Think, Thought, Imagine: Daily tech, media & more (2/1/16)

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

WhatsApp Has Grown To 1 Billion Users [reminder: it’s fancier texting, but not tied to  cell network] – The Verge
 
Gmail Now Has More Than 1B Monthly Active Users [1 billion is the hot new club, but for like, nerds] - TechCrunch
 
Alphabet Passes Apple as World’s Most Valuable Public Company [Alphabet as in Google – and for now, but still noteworthy] - WSJ
 
Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer to Unveil Cost-Cutting Plan [reportedly 15% (1,600 jobs) and entire business units – should come tomorrow] - WSJ
 
Sesame Launches A Venture Arm To Invest In Startups That Help Kids [yes, as in Sesame Street – they see time and focus shifting to new platforms and they want to be there for it] – Fast Company
 
Samsung's Gear 360 Vr Camera To Make Its Debut Alongside The Galaxy S7 [why interesting: Samsung continues to push strongly into VR as they now have the cameras, the headsets, the phones and the software – customers...?] - cnet

Please Explain (someone's gotta do it)

Google Signals Apple-Like Direction For Nexus Phones [currently, Google partners with companies like HTC and LG to make the phones that have “stock” Android on them] – The Information
 
MIT Wins Spacex’s Hyperloop Competition, And Elon Musk Made A Cameo [reminder: Hyperloop is the idea Musk proposed a few years ago (think very very fast vacuum tubes) and they’re building a test track now] – The Verge
 
Google’s Other Bets Eat Up Less Cash (And Make Less Money) Than We Thought [other bets as in Nest, Google Fiber and others – why interesting: Google may have become Alphabet, but they’re still driven by Google] - recode

 

Great Reads (why settle for good?)

A Guy Like Me [firsthand perspective from an NHL player who was voted to be an All-Star by fans (kind of as a joke), but the league apparently asked him to bow out of consideration and not one of the league’s better players – side note: he scored two goals in the game] – The Players’ Tribune
 
“"So when someone from the NHL calls me and says, 'Do you think this is something your kids would be proud of?'
 
... That's when they lost me.
 
That was it, right there. That was the moment.
 
Because, while I may not deserve to be an NHL All-Star, I know I deserve to be the judge of what my kids will — and won't — be proud of me for.”
 

Look, Listen (and um, learn?)

Listen: The Range - Florida
 
Listen: Drake – Summer Sixteen [on Apple Music – first single off forthcoming Views From the 6]
 
Watch: Manny [a five minute film about an 89 year old gentleman who builds guitars out of passion]
 

Culture (more)

She? Ze? They? What’s In a Gender Pronoun – NY Times
 
Drake's Next Album Views From The 6 Will Be Released In April – The Verge
 
Why Bingeing On Health Foods Won’t Boost Your Immune System [good article on the realities of health] – the guardian
 
“If a supplement actually stimulated the innate immune response then it would leave you with a constant feeling of being unwell”
 

Industry (we're so Hollywood)

Sundance Wrap: Why Netflix and Amazon Dominance Matters [in short: the streaming rights became the core value of the film] - THR
 
Louis C.K. Surprises Fans With New Show Horace And Pete, Co-Starring Steve Buscemi [$5 per episode (roughly an hour) – early reviews are pretty good] – The Verge
 
Disney, Fox, Lionsgate Leading $50 Million Into Mobile Ticketing App [called Atom Tickets – and at this point it’s essentially Fandango without the ability to buy tickets, so they’re clearly betting on potential – one part of which is “dynamic pricing” (i.e. charging less in low demand times)] – Variety
 

Google Trends
View the full list

Zika virus – the mosquito born disease that’s most active in South and Central America – WHO declared “public health emergency”
GOOG – people searching to see how the stock did (Alphabet reportedly earnings today)
Harry Stiles – One Direction member split from the band’s management team
Black History Month – this month
Jeb Bush – Iowa caucus tonight
 

Top YouTube Videos
Watch the Full List

Watch: Our Pick — The Last Star in the Universe – Red Dwarfs Explained
 
Watch: the Full Playlist