David Lidsky's Blog, page 3035
March 10, 2015
The World's Most Overrated Product Design
The people have spoken! Here are your picks—and ours—for the world's most overhyped product designs.
Coffee makers, headphones, and various "smart" things. Are these really some of the best products in history? With your help, we've selected eight candidates for our forthcoming bracket on the world's most overhyped product designs—a list you will find vindicating, infuriating, or (as in my case) a little bit of both! But that's the fun of bracketology.
[image error]
Could These Simple Phone Backgrounds Be What Finally Breaks Your Phone Addiction?
Sometimes all you need is a not-so-gentle reminder not to look at your device during every single free moment.
Anyone with a smartphone has experienced it. That moment of profound existential dread when there's nothing to do or no one to talk to. The solution? Most of the time we rush to fill any unoccupied moment by glancing at our phone to check email, Facebook, or news.
[image error]
Please Stop Making Stupid Smart Jewelry
How much for a statement necklace that never notifies me of anything?
Sometimes it wakes me up: The email chime of my iPhone 5S, wringing liquid anxiety out of some reptilian part of my brain like a wet towel. During the day, at my job at Gizmodo, I write about the ways the ubiquitous Internet is changing our cities, buildings, and environment—at night, it feels like I'm living in the inverted, dystopian version of that future.
[image error]
Beats By Dre Isn't Great Design, Just Great Marketing
The headphones are designed to turn your head into a billboard for Beats by Dre.
Beats by Dre single-handedly brought mainstream appeal to high-end headphones, giving young consumers street-ready cans with plenty of street cred. But Beats isn't great design—it's just great marketing.
March 9, 2015
Here's What We Learned About The Apple Watch
"It's the most advanced timepiece ever created," said Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Today in San Francisco, a whole bunch of dudes gathered onstage to tell us a bit more about the Apple Watch. There were, of course, more than a few concerns leading up to today: How frequently do you have to charge it? Did Apple have to make concessions for all that rumored battery drain? And maybe most importantly, how much is it gonna cost?
Just In Time For The New Game Of Thrones: Exclusive HBO Subscription On Apple TV
The rumors are true: HBO Now lands on Apple TV next month.
Apple just pulled off a huge coup in the battle to redefine what "television" means in the 21st century. As previously rumored, the tech giant formally announced an exclusive partnership with HBO to bring online-only subscription streaming to the Apple TV today. And it will be available just in time for the new season of Game of Thrones.
Apple Announces ResearchKit, Which Uses IPhones To Gather Enormous Data Sets For Treatment And Study
Parkinson's disease, diabetes, asthma—ResearchKit makes it possible for large-scale data collection from anyone with an iPhone.
At today's Apple event, Apple senior vice president of operations Jeff Williams took the stage to announce ResearchKit, a framework made specifically for medical research. Basically, it transforms the iPhone and HealthKit into a diagnostic tools that research institutions can use to track patient progress in real time.
This Beautiful Photo Essay Captures The Hopes Of Russians Ages 1 To 100
It's like a chronological (and Russian) Humans of New York.
When photographer Keen Heick-Abildhauge moved to Russia six years ago, he wanted to capture the beauty of the country and the diverse stories of its people. Two years and more than 230 photos later, the "100 Years Project" was complete, a gorgeous series of photos featuring Russians ages one to 100.
Obama Announces New Initiative For Fast-Tracking Tech Workforce
A new initiative called TechHire could change the way the tech industry recruits, hires, and trains workers.
In an announcement today, President Barack Obama introduced a new initiative focusing on the technology sector as a solution to the country's stalled wages.
L.A.'s Longest Building Fits An Entire Neighborhood Under One Roof
Architect Michael Maltzan's latest housing development is a social experiment stretched over a quarter of a mile.
City living can be lonely. It's hard to meet people in a high-rise, where you have no reason to wander onto floors beyond your own. There are no front yards to chat in, and few common spaces. A new apartment building by architect Michael Maltzan in Los Angeles provides an alternative solution to the skyscraper for dense downtown homes. Instead of building up, residences are spread across, recreating the social fabric of a neighborhood full of single-family homes—but within the context of tightly packed apartments.
David Lidsky's Blog
- David Lidsky's profile
- 3 followers
