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Review: Oculus Quest is exactly what VR needs to hit the mainstream
2019-06-26

Wanna feel old? It’s been seven years since Doom-creator John Carmack first unveiled his ski-goggles contraption that would eventually become the Oculus Rift. A lot has happened in the years that have since passed, including Oculus’ 2 billion dollar acquisition by Facebook. What was then only a finicky but...

Inside the shadowy spyware that is helping governments track down the next Jamal Khashoggi
2019-06-26

There’s some new competition for NSO, the Israeli company accused of helping the Saudi government track down Jamal Khashoggi. Last month, Facebook said that WhatsApp users were vulnerable to a sophisticated exploit capable of hacking into phones with little more than a few unanswered calls. The new exploit was...

5 types of connections you need in your LinkedIn network
2019-06-26

The number of connections to kick-start the value of LinkedIn’s network is 30. Are yours the right ones? Having a robust professional network can be a game changer when thinking about your career journey. The people in your network can help make future connections, refer you for a job, provide advice, and so...

In a first, Facebook will hand over hate speech data to France
2019-06-26

Facebook has agreed to hand over identifying information on French users suspected of using hate speech on its platform, making it the first deal of its kind between the social media giant and a government. According to Reuters, the decision appears to have been a result of successive meetings between Facebook chief...

How to mute Trump on Twitter during the Democratic debates
2019-06-26

If for some reason you decide you want to mute the president this week, Twitter has you covered. The first round of Democratic primary debates is taking place over two nights this week in Miami, where 20 candidates will face off against each other—10 candidates each night—in an attempt to win over...

These are the deceptive design tricks and dark patterns that steer your clicks each day
2019-06-25

The terms may be new to you, but you experience them nearly every day. When I visit my aging mother in the Midwest, I watch as she sits at her computer endlessly scrolling on Facebook. In earlier times, she would have been joyfully soaking up the time with her visiting kids and grandkids. Like many of us, her use of...

Inside Shopify’s brave API gamble
2019-06-25

A platform-as-a-service company is only as good as its APIs, and Shopify has dozens of them. These expose a specific part of the Shopify’s product to third-party developers, who can then incorporate them into their own applications. And last week, at the annual Shopify Unite summit, the company announced it was...

This IBM Code Pattern makes it easy to create your own object recognition AI
2019-06-25

IBM developer Nicholas Bourdakos recently created a new Code Pattern that lets just about anyone develop and train an AI model to recognize objects using computer vision. Bourdakos’ Code Pattern, called “Create a real-time object detection app using Watson Machine Learning,” relies on a tool called Cloud...

Hackers target major UK supermarket’s Twitter with phoney Bill Gates Bitcoin scam
2019-06-25

Hackers took control of British multinational retailer Tesco’s Twitter account yesterday, urging followers to send Bitcoin to a wallet address and promising to return twice the value received. Luckily, though, Tesco’s followers did not fall for the Bitcoin scheme as no funds were deposited in the wallet address...

This is the perfect app for quitting Chrome (without actually quitting it)
2019-06-25

Bumpr makes it easy to escape the self-imposed monopoly that stems from accessing the web with any single web browser. Google’s Chrome browser is remarkably convenient, especially if you use an Android smartphone, since it syncs to the cloud to not only keep your URLs straight, but feed much of your data into...

98% of Bitcoin Satoshi Vision’s activity comes from a dumb weather app
2019-06-24

The majority of transactions running through the Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV) network haven’t anything to do with cryptocurrency. In fact, pretty much all of its current on-chain activity comes from weathersv.com, an automated weather service that simply copies data from another (centralized) weather site and...

Full moon patents: Futuristic airplane ‘slingshot’ and Google’s painted solar panels
2019-06-24

Ugh, the Gregorian calendar is so boring. That’s why we’re disrupting monthly series with a lunar cycle-based series about the best patents of the last synodic month, picked by the PatentYogi team. Get ready when that moon gets gibbous, y’all. This June-ish roundup lands on the tasty Strawberry Moon! Since...

Obsessing over first-page load time sabotages ecommerce businesses
2019-06-24

A flawed approach to page speed measurement is sabotaging ecommerce sites. There, I said it. Now I know this might be an exaggeration, but it really is time for a change. A historical focus on network-based metrics — bytes downloaded per page or assets per page, for example — and an excessive emphasis placed on...

Someone made a choose-your-own adventure Twitter game where you play Beyoncé’s assistant—and it’s amazing
2019-06-24

User @CornyAssBitch’s choose-your-own-adventure Twitter game even has celebrities like Questlove and Chrissy Teigen playing. Twitter, take note. You’ve just landed the job of a lifetime: being Beyoncé’s personal assistant. Your only objective now is not to make the one foolish decision that...

Google double downs on its project to teach kids how to spot fake news
2019-06-24

YouTube has a reputation for feeding kids inappropriate videos. A digital literacy program from parent company Google hopes to combat it by teaching kids to spot and report it. The internet can be a disturbing, destructive place, especially for children. In just a few clicks, kids can find explicit images, racist...

Why focus group man from Tim Robinson’s Netflix show is the meme of 2019
2019-06-22

“I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson” has inspired one of the most irrepressible memes of 2019. Here’s why you keep seeing this guy all over Twitter. Have you seen this man? You must have by now.Read Full Story

France to create a joint G7 cryptocurrency task force amid Facebook’s Libra woes
2019-06-21

France is putting together a Group of Seven Nations (G7) task force to explore how central banks can make sure cryptocurrencies adhere to money-laundering and consumer protection rules. That’s according to the country’s central bank governor who announced the news today. The announcement comes days after Facebook...

Facebook’s currency could threaten democracy. Let’s not rush into it
2019-06-21

Libra could prove as dangerous as misinformation spread over Facebook. Until we understand its implications, regulators should press pause on the whole idea. Facebook has announced a plan to launch a new cryptocurrency named the Libra, adding another layer to its efforts to dominate global communications and business....

Sorry, ads are coming to TikTok
2019-06-21

Director of U.S. marketing Stephane Henrich is in Cannes on a mission to educate brands and advertisers on what the app is, and find out how ad creatives want to use it. Barely a year old, yet reportedly boasting more than a billion downloads, short-form mobile video app TikTok doesn’t need to work too hard to...

Photographer and entrepreneur Joshua Kissi says you must follow this Instagram account
2019-06-21

The creative director, photographer, and Tonl cofounder shares his media diet. Joshua Kissi is a creative director, photographer, and cofounder of Tonl, a culturally diverse stock photo company. Here, he shares his favorite media makers.Read Full Story

Report: Google Maps hosts ‘millions’ of fake business listings
2019-06-21

Many of us rely on Google Maps to find electricians, hair salon, and other services in our area.  Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google Maps hosts an estimated ’11 million falsely listed businesses on any given day.’  The majority of the bogus listings are found in categories that Google calls...

Google will no longer make tablets, but Chrome OS lives on
2019-06-21

In case you were holding out for a Google or Pixel-branded tablet, I’ve got some bad news: the company is no longer interested in building these devices in-house. Computerworld reported that Google reportedly just killed off its plans to make two tablets to follow the Pixel Slate from 2018. In addition, its chief of...

Facebook’s recent logo drama is a problem on multiple levels
2019-06-20

The company’s new Libra currency features branding that’s very similar to an existing online bank. But that’s only the tip of the Zuckerberg. This week, Facebook announced a new pseudo-cryptocurrency called Libra, which you can access through a Facebook spinoff company called Calibra. The...

The Jeff Goldblum guide to getting someone’s attention
2019-06-20

At Cannes Lions, the ‘Jurassic World’ and ‘Thor: Ragnorok’ star shares his approach to commercial work, why he’s killing it on Instagram, and more. When you meet Jeff Goldblum in person, the very first thing, the VERY first thing you notice is just how JEFF GOLDBLUM he is. The tone,...

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