David Lidsky's Blog, page 2780
February 29, 2016
This Tool Allows You To Track Your Friends' Sleep Patterns Via Facebook
Developer says tool was meant to highlight just how much can be gleaned from the data trails we leave.
If a friend came up to you and told you he knows when you're sleeping and when you're not, you'd probably think he spends his time sitting across the street from your bedroom window with binoculars and a box of donuts, but the truth is far scarier. Now someone doesn't need to physically stalk you (or visually monitor you in any way) to know when you're sleeping. They simply have to download this source code from GitHub, which allows any of your friends to compile a profile of your sleeping habits from your Facebook usage data.
February 27, 2016
How Drones Are Transforming The Way You Shop For Real Estate
Using aerial photography offers a whole new way to show off sprawling properties.
Your local realtor might have a new trick up their sleeve very soon: Using drones for aerial photography of sprawling properties. The practice is increasingly commonplace in other countries, and the national trade association for realtors has written up a set of guidelines for real estate agents looking for their own personal eye in the sky.
February 26, 2016
Zenefits To Cut 250 Jobs
Following a host of regulatory issues, newly appointed CEO David Sacks is reducing Zenefits's workforce by 17%.
Zenefits, the health insurance brokerage startup that once chastised workers for engaging in stairwell sex, is laying off 250 employees—about 17% of the company's workforce, according to TechCrunch. In a company-wide email disclosing the news, CEO David Sacks said the majority of cuts would come from the sales team, citing growth that was "too fast, stretching both our culture and our controls" as an explanation for the layoffs.
How Etsy's Talent Pool Seeded A New Kind Of Cybersecurity Startup
Signal Sciences is launching with the CSOs of Facebook and Adobe on their board and are betting on data analysis for success.
Several former Etsy employees have pulled off the ultimate cybersecurity startup dream: leaving to form their own company and then hiring their former employer as a client. The startup, Signal Sciences, produces a dashboard and firewall to help security teams and developers work together, and already counts companies like Etsy, Yelp/Eat24, Under Armour, Taser, and Shutterstock as clients.
Inbox by Gmail Is Getting Some Very Helpful Snooze Options
Inbox will now let you snooze emails for "later this week" and "this weekend."
Inbox by Gmail has two new snooze options that are perfect for when just can't deal with another email. You can now tap "Later this week" or "This weekend" when faced with non-urgent messages. The app will send you another reminder about the email at the end of the snooze period.
Take The Fast Company News Quiz
What happened this week? Here's our quiz for February 26, 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. 
Survey: Mark Zuckerberg Is The Most Popular—And Least Liked—Tech CEO
Facebook's Zuckerberg and Apple's Tim Cook are tech's most recognizable CEOs—which may explain the polarized public opinion of them.
Over the past decade, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been elevated from precocious founder to bona fide tech celebrity. Media outlets breathlessly report on his every move and fawn over Facebook posts about his infant daughter. A new survey by digital media company Morning Consult found that Zuck is the most popular tech CEO, with Apple's Tim Cook coming in a close second.
This Woman Uses Her Hijab To Transform Into Disney Princesses, Superheroes
Instagram user @QueenofLuna is the ultimate cosplayer.
Mayalasian makeup artist and Instagram phenom Saraswati (@QueenofLuna) is taking hijab fashion to the next level.
Report: Samsung Said to Be Restarting Talks To Buy Tidal
Samsung "working on something really big" in music that Jay Z's struggling music streaming service could play a critical role in.
Smartphone giant Samsung has restarted buyout talks with Jay Z's Tidal streaming music service, according to the New York Post. Samsung's interest in Tidal is nothing new. It's had an interest in or a relationship with the 16-month old streaming music service almost since its inception, the Post notes. The smartphone maker recently spent $28 million sponsoring Rihanna's latest Anti album and world tour. Rihanna is a partner in Tidal and is also signed to Jay Z's Roc Nation label.
Check Out The Most Complete Map Of The "Cold" Milky Way Galaxy Ever Made
New images keep an eye on star-forming regions.
The team running the APEX telescope in Chile has released what is the most complete map of the cold gas in the Milky Way galaxy ever seen, reports the European Southern Observatory. The map, which is a series of images shot by three different telescopes, marks the completion of the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL).
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