How does content make it to the front page of Reddit? The Datastories team analyzed 4 million data points to find out. This article gives a number of practical pointers, including the value of posting images, and timing your posts for 9:00 am PST. I’m a little obsessed with my new Amazon Echo, an internet-connected speaker that lets me …
Friday 5 — 2.5.2016
It’s been almost ten years since Watson beat Ken Jennings at Jeopardy, and in that decade artificial intelligence has continued to advance. This week for the first time a Google DeepMind program defeated a professional human player in Go. Interesting take on how this advance reflects an “artificial imagination” capability, and what this breakthrough implies for business. Facebook is …
Friday 5 — 5.8.2015
No matter how much time I spend trying to do a respectable job managing my digital assets, I take a look at the state of my photos online and despair. If you feel the same way, these photo management tips are for you. The Instagram engineering blog performed a fascinating machine-learning analysis of the rise of a new …
Friday 5 — 1.23.2015
There’s a reassuring familiarity to Google search. Launched in 1999, Google today accounts for two-thirds of all searches in the U.S. But behind the scenes, the search product is constantly evolving, determined to stay dominant in an era tilting rapidly toward mobile and social. Physical proximity meets content sharing with viral app Plague. You create …
Friday 5 — 1.24.2014
Google knowledge graph, which seeks to represent “real world things and their connections,” surfaces the relevant content you see on Google search results pages, like movie times. This week Google added to their results a short description of websites that are “widely recognized as notable online, when there is enough information to show.” There’s a lot of content …
Friday 5 — 08.02.2013
Every Friday, find five quick links about compelling technologies, emerging trends, and interesting ideas. Source: the internet. Starbucks reported solid earnings, and pointed to the “demonstrable impact” of digital innovation. More than 10% of Starbucks transactions in the U.S. are made via mobile, and they’re installing wireless charging mats in more locations (which seems like the smartest loss leader ever). LinkedIn …
Serendipitous convergence
The day after the Berkman Center convened news thinkers to talk truthiness and Alan Rusbridger spoke of the impact of open journalism, KONY 2012 broke all records for viral video. All the right ingredients for the perfect social case study of discerning “truth” after the narrative spreads like wildfire. The Guardian asks “What’s the real …