David Lidsky's Blog, page 3317
March 5, 2014
Quantifying The Art Of Skateboarding With A Trick Algorithm
Wearable, data-generated gadgets are moving beyond runners to quantify skateboarders' every movement.
Runners and fitness junkies have been able to track their progress via smartphones for years. But what about more extreme sports? Thanks to a combination of smart hardware, apps, and algorithms, the "quantified self" movement will soon branch out onto the half-pipe.
Why Venture Capitalists Love Foolish Startups
We asked investors like Hunter Walk what they think about naive ambition. Here's what they said.
Steve Jobs famously said to "stay hungry, stay foolish." But just how foolish?
An Intimate Look At The Life Of A Sled-Racing Dog
Sunday kicked off the 1,000-mile Iditarod Dog Sled Race in Alaska. The race's official photographer is Kickstarting a stunning book featuring his exclusive photos of snow doge galore.
Last Sunday, nearly 70 mushers from around the globe and their teams of canine athletes set off on Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. They departed from a frozen lake in Anchorage to bound across 1,000 miles of tundra, through mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dark forests, and sub-zero temperatures. The Iditarod, an annual tradition since 1973, bills itself as the "Last Great Race on Earth."
Following Security Breach, Target's Chief Information Officer Resigns
The move comes as Target implements new measures to enhance security.
In the aftermath of Target's massive data breach over the holidays, the retailer's chief information officer, Beth Jacob, resigned Wednesday. The company said it will start looking for an interim CIO.
Facebook Announces New Measures To Prevent Illegal Gun Sales
The gun-trade market on social networks is like "an unregulated free-for-all," says Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. But that's beginning to change.
According to some estimates, millions of guns are sold or traded illegally without background checks every year, with social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram serving as unlikely marketplaces. Facebook pages like Guns for Sale, for instance, which has over 200,000 followers, act as intermediaries for users to advertise sales and broker deals.
Science Suggests We Think Celebrities Are Magical
A new study finds that people pay more for objects touched by someone famous. Could this explain the popularity of celebrity design collaborations?
We all know how magic the famous can seem. They appear to glow in the light of photographers' flashbulbs and can inspire applause just by walking into a room. And it turns out that even in our increasingly secular world, where enchantment is often usurped in favor of science, we still subconsciously believe that celebrities truly are magical.
Flipboard Purchases News Reader App Zite From CNN
Under the terms of the deal, Flipboard and CNN will also enter a long-term news partnership.
Flipboard, the very pretty digital content aggregator, has purchased Zite, a smaller but also very pretty digital content aggregator, from CNN for an undisclosed sum. The deal was announced today in a conference call.
Meet The Barbie With An Even More Perfect Body
The "Lammily" doll has the proportions of an average American 19-year-old. Can she beat Mattel for a slice of the toy market?
Over the last half-century, Barbie's cultural influence has almost been as exaggerated as her proportions. In the '90s, the average little girl in the United States owned at least one, likely spending hours tugging new outfits over Barbie's cartoonish, breast-like mounds and stuffing her stiff limbs into any household object that sort of resembled a convertible. But Barbie's plasticine shine is on the fade. And while she's fighting the PR war for her life, this new doll aims to put realistic, more malleable body images in the hands of little girls instead.
FreedomPop's "Snowden Phone" Is Similar To The Blackphone, But Way Cheaper
It also lets privacy-conscious consumers pay for their plans with Bitcoins to hide their identities.
FreedomPop, the wireless underdog best known for its free Internet and phone plans, is back with another twist: a smartphone that puts privacy in the hands of users. With privacy-oriented Android smartphones emerging as a trend, the Privacy Phone from FreedomPop will join the likes of Blackphone, which launched at Mobile World Congress last week, and Boeing, which reportedly plans to develop a tamper-proof smartphone.
ZocDoc Is Expanding To Cover The Majority Of The U.S.
The startup that lets patients book appointments with doctors online will cover all of the lower 48.
ZocDoc, a service that lets patients book appointments with doctors online, announced Wednesday it is expanding from 2,000 cities and towns--roughly 40% of the country's population--to cover the rest of the contiguous U.S.
David Lidsky's Blog
- David Lidsky's profile
- 3 followers
