Think, Thought, Imagine: Daily tech, media & more (1/20/16)
Quick News (read the headlines and you’re done)
Volvo Promises Deathproof Cars By 2020 [unless you intentionally drive off a cliff, and then, whelp, Darwin Awards buddy] – CNN
Weibo, Beating Twitter to the Punch, Lengthens its 140-Character Limit [Weibo as in “the Twitter of China,” – raising it to 2K] - WSJ
Apple Releases Music Memos, A Recorder App For Musicians [why interesting: while likely relatively small in number of people that will use, it could be influential as well as shows a continued commitment to artists (something Apple is known for and likes to tout)] - TechCrunch
Uber Prepares Meal-Delivery Service for 10 U.S. Cities [yes they already have food ordering within the main Uber app, but they’re launching a dedicated/separate app called UberEats to challenge the numerous competitors (see: Eat24, Seamless, Postmates, Amazon Prime Now etc.] - WSJ
Please Explain (someone's gotta do it)
Amazon’s Clothing Selection Is Now Bigger Than 250 Walmart Supercenters Combined [the point: see quote below] - recode
“By next year, Amazon could pass Macy’s to become the No. 1 seller of clothing in the U.S., according to projections by equity research analysts Cowen and Company.”
Great Reads (why settle for good?)
Inside Facebook’s Ambitious Plan To Connect The Whole World [if you’re curious about their plans] - Wired
“Ultimately, Facebook wants to launch 10,000 Aquilas and move them around the globe to create hot spots wherever they’re needed.”
Culture (more)
Stephen Hawking: Humanity Will Only Survive By Colonizing Other Planets [and lo and behold… (see below)] - Quartz
Scientists Find Hints Of A Giant, Hidden Planet In Our Solar System [no, it’s not Pluto smart-ass – and it’s still under investigation, but it could be 10X the size of Earth] – NPR
Industry"ish" (we're so Hollywood)
Apple Is ‘Frustrated’ By TV Streaming Negotiations, Says ESPN [but likes the idea of being on Apple TV and thinks it’ll happen] – The Verge
Netflix Expands Global Indie Strategy With Slate Of New Features [in short: they’re financing five new films and they’ll be available in all 190 countries upon launch] - Deadline
Nielsen to Use Facebook and Twitter in New Ratings System [key note: they’ve already been doing this with Twitter – Facebook is the new part – but this doesn’t address core issues of tracking viewing behavior across all platforms] – NY Times
Google Trends
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Stacy Dash – Clueless actress, and now Fox News contributor, said she believes Black History Month and BET Awards aren’t necessary
Jamie Lynn Sigler – actress talks about how she deals living with MS
Yasiin Bey – aka (formerly) Mos Def said he’s retiring from music and acting
Alexis Arquette – actress claims Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are gay
Chloe Moretz – has the movie 5th Wave coming out today, but was also in the Neighbors 2 trailer yesterday
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