No one needs the embarrassment of a notification popping up at the wrong time — or on the wrong device. Wired explains how to find out where you’re signed into iMessage, set up two-factor, and turn off messaging where needed. Bloomberg’s new Lens app provides a handy overlay of contextual information about people and companies. You …
Friday 5 — 2.10.2017
The Met announced this week that all images of public domain artworks are available under a CC0 license. That means ~375K images are free to use and re-mix for scholarly or commercial ends. To maximize reach, the Met is working with partners like Creative Commons, Wikipedia, Pinterest, and Artstor (that’s us!). Some technology advances, like the ability to make …
Friday 5 — 1.13.2017
Even if you’re cooling on your virtuous New Year’s resolutions, keep the one about sending better email. Commit to designing and delivering content that will drive opens, clicks, and conversions. Is on-site search the red-headed stepchild of SEO? Claiming that 30% of visits include on-site search, this article makes the case for improved optimization, and outlines steps …
HUBweek moments
HUBweek 2015 is a wrap. 46,000 people took part in this weeklong celebration of the work and impact at the intersection of art, science, and technology in Greater Boston. The festival was co-founded by Harvard, MIT, MGH, and the Boston Globe, and benefited from creative collaborators from dozens of institutions across the region. A few of my …
Friday 5 — 10.23.2015
“Just a Brown Hand” takes a look at the decision process behind a seemingly small detail: the skin color of the hand depicted in the new Add to Slack feature launched this week. It’s a good reminder of the normative defaults often hard coded into software we use. Curious about the future of tech and media? If so, …
Friday 5 — 9.11.2015
If you’re thinking about mobile as just another line item in your overall internet strategy, Benedict Evans will set you straight. Some company cultures are more conducive to digital transformation, while others hinder progress. This HBR post discusses the risks of excessive focus on technology, and the benefits of distributed decision-making. Your digital footprint — gleaned …
Friday 5 — 6.5.2015
Google Photos, a free tool to store and organize your photos, has launched. Having finally shuttered Google+, Google is recognizing photos as the stickiest feature for user retention. The new service raises legitimate concerns about privacy — a photo repository reveals a great deal about our family structure, travel habits,and health. An automated “Assistant” creates animations and stylized …
Friday 5 — 2.27.2015
Medium has expanded it focus from elegantly formatted longform content to dive headlong into the stream. Now users land on a page featuring an open, simpler editor up top, which lowers the barrier to entry and ideally attracts more users. Search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing are often presented as competing rather than complementary disciplines. Here’s …
Friday 5 — 12.5.2014
We’re all producing more video, but who’s watching? Unlike written content, where a strong open may draw a reader in, there is a divide between those who press play on a video, and those who don’t. This post suggests that video consumption may not be evenly distributed across your audience — and you may have a very specific segment that forms …
Friday 5 — 11.28.2014
Technology surrounds us, but what do most internet users understand about it? A Pew survey on web and digital technology found that only 23% of adult users are aware that “the Internet” and “the World Wide Web” are not the same thing. And while 83% of those surveyed could correctly identify Bill Gates, fewer than half knew that Facebook started at …