Think, Thought, Imagine: Daily tech, media & more (12/18/15)
Quick News (read the headlines and you’re done)
Apple Pay Is Set to Arrive in China [they confirmed their partnership with China UnionPay, the primary cc network, and 15 banks] – NY Times
Target May Launch Its Own Mobile Wallet Next Year [it’s about control, and their (and other retailers, see: Walmart) fear of not having it] - TechCrunch
Humans Are Slamming Into Driverless Cars and Exposing a Key Flaw [the “flaw” being driverless cars obey the law, and humans aren’t used to that] - Bloomberg
Amazon In Talks To Lease Boeing Jets To Launch Its Own Air-Cargo Business [reportedly because their annoyed by delays from shipping companies]– Seattle Times
The NFL Wants To Stream Thursday Night Football Online Next Season [why interesting: NFL deals are huge for networks, and the NFL has been very strick (read: limiting) with their streaming deals so this signifies a potentially big change] - Deadspin
Facebook Will Give Employees $10,000 If They Move Within 10 Miles Of Its Headquarters [wait, why? They didn’t explicitly say, but likely to ease pressure for employees when they’re working on a problem and their commute forces them to leave (context: they’re not the first tech company to do this)] – Business Insider
Great Reads (why settle for good?)
Holiday Sales Show Online Shift [in short: retailers are getting better at creating (less crappy) online stores and faster shipping] – Business of Fashion
“Sales growth for stores is up 2 percent, while online sales rose 4.6 percent, according to First Data.”
Facebook Launches a Big Improvement to Its Events Feature [allows you to see events by category and location – why interesting: Facebook has long let features like this languish and even killed them, so their emphasis shows a focus (also see: their business pages) on making the platform a more comprehensive “eco-system” vs just a place to check for photos/links from your friends] - Wired
Look, Listen (and um, learn?)
Inhale: Exhale
Listen: Trouble – Cage the Elephant
Look: A Misty Morning Walk in Sweden – Adventure Journal
Culture (more)
Mars Rover Finds Changing Rocks, Surprising Scientists – NY Times
Industry (we're so Hollywood)
Amazon Picks Up 5 New Primetime Series & 3 Kids Series, Renews ‘Red Oaks’ & ‘Hand Of God’ [as well as renewing it’s very well received drama Man in the High Castle – why interesting: this after Netflix upped their show output to 32 – i.e. they’re growing, fast] - tubefilter
iOS (top free)
View the full list
Messenger
Facebook
iTunes U
Instagram
YouTube
Snapchat
Piano Tiles
Pandora
Amazon
Spotify
Trailers
Synchronicity [Tom Hiddleston in..something]
Star Trek Beyond [Kirk and crew are off into space]
Storks [animated movie about the baby delivery service]
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them [Harry Potter spin-off]
Independence Day: Resurgence [sequel to the ‘96 hit – no Will Smith]
Gods of Egypt [second trailer – released just a month after their first – they received backlash for casting (see: race)]
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot [Tina Fey as a reporter goes to Afghanistan – take first three letters of title words and you’ll get the tone]
Google Trends
View the full list
Beethoven – would’ve (probably) been 245 this year
Interest Rates – went up after being held the same for many years
Abby Wambach – leading US scorer (in soccer) retired
Survivor – had its finale
Ethan Couch – still missing
Top YouTube Videos
Watch: Our Pick — Real Burning Lightsaber
Watch: the Full Playlist