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Communication and Technology news
Dog influencers are so popular, they need their own talent agency
2018-12-20

The Dog Agency helps canines–and their owners–navigate the lucrative world of paid posts and sponsored content on Instagram. It’s almost noon, and Loni Edwards’s client is drooling on the carpet in the lobby.Read Full Story

When Fortnite pwnd Google: the most overlooked story of the year
2018-12-20

Contrary to appearances, it’s still possible to stare down the tech giants. And in 2018, Fortnite proved it. In 2018, the platforms have the power. Which means if you aren’t Apple, Google, or Facebook, you answer to them. That’s true for advertisers, for publishers, and even for our democracy. And...

Why so many brands on Instagram look the same
2018-12-19

A single design studio is responsible for branding a slew of mega-successful startups like Casper and Allbirds. Here’s how it took over the world–or at least your feed. The Casper mattress. The Allbirds sneaker. Brandless mouthwash or pasta sauce. Birchbox, Prose, Snowe, and Keeps.Read Full Story

Italian regulators launch crackdown on silly cryptocurrency scams
2018-12-17

Italian authorities have moved to protect local investors by temporarily banning the sale of two particularly dodgy cryptocurrency investments within the country for 90 days. In a special bulletin, the Commissione Nazionale per la Società e la Borsa (CONSOB) revealed a string of websites and Facebook pages it has...

Hong Kong: Bitcoin ‘millionaire’ throws money from rooftop, gets arrested
2018-12-17

A supposed Chinese cryptocurrency millionaire has been arrested after throwing stacks of HK $100 ($12) bills from the rooftop of a building in one of Hong Kong’s poorest districts. Self-styled Bitcoin millionaire Wong Ching-Kit announced the bizarre stunt via Facebook. In the post, he declared money would soon be...

The 2-year-old Instagram influencers who make more than you
2018-12-17

The platform’s young stars can rake in five-figure sums for a photo. It’s about “building brand awareness and affinity through generations,” says one expert. In 2016, Madison and Kyler Fisher hit rock bottom. After a business venture gone bust, the Los Angeles-based couple was left...

Report: Fact-checkers say Facebook has used them for “crisis PR”
2018-12-13

Journalists who partnered with Facebook say they’ve lost faith that the social network really cares about ridding itself of false news. Facebook quickly responded. A new report from the Guardian claims Facebook’s partnership with independent journalists to combat disinformation on its social...

Survey: More support for Sheryl Sandberg at Facebook than in the broader tech industry
2018-12-13

Anonymous survey app Blind polled tech workers and found that they think that Sandberg shouldn’t continue in her role as COO. A recent poll from Blind, an anonymous social network for more than 45,000 employees of tech companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and others, revealed how they perceive Facebook COO...

Inmates in Texas could soon get 3D-printed dentures
2018-12-13

After an investigation found that toothless inmates in Texas were rarely offered adequate care, the prison system has pledged to change its ways with some cutting-edge technology. In September, the Houston Chronicle issued some damning findings about the way the Texas prison system treats inmates who lack teeth....

Google Maps wants you to use Lime for your last-mile trip
2018-12-13

Lime vehicles are now listed alongside ride hailing and walking in Google Maps. When you pull up Google Maps to get directions, under the transit option, you generally see a handful of choices: taking the bus or the subway, or hailing an Uber.Read Full Story

Microsoft launches its Clarity web analytics tool for A/B testing and visualizing user sessions
2018-12-13

To help webmasters understand how visitors interact with their sites, Microsoft has launched its new Clarity analytics tool in beta today. Set to rival the likes of Optimizely, Google Optimize and Visual Web Optimizer, Clarity lets you run A/B tests, and play back visualizations of users’ experiences and behavior...

Google now lets you donate to charities through the Play store
2018-12-13

Google is making it easier for its users to give back to the community by introducing donations through its Play store. Android users in select countries can now contribute to causes they believe in using the same payment methods they’ve associated with their Google accounts. The search giant is partnering with 10...

Fortnite, K-pop, and bright red hearts: What ruled Instagram in 2018
2018-12-13

So. Many. Heart. Emojis. Behold, Instagram’s year in review. Whispering, hearts, Fortnite, and K-Pop ruled instagram this year.Read Full Story

Google+ to shut down early after second major security incident
2018-12-13

After another data leak, its second such leak in a year, Google today announced it was shutting down its beleaguered social media platform, Google+. API access will shut down even sooner, within the next 90 days. The newest vulnerability affected 52.5 million users, according to Google. Profile information, including...

Watch how smoke from the Camp Fire filled the Bay Area
2018-12-12

Google Street View cars mounted with air sensors show how the smoke filtered into the city–and how pollution levels can differ drastically over just a few blocks. The Camp Fire–the deadliest, most destructive wildlife in California history–started around 6:30 a.m. on the morning of November 8. By...

The painful side of tech algorithms in one heartbreaking tweet
2018-12-12

A devastating plea to Big Tech goes viral. A devastating story is making its way around Twitter, telling the tale of an indifferent algorithm that got everything right except the sad finale.Read Full Story

Google Search Trends show off the emotional rollercoaster that was 2018
2018-12-12

Google today released its data on search trends in 2018. While these always reflect the state of the world over the course of the year, in this case the list of trending searches range from joyful to very, very sad — we’ve had a rollercoaster of a year. It’s basically like reliving the year itself in a few...

Anti-robot vigilantes in Arizona try to scare off Waymo’s self-driving cars
2018-12-12

The average consumer probably doesn’t know a whole lot about self-driving car technology. But, when exposed to it, most people seem to react with a mixture of caution and optimism. Not everyone likes change though. Nobody understands that more than Waymo’s human drivers. Waymo, a Google sister-company, found the...

Jack Dorsey tries to clear up his obliviousness about Myanmar atrocities
2018-12-12

Thousands of Rohingya have been slaughtered, and Twitter helped fuel the hate. On Sunday the Twitter CEO posted a few tweets about what a fantastic time he had while on a meditation retreat in Myanmar. It was a country, he tweeted, that was “absolutely beautiful” and whose “people are full of...

Instagram is testing ‘creator’ accounts with special features for influencers
2018-12-12

Facebook-owned Instagram is reportedly trialing a new type of account for content creators with large audiences on its platform, according to Hollywood Reporter. The new account – currently being tested by a small group of users – grants access to insights about follows and unfollows, as well as the ability to...

Moment’s OnePlus 6 cases turn it into a mini DSLR
2018-12-12

I’ve begrudgingly come to accept that smartphones are now as good as DSLRs and mirrorless camera for many kinds of everyday photography, but they can’t compete when it comes to lens choices. You’re stuck with whatever field of view your phone came with, limiting the versatility of your gear. Companies like...

The future of fashion is made-to-order, according to Farfetch CEO José Neves
2018-12-11

On the heels of his company’s recent IPO, Farfetch CEO José Neves talks about personalizing fashion, the industry’s problem with waste, and the unexpected benefits of a global recession. In September, a decade after he began knitting together an online marketplace for independent boutiques across...

RIP Fusion Tables: Google is killing off the beloved data visualization tool
2018-12-11

Google will shut down its hybrid database-spreadsheet product effective next year. Users of Google’s Fusion Tables, a kind of hybrid spreadsheet/database/data visualization tool that was never fully integrated into the Google Drive productivity suite, got an email Tuesday saying the service will be shutting...

The millionaire critic who scared Facebook now wants to help “fix the internet”
2018-12-11

David Magerman, the ex-RenTech partner who criticized Robert Mercer, prompted Facebook to go on the attack. Now he’s joining Differential Ventures to invest in tech. In the hedge fund world and in the drama surrounding Cambridge Analytica’s harvesting of personal data, as well as Facebook’s...

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