David Lidsky's Blog, page 2965
June 16, 2015
Google Experiments With What Kind Of Video Works Best On Mobile
The project used three different cuts of a funky Mtn Dew Kickstart spot to find out which had the most impact.
With the advent of multi-platform video viewing has come the question: does the traditional TV spot narrative translate to mobile? That is, should brands be using a different kind of video format for different platforms? And how would you measure such a thing?
June 15, 2015
Microsoft's Augmented Reality Demo Brings Minecraft To Life
Minecraft fans, this one's for you.
On the eve of E3, the video game industry's annual conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft held an impressive keynote with plenty of demos of the company's HoloLens mixed reality technology. Microsoft execs are betting gamers will pay big bucks to play fully immersive 3-D versions of hit games like Minecraft—and they're probably right.
The Human Touch: Apple Is Hiring Journalists For Apple News
Apple is hiring editors to work in-house on Apple News. But how will human curation work for stories on Google and Samsung?
Apple's forthcoming Flipboard-slaying Apple News project just got a lot more interesting: A series of job listings from Cupertino indicate that Apple is looking to hire human editors for the initiative.
European Union One Step Closer To Adopting Stricter Data Privacy Rules
Tech companies aren't happy about the very privacy-friendly personal data laws Europe seems close to adopting.
The European Union has taken a big step toward adopting a single set of privacy regulations that could drastically alter the operations of Google, Amazon, Facebook, and tens of thousands of other companies. If adopted, the rules would mean a standardized protocol for handling personal data inside Europe that's far more stringent than anything the United States or Canada has to offer.
IBM Invests Big In Big Data Software Apache Spark
IBM is committing more than 3,500 researchers and developers to an open-source big data project called Spark.
IBM is making one of the biggest investments in history in big data software. As of this week, the tech giant has committed more than 3,500 researchers and developers to the Apache Spark project, along with hundreds of millions of dollars in funding and resources. The open-source Apache Spark initiative makes it possible to analyze massive amounts of data in near-real time, and is used in everything from health care to retail to energy utilities. It is a transformative move for a host of industries—and one that also positions IBM as the vendor of choice for those companies using Spark.
Always Forget Your Passcode? Soon You May Use Emoji Instead Of Numbers
Soon your PIN could be easier to remember and a lot more amusing.
It's often said that the human brain recalls images more easily than text or numbers. And as we all know, emoji are now an integral part of the cultural lexicon. The next obvious step is, naturally, emoji passcodes.
The Next Phase of Hyperloop Development? Your Ideas
SpaceX is launching an official Hyperloop pod design competition and building a one-mile test track in California.
If you have an idea for how the Hyperloop ultra-fast transit system should work, SpaceX wants to hear from you. The company, headed by Hyperloop inventor and serial entrepreneur Elon Musk, is launching a design competition soliciting designs for Hyperloop pods—the human-transporting car that will glide on the fast track—and it's building a mini-test track to test their designs.
Alibaba To Build Netflix Of China
Tmall Box Office will launch within the next two months, featuring original productions as well as content from China and abroad.
Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce behemoth, has often been called the "Amazon of China." Like Amazon, Alibaba has been aggressively expanding beyond simple e-commerce—the company has invested in ride-sharing, smartphones, entertainment, Snapchat, and more in the past year. Why not take on the video streaming industry next?
The Instagram Search Engine Wars: Why Machine Vision's The Next Big Thing For Brands
A wave of new startups can identify brands, location, and people inside Instagram photos.
A new wave of Instagram search engines are coming… and instead of being operated by parent company Facebook, they're coming from private vendors. EyeIn, launched today by Israel-based photo app Mobli (and the creator of cult/Silicon Valley-punchline app Yo) is one of the first contestants in a soon-to-be crowded space. The prize? Making hundreds of millions of dollars by aggregating and sorting the endless stream of photo data coming out of Instagram.
The Countries That Are About To Reap The Benefits Of Having Fewer Children
When birth rates decline and there are more working adults, that's when countries typically thrive. Look to Africa to hit this "demographic dividend" next.
Favorable age demographics allow countries to grow faster. When a nation has relatively more people of working age, more people are earning, spending, and contributing taxes. It can invest in social services and infrastructure, which in turn enables further growth.
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