David Lidsky's Blog, page 3251
May 29, 2014
Is This The End Of TrueCrypt?
Some conspiracy theorists can't help but wonder if the U.S. government is behind this sudden move.
In the last day, visitors to TrueCrypt's website have been redirected to a page with an announcement that development for the encryption software has ended. The site now shows a warning message that TrueCrypt is not secure, providing directions for users to migrate data to alternative systems.
Chicago's Willis Tower Skydeck Has Cracked
The tower owners claim the protective glass worked as designed. But will the experience ever be the same?
The Willis Tower Skydeck suspends tourists over 1,500 feet above the streets of Chicago. The clear flooring is like a roller coaster ride--thrilling but presumably safe. Except last night, NBC Chicago reports that one of the Skydeck's transparent ledges cracked right beneath visitors.
The Cottage Industry Of High-Energy Food That Keeps Silicon Valley Buzzing
When you're on a programming sprint, not just any caloric intake will do, and catering companies are learning to adapt.
This story contains interviews with Akiva Resnikoff, founder of The Cookie Department; Ashley Wong, head of product at SpoonRocket; Rene Shen, head of finance at SpoonRocket; John Dvorak, data scientist at NodePrime; Bob Baldwin, software engineer at Facebook; and Pedram Keyani, engineering overhead at Facebook.
How Many People Are Banking With Simple? A Leaked Email Reveals Active User Figures
Slides obtained in a wayward email suggest the trendy startup might not be growing so fast after all.
Simple, the minimal-in-a-trendy-way financial startup, was positioned to revolutionize the banking industry. It planned to do so by removing all the traditional fees and hassles one might encounter using Chase or Bank of America. An ethos focused on user convenience informed all of Simple's design from the ground up, from its slick mobile app to its easy-to-search purchase history.
Commuter Rail Comes To Florida And Miraculously The Stations Don't Look Like Crap
SOM has designed a soaring station in downtown Miami for All Aboard Florida, a private initiative to bring high (ish) speed rail service to South Florida.
All Aboard Florida, a private-sector project to link major southern Florida cities with express rail service, just unveiled the design for its first station, a major transportation hub designed by SOM in the heart of downtown Miami.
Diversity? Google's Workforce Is 70% Male, 60% White
Google published its first-ever internal diversity report, revealing a workforce that's 70% men and 60% white.
It's easy and funny to skewer Silicon Valley's caricature as a white male patriarchy--especially in the boardroom--for one awful reason: Because it's true.
May 28, 2014
Samsung Introduces A Wearable Health Tracker That Geeks and Insurance Companies Will Love
Samsung goes DIY with a platform for building wearable health tracking devices, apps, and dashboards.
The popularity of wearable health trackers, such as Fitbit, Jawbone UP, and Nike FuelBand, have created a problem: A wealth of data about your activity is being produced but it's not very useful. Hardly anyone has developed algorithms that derive actionable insights from the data that your body generates, and the dashboards are separate--there is no way to see your Fitbit data on the FuelBand dashboard.
Pocket Goes Premium With Permanent Library, Enhanced Search, And Auto-Tagging
You can now upgrade to Pocket's paid option for just $5 a month.
Two years after rebranding itself as a free read-it-later app, Pocket is providing its 12 million users with a paid subscription service. On Wednesday, the team introduced Pocket Premium, which allows readers to permanently save a copy of web pages, and take advantage of smarter search and tag capabilities.
"This American Life" Goes Indie, Will Be Self-Distributed
After leaving longtime distributor PRI, the iconic weekly public radio show has made a deal with online distribution service PRX to take the reins for its own delivery and marketing.
This American Life is going indie. After leaving its longtime distributor Public Radio International (PRI) in March, the iconic public radio program will be self-distributed by its producer Chicago Public Media as of July 1, using online service Public Radio Exchange (PRX) to deliver the shows to more than 500 stations. This American Life will be responsible for its own marketing and sponsorships.
The Key Points in Mary Meeker's Annual (And Prophetic) "Internet Trends" Presentation
The longtime tech analyst's latest report takes a hard look at the current state of technology--in a few dozen slides.
Like a Christmas morning gift for technology nerds, Mary Meeker's annual "Internet Trends" report expertly distills the industry at large in a few dozen slides. The former top tech analyst at Morgan Stanley and current partner at VC powerhouse Kleiner Perkins just gave a presentation at Re/code's Code Conference forecasting the tech wave of the near future. (More than a decade ago, Meeker predicted the rise of two then-little companies: Google and Amazon.)
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