David Lidsky's Blog, page 2858
October 29, 2015
Slack's New User Groups Will Make Onboarding Even Easier
Companies can now create groups of employees within Slack, tag them all at once, and automatically add them to relevant channels.
Slack, the uber-popular workplace messaging app, just rolled out User Groups, the company's second update this week. The new functionality will allow companies to broadcast messages based on job title, the physical office an employee works in, or however else a Slack team opts to group its employees. Bringing new employees into the fold will also be simpler, as they will be added to all relevant channels when placed in a user group.
Facebook To Bring The Next Billion People Online (And Help Marketers Reach Them, Too)
Facebook is reimagining its service for parts of the world where passwords may be a new concept and streaming video is an impossibility.
Last August, Facebook announced that for the first time, a billion people had used the service in one day. It was a landmark moment. But in a way, it was also a sign that the company was reaching the end of the phase of its history that was mostly about signing up people in developed economies and getting them to spend time on the service. If Facebook is going to continue growing, it needs to cater to the next billion consumers—the ones in emerging nations where you can't assume that people have PCs, high-end smartphones, or speedy Internet connections.
Today in Tabs: Oh, The Inanity
Stand By For A Hot Take
Tuesday night, a Twitter user who goes by the name Zola posted a long story in many tweets which included an abduction, a murder, an attempted suicide foiled only by sheer luck, and a sex worker being outed to her parents and friends on her own Facebook against her will while she was exploited for profit by almost everyone involved, including the story's narrator. Several of the participants were named and the main victim of the story appeared to confirm its truth in an Instagram comment.
Google Keep Will Now Let You Doodle On Your Notes
A new update to Google's note-taking app allows users to draw and doodle—a feature that competitors like Evernote already offer.
Google Keep, the tech giant's note-taking app and Evernote competitor, is introducing the ability to doodle and draw on notes. The new functionality was added to the simple note and reminder app this week, and allows users to write notes or doodle on top of photos with a stylus or finger.
Homejoy Mysteriously Relaunches as Fly Maids, Customer Confusion Ensues
Former Homejoy customers were alarmed when their personal data appeared on a plagiarized website site called Fly Maids.
Homejoy, the cleaning service that shuttered back in July, is making a comeback under the moniker "Fly Maids"—and has a plagiarized website to boot.
AppleTV's Key To Changing Media Could Be Hidden In Photo Remote
When anyone in the room can toss media up onto the AppleTV, the whole world of TV could change.
Storehouse—the award-winning photo sharing app for iPhone and iPad—is now out for the new, app-enabled Apple TV. Bundled with a new iPhone app called Photo Remote, it allows anyone on your Wi-Fi network to share images and videos from their phone onto your TV.
Don't Cross The Streams: The Tech Of Modern "Ghost Hunting"
Self-proclaimed "Paranormal Investigators" use industrial tech and hobbyist equipment to hunt for evidence of life after death.
Paranormal investigators, or "ghost hunters" as most of us refer to them, are private investigators who visit homes and businesses subject to perceived hauntings. And, like most other industries these day, they rely on specialized technology to do their jobs.
Were Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorina Right About Women's Wages In The GOP Debate?
During last night's republican debate Cruz and Fiorina claimed that Obama's economic policies have hurt women. We check their facts.
Despite Governor Chris Christie's pronouncement that last night's Republican debate was an intelligent discussion of ideas and policies, those watching at home witnessed a free-wheeling forum full of zingers that touched on some hot-button issues without actually taking a dive into any of them.
A New Navigation Tool For Bikes Gently Nudges Cyclists Toward Their Destination
Like a compass for your handlebars, BeeLine ditches turn-by-turn directions in favor of subtler navigation that encourages exploration.
Unless your lucky enough to live in Copenhagen, the urban bike ride is still a pretty hazardous commute—and one that requires your full attention. Amongst street signs, pedestrians, inattentive drivers and narrow bike lanes (that often double as bus stops), city cyclists have enough to worry about without having to pull out an iPhone for directions.
October 28, 2015
IBM Is Acquiring The Weather Company
IBM is allegedly spending more than $2 billion to buy the digital and data assets of the Weather Company, which owns the Weather Channel.
IBM is making a play to obtain large amounts of data about an unexpected topic: the weather. This morning, the tech company announced it is acquiring the digital and data assets of the Weather Company, which owns the Weather Channel and is one of the world's largest aggregators of weather-related data. According to the New York Times, the company's data sets—which impact everything from the aerospace sector to insurance companies and retailers—could help create new use cases for Watson, IBM's artificial intelligence platform.
David Lidsky's Blog
- David Lidsky's profile
- 3 followers
