Facebook and shared economy, airposted.com is a must check out site! With a social and shared approach to shipping where both the traveler and shopper gain something — Airposted is making a statement (they are here to stay and revolutionize the shipping industry).

The process of becoming an Airposted shopper or traveler explained:
Airposted, lets a shopper receive almost anything from anywhere in the world at the best prices. International shipping is not only a hassle but expensive and the import charges are often higher than the price of the product itself. Airposted has also made it very easy for its shoppers to pay for the products, once they make a deal with the traveler. Airposted accepts PayPal and all major international debit and credit cards at the moment.

Using Airposted the traveler who carries the product earns extra money too. It could well fund his/her entire trip. Receiving money is also very easy for the traveler. The traveler will be paid out to his/her PayPal account, linked to file. The traveler will receive the full payment (carrying fee + the product price) once he/she successfully delivers the product to the buyer and the buyer leaves feedback. The payout typically takes 2–5 business days from delivery.

As a shopper, you simply search for a product from anywhere in the world, find a traveler, and have it delivered to you. As a traveler, you can list your trip, deliver an item, and earn money. Airposted allows its buyers to purchase products that may or may not be available to them otherwise at a discounted price and guaranteed lower shipping fee. It also allows the traveler to bring back goods from places they go and earn money doing so, consequently making traveling more affordable.

With today’s shared economy and social world, we’re excited to offer a platform that not only enables people to shop for goods and travel the world, but also a means to discover new people and cultures and make lifelong connections.
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Check us out at www.airposted.com

​We’ve all been shipping things around the world through traditional shipping services that take too long and cost too much and we don’t know why. Can you believe the international shipping industry hasn’t been innovated in 50+ years?
 
The team at Airposted has experienced the problem first hand: wanting something from another part of the world but having no way of getting it. Most specifically for me it was a specific brand of cookies I missed from back home (Bangladesh). In today’s shared economy, it only makes sense for a peer to peer shipping platform to exist; a place where buyers can connect with travelers who are willing to bring something over for them.
 
Airposted is Washington, DC based tech startup founded by myself (Rayan) and my two co-founders, Raisa and Mit. It’s a free, online, peer to peer platform that connects shoppers to travelers heading their way. The platform allows a traveler to carry a product for a shopper, while charging the shopper a carrying fee much lower than what they would have paid via traditional shipping services.
 
Airposted launched on Septemer 7, 2016 and the site has already been visited over 6000 times! We’re really excited to see that our first deals are being posted from all over the world — buyers and travelers are signed up from the U.S., Greece, Cambodia, Cyprus and Bangladesh, all in our first week of launch.
 
Whether it’s Swiss chocolates exclusively from Switzerland, the Indian spice that is found only in India, the less expensive international version of a textbook that students struggle to get from the US or a genuine Star Wars poster made in the US, using Airposted, anything and everything can now be accessed and delivered to anyone. We’re on a mission to diminish the hassles of shipping and price disparity that still exists in the world.
 
Read on to understand the process better:
A shopper can receive anything from anywhere in the world, simply by posting their product links while a traveler heading their way can post their trip itineraries and carry the requested item(s) for the shopper. Yes, it’s a simple process that eliminates the hassle of international shipping and the need of having relatives and friends in a country to buy and ship items for you.
Most importantly the platform, lets a shopper receive almost anything from anywhere in the world at the best prices. International shipping is not only a hassle, but expensive and the import charges are often higher than the price of the product itself. Airposted has also made it very easy for its shoppers to pay for the products, once they make a deal with the traveler. Airposted accepts PayPal and all major international debit and credit cards at the moment.
Using Airposted not only can a shopper enjoy the perks of great prices and unique products delivered to them, but the traveler who carries the product earns extra money, which could well fund his/her entire trip. Receiving money is also very easy for the traveler. The traveler will be paid out to his/her PayPal account, linked on file. The traveler will receive the full payment (carrying fee + the product price) once he/she successfully delivers the product to the buyer and the buyer leaves feedback. The payout typically takes 2–5 business days from delivery.
As a shopper, you simply search for a product from anywhere in the world, find a traveler, and have it delivered to you. As a traveler, you can list your trip, deliver an item, and earn money. Airposted allows its buyers to purchase products that may or may not be available to them otherwise at a discounted price and guaranteed lower shipping fee. It also allows the traveler to bring back goods from places they go and earn money doing so, consequently making traveling more affordable.
 
The billions of travelers flying every year all around the world can now be Airposted travelers who make money while traveling. Airposted has taken a unique approach to the whole shipping industry. Even more unique is our approach towards building a social community of trusted shoppers and travelers. Users can create their own profiles, with pictures and blurbs about themselves. Users are also able to message each other and upload their Facebook links, making them more trusted and credible.
 
In today’s shared economy and social world, we’re excited to offer a platform that not only enables people to shop for goods and travel the world, but also a means to discover new people and cultures and make lifelong connections.
 
With a unique approach towards the shipping industry and a vision to make “Shipping
 
Simplified,” it seriously seems like the dark ages of international shipping are finally over.
 
 Check us out at www.airposted.com