When it comes to video, the audio is pretty damn important. Hell, they even give out some sort of award for them on occasion. Moodelizer wants to put the power of suitable soundtracks in the hands of amateur filmmakers, by letting you add a delightfully over-the-top soundtrack to the most mundane of tasks at the touch of a button. Read More
The field of soft robotics has been the subject of increasing interest in recent years for the alternatives it presents to the rigid machines we tend to associate with the space. A team of scientists at North Carolina State University is offering an interesting take on the space, utilizing magnetic fields to move around the biologically inspired robots. Read More
Zero-fee stock trading app Robinhood has added to its coffers, raising another big round of funding. According to sources, the round was led by Yuri Milner investment vehicle DST Global and values the company at $1.3 billion dollars. Read More
The ACLU reported last year that law enforcement teamed up with Geofeedia, a software company that uses social media data to track and monitor protesters. Many were outraged. Facebook and Twitter cut off Geofeedia’s access to their data. These new rules have far-reaching implications for companies whose business models revolve around utilizing social media data for close observations. Read More
Earlier this week we wrote about how two big players in the pet-care business, Rover and DogVacay, decided to merge. Well, sources tell us that over the past two years Wag, another player in the dog-walking space, raised two rounds of funding to support expansion into new markets. Read More
Elon Musk suggested Friday that when SpaceX does its first demo flight of the Falcon Heavy large payload rocket later this year, it might also include an attempt to return the upper stage back to Earth. The goal is to make sure the upper stage on the Falcon Heavy is reusable, which is part of SpaceX’s plan to make Mars a viable target for repeat, return commercial spaceflight. Read More
Tech may grab headlines for its misogyny and racial biases, but when it comes to job satisfaction, professional women still rank it as the best industry to work in, according to a survey by the company InHerSight. Read More
While the Mars rovers are searching the red planet for water over the next decade, there are whole moons full of the stuff just waiting for us to come visit. At least, that’s the theory. But missions to Europa and Titan are still hypothetical, so in the meantime NASA is toying with ideas about how a lander would get through the miles of ice that lie on top of these extraterrestrial oceans. Read More
Snapchat is shifting from a social network limited to content shared by people you follow to an ephemeral, real-time database of what’s going on now everywhere. Today Snapchat launched Search for Stories submitted to its public Our Stories. It makes Snapchat as deep as whatever the world is sharing, creating near-infinite rabbit holes to go down. Read More
SpaceX gets a big win after successfully relaunching a Falcon 9 rocket, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is officially unveiled and more details surface on Elon Musk’s new company. These are the top stories of the week, plus some long-form weekend reads. Read More
Social media influencers – like Instagram stars or YouTube celebs – often promote products they like, either as part of a brand relationship or as means of generating income through affiliate sales. Now, Amazon is looking to get in on this action as well. The company has quietly launched the “Amazon Influencer Program,” which is currently in beta testing as of a couple… Read More
Everyone knows that Twitter has a harassment problem. And while the service has tried things like banning abusive users (both on a temporary and permanent basis) it hasn’t really fixed the problem. Today, they’re announcing another sweeping change that fails to address the real problem: they’re cracking the egg. Read More
Wonder, the incredibly stealthy new gaming company, has quietly created a signup page for information and perks related to its plans for global domination of the gaming market from its Los Angeles headquarters. The company is calling its new campaign the “Alpha Program”, and folks that are interested can get updates on Wonder’s product, provide feedback, and get perks and… Read More
Women tech founders face an uphill battle getting in front of VCs and raising money. That’s true in Silicon Valley, which still has the look of a college fraternity, and it’s true in tech hubs like London, Berlin and Amsterdam. It’s bad for women; and it’s equally bad for the tech industry, because the exclusion of female talent and leadership inhibits innovation and… Read More
Snapchat has opened up search across over 1 million curated public Stories, with a new feature release that could be a very helpful tool not only for users, but for advertisers, too. The search feature allows users to find Stories relevant to their interest by keyword, from a large number shared publicly by users and brands. The Stories search is built on new tech behind the scenes that… Read More
Apple just released a new video ad on its YouTube channel for the Apple Watch Series 2. There are two interesting things about this ad. It’s a colorful, cheerful clip that wants to turn the Apple Watch into a pop culture symbol. And it focuses on the fitness features of the Apple Watch, proving that Apple thinks about the device as an activity tracking device first and foremost. Apple… Read More
Informed Delivery is a service from the United States Postal Service that scans the outside of your mail and shows you the images each morning before the mail is actually delivered. While you still won’t be able to see the inside of your mail until it arrives, it should be helpful to know if an important letter is being delivered today or not. Read More
GV has had a few ups and downs in Europe since first setting up its stall here in London in 2014. Fast-forward to today, however, and GV is still here and appears to be gearing up to be more visible and active in the future. Read More
Starbucks introduced its mobile ordering system in 2015, and it’s been a victim of its own success in some ways. Customers at popular spots are eager to use the mobile ordering system to choose their selection and pay in advance, in the hopes of avoiding a line – but they’re having to wait anyway, thanks to a virtual queue that’s as large or larger than the real one… Read More
