David Lidsky's Blog, page 3360
January 10, 2014
Obama Administration Ends Contract With Firm Behind Healthcare.gov
The government is expected to sign a deal worth about $90 million with Accenture next week.
The rollout of healthcare.gov has been nothing short of an IT disaster. As a result, the Obama administration will part ways with CGI Federal, the primary contractor behind the health insurance marketplace, and plans to ink a 12-month contract with Accenture that's worth about $90 million next week.
Nifty Device Can Turn Broom Handles Into Lamps
With Fantasia, you can repurpose just about anything baton-shaped, be it a broom handle or a carrot, into a lamp.
Early Disney fans will remember the scene in Fantasia where the brooms start to multiply and take over, nearly trampling the magician's assistant with their anthropomorphic legs. The Fantasia lamps, from Italian design studio MID, aren't nearly as menacing. But they do possess some Disney magic in the way they can turn nearly any baton-shaped item--broom handles, carrots, spoons--into a standing lamp.
LivingSocial's CEO Is Stepping Down After A Tumultuous Few Years
Tim O'Shaughnessy announced he plans to step down in the first half of 2014, or when the company finds a new chief.
Tim O'Shaughnessy is stepping down as CEO of daily-deals site LivingSocial in the first half of 2014.
Facebook Being Sued For Allegedly Saying Users "Like" Pages They Never Actually Did
A class-action suit filed in San Jose seeks at least $750 in damages for each user.
Facebook has been slapped with another lawsuit. This time, a Colorado man accused the social network of misrepresenting him by telling friends he "Liked" a particular Facebook page, even though he claims he never clicked the "Like" button.
What Is Facebook Airlock And What's It Doing On My Phone?
New internal Facebook software lets engineers test out new features without you knowing.
Ever wonder how you can navigate Facebook's mobile app better today than last year? Or how that once-horrid timeline that didn't quite flow has now become easily accessible with a single hand? Facebook engineers Ari Grant and Kang Zhang announced it's because of its new user test they built, and it's called Airlock.
Death To The Open Office Floor Plan!
Millennial workers are becoming accustomed to communal workspaces, even as they stress us out by eroding privacy and productivity.
Open offices are everywhere, and yet no one seems to like them. Ostensibly they create a "collaborative" atmosphere that would boost creativity (and cut down on rent). But that theory might be bull--so why do we still use them?
Target's Security Breach Is Much Bigger Than Originally Believed
The big box retailer says there may be 70 million affected customers, up from 40 million, as they originally thought.
In December, Target confirmed that a security breach had compromised the payment information of up to 40 million customers. Today, the retailer announced the breach also exposed names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, and that the number of affected customers is up to 70 million, significantly higher than originally believed.
Fashion Maven Betsey Johnson Just Designed A Football Helmet
And she's not the only one: 48 eminent fashion designers give football headgear a makeover in honor of the Super Bowl. See the insane designs here.
On the occasion of the 48th Super Bowl, which is being held for the first time in New York, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) set out to give helmets a runway-worthy makeover. They recruited 48 of fashion's biggest designers--including Betsey Johnson, Rag & Bone's David Neville and Marcus Wainwright, Alice + Olivia's Stacey Bendet, Dannijo's Danielle Snyder and Jodie Snyder, Marchesa and Narciso Rodriguez--to create innovative "fashionable" football helmets that will be auctioned off on Bloomingdales.com starting January 15th. They'll also grace Bloomingdale's famously glitzy 59th Street window display.
Director Cary Fukunaga On Conjuring The Louisiana Noir Of "True Detective"
Director Cary Fukunaga talks about moving from Jane Eyre to the dark world of HBO's new series True Detective, on the importance of the classics and his next project with Idris Elba.
First he rode on top of boxcars hundreds of miles through Mexico to observe the migrant experience depicted in his 2008 debut feature Sin Nombre. Then he mounted a lush 19th-century costume drama adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's gothic romance Jane Eyre. Now director Cary Fukunaga switches gears yet again to explore the low lore and landscape of Louisiana in HBO's gripping new crime series True Detective, which debuts January 12.
This Horrifying Fitness Game For Google Glass Makes You Run For Your Life
The new fitness motivator enabled by technology: Running from zombies and oncoming trains.
Next time you see someone running down the street screaming "Get away from me, zombies!" or "You'll never catch me, giant boulder!" give them the benefit of the doubt. They may be crazy, but maybe not quite as crazy as you think.
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