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Articles by Jack Strauss
Forgepoint's AI Quoting Software Gives Manufacturers an Inside Sales Rep Called Frank
Forgepoint, a New York startup whose AI assistant Frank prepares and sends quotes for manufacturers, has raised a $9.8 million seed round led by Primary Venture Partners and a16z speedrun, Andreessen Horowitz's program for early-stage startups. Angel investors from OpenAI, Brex, Vercel and SoFi also took part. Forgepoint reached seven-figure annual recurring revenue within six months of launching Frank, and hundreds of engineers, estimators and sales reps now use it each week.
The case of the holey corpse
Sneaky Sammy had a long-standing feud going with Willie the Weasel. Instead of burying the hatchet, however, Sammy decided to bury Willie. Slipping into his apartment one afternoon, he found Willie lying on a couch — with his eyes closed — and pumped five bullets into his back. Actually, Sammy had wasted his time — as well as his bullets — since Willie had died several hours earlier of natural causes.
The case of the no account bank robber
Leroy had his own idea on how to withdraw money from a bank. Carrying a small satchel, he ambled up to the window and handed the teller a note informing him that he had enough dynamite in the bag to bring down the Tower of London. And, if the teller didn’t give him $10,000, he would drop the satchel and everyone in the bank would meet their maker. Not wishing to meet that fate, the teller passed the note to the head teller, and pretty soon, everyone knew a bank robbery was in progress.
The case of the deadly credit card
Charley was the first person to put his hand in his pocket — and the last to take it out. He was a cheapskate. Then, he applied for a credit card and his world changed. Whenever he went into the liquor store, he no longer had to part with greenbacks to pay for a drink. All he had to do was present his credit card and sign his name. The result? He began to drink like it was going out of style.
The case of the dangerous glass of wine
Marvin had several decisions to make, so he decided to stop at his favorite bar-restaurant to drink it over. And, after downing a glass of wine, he decided to have a second glass — which shattered his thoughts. As he lifted the glass, it suddenly broke and cut his hand badly, causing the blood to flow like wine. And, in due course, Marvin sued the owner the establishment for him a defective glass of wine. “That’s insulting!,” insisted the restaurateur.
Can Digitalization Foster Sustainable Financial Inclusion? Opportunities for Both Banks and Vulnerable Groups
5. Conclusions In this paper, we contribute to the effects of digital development from banks on sustainable financial inclusion and examine how digitalization affects sustainable financial inclusion through banks’ behavior. The basic model results show a robust positive effect of digitalization on sustainable financial inclusion, and the mechanism model indicates the significant profit-driven and risk aversion behavior of banks.
The case of Hop-a-long Harry
It appeared “Hop-a-long” Harry didn’t show much horse sense when he decided to vacation at a dude ranch one summer. Never having even been on a horse before, he went galloping off into the wild blue yonder when the animal suddenly threw him skyward out of the saddle, causing Harry to break his leg. Two years later, “Hop-a-long” decided to try to do it again. Vacationing at the same dude ranch, he was once again thrown from his saddle when his horse ... it was believed ...
The case of the boozy buddies
Larry and George were boozing buddies who knew each other as elbow benders in a local bar. When they hoisted one too many, however, they were known to get into heated arguments. One afternoon, one of those confrontations got so heated that Larry pulled out a gun and waived it at George. Fortunately for George, however, the booze consumed by Larry presented him with a choice of targets. He saw three images of George — and pulled the trigger.
The case of the nonchalant robber
Harvey enjoyed his freedom — the power to do as he pleased — subject only to the restrictions placed upon him by his wife, his boss, the cops, the government, his friends, relatives and his neighbors. Consequently, when Harvey was deprived of his much-cherished freedom, and was locked up in jail for six months, he developed a simple plan.
The case of the drowned pilot
Harold would have been better off had he gotten his wings from God instead of the Civil Air Patrol. During a routine flight, his plane’s engine began to sputter and he had no choice but to make a forced landing over water. And, while he made a perfect three point landing, he would have been happier if he could have been able to switch his pilot’s wings for a pair of water wings, after treading water for three hours, he finally succumbed to Poseidon, God of the Sea. He drowned.
The case of the public-spirited citizen
Two police officers set up a radar trap to catch those motorists who slowed down only when they were behind a hearse. But, they failed to catch one single speeder after sitting silently in their patrol cars for more than an hour. So, the two police officers became suspicious and decided to investigate the unusual happenstance.
The case of the philandering husband's check
Philandering Phil was a married man who believed in life, liberty and the pursuit of beautiful women. And, to stamp his zeal of approval on one beauty who he had been having an affair with, he gave her a check on a joint account he held with his wife for a whopping sum of money. When she attempted to cash the check at Phil's bank, however, an alert teller smelled a rat -- namely Phil -- and called Phil's wife and asked her if he should cash the check. "On the pain of death," responded Phil's wife.
The case of the hitchhiker with a gun
Harry, a salesman, was driving along a highway when he came upon Frank, a hitchhiker with an educated thumb. Without ado, Harry stopped his car and welcomed Frank aboard his vehicle. After driving a few miles, Harry stopped his car at a diner and bought lunch for him and his passenger, who appeared down and out.
The case of besieged umpire
When it came to umpires, Harry -- a baseball manager -- considered George to be no gem on the diamond. In fact, when his team was at bat, Harry accused George of calling more strikes than a labor leader. And in doing so, he enraged his team's loyal fans so much that when George left the ballpark, he needed a police escort to do it.
The case of the battered baseball fan
Martha was an elderly lady who enjoyed going to baseball games. Unfortunately, she went to a doubleheader one afternoon and returned home feeling like she had two heads. A flyball landed in her box and it seemed like the entire stadium of fans poured into her box after the ball. Flattened under the onslaught of fans, Martha sued the baseball team for the multiple injuries she received.
The case of the nutty neighbor
While it takes approximately five years to produce a nut, Walter had a neighbor whose shade tree produced a nut in only half that time -- namely Walter. The tree drove him absolutely bananas as its spreading branches ... year after year ... cast more and more of a shadow over his house until it covered his entire building. And, in desperation, Walter finally ended up in court demanding his neighbor, Mr. Smith, be ordered to cut down the invading tree.
The case of the big sting
While Willie was out driving with the love of his life, Edna Carroll, he heard a buzzing in his ear and it didn't come from his honey. It came from a fuzzy little insect that stings its supper that had flown into his car ... a bee. And, as it kept buzzing around Willie's head ... in a menacing manner ... Willie kept flailing at the bee with one hand while attempting to steer the car with the other. The result? All of Willie's frantic flailing proved to no avail.
The case of the thumb-twiddling top executive
George patted himself on the back when he signed a five-year contract to act as a top executive with the Rauch company at a fat salary. Rolling up his sleeves, George was ready to get to work, but had to roll them back down again since he was never assigned any work to do.
The case of the NOT-So barren bride
Sarah was in love with Harold for many years but refused to marry him because she believed she could not have any children. That is, until she went to see Dr. Jones, who assured her belief was unfounded. That, in fact, she could have an ingratitude of children. Whereupon, Sarah and Harold got married and she began anticipating the arrival of the stork, but, her shape of things to come never came. Sarah retained her 36-24-36 shapely, hour-glass figure and sued Dr. Jones for damages.
The case of the Golden Swindle Award
Herman was a scientist who received grants of large sums of money from the United States government to conduct research related to human and animal behavior. What he didn't anticipate receiving, however, was a "Golden Swindle Award," which is handed out annually by Senator Smith. In substance, the award was given by the senator to anyone he considered to have swindled the United State government out of money to conduct worthless research.
The case of the wacky husband
When Charlotte was sitting on her rocker during knitting, her husband, Rufus, was sitting nearby going off his rocker. Suddenly, he got up, went to the kitchen, obtained a big butcher's knife and, suffering from a split personality, cleaved his wife in two. Thereafter, an accredited psychiatrist found Rufus to be a very mentally disturbed man and sent him away to the Funny Farm for treatment and a cure.
The case of the sober drunk
Ike and Nike formed a business partnership that soon began making money like it was a subsidiary for Fort Knox. Unfortunately, shortly after the money began rolling in, Mike had to be rolled in also. He began drinking booze to the point where Mike became a fall-down alcoholic.
The case of the knocked out rube
Harold discovered that amusement parks weren't very amusing. At 16 years old, he took his girlfriend to a play land and, to show off his manliness, he inserted a coin in a punching bag device -- which was promoted as a test of strength -- and punched the bag as hard as he could. What Harold didn't figure on, however, was that the punching bag might punch back! And that's exactly what happened. If the punching bag was struck hard enough, a bell was supposed to ring.
The case of the extremely thrifty wife
Alice was tall, dark and beautiful, but those weren't her only virtues. After many years of being married to Wilbur -- with no money of income of her own -- she managed to purchase two income pieces of property, seemingly out of a hat. And, while Houdini might have had difficulty trying to figure out how she did it -- with no money or income of her own -- Wilbur was determined to uncover her apparent slight of hand.
The Case of Grimms' Fairy Tales
A television station came up with an idea for a reality show to end all reality shows, which was reminiscent of the morbid and macabre Frankenstein and Dracula movies of the 1930s. It sought to cover, live, from a state penitentiary coverage of an execution. And, while it was uncertain how the "show" would do in the Nielsen Ratings, state officials considered the idea a bummer and turned a thumbs down on the whole idea.
The case of the booze drinking employee
Barney went to the company picnic and while he knew how to say good-bye, he didn't know when to say good-bye. The result? Finding hard drinking the easiest thing to do, he made the picnic a real alcoholic day by challenging a fellow employee to see which one of the two could drink the other under the table. Barney, unfortunately, won the battle, but lost the war.
The Case of the Emperor's New Clothes
Barney was an enterprising businessman who could probably sell fleas to a dog. What he chose to sell, however, was an "invisible" swim suit aid that was merely an inflatable wrap-around that prevented a swimmer from sinking. And he promoted it like it was the greatest thing in the water since Ester Williams, a 1940-50s movie star who spent most of her screen time in the aqua. It was the use of the word "invisible," however, that got Barney into trouble.
The Case of the Hay Fever Sneezin'
Harold greeted the hay fever season by sneezin'. Unfortunately, he was behind the wheel of his car and plowed the vehicle into the rear of Hazel's new slinky convertible. As a result, Hazel ricocheted around the inside of her car like a pinball ... bouncing off one bumper after another ... and when she finally stopped bouncing, she sued Harold for her multiple injuries.
The case of the constitutional conflict
Peter was a firm believer in honesty, but he was too busy embezzling his company's funds to practice his belief. A serious constitutional conflict developed, however, when an alert U.S. Internal Revenue agent discovered Peter's opinion that the Lord helps those who help themselves and charged him with the crime of failing to pay income taxes on the money he had embezzled from his company.
The Case of the Nutty Juror
While driving along a highway one morning, Hector had presence of mind but, absence of body would have been better. Both he and his car ended up in first crash condition when his car and George's car collided head on. Badly injured in the mishap, Hector sued George for his injuries and for the damage to his car. As fate would have it, however, Hector was about as lucky in court as he had been on the highway.
The Case of the Meddling Mother
While love may be blind, Alvin's more sophisticated mother wasn't. Consequently, when Rodney came home, one day, and announced that he had become engaged to Bubbles... whom is mother considered to be a real "ding-a-ling"...his mother blew her cork. "For a bright boy like you", she roared at him, "you're pretty stupid. That girls been on more laps than a napkin.
WHAT'S THE LAW: The case of the sudden space trip
The night was clear but the road was dark as Huey drove home from his vacation. And, for 12 miles, the state maintained highway -- which was several hundred feet above the sea level -- had been as straight as a church minister. But then, much to Huey's chagrin, Huey and the highway suddenly parted company. Without warning, the road curved at an 80 degree angle and Huey shot off into space like he was headed for Mars.
WHAT'S THE LAW: The case of the mathematical employee
Hennessy wasn't a mathematician, but one might conclude otherwise taking into account that he spent so much of his time drinking Three Feathers, Four Roses and Seven Crown. He was even ready to drink Beethoven's Fifth, but he could never find it. What he did find, however, was that his boozing landed him in jail when he was sentenced to the lock-up for 30 days on charges of public intoxication. And, if that wasn't bad enough, his boss fired him for being in the can instead of at work.
WHAT'S THE LAW: The case of the embarrassed tennis star
Ted was a handsome and highly popular tennis player who lost a match by a score that he considered embarrassing. What he considered even more embarrassing, however, was what women were wearing on their rear ends. Horace, the manufacturer of lady's unmentionables, decided it was good promotional idea to reproduce a newspaper story of Ted's tennis loss -- together with his picture -- on a pair of lady's panties.
The case of the embarrassed tennis star
Ted was a handsome and highly popular tennis player who lost a match by a score that he considered embarrassing. What he considered even more embarrassing, however, was what women were wearing on their rear ends. Horace, the manufacturer of lady's unmentionables, decided it was good promotional idea to reproduce a newspaper story of Ted's tennis loss -- together with his picture -- on a pair of lady's panties.
WHAT'S THE LAW: The case of the hobnobbing felon
Rocky was tickled pink when he received a cell-out. He was granted a parole from a long jail sentence with the proviso that his pardon would be revoked if ever he associated with other ex-convicts. And, as fate would have it, the only job Rocky could nail down was as a waiter in a night club where several other waiters were ex-convicts. The result?
The case of the dogmatic dog
Whenever a stranger would approach the Smith home, the Smith dog "George" thought it was dinner time. Dispensing with the unnecessary preliminaries such as growling and snapping, he'd immediately try to munch on the stranger. Deciding against destroying his ravenous animal or having his visitors devoured, Mr. Smith decide to give George to a friend who lived several miles away in the boondocks. Unfortunately for Mr. Smith, however, his problems with George didn't end there.
The case of the kidnaped deadbeat
Hubert started a new business and began making money like he was printing it. And, in keeping with his new found wealth, he purchased a new and very expensive automobile on an installment plan. But then, Hubert was suddenly confronted by business reversals and he was suddenly unable to keep up with the installment payments on the apple of his eye -- his new car.
The case of the numerous fried eggs
Norman, a dentist, lived with his sister Ruth and her family in the same household -- harmoniously, like hominy and grits -- for years. Then, one day, they got into a loud and rambunctious argument. It seemed that Ruth had developed a serious dental problem which required dental surgery. Not only did her brother successfully repair and remove whatever had to be repaired and removed, Ruth later accused her brother of also trying to remove her wallet.
WHAT'S THE LAW: The case of the unexpected launching
When an electric company began laying pipes below a city street, the first thing its comfort minded foreman did was to arrange for a comfort station to be erected above a city sewer. While a make-shift men's room hardly looked like the Taj Mahal, it was just what Stanley was hoping to find as he was hurrying down the street one afternoon. Entering the shed, Stanley closed the door behind him and began to make use of its facilities.
WHAT'S THE LAW: The case of the disagreeable neighbors
Tom and Henry were neighbors who never got along because they argued from different premises. If one said something was red, the other would automatically say it was blue. And, so on. Then the unthinkable happened. Tom's real estate tax bill was inadvertently mailed to Henry's address and Henry, not realizing the bill had been mailed to him in error, paid it. Normally, when Henry got angry, he would count to ten. When he got very angry, he'd swear.
The case of the disagreeable neighbors
Tom and Henry were neighbors who never got along because they argued from different premises. If one said something was red, the other would automatically say it was blue. And, so on. Then the unthinkable happened. Tom's real estate tax bill was inadvertently mailed to Henry's address and Henry, not realizing the bill had been mailed to him in error, paid it. Normally, when Henry got angry, he would count to ten. When he got very angry, he'd swear.
WHAT'S THE LAW: The case of the 'virtually 100%' pill
Since pregnancy cannot be made retroactive, Daisy-Mae decided to play it safe and bought a contraceptive pill that was advertised as being "virtually 100% protection." Needless to say, shortly thereafter, 100% protected Daisy-Mae became pregnant. And, when she found it difficult to believe, the company that manufactured the pill had to believe it when Daisy-Mae sued the company for her having become heir-conditioned.
The case of the 'virtually 100%' pill
Since pregnancy cannot be made retroactive, Daisy-Mae decided to play it safe and bought a contraceptive pill that was advertised as being "virtually 100% protection." Needless to say, shortly thereafter, 100% protected Daisy-Mae became pregnant. And, when she found it difficult to believe, the company that manufactured the pill had to believe it when Daisy-Mae sued the company for her having become heir-conditioned.
The case of the bored secretary
Edna was far from being one of those gum chewing secretaries who needed a low neckline or a high hemline to get by. She was 25 years of age with the aptitude of a 40-year-old. The problem was that she had little or no opportunity to display her talents where she worked. Business was so slow she had nothing to do all day and felt as useless as a parachute in a submarine. The result? She finally quit her high salaried job and applied for Unemployment Benefits.
WHAT'S THE LAW: The case of the faith-full wife
Bill's relationship with his wife Alice could be told in three words -- matrimony, acrimony and alimony. After many years of wedded bliss, Alice suddenly decided to change her religion from that of Bill's religion. And, while it is said that faith can move mountains, Alice's new adopted faith only caused Bill to move out of his marital home. Angry at his wife's having changed her religion, he packed his bags and left Alice high and dry.
WHAT'S THE LAW: The case of the luckless pilot
Harold would have been better off had he gotten his wings from God instead of the Civil Air Patrol. During a routine Civil Air Patrol flight, his plane's engine began to sputter and he had no choice but to make a forced landing over water. And, while he made a perfect three point landing, he would have been happier if he could have been able to switch his pilot's wings for a pair of water wings since, after treading water for three hours, he finally succumbed to Poseidon, God of the Sea.
The case of the luckless pilot
Harold would have been better off had he gotten his wings from God instead of the Civil Air Patrol. During a routine Civil Air Patrol flight, his plane's engine began to sputter and he had no choice but to make a forced landing over water. And, while he made a perfect three point landing, he would have been happier if he could have been able to switch his pilot's wings for a pair of water wings since, after treading water for three hours, he finally succumbed to Poseidon, God of the Sea.
The case of Beethoven's Fifth
The way Frank operated his automobile, the odds were that he would expire before his driver's license did. As a motorist who "auto" have known better, he tried, unsuccessfully, to beat a traffic light before it turned red and collided with Edna's car in the middle of the intersection. Hopping mad, when the police arrived on the scene, Edna insisted -- to no avail -- that Frank be given a ticket for driving while intoxicated.
The case of the rabid man hater
Unwed Harriet was a lady in waiting. What she was waiting for, however, was not for a man. To the contrary, as an outspoken feminist, she wrote extensive articles intended to expose the vicious and contemptible nature of men. In fact, in one article, she expressed her strong hope that the day would come when women would be able to have children without the assistance of men.
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