David Lidsky's Blog, page 3280
April 21, 2014
Most Americans Do Not Want Google-ish Glasses, Drones, Or Lab-Grown Meat
Disruptive technologies are all well and good, but being totally out of touch with what people actually want may not be the best innovation strategy.
If aliens came to planet Earth for a day, but could only explore the confines of a locked, featureless room and Twitter, they might imagine a world in which every person documents his life in data points, drones zip around the airspace, and families argue about Google Glass at the dinner table. Maybe some families do, especially if they live in the Bay Area, but a new Pew Research Center study finds that most Americans aren't as thrilled about new technologies as Twitter's unrepresentative sample.
April 18, 2014
Airbnb Reportedly Closes New Round Of Funding Valuing It At $10 Billion
However, it's still unclear what the total amount raised is. Reports suggest it's between $450 million and $500 million.
As widely speculated, Airbnb has reportedly closed a new round of fundraising that values the company at $10 billion.
Criminals Are Using Drones To Find And Rob Marijuana Farms
The drones are equipped with infrared cameras to spot the lights used in grow operations.
Borrowing a tactic from the police, some criminals in the U.K. are using drones equipped with infrared cameras to steal or extort from marijuana grow operations.
New Laser Communication System Could Speed Up Communication Between Astronauts And Earthlings, Thanks To SpaceX and NASA
If a new SpaceX and NASA pilot program succeeds, astronauts will communicate with Mission Control via lasers... and the results could change how the Internet works.
This afternoon, beneath a cloudy sky in Cape Canaveral, a rocket is scheduled to launch with some unusual cargo: a laser communications system for astronauts, the space equivalent of upgrading from dial-up to DSL. NASA's optical laser communications (known as opticom) technology could make it much easier for the International Space Station to share data with Mission Control-and it could change the way our own earthly Internet works as well.
Nest Expects To Make More From Its Data Than Selling Thermostats
A thermostat is a one-time purchase for consumers, but Nest can continue to make money off partnerships with utility companies.
Google acquired smart thermostat maker Nest for $3.2 billion earlier this year, but it turns out the company's most valuable asset isn't its hardware, but rather its data.
Food Delivery App Eat24 Sponsors Its Own Strains Of Weed
The food delivery app partners with San Francisco dispensary the Vapor Room to name 10 flavors of pot in honor of 4/20.
As weed legalization spreads, there's a new story almost every day on the evolution of the business of marijuana. Now, enterprising brands are getting in the pot partnership game--in honor of 4/20, food delivery app Eat24 now has 10 branded strains at the Vapor Room, a San Francisco delivery-based medical marijuana dispensary. The flavors on the Vapor Room's menu range from Eat24 Silver Sour Chicken to Eat24 Blackberry Ice Cream Kush.
Here's What Pharrell's "Happy" Sounds Like Without Music
Spoiler: It's not very happy.
It's amazing that Pharrell's "Happy" still has traction, especially since it was released in November. The music video in particular has inspired more than its fair share of fan tributes, at one point causing the 41-year-old superstar to cry happy tears on Oprah. (Said Pharrell, reflectively, "Why am I crying on Oprah?")
The Top 5 Leadership Stories, April 14-18
Some of this week's top stories sounded like we've had our head in the clouds--but really, working less, following your passions, and being more courageous are possible.
Be less annoying on Twitter, more brave in the board room, and smarter about your search engine tactics: Here are the stories you loved in Leadership, for the week of April 14.
This Is How Much It Costs To Legally Watch A New Game of Thrones Episode
Assuming you're not watching anything else. Australians, for example, would have to pay $49 minimum per episode. And in the U.S.?
The Game of Thrones premiere two weeks ago notched a record 8.2 million viewers. And you can bet that minutes after the show aired, several million more typed "Game of Thrones s04e01" into BitTorrent.
Maze-Like Sauna Is A Steamy Winter Retreat
In Matter Design's Spruce sauna, rooms are nested vertically and ceilings are curved to circulate steam.
Boston-based Matter Design has come up with a sauna that's certain to both relax and intrigue. In this narrow structure, built for a New England farm, you get to your steam room by climbing a series of picturesque, enclosed wooden stairways.
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