Tag Archives: Herb

Business

Herb Kohler, billionaire heir to Wisconsin faucet fortune, dies at 83

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The emphasis of the Kohler brand during his tenure was design. Kohler accelerated the company’s strategy of bringing the cyclical design fads, wide color choices and luxury add-ons of the auto industry to what had been a humdrum household fixtures market.

According to the company, Kohler was generating $6 billion in annual revenue the year Herb Kohler stepped down in 2015, up from $133 million when he began. Last year, it reported $8 billion in revenue.

During his tenure, Kohler acquired several firms and rivals: Baker furniture, McGuire Furniture and Sterling Faucet, along with motor and generator manufacturers. But he was best-known for the “Bold Look of Kohler” campaign, which brought avocado green and harvest gold appliances to the kitchen, and later introduced entirely voice-activated bathrooms.

In 1981, he also created the American Club Resort, located in Kohler, Wisconsin, a five-diamond, five-star resort as a way to expand into the hotel business. It was built on the location of what had been housing for the company’s workers in the early 20th century.

Kohler himself was known for trying out the company’s whirlpools, taste-testing Kohler candy and creating and playing on all of the golf courses, even importing a strain of black sheep common to Ireland to make one course seem more authentic.

A passionate golfer, Kohler built four courses in Wisconsin and eventually brought the Ryder Cup to its Whistling Straits course in Sheboygan in 2019.

Kohler was founded in 1873 by Herb Kohler’s grandfather, John Michael Kohler, an Austrian immigrant, along with Charles Silberzahn, who later sold his minority share. It remains remains privately held and family owned.

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Technology

Pokémon Scarlet/Violet Reveals Wild New Items And Cyclizar

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Screenshot: The Pokémon Company / Kotaku

Three months out from release, there’s still a ton about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet we don’t know, but a new trailer shown during the 2022 World Championship sheds a little more light how the Gen 9 games will shake up the competitive scene in some big ways. Plus, in addition to details on a bunch of new items and Terastal transformations, we also got our first look at everyone’s favorite new big boy lizard, Cyclizar, who may or may not evolve into the game’s colorful legendary mounts.

But first, the new battle mechanics. Here’s a quick breakdown of new tactics that will be available to Scarlet and Violet players this fall:

  • Terastallizing changes a Pokémon’s type to its hidden Tera-type
  • Tera Blast is a Normal-type attack learned from a TM that changes to the Tera-type during transformation
  • New held item Mirror Herb matches an opponent’s stat boost once per battle
  • New held item Covert Cloak protects Pokémon from additional move effects
  • New held item Loaded Dice makes multi-strike moves hit more times
  • New move Shed Tail creates a decoy while your Pokémon switches with one on the bench

The items especially are a big deal. Mirror Herb will make opponents think twice about burning a turn on moves like Sword Dance, while Loaded Dice will make moves like Bullet Seed much more powerful, adding to the arsenal of an extremely competitive sleep doctor like Breloom.

The Terastal transformations are also a big deal. The trailer seems to confirm that you won’t need to waste space on a held item to use Terastallize during battle, and Tera Blast is a good example of what can make the mechanic a game changer. In the trailer, a Tyranitar starts out as a Rock/Dark type, switches to Ghost-type after Terastallizing, and then unleashes a Ghost-type attack with Tera Blast. In addition it changing its damage type, it also suddenly gains the upper hand against its natural foes like Bug and Fighting types.

That has a bunch of players excited for the new strategic possibilities in Gen 9, but the trailer also unleashed a torrent of fan theories around Cyclizar. The Dragon and Normal-type is native to the Paldean region and has a Twisted Metal-style wheel appendage to carry trainers long distances. It also looks a hell of a lot like Koraidon and Miraidon, the Scarlet and Violet-exclusive legendary Pokémon who were previously revealed to double as player mounts.

This has led some fans to speculate that Cyclizar may have a split-evolution, and actually transform into either Koraidon or Miraidon at some point. Others have postulated that given hints around Scarlet and Violet involving time travel, Cyclizar may actually be the present-era form, while Koraidon is the ancient form and Miraidon is the version that exists in the future. Time-based variant forms of other Pokémon have already been reported to exist in the recent batch of massive leaks, so there are a lot of possibilities.

Whatever Cyclizar’s backstory turns out to be, it’s providing more productive fodder for fans than the alternative: once again bashing Pokémon’s graphics. Some players are already poring over the latest trailer and complaining about some of the aesthetic trade-offs compared to Sword and Shield. There’s also some frustration that the new games don’t appear to be as free-flowing in camera and character movements during battle as Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Of course, people were worried Arceus would be a disaster too, only for it to win fans over once it was finally out.

     

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Technology

Best Buy Labor Day sale live now: SSDs, TVs, indoor herb kits and more

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Labor Day sales are upon us, and Best Buy is one of the biggest stores getting in on the deals action this holiday weekend. The annual Best Buy Labor Day sale is live now through Monday, Sept. 6, giving you three days to take advantage of discounts on fast solid-state drives, 4K TVs, home appliances and more. 

Whether you’re looking to upgrade your gaming setup, invest in new workout equipment or pick up a pair of noise-canceling headphones, you’ve got plenty of options here, and we’ve rounded up some of our top picks below.

Read more: Best Labor Day sales happening now

Best Buy Labor Day sale: Best deals

Best Buy

This 65-inch Sony X85J 4K TV is a full $600 off for Labor Day, with Best Buy dropping its price to an even $1,000. It comes equipped with two HDMI 2.1 ports for 4K and 120Hz gaming, making this TV a great, budget-friendly alternative for PS5 and Xbox Series X owners not looking to spend over $1,000. It also comes with the Google TV smart platform built-in, for access to all of the top streaming services.

Bowflex

The Bowflex Treadmill 22 wins out as our favorite treadmill of 2021, and it’s $900 off this weekend. It features a 22-inch adjustable touchscreen that lets you follow along to trainer-led workouts, a large incline of up to 20%, and a spacious 22-inch-wide by 60-inch-long running path with shock-absorbing cushions underneath. It’s a beast of a treadmill at 85 inches long, 40 inches wide and over 300 pounds, so be sure you have an area big enough to store it where it won’t often need to be moved around.

David Carnoy/CNET

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly pair of noise-canceling headphones and don’t mind an on-ear fit, the Beats Solo Pro are worth considering at $130 off this weekend. Though a headphone cable isn’t included for wired listening, the Beats Solo Pro are stylish, comfortable headphones with solid noise cancellation and good battery life. Their implementation of always-on Siri is a handy feature as well.

Read our Beats Solo Pro review.

 

AeroGarden

If you’ve ever had the fantasy of growing your own herbs but don’t have space for an outdoor garden, the AeroGarden Sprout herb kit is a great place to get started. It comes with three seed pods containing basil, parsley and dill, which grow naturally in water without the need for soil or direct sunlight. Setup is simple, and there are other pod options you can buy if you want to keep growing other things — you can also experiment and use your own seeds, so there’s plenty of long-term use to get out of this kit.

Best Buy

This 27-inch curved gaming monitor has all you need to dive into PC gaming. The MSI Optix features a 1440p resolution, 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, balancing high speed with stunning resolution. It also comes with AMD FreeSync support to prevent stuttering and tearing.

Apple

For iPad owners, the Apple Pencil is a handy accessory that makes precision drawing, writing, note taking, photo editing and other activities much easier. Its pressure-sensitive tip helps ensure your work comes out looking like you want it to, with a simple double tap letting you switch between tools. The Apple Pencil magnetically attaches to your iPad and charges wirelessly. At $99, it’s returned to its lowest price ever.

Best Buy

If you’re ready to upgrade your sound system, look no further than the Samsung Q65T Soundbar. It comes with a wireless rear speaker kit that enhances sound no matter where you are. And with Game Pro mode, you’ll have quality sound that focuses on gameplay while minimizing distractions from crosstalk. Using this sound system is simple — with one remote, you can control your soundbar and Samsung TV easily.

Samsung

This 8.7-inch tablet is perfect for anyone looking for quality specs and optimal performance on the go. The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite has 32GB of storage and runs on Android 11. For $130, this tablet is a great option for an all-in-one device for simplified entertainment.

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Sports

Derrick Lewis explains extra punches after Curtis Blaydes knockout: ‘That’s not my fault, that’s Herb Dean’s fault’

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Derrick Lewis finished Curtis Blaydes in the UFC Vegas 19 main event with one of the most vicious uppercuts in the history of the promotion. But he also landed a couple of extra punches afterward.

Blaydes was already unconscious from the initial impact of the punch as Lewis stuffed a takedown attempt with his fist. But the fight wasn’t over just yet – Lewis jumped down to land two more shots before referee Herb Dean was able to rush into stop the fight with the end coming at the 1:26 mark of the second round.

Afterward, Lewis was shouting at Blaydes’ corner, but it turns out the verbal exchange had nothing to do with any kind of ill feelings or personal grudge being settled in the cage.

“Because his corner, his coaches was talking about, ‘That was bullsh*t.’ I was saying that’s not my fault, that’s Herb Dean’s fault,” Lewis said at the UFC Vegas 19 post-fight press conference.

“I’m going to keep fighting until the referee pulls you off. That’s with anyone. Same thing could happen to me. I’m going to just keep fighting until the referee says stop.”

While there are a long list of highlights that feature one-punch walk off knockouts, Lewis promises that’s never going to be him because he’s just not built that way.

His argument comes from the instructions issued to athletes prior to the event where they are told to continue fighting until the referee tells them to stop. Lewis said that’s what he is always going to do even if it appears his opponent is clearly not mounting a comeback.

“I can’t just turn the switch off just like that,” Lewis said. “I know some fighters could do that, but I can’t do that. I’ve got to wait until the referee pulls you off them, cause you never know what happens. Anything can happen.

“He could turn into ‘Undertaker’ and sit straight up and eat all those shots. You never know. You’ve got to keep going until the referee says chill out.”

The finish also tied Lewis for the most knockouts in UFC history alongside former champion Vitor Belfort with 12 overall.

Entering the record books was the least of his concerns when the fight started as Lewis explained that he felt sluggish during the opening round and he was struggling to get going.

“I couldn’t wake up in there really,” Lewis said. “Like the whole time in the back, the walk to the octagon, the first and second round, my body couldn’t just wake up. I don’t know why. I just didn’t have it today, the energy that I needed to have. I wanted to be more explosive in the first but I couldn’t just pull the trigger.

“But all I was waiting on was just for him to shoot. I didn’t care about anything else. I was just waiting on him to shoot. Throw the uppercut or knee. We knew it was coming.”

Prior to the takedown attempt that led to the knockout, Lewis saw Blaydes starting to find more confidence in his striking, and that only fueled his desire for the finish that much more.

“At the end of the first round I’m like, ‘He’s messing up,’” Lewis said. “That’s what I was saying in my head. His coach was trying to pump his head up – ‘Good, you’re doing good’ –and I’m like all right, keep playing that game. That’s what I was saying to myself.

“Then the second round came and I figured he was going to come out and stand up a little bit, then he was going to try to shoot. I just had to be patient.”

The game plan worked perfectly as Lewis was just waiting for Blaydes to finally make his move, and that’s when he dropped the bomb that ended the fight.

“That’s what we’ve been drilling all month,” Lewis said about his uppercut. “Really 12 weeks, really, trying to get prepared for this guy.”

It obviously paid off as Lewis built his winning streak to four overall while adding Blaydes to the long list of fighters who made the mistake of testing the power of “The Black Beast.”

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