Think, Thought, Imagine: Daily tech, media & more (2/2/16)
Quick News (read the headlines and you’re done)
Amazon Is Said to Be Planning an Expansion Into Retail Bookstores [they have one in Seattle, but we’re talkin’ 400 store expansion] – NY Times
SoundCloud Gets Its Own Radio Feature With Launch Of “Stations” On iOS And Android [SoundCloud continues to evolve into a traditional listening platform] - TechCrunch
Zagg To Buy Iphone Battery Case Maker Mophie For $100 Million [a bit boring, but phone accessories are an extremely active business (just go to CES) and not going away anytime soon] - recode
Microsoft Purchases Popular Keyboard Maker Swiftkey For $250 Million [but it’s not about the keyboard, it’s about the artificial intelligence – read: it predicts what you’re going to type] – 9 to 5 Google
YouTube Developing Live 360-Degree Video Capability [this isn’t new exactly, but it’d be a new feature for YouTube specifically – shows commitment to 360 video (something Facebook is touting as well)] – BuzzFeed News
Yahoo Signals Its Core Business Could Be For Sale By Exploring “Strategic Alternatives” [they also confirmed the 15% layoffs and also wrotedown Tumblr’s value by $230 million (reminder: Yahoo bought Tumblr in 2013 for $1 billion)] - TechCrunch
Magic Leap Scores $793.5 Million To Science The Heck Out Of "Mixed Reality Lightfield" [yes, it’s another round from a company we can’t say exactly what the hell they do – but this time the CEO does an interview and coins the term in the headline (“mixed reality lightfield”)] – Fast Company
Please Explain (someone's gotta do it)
Uber Drivers And Others In The Gig Economy Take A Stand [on the growing dissonance between drivers and Uber] – NY Times
Look, Listen (and um, learn?)
Look: Uber Just Completely Changed Its Logo and Branding - recode
Look: Take a Look Around Facebook's Huge New Los Angeles Office – Curbed LA
Culture (more)
Being A ‘Morning Person’ Has A Genetic Basis, 23andme Study Says [reminder: 23andMe is the genetic testing startup] – The Verge
"The take-away message is that there is a significant genetic basis for morning and evening preference," Tauber says.
What Happens When You Get Stoned Every Single Day For Five Years [it may affect short term memory, but takes very heavy use – in short: if you smoke, just smoke in moderation] – Washington Post
Industry (we're so Hollywood)
Instagram Kicks Off Its Very Own 28-Part Thriller Series [15 second episodes with images interspersed - follow it here] – The Next Web
Google Trends
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CNN – Iowa caucus
Ariel Winter – the Modern Family star attended the SAG awards after a recent breast reduction and tweeted about not being ashamed of her scars
Johnny Manziel – Cleveland Browns QB was involved in another “incident” that the Browns responding to by indicating they’ll fire him when they can
Sia – released her new album
NBC News – Iowa caucus
Top YouTube Videos
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