David Lidsky's Blog, page 3194
August 13, 2014
Facebook Loophole Lets You Chat Without Messenger App
Facebook is requiring users to download its Messenger app to send private messages, but there's a workaround--for now.
Many of our readers were quite vocal about their displeasure when we wrote in July that Facebook would begin forcing iPhone and Android users to download a separate app for messaging. Well, angry readers, here is a bit of mischief for you: Time.com has discovered a simple way to avoid using Facebook Messenger.
Are You Fluent In Emoji?
All-emoji chat apps are here to test your powers of nonverbal expression.
If someone adds a happy face to the end of a text message, you know what it connotes. But what about messages without any text, only little yellow faces? Can people really communicate exclusively in emoji?
How This Algorithm Detected The Ebola Outbreak Before Humans Could
By mining the social Web, machines saw the outbreak coming a week before the world knew about it.
This story features an interview with HealthMap cofounder Clark Freifeld.
iPhone 6 Cases Are Already Available For Preorder
Spigen is selling iPhone 6 cases, and the phone hasn't even been confirmed yet.
Spigen is a Korean company known for making very good phone cases. Reviews of its iPhone and Android protective covers say they are sturdy and tough, if a little bulky.
Florida Murder Suspect Allegedly Asked Siri Where He Should Hide The Dead Body
Siri, I need to hide my roommate.
A 20-year-old Florida man who stands accused of gruesomely murdering his roommate apparently asked Siri, the iPhone's whimsical voice assistant, for advice on where to hide the dead body.
Amazon's Credit Card Reader Is Here, And It's Dramatically Cheaper Than Square
Square charges 2.75% for each transaction; Amazon charges 1.75%.
Amazon already has your credit card stashed away online. Now it wants to process the swipe transactions you make throughout your day. Like Square and PayPal, Amazon announced its own plastic credit card reader early Wednesday morning called Amazon Local Reader. It has one big competitive advantage (and one that follows in the grand Amazon scheme): It dramatically undercuts the competition.
This Is The Very First Electoral Map Dividing The U.S. Into Red States And Blue States
A map of the results of the 1880 presidential election revolutionized the way we visualize the spatial aspect of politics.
When designers go about visualizing the distribution of political power in the United States, many opt to use a well-worn visual shorthand: red for Republican states and blue for Democratic states. Though the terms "red state" and "blue state" used to convey the country's partisan divide is fairly recent--the Washington Post points to the late journalist Tim Russert's coverage of the 2000 election--the habit of dividing the country into two different political hues is much older. It can be traced, according to historian Susan Schulten, back to a Census-based map in an 1883 atlas.
Thank Bush v. Gore for easy-to-understand election results.
August 12, 2014
72% Of Leadership Roles At Apple Are Held By Men
Spoiler alert: The company's diversity report shows Apple is overwhelmingly white and male.
Long a holdout, Apple has joined Google, Facebook, Twitter, and other tech companies by releasing a diversity report of its own. And like the rest of them, the makeup at the Cupertino, California company is largely white and male.
Video Ads Are Coming To Twitter
Select brands, publishers, and verified users will be able to share videos that play directly from the timeline.
Get ready for video ads on Twitter.
This Website Snitches On Renters Who List Their Apartments On Airbnb
Meet Huntbnb, a tool that makes it easy to find Airbnb units by typing in a specific address.
There's a new tool out that makes it easy for landlords to find out if one of their renters is listing an apartment on Airbnb, the room-renting company that recently overhauled its logo and transformed the Internet into giggling 10-year-olds.
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