David Lidsky's Blog, page 3212
July 18, 2014
Twitter To Acquire Payment Startup CardSpring
Deals you can snag instantly are coming to your Twitter feed.
The focus on social commerce is getting intense: This week we learned that Facebook is testing a "buy" button for brands, and now Twitter has announced it will acquire payment infrastructure startup CardSpring.
Amazon's First Ad For The Fire Phone Stars Kids Dressed Like Hipsters
That's one way to sell the "ultimate mom phone."
It's been called the "ultimate mom phone." So how does Amazon sell a coveted market segment with considerable spending power on its new Fire Phone, the online retailer's first leap into the smartphone business?
This Coffee Shop Repels Wireless Signals So You Won't Be Tempted By Your Phone
At the Faraday Cafe, you're free to be a coffee zombie, but put those cell phones away.
When you step inside the Faraday Cafe in Vancouver, it's like stepping into a black hole. You suddenly become unreachable.
Danish People Really Do Have The Secret To Happiness: It's In Their DNA
Denmark has high standards of living and great policies for its workers. But neither may be what makes the people there so happy. It might just be their genes.
People spend their lives trying to figure out the key to happiness, and with many economists attempting to measure well-being, even cities and nations increasingly compete over who has the "happiest" citizens.
6 Scientific Reasons You Can't Stop Looking At Ruin Porn
From hedonic reversal to fear of boredom, these psychological concepts offer insight into why that dilapidated warehouse is so appealing.
Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously said of pornography, "I know it when I see it," but ruin porn--the name for photos of abandoned buildings and ravaged landscapes--feels tougher to discern. Is an image of Michigan Central Station in Detroit a symbol of impermanence every bit as poignant as the Colosseum in Rome? Or is it a morbid curiosity that exploits and invades the honest history of a place for our own guilty pleasure?
Consider this the ruin porn of your mind.
July 17, 2014
The Value Of Y Combinator's Portfolio Exceeds $30 Billion
Three YC alums in the billion-dollar-valuation club: Dropbox ($10 billion), Airbnb ($10 billion), and Stripe ($1.75 billion)
Y Combinator isn't known for doling the most amount of money to startups, but it's one of the most coveted accelerators due to its network and the success of its alums. Illustrating the latter, the accelerator on Wednesday released some fresh numbers.
Facebook Tests "Buy" Button On Ads
Social commerce is picking up steam.
Facebook is testing a "buy" button to help brands drive sales with their ads and pages.
UAE Establishes Space Agency, Plans Mission To Mars By 2021
"We chose the epic challenge of reaching Mars because epic challenges inspire us and motivate us," said the country's vice president.
The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday established a space agency and announced plans to send an unmanned probe to Mars by 2021.
Small Distractions Are Making You A Terrible Writer, Says Science
Close. That. Tab.
A new study finds what we've suspected all along: Interruptions are terrible for your writing. Consider this incentive to close your tabs.
GoTenna Lets You Text When There's No Service
Never lose touch again with this new peer-to-peer communication device.
After Hurricane Sandy, Daniela Perdomo never again wanted to be in a situation where she needed cell service but couldn't get it. "I was just sitting there thinking, we don't have Wi-Fi, we don't have phone service," she told Fast Company. "We have these phones on us that are supposed to be communication devices."
David Lidsky's Blog
- David Lidsky's profile
- 3 followers
