David Lidsky's Blog, page 3011

April 9, 2015

Review: The New MacBook Is The MacBook Air, Taken One Stylish, Minimalist Step Further

Apple isn't trying to reinvent the notebook. It's just making it thinner, lighter, and simpler—and as close to cable-free as possible.

For the past few years, the PC industry has been busily trying to reinvent the venerable laptop computer. It's added touch screens. And displays that fold into different orientations like a piece of origami, or break free from the keyboard altogether. And pressure-sensitive styluses.

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Published on April 09, 2015 09:01

Why The First Apple Watch Apps Will Suck

Developers are excited about the possibilities of the Apple Watch, but frustrated by limitations within the software.

The possibilities of wearing an internet-connected, location-aware computer on your arm seem endless. But the Apple Watch of today isn't there yet. As developers have learned over the last seven months of building their own apps, there are heavy restrictions on just what they can do with the platform's Apple WatchKit software development kit (or SDK*)—a series of limitations that are likely connected to conserving battery and tightly controlling user experience. And that will severely limit the functionality and originality of the first Apple Watch apps we see.

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Published on April 09, 2015 04:30

How Flight Tracking Apps Work: Volunteers

Flight tracker apps, initially popular among aviation geeks, rely on some of those same geeks for their data.

Aviation disasters tend to make headlines, particularly because they are so rare and can involve so many fatalities. Statistically, however, flying is still one of the safest ways to travel, and that doesn't appear to be changing.

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Published on April 09, 2015 04:00

Here's What It Looks Like When A Startup Wins Big at Y Combinator

The first stage of YC success is fundraising. How Mashgin went from a pitch to more than $1 million in seed funding in four business days.

"The only thing you need to remember about this presentation," Abhinai Srivastava began during his time on stage at Y Combinator's Demo Day last month, "is that we recently signed a letter of intent with the potential of $50 million per month."

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Published on April 09, 2015 04:00

John Legend On Turning Ambition Into Action

The award-winning musician shares his best advice as a mentor to creative people trying to reach their goals.

Oscar- and Grammy-winning singer and songwriter John Legend flew into the spotlight in the early 2000s on the wings of then rising rapper Kanye West, who invited Legend to sing on West's own tracks and signed him to GOOD Music.

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Published on April 09, 2015 03:06

Inside The Secret Lab That Makes Big Brands Smell

Take a trip to International Flavors & Fragrances, the pungent company creating Proustian moments for consumers around the world. Also: Axe.

Bro, your new Axe deodorant totally has ginger, mint, and cardamom notes! While that's not a sentence you are likely to hear any time soon, it is one you could hear. Especially if you join Fast Company correspondent Jason Feifer on his recent visit to the land where olfactory miracles come true every day. That is to say, IFF's New York fragrance lab and its New Jersey botanical gardens.

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Published on April 09, 2015 03:00

8 Questions That Can Help You Make Better Decisions At Work

Ask yourself eight key questions to figure out when it's best to shoot from the hip versus take your time to come to the right conclusion.

You are faced with tons of decisions every day. Sometimes, you need to think quickly and make an immediate call, while other times, it's more prudent to push the pause button and give the matter more thoughtful consideration.

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Published on April 09, 2015 02:46

The New Etiquette Rules For Quitting Your Job

You have to do more than just give two weeks if you want to leave a good impression at your soon-to-be former employer.

More American workers are leaving their jobs than ever before, according to a 2014 report from the U.S. Department of Labor. According to their findings, 2.8 million workers quit their jobs last September—the highest number since April 2008. Another 1.6 million left their jobs due to layoffs and terminations. Whether you leave your job on your own accord or not, career counselors say there are certain etiquette rules to follow when moving on.

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Published on April 09, 2015 02:39

Why You'll Accomplish More Working With Your Opponents

What you can learn from the company that has built a business on bringing people who disagree together to solve problems.

The ability to work well with people who have different opinions and values is a persistent challenge in daily work-life.

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Published on April 09, 2015 02:38

April 8, 2015

HBO Finally Makes The "Take My Money" Creator Pay Up

To promote its new streaming service, HBO made a trailer starring the guy behind the Take My Money, HBO site and some other famous faces.

In 2012, when Jake Caputo created the website Take My Money, HBO, begging the cable network to launch a streaming service that would allow fans to fork over their money in exchange for easy, Internet access to HBO, the company paid little attention. Although the site attracted 163,673 people within the first 24 hours, Caputo says "HBO never contacted me. They sent out a tweet like a few days after the whole thing. It said something along the lines of, 'Love the love for HBO, but nothing is imminent.'"

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Published on April 08, 2015 14:08

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