David Lidsky's Blog, page 3275
April 25, 2014
Announcing 8 New Judges For The 2014 Innovation By Design Awards
James Dyson, Ethan Marcotte, David Lauren, Tristan Walker, and more! The deadline to enter is May 5.
We're delighted to announce eight new judges for the 2014 Innovation By Design Awards.
The Innovation By Design Awards celebrate inventive solutions in the world of design and business. Honors are given in 10 categories: apps, data visualization, experimental design, graphic design, products, design for social good, spaces, health, experience design, and student design. Finalists are featured on Co.Design as well as in a special issue of Fast Company magazine, and the winners are announced at an awards ceremony in October.
Study Tools You Can Use On Your Phone and Share With Your Friends
StudyBlue CEO Becky Splitt is harnessing the power of the people to create an A+ learning platform.
Flashcards, study groups, and all-nighters--anyone who has done time in academia is all too familiar with these universal test prep methods. But thanks to StudyBlue, the latest generation of students is getting an upgrade that lets them use their phones for something besides selfies. Launched in 2010, 5 million users have downloaded the app (free for Android, iOS, and web) to access crowdsourced study guides, create, and customize intelligent digital flashcards (they remember what you stumble on and filter out concepts you've mastered), take practice tests, and collaborate with classmates--all while on the go.
"No one would argue that education doesn't need reforming in this country. What we don't agree on is what to do about it," says Becky Splitt, StudyBlue CEO. "We wanted to address what happens in between the lecture and the test--what do students do to actually absorb and master the material?"
April 24, 2014
Famatic: An Intentionally Low-Tech Picture Frame For Grandparents
A new Kickstarter looks to close the generation divide, bringing you closer to your technology-averse loved ones.
"It started with my mother-in-law," said Thijs Suijten, a developer from the Netherlands. "She's sick, and unable to get out of bed."
Have We Reached Peak Pharrell With This Bizarre Bic Sponsorship?
Where did this bear come from? Why didn't Pharrell keep an extra copy of his "book" on his computer? Why is he selling Wite-Out?
It's a bit of an understatement to say that Pharrell is having a moment. He put out an Oscar-nominated radio hit ("Happy"); he cried on Oprah; and of course, he graced the cover of Fast Company, along with his productivity tips. He has even proven that he can pull off goofy headwear. By all measures he is killing it.
PayPal Is Piloting A Wireless Smartwatch Payment System
The beacon-enabled system, being tested at PayPal's on-campus cafe, lets users buy their lattes simply by walking into the store with a Samsung Galaxy wearable.
From parking apps to Square, one of the key elements in the growth of the mobile industry is finding ways to make it easier for people to part with their money. Now PayPal is piloting a new program to enable wireless payments with smartwatches.
Watch A Murderer Use Snapchat To Commit The Perfect Crime In This 6-Minute Film
In Murder On Snapchat, the message-deleting app, along with other social media, becomes the platform of your worst nightmares.
It's normal to be anxious about the digital permanence of your activity on social media, but according to this film, we might have a lot more to fear from Snapchat messages that disappear forever.
Taco Bell's Fancy Upscale Offshoot Will Soon Serve You Philly Cheesesteak Tacos
It is called U.S. Taco Co., and it will open for business in Orange County later this year.
Taco Bell is taking its hybrid Frankenfood mission to the next level. Thursday, the chain announced a new "fast-casual" concept restaurant for the perpetually boardshorted dude-bros of Huntington Beach, Calif. According to Ad Age, the new spin-off restaurant is called U.S. Taco Co., and it will serve slightly upscale fare but with a Taco Bell twist.
Think: A taco that tastes like a Philly cheesesteak. Or, if you prefer, Southern fried chicken stuffed into a tortilla. And as it goes in Southern California, all of those toppings can be ordered on top of french fries as well. It won't serve booze, but there is this in the works:
A second location in the Los Angeles area is in the works and will offer beer, wine and even boozy milkshakes like the Mexican Car Bomb, which includes vanilla ice cream, tequila caramel sauce, chocolate flakes and Guinness stout.
New Andy Warhol Paintings Found On Old Floppy Disks
After 30 years, the pop artist's early experiments with digital painting have been rediscovered.
In 1985, representatives of Commodore International approached Andy Warhol and asked him to test out the artistic chops of their new PC, the Amiga. The Amiga was a home computer with unparalleled graphic abilities compared to the black-and-white Macintoshes of the time. Warhol was so impressed with the computer and its Graphiccraft and ProPaint drawing software that he ended up using it to sketch Blondie's Debbie Harry on stage during the Amiga launch event.
This App Is Like A Remote Control For Your Credit Cards
With CardControl, consumers can activate and deactivate cards as well as set shopping rules for location, transaction types, merchant categories, and spending limits.
When parents hand over a credit card to their kids, they can only hope it's used as intended--say, paying for gas as opposed to booze. But OnDot, a startup emerging out of stealth mode Thursday, aims to give cardholders greater control over their payments, allowing them to activate and deactivate cards as well as set rules for location, transaction types, merchant categories, and spending limits with an app called CardControl.
Like These Getty Photos? Now You Can Hang Them On Your Wall
Until now, Getty Images have mostly been reserved for editorial use. This week, Getty launched Photos.com, where you can buy high-quality framed prints of the best photographs from Getty's archives.
Getty Images, the world's biggest stock photo agency, has a treasure trove of historical photographs typically reserved for editorial use. In its archive of more than 80 million images, you'll find Obama on his campaign trail, the Beatles in a swimming pool, Earth as seen from the moon, and Eadweard Muybridge's famous study of a horse in motion. Now, Getty is making those images available to anyone through Photos.com by Getty Images, a site where you can purchase high-quality framed prints of the agency's best photography.
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