✈️ Luxury air

Plus: An in-demand bear in a beanie, the Roman Empire's road network, and more.

Share The Hustle: https://thehustle.co/join?ref=7598767985 Check your referral progress & prizes here 👋  Good morning and goodbye to the Farmers' Almanac, which printed its last magazine edition. The publication has been sharing long-term weather predictions with readers for 208 years, and is one of the oldest sources of weather information in the country. It predicts weather two years in advance using a secret formula, and claims to have an 80%-85% accuracy rate. Good luck figuring out if you need an umbrella in 730 days. P.S. We're off tomorrow in observance of Veterans Day. See you back here on Wednesday. STARTING UP This robotics startup is digging for a labor-shortage solution  ❌   The problem: The construction industry was short ~439k workers at the beginning of this year and 92% of companies in the sector say they're struggling to find new hires. Plus, today's heavy machinery is still largely human-operated.  💡   The pitch: Gravis Robotics wants to turn earthmoving machines into autonomous bots. The Swiss startup's plug-and-play system — a roof-mounted control kit and a touchscreen — allows crews to retrofit existing construction machines.  🚀   The outlook: The system can complete tasks up to 30% faster, according to the startup, and allows operators of any skill level to handle heavy machinery with the push of an on-screen button. The one time kicking your feet up on a job site might be celebrated. NEWS FLASH Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley is back with BeeBot, an iOS app that tells users what's going on nearby, including news, events, and locations and status updates from friends. The NBA joined in a $40m funding round for Fastbreak AI, which makes software for sports organizations to schedule and manage games, travel, ticketing, and more. The company will use the funds to expand its efforts in amateur sports and hire more engineers. Evotrex emerged from stealth mode with its hybrid RV trailer. It features an onboard battery pack that powers its living area, electronics, and motor, but a gas engine that recharges the battery and offers increased range. Metropolis, a startup that uses AI to facilitate automatic parking lot payments, already manages the US's largest parking network and recently raised $1.6B to expand to retailers including gas stations, hotels, restaurants, and offices. PUSH IT A ton of ways to earn some income How many hours a day do you waste scrolling on your phone, staring at a wall, and other things besides getting rich?    Cut fun by 20%, and go in on one of these ASAP. There are so many niches you can start exploring today, and reap massive benefits from later.    Starters you should steal:  Create art, collectibles, and templates to sell on Etsy and Gumroad.  Use AI career tools to assess resumes and match clients with jobs.  Develop a copywriting portfolio and offer your savvy to startups. Learn about AI brand management tools to launch a reputation management business. Build a gift recommendation engine that partners with ecommerce brands. See the full spread   THE BIG IDEA Air travel just got better — for the rich    If you've flown through a major airport recently, you probably know what a pain in the ass it's become to get around — traveler counts are hitting record highs, staffing shortages have slowed operations, and the government shutdown certainly isn't helping.    Plus, airports are getting bigger, and it's made navigating them an often time-consuming, stressful, and physically taxing journey of its own.  Five of the largest global hubs — including Saudi Arabia's King Fahd International (299.6 square miles) and Denver International (53.2) — are all larger than the entirety of Manhattan (22.3).  But for those able to afford it, airports worldwide are rolling out personalized assistance services to help ease some of the headache of getting to your gate, per The Wall Street Journal.    The age of the "mega-airport"   The services are especially helpful for people on tight schedules, traveling with kids, and for the elderly and physically impaired— though they're just as available to those who'd simply rather pay for assistance than deal with the drudgery of walking and lugging their own bags through an airport with everyone else.   They can include help with luggage, expedited security lines, lounge access, personal concierges, and more. Many of the programs don't require a fancy credit card or a first-class ticket, per WSJ, but you might have to pay first-class prices…   Here's a look Delta's VIP Select service provides a guide who will help you with check-in and baggage; complimentary access to Delta's Sky lounges; and a private car that'll drive you straight to the plane (when available). It's offered at 11 US airports, starting at $550 and $100 per additional traveler. Some private concierge services will hold your hand through the entire process: Queen of Clubs, which serves travelers in Europe and beyond, charges $250-$500 per person for curbside greeting and transfer service.   And for the real big spenders (who still fly commercial): The PS brand will bring passengers to a separate terminal where they can go through check-in, security, and customs privately, then be whisked to their plane via private car and enter using the jetway stairs for a PJ-esque experience. It's offered in Los Angeles and Atlanta, with more locations planned — but it'll cost you $1.2k+.  🔗 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED   Why do New York City's train stations now resemble luxury malls? This dive tells us the future of American rail may hinge less on locomotives and more on whether commuters will impulse-shop a $200 rain parka. NEWSWORTHY NUMBER Price of the Starbucks "Bearista" cup that had customers brawling in stores nationwide on Thursday, per The Wall Street Journal. The limited-edition holiday drinkware — a 20-ounce glass cup in the shape of a bear wearing a green beanie — sold out almost instantly, leaving enough shoppers empty-handed and disappointed that the company issued an apology for the emotional distress it had caused.  For those still hoping to get their paws on one, the too-cute-to-handle container is now reselling on sites like eBay for $200+. AROUND THE WEB 📺  On this day: In 1969, "Sesame Street" premiered. Creator Joan Ganz Cooney wanted to help kids prep for kindergarten with entertaining, educational content, and hired puppeteer Jim Henson to create the memorable cast of characters. 🎵  Game: Doodle to make music. ⌚  Useful: Sync time zones. 📍  That's cool: A study mapped the Roman Empire's full road network, including 68k+ miles that were previously unknown. 🐶  Aww: New friend unlocked. SHOWER THOUGHT   There comes a point where a person goes from "old enough to know better" to "too old to know better." SOURCE Today's email was brought to you by Juliet Bennett Rylah, Sara Friedman, and Singdhi Sokpo. Editing by: Ben "Stuck in boarding group E" Berkley.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. Working on something big? We've got a whole library of business-building resources for you. 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