David Lidsky's Blog, page 2758
March 28, 2016
Y Combinator "Sad" At Lack Of VR/AR Applicants, Calls For More
There's a higher bar for late applicants, but Airbnb and Instacart both hurdled it.
Got an early-stage virtual reality or augmented reality startup, but missed last Thursday's application deadline for the summer 2016 Y Combinator class? Don't worry, YC really wants to hear from you.
This Girl Designed Her Own Superhero Prosthetic Arm, And It Shoots Sparkles
KIDMob and Autodesk asked kids with limb differences to create their own superpowers. Then they helped bring those ideas to life.
In January, Jordan Reeves received an invitation to become a superhero.
"For Oculus To Succeed, VR Needs To Succeed"
VR hardware makers seem to know that, for now anyway, it's in their mutual interest not to tear each other down.
Competition in the video game world can be pretty cut-throat—they don't call it the console war for nothing. Whenever a new generation of home video game machines emerges, it sometimes almost feels as though the manufacturers—behemoths like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo—delight in trying to eviscerate each other.
Dell Is Selling Its IT Consulting Unit To Japan's NTT Data For $3 Billion
The unit is a major consultant to hospitals and government departments.
Japan's NTT Data has agreed to buy Dell's information technology consulting division for $3.05 billion, reports Reuters. The acquisition comes at a time when NTT Data, already one of the world's largest technology services companies, looks to expand its foothold in North America.
Uber Is Using An In-App Game To Recruit Engineers
The "Code on the Road" game is shown to passengers in cities with a lot of tech talent.
Uber is using a game to recruit engineers from its pool of passengers in select cities, Business Insider reports. The in-app game, called "Code on the Road," appears on the screen of the Uber app when a passenger begins a journey. If a user accepts the game challenge, they have to complete three coding problems within 60 seconds each. If successful, they are offered the chance to contact Uber directly to get a link to a job application.
Facebook Apologizes For "Explosion" Safety Check Glitch
The company apologized for a bug that sent out the notification about the bombing in Lahore to those not in the area.
Facebook apologized for a glitch in its Safety Check feature, activated after the bombing in Pakistan on Sunday, which was accidentally sent out to users around the world, alarming and confusing many people.
Google Is Finally Redesigning Its Biggest Cash Cow: AdWords
Most of Google has already gotten a Material Design makeover—except for AdWords.
Google made $74 billion last year. And it wasn't from painting weird dog montages or winning a few matches of Go. A vast majority of Google's revenue is from advertisements slipped into its free services like Search and YouTube. That's why AdWords is really Google's most important product, as it allows a million different businesses, big and small, to manage keyword-driven ad campaigns across Google.
March 25, 2016
Sexy Carbon Fiber Smart Bike SpeedX Leopard Gets 980% Funded On Kickstarter In 2 Days
With a frame built out of tough and light carbon fiber, the SpeedX Leopard tracks your biking stats with an integrated computer and screen.
Not content with a successful Indiegogo campaign last Fall for a cycling computer/handlebar stem/headlight package they called SpeedForce, SpeedX is going for a full smart bicycle. The SpeedX Leopard bike is no simple ten-speed Schwinn. Smart devices built into the bike track performance and display on an integrated screen, all wrapped inside an aerodynamic aircraft-grade carbon fiber frame. And in just two days, the SpeedX Leopard has raised over 980% of its $50,000 funding goal—its campaign had hit $490,000 as of the writing of this article.
How This Hopped-Up Brewery Is Bringing American Craft Beer To Germany
Stone Brewing, one of America's largest craft breweries, wants to sell Germans on the virtues of some very un-German beers.
In a converted gasworks building in western Berlin's Mariendorf neighborhood, American craft beer brand Stone Brewing is engaged in an unusual project: Selling Germans—and Europeans in general—on the joys of bitter, hoppy beers like Stone IPA and the company's popular Arrogant Bastard Ale. Germans have traditionally enjoyed lagers and wheat beers that are a far cry from the IPAs that are fashionable on the American scene, but Stone hopes Europeans will go gaga for the alternative.
Think You Know The News? Take The Fast Company Quiz
What happened this week? Here's our quiz for March 25, 2016.
Did you follow the news this week? Research says that one of the best ways to solidify new information is to be tested on it. Here's a chance to bolster your knowledge of current events—and earn a special emoji badge. 
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