Think, Thought, Imagine: Daily tech, media & more (12/14/15)

Quick News (read the headlines and you’re done)

Amazon Is Pulling Hoverboards From Its Store Pending Safety Review [cuz their sales ain’t be the only thing that’s ‘splodin] - recode

Samsung Adding Pressure-Sensitive Display, High-Speed Charging Port to Galaxy S7 [read: “pressure-sensitive display” like iPhone 6S – likely launch is March] - WSJ
  
Seattle Will Allow Uber and Lyft Drivers to Form Unions [it’s messy both in specifics and opinions, but noteworthy in how it may influence other situations] – NY Times
  
Facebook Will Let You Add A Lightsaber To Your Profile Picture This Week [why interesting: as far as we know this is the first commercial instance of Facebook's "filter feature"] – The Verge
 
Verizon Now Allows TV Customers To Stream DVR Recordings Outside Of The Home [context: Comcast (and Tivo) allow this, but still noteworthy due to the fact it’s Verizon] - TechCrunch
 
Drone Registration Rules Are Announced by F.A.A. [they want people to register and create “culture of of accountability” – enforcement is still very much TBD - context: some estimates say 700K will be sold over the holidays] – NY Times

Taylor Swift Will Launch A Concert Documentary Exclusively On Apple Music [why interesting: the exclusivity first off and even more so due to Swift’s initial reluctance to partner with streaming services (but $) – also, video, as in will people care about (and notice) video on a music based platform] – 9 to 5 Mac
 

Great Reads (why settle for good?)

Ambitious Sci-Fi Game Star Citizen Hits $100 Million In Crowdfunding [huh? Yeah, people have (reportedly) given that much money to build a (yet to be released) game – often to buy digital items like space ships – it’s the power of imagination, the internet, and the rich nerd horde combined] – The Verge
 
 By Buying Hong Kong Paper, Alibaba Seeks to Polish China’s Image [why interesting: see below and the ultimate reasoning – more positively viewed China means easier for Chinese company to expand worldwide?] – NY Times
 
“On Friday, the company announced that it would attempt to directly reshape global news coverage of China, which it says is too negative, by buying the media assets of the SCMP Group, including The South China Morning Post, a careworn English-language broadsheet in Hong Kong.”

Culture (more)

People Who Curse Have Huge Fucking Vocabularies [it’s one study, but we like this study] – death and taxes
 

Industry (we're so Hollywood)

Movie Theater Apps to Bypass the Popcorn Lines [in short: theaters are making apps to let people pre-buy food. Cool. Larger point is theaters will need to evolve and cater to customers to keep them coming back – i.e. more of this, and more faster] – NY Times
 

Google Trends
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Kourtney Kardashian – rumored to have “hooked up with” with Justin Bieber
Lip Kit By Kylie – Kyile Jenner’s lip kits sold out (yes, kits)
Adele tour – she announced her tour dates
 

Top YouTube Videos
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Watch: Our Pick — The Weird Reason We Think Vitamins Are Good For Us (They're Not)
 
Watch: the Full Playlist