Think, Thought, Imagine: Daily tech, media & more (1/7/16)
Quick News (read the headlines and you’re done)
Yahoo Is Prepping To Lay Off 10% Or More Of Its Workforce [reportedly mostly in media and European ops] – Business Insider
NBCUniversal’s Seeso Comedy Platform Officially Launches [reminder: $3.99 a month for some NBC (comedy) shows and 22 originals] - tubefilter
Sony Says Playstation VR Will Have Over 100 Titles [but console makers often claim big game development numbers around console releases so the realities may be different upon launch] - BBC
Facebook's Messenger App Quadrupled in Under 2 Years to 800 Million Monthly Users [and they’re reportedly allowing a more developers to build “bots” so users can get more services within the app – e.g. Uber was an early partner where you can order a car, all within Messenger] - AdWeek
Gilt Groupe Will Be Bought by Owner of Saks for $250 Million [why interesting: Gilt was once valued very highly ($1 billion) and this will be seen as a failure for Gilt as they raised $280 million in venture capital – but traditional retailers need e-commerce experience and Gilt provides that, so may be a win for Hudson Bay (Saks owner) – more: One Kings Lane, a Gilt competitor that was valued near $1 billion as well is also reportedly up for (a cheap) sale] - Bloomberg
Please Explain (someone's gotta do it)
Instagram Goes Beyond The Feed With Everyday Spotlight Compilations [i.e. Instagram will curate videos errday for its users – previously they only did this for “major” events like holidays] - TechCrunch
Bragi’s Truly Wireless Earbuds Are Finally Here, And They’re Actually Good [what is: they’re called “Dash,” think two of the earbuds from Her – context: they had a big Kickstarter, but have been delayed for about a year, however, this is a pretty strong endorsement, and if they work, they could be pretty interesting] – The Verge
Look, Listen (and um, learn)
Look: The EHang 184 Is A Human-Sized Drone Taking Off At CES [sure] – TechCrunch
Look: Artist Draws Star Wars: Force Awakens Characters in Style of Calvin and Hobbes – Brian Kesinger (Instagram)
Culture (more)
Radiohead Form New Company, Raising Speculation New Album is Imminent [yes please] - Pitchfork
Sony Unveils LP Turntables for High-Resolution Audio Era [the point: some companies are seeing enough resurgence in old tech to make new versions of it] - WSJ
Not Our World (but still happening in the world)
Macy’s to Cut 4,500 Jobs, After Holiday Sales Slump [why interesting: see note above about Gilt sale - also, “fast fashion”] – NY Times
“The problems facing traditional retailers contrast starkly with the online juggernaut Amazon, which announced a record-breaking holiday sales season. Macy’s has struggled to compete with heavy discounters like T. J. Maxx, as well as so-called fast fashion brands like H&M and Zara.”
Industry"ish" (we're so Hollywood)
This Simple Trick Helped Netflix Increase Video Viewing by More Than 20 Percent [ignore the click-bait headline and focus on the fact it’s the most important (and basic) digital property - testing] - Variety
“The company now prepares a half dozen images for each and every video, and tests these images themselves with a subset of its user base. The winners are then used as imagery for all of Netflix’s members. It’s a simple trick, but one with a massive impact: Video viewing increases between 20 and 30 percent for titles with images that have been chosen through these kinds of tests, Hunt said.”
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