David Lidsky's Blog, page 3254
May 23, 2014
The Homepage Is Dead! Long Live The Homepage!
When the New York Times's plummeting homepage traffic numbers were revealed last week, the Internet again declared the homepage dead. But that may not be so true.
When the founders of Upworthy were planning their site, they considered a question that a few years ago would have sounded suicidal: "Should we have no homepage?" They wondered whether staffers' time would be better spent meeting readers where they were already hanging out--on social media, largely--than to hope readers would type a URL into their address bar. It was clear that most people simply didn't find content through homepages as much anymore, and that is was only a matter of time before a media outlet didn't even bother with one.
Why Nascar Is Putting RFID Sensors On Every Person In The Pit
A company called Zebra will allow teams to track every turn of the wrench, maximizing speed in the pit and preventing penalties.
To date, Nascar pit crews have relied on videotape and stopwatches to measure pit stops. But no more. Michael Waltrip Racing has announced a partnership with Zebra, makers of MotionWorks, a software package designed to bring RFID tracking technology to nearly every lug-nut on the track. Using technology developed to maximize industrial efficiency, Zebra hopes to lend its experience in manufacturing to the track.
Get Your Beer Goggles Here! Baseball Team Hosts Tinder-Themed Game Along With $1 Brews
The Saint Paul Saints helped their fans get on base with "Tinder Loving Care Night," featuring a live on-field version of the dating app plus prizes for in-stadium hookups.
The Saint Paul Saints baseball team gave a new meaning to getting on base on May 22, when they hosted "Tinder Loving Care Night"--a theme night that attempted to set the record for the most Tinder dates found in one location (no word yet on whether there was actually a previous record). The popular dating app helps people find matches with other users in the area, primarily through photos.
Twitter Might Be Experimenting With A Way To Attach Videos To Your Tweets With A Hashtag
The service is appears to be exploring a feature that allows you to attach videos to a tweet with a hashtag.
Twitter is always exploring ways to make tweets more compelling. An astounding 44% of Twitter accounts have never sent a tweet. Thirty percent of existing accounts have only sent between one and 10 tweets before the account owners shrugged and walked away from Twitter altogether.
Infographic: Should You Buy Or Rent A House?
Not sure if you should pony up the cash to buy a home or continue to rent? This interactive infographic will be your guide.
It can be hard to decide between renting or buying when looking for a new home. There are so many variables! And it's an enormous decision, not one to be taken lightly. The New York Times blog The Upshot has put together an interactive infographic that could help.
Mix Drinks Mad Libs-Style This Weekend
A beautiful piece of mixed media by the NYT interactive team will add some spirits to your holiday weekend.
"I want a fruity drink made with tequila for a sweltering day," I typed.
May 22, 2014
Osmo Brings A Software Sleight-Of-Hand To Traditional Toys
With reflective AI, parents don't have to feel guilty about "screen time."
The second time he does the trick, I'm still mesmerized. Osmo cofounder and CEO Pramod Sharma is demoing his company's iPad apps and hardware, which bridge the gap between on-screen gaming and the physical world. If it meets its $50,000 funding goal, Osmo could change the way kids play.
Samsung Enters The Virtual Reality War
Samsung has announced that they, too, will be making a virtual reality headset and fight the war for your face.
Google has Glass. Facebook bought Oculus. Sony announced Project Morpheus. And Microsoft is probably building Xbox glasses as we speak. Every big company seems to be working on a video headset of some sort.
House Passes Bill To Overhaul NSA's Collection Of Phone Records
The bill will require phone companies to retain the metadata of calls for 18 months. The NSA can then query their databases with a judicial order or in emergency situations.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday to reform the National Security Agency's collection of phone records. The legislation will now move to the Senate.
Burberry Alumni Aim To Stir Your Emotions (And Mine Your Feelings) With New Musical Photo App: Tunepics
Tunepics features a number of details intended to heighten the emotional experience of the app's users, including an iTunes integration and a color-coded "emotion wheel."
A small but well-connected new British consultancy, innovate7, debuted its first product today: a cleanly designed photo-sharing app which aims to help users express more emotion online using not just text and images, but popular music and color as well.
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