The Campfire Project: Recent Episodes
The Campfire Project
Fire was our first true piece of technology. Around its warming glow, we would tell stories, share our thoughts, and bond with the people we love. Centuries later, our fires have been digitized, and thrown into everyone's pocket. They are infinitely more powerful. This is a podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of technology and storytelling, from two writers connected by circuits, wires and a passion for writing.
Along with charges of fake news and photoshopped pics, thanks to Facebook, Snapchat and others, we’ll soon have to contend with a glut of reality-altering effects as they creep into our everyday post.
As tech companies race to give us new ways to enhance our daily lives, it seems like separating fact from fiction is going to get increasingly difficult.
Show Notes:* F8 2017 Recap - Buffer * Jeff Jarvis on Twitter * "Facebook Says It's Working To Let You 'Hear With Your Skin'" – The Verge * "Introducing New World Lenses" – Snapchat * "Here's What Mark Zuckerberg Told Us About The Wild Things Facebook's New Camera Will Do" – Buzzfeed
Earlier this week, Apple announced it had purchased the iOS-native app Workflow, an automation tool designed to help made your device smarter, and more productive. Now ordinarily this may not have been big news, but it comes at a time when the company is trying to position its mobile devices as real workhorses. So this week, we revisit the changing nature of work thanks to the computers in our pockets.
Show Notes:* "Apple Has Acquires Workflow, A Powerful Automation Tool For iPhone and iPad" - TechCrunch * Workflow on the App Store * Episode 1: Long Live Marketing – Death to Marketing
If your life were a story, what would it say? Would it be adventurous, fun-loving, or sentimental? Who would you share it with? And where? Though the web already give us nearly unlimited ways to share, this week saw the introduction of another – Facebook Messenger’s Day. And with it, not only do we now have more ways to show off what we’re doing, but how Facebook wants to own what we do.
Show Notes:* "Share Your Day In Messenger" – Facebook * "Snapchat Growth Slowed 82% After Instagram Stories Launched" – TechCrunch * "Introducing Instagram Stories" – Instagram Blog * "Marketing In The Age Of Trump" – Medium * Matt on Messenger
Uber’s meteoric rise from another Silicon Valley startup to the next great evolution in transportation has been one fraught with resistance. Led by its aggressive CEO, Travis Kalanick, the company has spearheaded a new one way to get around, and earned a reputation for running over anyone or anything in its path. With a massive valuation though, the company seemed untouchable. Until…this past month. Now all hell is breaking loose.
Show Notes:* "A Brief History Of Uber's Implosion" - Digg * "Reflecting On One Very, Very Strange Year At Uber" – Susan Fowler * Susan Fowler – Twitter * "Uber's Prices Surged During The Hostage Crisis And Everyone Is Furious" – New Republic
A week ago, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, penned a post in defence of Globalization. In the age of Trump, it was a striking note, and one that has fuelled rumours of Zuckerberg running for President one day. But Facebook is already one of the most powerful company’s on Earth. So, with such a large megaphone at his disposal, how will Zuckerberg use it?
Show Notes:* "Building Global Community" – Mark Zuckerberg * "Manifestos And Monopolies" – Stratechery * "Facebook Reboots Trending Topics – Again" – WIRED * "This Is The News Product Facebook Should Build" – Medium * "Playing With Fire" – Medium * Episode 104: The Future Is Going To Be Weird And Fascinating * Death To Marketing
All across the political spectrum, people are angry, upset, and disillusioned. The 2016 election has left its mark and now, left in the fallout, is an audience still grappling to make sense of what exactly happened, and how.
As the US, and the world grapples with having a President Trump, one line of attack has reemerged as particularly effective: Satire. But how effective can comedy be?
Show Notes:* Sean Spice Press Conference – SNL – YouTube * The Original Trump Haters – Full Frontal With Samantha Bee – YouTube * "Clinton's Samantha Bee Problem" – NYTimes * "Blue Feed, Red Feed" – Wall Street Journal
If the Trump candidacy was defined by Twitter rants, the Trump Presidency may be defined by “fake news”. Since his election, the president and others have only intensified their use of the slur to shame journalists they don’t like.
At the same time, dozens of new social media accounts have sprung up purporting to be run by “rogue” government staffers, intent on tweeting out facts that run counter to White House claims. And it is getting increasingly difficult to tell fact from fiction.
Show Notes* "The Women's Marches May Have Been The Largest In US History" – Vox * "Leaked Audio Reveals Republicans Are In Utter Disarray On Obamacare Repeal" – Vox * Twitter's Tone Deaf Tweet
This Friday, January 20 will mark history, as Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. With his trademark bluster, Trump has ridden a wave of populism to Inauguration Day, mostly famously by treating his Twitter followers as his own bully pulpit. His campaign style was unique to the social media era, and in direct contrast to that of the outgoing president, Barack Obama, whose administration modernized the way the White House speaks to people of all generations.
Show Notes:* "New Lenses On The First Social Media Presidency" – The White House * Relive44 – Twitter * "'Mature Trump Tweets' Imagines The World With A Grown-Up Donald Trump" – Mic * "AirPods" – Chris Domico * "The Two Simple Things Absolutely Neutral Stands For" – Matt Dusenbury * Absolutely Neutral – Twitter
After a 2 month delay, Apple released its newest product just before Christmas - AirPods. When they were unveiled in the fall, these small, sleek wireless headphones were billed as the ultimate answer to the non-headphone jack having iPhone 7. They sold out immediately.
It’s clear though that Apple is laying the groundwork for something much bigger with this new hardware – the ability for your devices to tell stories right in your ear. It’s an interesting concept, but is that what people really want?
Show Notes:* "AirPods" – Medium * Absolutely Neutral – Twitter * "What Is Absolutely Neutral?" – Twitter
Well, here we are – the end of 2016. It has been…well, certainly not a boring year. And as it comes to a close, we wanted to take a look back at some of our favourite technologies of the last 12 months and the impressive stories they told.
Show Notes:* Apple Pencil * Macbook Pro with Touch Bar * Tile * Secrid * Playstation 4 * Spectacles * AirPods
The state of television is always changing. From standard to high def, to widescreen to 4k, and now web integration. Most of these are gimmicks. But the latest change may be set to change things forever.
Show Notes:* Playstation Vue * "AT&T Appeals To Cord-Cutters With DirecTV Now, A New Streaming Service" – NYTimes * "DirecTV Now vs. Playstation Vue vs. Sling TV: Which One Is Better For You?" – CNET
President-Elect Trump. Those are words we didn't imagine we'd be saying on this show. And yet, here we are. As people grapple with a reality television star living in the White House, this week we take a look at the fall-out. In particular, how did storytelling factor into this election?
Show Notes:* Mark Zuckerberg's Note On Fake News – Facebook * "Mark Zuckerberg Outlines Facebook's Ideas To Battle Fake News" – Washington Post * "This Analysis Shows How Fake Election News Stories Outperformed Real News On Facebook" – Buzzfeed News * "Facebook Has A Team Looking Into Getting Fake News Off Your News Feed" – Buzzfeed News * "Mark Zuckerberg Is In Denial" – NYTimes * "Dealing" – Medium
New worlds are here, with Oculus, Vive, and Playstation VR among the first to bring virtual reality to the mainstream. In previous episodes, we’ve explored what this new tech could mean when it comes to telling new stories and playing games. This, week we go further into these new realities.
Show Notes:* Playstation VR – Sony * "What Is It Like To Play Alien: Isolation On Oculus Rift?" – Prima Games * "Resident Evil 7 In VR Scares Me The Wrong Way" – The Verge * Black Mirror: "Playtest" – Facebook Video
Chris's new Playstation VR set up.
In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s an election year in the States – one of the most rocky and chaotic in living memory, in fact. News seems to break not just daily, but nearly hourly, thanks to social media in general, and Twitter in particular. The years-long campaign has shown the intrinsic value of the service. But the company? Not so much. as it continues to struggle to find solid footing or a suitor.
Twitter’s story is of a company so valuable while at the same time, not worth it. That’s worth exploring.
Show Notes:* "No Partner In Sight, Twitter Faces Tough Solo Choices" – Reuters * "Twitter And What Might Have Been" – Stratechery * "Partisan Twitter Bots Distorting US Presidential Candidates' Popularity" – CBC News * "The Price I've Paid For Opposing Donald Trump" – National Review * "3 Ways Journalists Should Use Twitter Moments" – Thoughts On Journalism
Throughout the entirety of this US Presidential election, when all bets are off and the rules no longer seem to apply, one maxim seems to hold true: whoever is in the headlines is losing. Between always-on television cameras and twitter, the race to the White House has been marred by what is perhaps the most shocking cycle in modern history. And all that reached a boiling point this week, with the revelation of the Trump Tapes, followed by the second presidential debate.
So this week, we look at how cameras and connectivity are shaping the story of American political discourse.
Show Notes:* "What That Weird VP Debate Tells Us About Social Media Politics" – Medium * "3 Ways Journalists Should Use Twitter Moments" – Medium * "Trump on Social Media" – CNBC * "The Voters Decide" – Stratechery
It's been more than 2 years since Apple first unveiled its first post-Jobs product, the Apple Watch, to the world. And although it hasn't become an essential device way the iPhone has, the wrist wearable is arguably Apple's clearest example of how it sees the future, a world of micro-interactions between many devices throughout the day.
So with a new set of Watches and a new operating system just released last month, it's time to revisit the story of the Apple Watch. And this week we have a special guest to help us unpack it.
Show Notes:* Keith Monaghan * Keith on Twitter * Keith on Medium * Wristware Weekly – Twitter * AirPods – Apple * "More People Already Want Apple's AirPods Than The Apple Watch" – Business Insider
We already knew what Apple was going to show us when Tim Cook took the stage this past Wednesday: new iPhone, new Watch, new accessories for the fall. There weren't many surprises, when it came to products. The story was already written.
Maybe that's why then that the focus following the technology company's keynote has been on one thing: courage, or rather, its use of it when it comes to a headphone jack. On this week's episode, a look at Apple's tone-deaf approach and the media fallout.
Show Notes:* Steve Jobs - Courage – YouTube * 'Courage' – Daring Fireball * CouRAGE – 500ish
Social media is a versatile tool. Through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the rest, millions of people keep up with loved ones and learn about the world through their daily feeds. Since their inception though, speculation has run rampant on how continued use of these networks effects people's lives, treating them less like a tool and more like a drug.
Show Notes:* "Special Edition: Join Me On My 4th Annual Social Media Sabbatical" – Backchannel * "What I Hope To Get From My Social Media Sabbatical" – Medium * "4 Things I Learned Being Anti-Social Media" – Medium
Back on Episode 94, we discussed Gawker, the gossip-y website that had been embroiled in legal troubles lately. A few weeks later and Gawker has been sued, sold and will soon be taken down.
So what now?
Show Notes:* "Did I Kill Gawker?" – NYMag * 094 – Secret Wars * "What I Hope To Get From A Social Media Sabbatical" – Medium * "Peter Theil vs. Gawker vs. Everyone" – Medium * "Steve Jobs Was Always Kind To Me" – The Wirecutter
Back from a brief summer break, Matt and Chris celebrate 100 episodes of The Campfire Project by recounting how the podcast began, what they've learned, and musing on some of their favourite episodes and guests over the last two-and-a-half years.
Show Notes:* "Double-ended Podcasting With iOS And iPad Pro" – The App Factor * 016: The First Step Is Raising People's Consciousness * 011: Build Your Way Out * 081: Work/Flow * 064: A Different Kind Of Dashboard * 049: A Phone With A View * 024: We're Not In Toronto Anymore * 059: Pixar's Promise * 062: No More Quarters * 071: From The Campaign Trail * "What I Hope To Get From A Social Media Sabbatical" – Medium
In an age full of cameraphones and constant connectivity, it was only a matter of time before a game like Pokémon Go set the world on fire. The newly released smartphone app has dominated the conversation both online and off, as people of all ages race to finally capture their favourite pokémon out in the real world.
Pokémon Go is the perfect example of technology and storytelling coming together to create a truly unique experience.
Show Notes:* "Pokémon Go: Everything You Need To Know In 9 Minutes" – The Verge * "Pokémon Go's Incredible Popularity, In One Video"- Vox
Today, on July 4th, 2016, NASA’s Juno spacecraft will reach it’s final destination - the orbit of Jupiter. From there, it will beam back to Earth new images and details of our solar system’s largest planet, and perhaps reveal more about ourselves.
There is more to this mission than space exploration, however. To commemorate the occasion, Apple has teamed up with NASA to produce music and stories that not only accompany this mission, but are made from it, tying the furthest reaches of space to humanity’s innate desire to create.
Show Notes:* Visions of Harmony – Apple Music * Juno – NASA * "Welcome to Jupiter! NASA's Juno Space Probe Arrives At Giant Planet" – CNN * "NASA And Apple Just Released The Best Experience For Stoners Since Planet Earth" – The Ringer * "Human's Only Please!" – Medium
On Thursday morning, Britain voted to leave the EU. Everyone knew it would be close, but now that it’s actually happened, there’s nothing but uncertainty and doubt. The Pound has fallen to its lowest level in three decades, the Prime Minister has announced his resignation, and there’s a petition calling for a do-over.
This week, a look at one of the biggest political stories of a generation, how the story unfolded, its ramifications.
Show Notes:* "The British Are Frantically Googling What The E.U. Is, Hours After Voting To Leave It" – The Washington Post * "Britain's Labour Party In Turmoil Over Brexit Vote Results" – CNN * Brexit – Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
We’ve talked about Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference a few times in years past. The company is unique in its ability to take two hours of stage time and weave together a story that perfectly encompasses its vision, its products, and our lives. In 2014, the story focused on the company’s new bubbly attitude. Last year, there was concern and confusion as things seemed to be losing some of that signature Apple focus.
What's the story this year?
Show Notes:* WWDC 2016 – Apple * "Apple Is Finally Designing For Women" – Buzzfeed News
Dozens of apps have sprung up to compete in the ongoing war for attention. Some are bigger than others, like Facebook. Some are better than others, like Instagram…that’s owned by Facebook.
There is, however, an unmistakable trend: that images are replacing the written word. That is at least in part the reason why Snapchat, the photo-based messaging app has for the first time crossed Twitter, that old social media stalwart, in the number of daily active users. With snaps on the rise and tweets declining, what does this tell us about the stories of the future?
Show Notes:* "Snapchat Passes Twitter In Daily Usage" – Bloomberg * "Snapchat Reportedly Has More Users Than Twitter. What Does That Mean For News?" – NiemanLab * "Twitter Gets NFL Thursday Night Games For A Bargain Price" – Bloomberg * 092: Real Talk * Spark – A Talkshow By The Campfire Project * 094: Secret Wars * "Peter Thiel vs. Gawker vs. Everyone" – Medium
At first, the story seemed pretty straight forward. Hulk Hogan, the famed wrestler, sued gossip site Gawker for violating his privacy by publishing a sex tape in which he was featured. This week, the decision came down. He won, and was awarded $140 million. Case closed, right?
Now, a side-story has emerged that makes the whole thing much more complicated, involving a tech billionaire, personal vendettas and, depending on your point of view, a testament to personal liberty or an attack on free speech.
Show Notes:* "Peter Thiel, Tech Billionaire, Reveals Secret War With Gawker" – NYTimes * "Peter Thiel, Comic Book Hero" – Stratechery * "Peter Thiel's Support For Donald Trump Is A Bigger Threat To Press Freedom Than His Lawsuits" – Vox * "J.K. Rowling: Donald Trump Has The Right To 'Be Offensive And Bigoted'" – Entertainment Weekly * "My 14-Hour Search For The End Of TGI Friday's Endless Appetizers" – Gawker
Gaming seems to be on the precipice of a new era. Motion controls, that have for years been the most popular way to play, are being phased out, relegated to the role of gimmick. While virtual reality is a dream so close to being realized thanks to Oculus Rift and its counterparts. All the while, the traditional two-handed controller has stuck around and, on consoles like the Playstation, have let players experience some truly fantastic storytelling using technology not unlike what was available decades ago.
This week, we check in on the state of Play in games, what new stories may change the next five years of the industry.
Show Notes:* "Nintendo Reports Revenue Decline And Expects Wii U Sales Crawl" – Gamespot * Playstation VR * "I Played Minecraft With Microsoft's Hololens" – Engadget
Some of the best stories I’ve ever told have been over text. The zippiness of the back and forth, punctuated by emoji and LOLs and OMGs gives words an urgency and levity that isn’t normally found in more formal storytelling. And consuming it on a device in your hand, being able to stretch conversations for days and respond on a whim, adds to the spontaneity of it all.
When you consider how much we enjoy texting each other, it’s no wonder that someone would bring the idea of storytelling-by-text to its logical conclusion. That happened this week with the launch of Talk Show - a new app that lets you “text in public.”
Show Notes:* Talkshow – iTunes * "Talkshow Is Texting In Public" – Medium * Spark – A Talkshow By The Campfire Project * Peach
We’ve talked before on this show about social networks and live video and how those two things together can be a powerful force in anyone’s hands. When companies like Facebook talk live streaming though, it’s always from a place perfection, with images of exotic beaches or snow-covered mountain tops lingering in the background. What about when someone uses live video to broadcast something less than good? What about the people filming it, caught in the middle between watching something terrible unfold and the people on the other end commenting and asking questions? Those answers are a little more tricky.
Where does responsibility lie when telling live stories?
Show Notes:* "How Facebook Live Is Changing Broadcast Journalism" – Medium * 089: We'll Do It Live * "Facebook Shatters Wall Street Estimates" – CNBC * "My Tablet Has Stickers" – Medium
After years spent conquering homes and businesses across the world, culminating with one on nearly every desk, the PC, it seems, may finally be on its last legs. The computer industry - which is to say, the makers of good ol’ fashioned desktop machines - is having a tough time, amongst shrinking sales figures and worry that there is no rebound in sight. The culprit? Smartphones of course, and tablets too. When everyone has a computer in their pocket, fewer need one on their desks at home.
Show Notes:* "Intel To Cut 12,000 Jobs, Forecast Misses Amid PC Blight" – Bloomberg Business * "The PC Industry's Consumer Conundrum" – TechPinions * "The Inside Story Of Apple's New iMacs" – Backchannel * 088: "That's A Hard No"
In about a decade, Facebook has gone from connect students on college campuses to building laser-equipped drones to beam the internet down to people in places that lack connectivity. It’s a monolith, so large and imposing that many see it as not only their front door to the web, but the web itself.
And that’s exactly why the company’s yearly developer conference, F8, is so important - because as Facebook’s story changes, so too do the stories of over a billion people across the planet using its services.
So this week on the show, a rundown of Facebook’s 10 year roadmap and how it will help us tell better stories.
Show Notes:* "F8 Conference 2016" – The Verge * "Facebook's Drop In Personal Sharing Posts Risks Turning Site Into LinkedIn" – Inverse * Facebook Home * "Everything You Need To Know About Facebook's 10 Year Plan" – Mashable * "There Was An Explosion In New York City, And Seconds Later I Was Watching It On Periscope" – The Verge * "Why Do Older People Love Facebook? Let's Ask My Dad" – NYTimes * 049: A Phone With A View * "The iPad Pro As A Laptop Replacement? You Betcha!" – Medium * "Double-Ended Podcasting With iOS And iPad Pro" – AppFactor
The smart home has long been a dream. Think of how much simpler, easier – cooler – it would be to have a personal assistant help you manage all the daily chores, everything from raising the temperature to locking the doors. Just a few more little things you’d no longer have to think about.
The poster child for bringing this connected vision to reality is Nest, the home automation company that burst onto the scene a few years ago and was soon acquired by Google’s parent company, Alphabet. Led by Tony Fadell, the man behind the iconic iPod, the tech sphere had high hopes for the company. But the company is failing, and with it, so too is the idea of a smart home.
Show Notes:* "Inside Tony Fadell's Struggle To Build Nest" – The Information * "Is Anyone Concerned About The Future Of Nest?" – Reddit * "What's Going On At Google's Nest?" – Business Insider * "iPad Pro As A Laptop Replacement? You Betcha!" – Medium * "The One Thing Steve Jobs And Donald Trump Have In Common" – Medium
It’s been chaotic on Instagram these last few days. After word got loose the company would soon be ditching its reverse-ordered timeline in favour of one based on an algorithm, many of its popular users reached for the panic button, asking followers to adjust their settings before the Doomsday switch was flipped. While the change hasn’t yet been made, the backlash was enough to make #RIPInstagram a trending topic.
This always seems to happen when algorithms and news feeds meet.
Show Notes:* "Instagram And The Cult Of The Attention Web" – Medium * "Twitter Sees 6% Increase In 'Like' Activity After First Week Of Hearts" – TechCrunch * "The One Thing Steve Jobs And Donald Trump Have In Common" – Medium * "How The Apple Watch Helped Me Lose Weight And Feel Great" – iMore
Presidential election cycles aside, the reality of day-to-day life can be a little, well, dull. We fill our down time with games and movies and Facebook, but those experiences, while positive in their own ways, can’t quite measure up to the experience of reality itself. They’re worlds are too small, too fragile, too easily shattered by life.
But what if you could build whole new realities? Ones with just as much depth as our own, where you can jump from story to story and be the hero in a thousand different worlds?
That’s the immersive power of virtual reality, and it’s one that we finally seem to be on the cusp of achieving.
Show Notes:* 040 – "I Don't Know What's Real" * "Oculus Co-Founder: Hand-Tracking Controllers Were Never Part Of The Launch Plan" – ArsTechnica * Ben Bajarin – Twitter * "Oculus VR's Palmer Luckey Things Playstation VR Was Priced Well At $399" – TechnoBuffalo * Microsoft Hololens * "@MichelleObama" – The Verge * "Rock Band VR Makes You The Dorkiest-Looking Rock Star Ever" – The Verge * We Need To Talk – Television #14: Before Daredevil, Season 2 – CSICON
Two weeks ago, we discussed Donald Trump’s improbably rise to the top of the Republican field for the US Presidency, and how, after a series of primary wins, it was looking increasingly unlikely that the other candidates would be able to catch up.
Earlier this week, protestors in Chicago decided to take matters into their own hands, protesting both in and outside of a Trump rally where the frontrunner was scheduled to speak. Things got ugly, the speech was cancelled.
In part 2 of this story, a look at how a country seems to be coming apart.
Show Notes:* "Donald Trump's Cancelled Chicago Rally Sparks Extraordinary Stretch In GOP Race" – Chicago Tribune * The Rachel Maddow Show – MSNBC * "I Can't Be Contrarian About Donald Trump Anymore. He's Terrifying" –Vox * "The Voters Decide" – Stratechery * "How The Apple Watch Helped Me Lose Weight And Feel Great" – iMore * "How Facebook Reactions Will Change Publishing" – Medium
Donald Trump entered the already crowded Republican presidential race mid-way through June of last year, and immediately began making waves. Trump launched his campaign by accusing Mexican immigrants of being criminals and rapists, and the incidenary rhetoric only ramped up from there. No one thought it was a serious challenge.
Yet here we are, several months and four primary states later. Trump is winning. The party is scrambling, and no one’s sure what will happen next. Could this be the defining political story of our time?
Show Notes:* Donald Trump On Megyn Kelly – CNN * "The 199 People, Places, And Things Donald Trump Has Insulted On Twitter: A Complete List" – NYTimes * "Inside The Republican Party's Desperate Mission To Stop Donald Trump" – NYTimes * "To Fight Critics, Donald Trump Aims To Instill Fear In 140-character Doses" – NYTimes * "Trump's Rise Is A Scary Moment In America" – Vox * "Chris Christie Endorses Donald Trump" – CNN * "A Canadian's Thoughts From The Houston GOP Debate" – Medium
After the attack in San Bernardino last fall, law enforcement began combing for clues that could shed insight into the events leading up to the murders. Among other things recovered was an iPhone 5C, given to one of the attackers through his work - a device which could possibly hold crucial information for the investigation.
It’s also locked. And the one man who knew the passcode is dead.
Now, the federal government is asking Apple to assist in breaking through the phone’s security features. And while this case may make the choice seem obvious, the precedent set could have far reaching effects on our connected lives.
Show Notes:* Customer Letter – Apple * "Justice Department Calls Apple's Refusal To Unlock iPhone A 'Marketing Strategy" – NYTimes * "In Nod To Law Enforcement, Obama Ends Attempt To Straddle Privacy Divide" – NYTimes * "Donald Trump Calls For A Boycott Of Apple Products" – The Verge * "How Tim Cook, In iPhone Battle, Became A Bulwark For Digital Privacy" – NYTimes * "Guman Randomly Shoots, Kills 6 In Kalamazoo, Michigan" – Mashable
Back in July of 2015, a certain podcaster made a bit of a fuss when he published an article noting that he was saying goodbye to his friends, family and loved ones on Facebook. He’d still be available elsewhere online - Twitter for instance - but would no longer be held hostage by the big blue F. Now it’s a new year, and that podcaster - our own Chris Domico - is back on the Book.
So this week, Chris takes us through his decision to leave and return to Zuckerberg’s app, and wonder if you can really exist on the web without it.
Show Notes:* "I'm Breaking Up With Facebook" – Medium * "My Time Off Facebook: What I Learned" – Medium * "Millions Of Facebook Users Have No Idea They're Using The Internet" – Quartz * "Twitter Has Become Secret Handshake Software" – The Verge
The definition of work is changing, and with it so are the tools we use to get things done. With the rise of powerful smartphones and large-screen tablets, people are free to work untethered from the old office cube on the same devices they use to unwind after a hard day.
This week, Matt and Chris are joined by special guest Serenity Caldwell with some thoughts on how our devices change the way we do our work.
Show Notes:* Serenity Caldwell On Twitter * "iPad Sales Continue To Suffer" – FastCompany * "The Inside Story Of Apple's New iMacs" – Backchannel * "I Admit It: I Was Wrong About The iPad" – Medium
In April of 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan switched its water supply from nearby Detroit to the Flint River in a cost-cutting measure meant to save the city millions after its economic fall. The consequences were immediate, and disastrous, but through secrecy, denial and bungled management, nothing was done.
Two years later, there’s a state of emergency in an American city - its residents mostly poor - cannot drink the water that flows out of their taps, and messages both leaked and released show that the city knew well before any steps were taken.
Show Notes:* "Events That Lead To Flint's Water Crisis" – NYTimes * "Who Poisoned Flint, Michigan?" - Rolling Stone * "Flint's Water Crisis, Explained In 3 Minutes" – Vox
Earlier this week, two big announcements shook the world of TV news. HuffPost Video announced it’d be going away in a major shake-up, and Al Jazeera America would be shutting down all cable TV and digital operations by the end of April. So much for being the smart person’s CNN.
We keep hearing that video is the future. So what it the future of video? And it today’s world, where we demand every more information at the tap of an app, what is the future of video for news? This week we hope to find out.
Show Notes:* "R.I.P. Al-Jazeera America: Tired Cable TV News Joins 'HuffPost Live' In Latest Flunk" – The Observer * "Al-Jazeera America To Shut Down In April" – CNN Money * "The Death Of 'HuffPost Live': How To Fail At Video" – The Observer * "A Big Pivot For HuffPost Video" – Capital New York * AJ+ * NowThis News * Reported.ly * "Why Buzzfeed Is The Most Important News Organization In The World" – Stratechery * "4 Things Broadcast News Needs To Stop Doing Immediately" – Medium
We’re not even two weeks into 2016 and already some great stories have begun to emerge, showing new ways to tell stories using some pretty old ideas.
So let’s jump right in. This week, we’re split: between the exciting possibilities of finally-almost-there Virtual Reality, and Twitter’s expanding beyond the classic 140 character count.
Show Notes:* "Oculus Founder Palmer Lucky: We're Still Not Competing With Sony And HTC" – The Verge * 039: From The Showroom Floor * "VR Is The Future, But The Future Isn't Now" – GameInformer * NYTimes VR * HTC Vive * "Internet Reacts To TIME Magazine's Goofy Oculus VR Cover" – GameInformer * "Twitter Considering 10,000-Character Limit For Tweets" – Recode
With 2015 winding down, we thought it would be a good time to look back at the year that was and pull out a few of our favorite moments. A lot happened in the last 12 months across the web and around the world – too many stories to recount in all. But, we have managed to narrow down this year just a little bit. So now, just before you turn over the calendar, have a listen to our Top 4 topics of 2015.
Show Notes:* 041: Poetry, Politics And Infographics * 072: Everyday Life Moments * 061: The Book Comes Undone * 064: A Different Kind Of Dashboard
Another year, another holiday shopping season thrust upon us. It’s early December now, which means for many, the next few weeks will be full of trips to the mall, online ordering, and desperately hunting for last-minute gifts.
But whether it's Christmas Day or just another day, the retail industry is not-so-quietly undergoing a revolution thanks to a massive investment in new technologies, and that has profound effects on how you shop, and how you feel about it afterwards. So this week, a look at what the future of retail could be when the shopper, the shop, and the bank are all connected.
Show Notes:* "Amazon Unveils New Drone Video, Amazon Flying Airplanes?, Amazon The Logistics Company" – Stratechery (Members link)
The last few years have seen superheroes thrust into the forefront of pop culture’s consciousness. And thanks in no small part to franchises by Marvel and DC, like Supergirl, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and lately Jessica Jones, women in particular are finally claiming their time in the spotlight as formidable fighters who can stand on their own, aside from their male counterparts.
But getting to this point - where female superheroes are given the spotlight on their own - has been a long one. So this week, a look at the women who kick ass, and where they’ve been this whole time.
Show Notes:* "Marvel Disassembled" – Medium * "The Dollars And Cents Case Against Hollywood's Exclusion Of Women" – FiveThirtyEight * "'Supergirl's' Creators Lean Into Their Show's Feminism" – Washington Post * "The Lack Of Playable Characters In Assassin's Creed Unity" – PC Gamer * "I Was Wrong About The iPad Pro" – Medium * We Need To Talk #8 - Before Jessica Jones, Season 1 – CSICON
In the wake of the terrorist attack in Paris, France that left 130 people dead and many more injured, countless stories began to flood out into the world. Briefings, eyewitness accounts, and calls for safety lit of the airwaves, crossed oceans, and dominated the internet. Everyone wanted to know what was happening, who was doing it, and where.
And that once again lead to the latest instance of a fairly recent phenomenon that journalists, news outfits, and ordinary people now must contend with: trying to find up-to-the-minute truth, in real time, in a sea of falsehoods, a distorted reality.
Show Notes:* "Breaking News" – Medium * "The English Speaking World Could Learn A Lot From France To Rebuild Trust In The Media" – Medium * "In The Realm Of Verification, Context Is King" – Medium * "Twitter's New 'Moments' Feature Has Become My SportsCenter Replacement" – Recode
Every generation has a story. And now, nearly 40 years since the original film and a decade after the last disappointment, Star Wars is set to return to theatres next month to captivate an entirely new audience.
And it’s not just movies, but a worldwide marketing campaign, along with books, video games, theme park rides and more set to launch alongside a new trilogy of films. So this week, we take a look at the meaning of Star Wars - both old and new.
Show Notes: Star Wars: The Force Awakens* Trailer – YouTube * "Fall Of The Empire: How Inner Turmoil Brought Down LucasArts" - Game Informer * "Disney To Open Star Wars Theme Parks" – CNN
As we move into the final weeks of 2015, talk of gifts and presents is beginning to dominate not just idle conversation, but a litany of advertising. Traditionally, electronics are the hot item to buy, and this year it's wearable devices in particular that seem set to enjoy a successful holiday quarter.
That’s why this week we’re joined by Bernard Desarnauts, CEO and Co-founder of Wristly to take a look at the future of wearable devices of all kinds, and why these devices seem set to have an explosive start to 2016.
Show Notes:* September 2015 Event - Apple * Wristly.co * Bernard Desarnauts on Twitter * Top 15 Holiday Tech Gifts For 2015 - Best Buy * "Don't Underestimate Apple Watch" – Above Avalon * "The Inside Story Of Apple's New iMacs" – Backchannel
Millions of people across North America have been in a surreal state of mind for many months now, as they attempt to select new Heads of State.
In Canada, many are celebrating not just the election of a new Prime Minister, but that the longest campaign cycle in history has drawn to a close. While in America, the contest for the Presidency continues to drag on with another year to go. It’s exhausting. It’s amazing. It’s uplifting. And it’s given us the chance to see how politics can not only shape the stories of the candidates, but of the countries they hope to govern.
So today, a look at the political power stories hold in election years, and how they can affect change.
Show Notes:* YouTube Canada: Election 2015 * US Election 2015 – The Telegraph * 032: In The Shadow Of A Gunman
We’ve talked on this show several times about publishing in general and Medium in particular, as a place on the web that seemed devoted not only to becoming a destination for compelling stories, but for telling them in a compelling way.
So when Ev Williams and his team announced the release of Medium 2.0 earlier this week, with a slew of new features that touch every aspect of the publishing platform turned distribution network, it was time to take a fresh look at exactly how, and why, Medium wants to change the way you write on the web.
Show Notes:* "Why I'm Shifting My Entire Personal Blog To Medium" – The Next Web * "Taking Medium To The Next Level" – Ev Williams * "Medium's New Funding Round" – Andy Doyle * "Aaron Sorkin And The Technological Arts" – Jeff Jarvis * "About that iPad Pro..." – Chris Domico * A Response On Digital Books – Matt Dusenbury
We have two stories this week: a little one and a big one. Both are about social networking. Both are about storytelling. And both have the chance to bring about a fundamental shift in how we communicate with friends and strangers alike.
Or, both could fall flat.
Show Notes: "Everyone You Know Will Be Able To Rate You On The Terrifying 'Yelp For People' – Whether You Want Them To Or Not" – Washington Post * "Why Peeple, The 'Yelp For People', Shouldn't Freak You Out" – Vox * "Jack's Comeback" – Recode * Hatching Twitter* – Nick Bilton * Nuzzel * Sidewire
Earlier this week, Apple released iOS 9, the latest edition of its popular operating system that powers millions of iPhones, iPads and iPod touches around the world. While most would be excited about the countless new features the new software brings, there’s one in particular that has set the web on fire – the ability to install content blockers.
The ability for millions of people to block things like advertisements on their mobile browser and within apps – something they couldn’t do before – has publishers and pundits worried. Did Apple just sentence publishers to death by a thousand cuts?
Show Notes:* "Welcome To Hell: Apple vs. Google vs. Facebook And The Slow Death Of The Web" – The Verge * "Introducing Peace: My Privacy-Focused iOS 9 Content Blocker" – Marco.org * "Why Peace 1.0 Blocks The Deck Ads" – Marco.org * "Just Doesn't Feel Good" – Marco.org * "Developer Pulls Most Popular Ad Blocker From iOS App Store" – Wired * "Popping The Publishing Bubble" – Stratechery * "About That iPad Pro" – Chris Domico
@chrisFnicholson @marcoarment I think it brings a shotgun to a fight that calls for a scalpel.
— John Gruber (@gruber) September 17, 2015
Turns out crushing the independent web doesn't feel so great! http://t.co/WY6yrp4zeY
— nilay patel (@reckless) September 18, 2015
In a jam-packed event last week, the world got its first glimpse at the latest and greatest iPhones. This being an “S” year, surprise - they look the same, but are better, strong, faster.
We also got to see what else Apple has been working on: new Watch accessories, and new TV box and a gigantic version of the iPad meant to be a workhorse.
The story of the iPhone is clear, but these other devices? Not so much. So today, on Episode 67, a deeper look at the stories behind these products. Who are they for, and do their stories hit home?
Show Notes:* 066: Bigger Pipes * "What I Learned This Week About Tim Cook's Apple" – The Verge
Netflix is a giant. At peak hours, the streaming video service accounts for nearly 40% of web traffic in North America. It’s name is synonymous with cool – the tech company that saved us from bad cable and then gave us House of Cards.
Netflix’s story, going from a DVD-by-mail operation to a streaming video juggernaut with Emmy award-winning programming, has become a blueprint for like-minded operations. Hulu, Amazon, and possibly even Apple now seem to be working to create, and monetize, original content. The hope is to stand out in a marketplace where Netflix stands apart.
At first glance this may seem great for an audience eager to give up cable cable boxes, but is it that simple? Is it even worth it? Or will the story of streaming be just how annoying watching TV becomes?
Show Notes:* "Netflix Is Losing More Hollywood Movies, And Says You'll Be Okay With That" – Recode * "Hulu Announces Ad-Free Streaming For Extra Money" – Polygon * "Amazon Prime Lets You Download Videos And Watch Offline Now" – Wired * "Apple's Original Content Launch Would Create Head-To-Head Competition With Netflix, Hulu" – LA Times
Earlier this week WDBJ news reporter Alison Parker and photojournalist Adam Ward were killed in Virginia by an angry ex-coworker. The two were shot while conducting an interview for their local morning show.
In any case this would be a tragic event, but their murders have been compounded by the fact that it was carried out live, on-air. The killer also filmed the event from his own perspective, posting it to social media sites along with other info as he tried to escape. This lead in the immediate aftermath to sadness and outrage, and a craving for more information - even if it was from the assailant himself fleeing police.
Now, it may push news organizations and tech companies to rethink their approach to online forums like Facebook and Twitter.
Note: This episode deals with violence and material that some may find distressing.
Show Notes* Murders Of Alison Parker And Adam Ward – Wikipedia * "Autoplay Puts Twitter, Facebook In Uncomfortable Place After Video Of Virginia Shooting Spreads" – BuzzFeed News * "Twitter, Facebook And LinkedIn Took Down The Virginia TV Shooter's Profiles. They Shouldn't Have" – Slate * 049 – A Phone With A View * 016: The First Step Is Raising People's Consciousness
Cars are beautiful. And elegant. And kind of boring. The modern automobile is at the same time a marvel of engineering and utterly mundane. For their part, the big manufacturers have tried to appeal to a new kind of consumer by adding sleek designs and fancy touchscreens, but so far, few of these have broken from the pack. It’s lead to people clamouring for tech companies to apply the same form/function approach to vehicles as they have to smartphones and computers, privileging the experience above all else.
So this week, the story of the car: where it’s been, and where it’s going.
Show Notes:* Above Avalon * Neil Cybart on Twitter * "Documents Confirm, Apple Is Building Self-Driving Car" – The Guardian * "Tesla Burns Through Cash, Loses $4,000 On Every Car Sold" – CNBC * "Apple Is Looking For A Place To Test Its Super Secret Car" – TechRepublic
Technology can help us tell better stories, but often times its technology companies that have the most interesting stories to tell. In past episodes, we’ve discussed Sony, Amazon, and Apple ad nauseum, but there’s one that we’ve never really focused on, despite being one of the biggest and most influential companies on the planet.
Google.
That ends this week as we take a deep dive into the stories of some of Google’s most well-known successes…and failures.
Show Notes:* "Inside The Failure Of Google+" – Mashable * "Goodbye, Android" – Motherboard * "Experts Found A Unicorn In The Heart Of Android" – Zimperium * "Google, Samsung To Issue Monthly Android Security Fixes" – Reuters * "A Tale Of Two Social Networks" – Medium * "I'm Breaking Up With Facebook" – Medium * "Peak Google" – Stratechery
Some of my fondest memories involve video games. I’d spend hours in the living room, in arcades, and up all night at basement sleepovers playing anything any game I could get my hands on – from Super Mario to GoldenEye to Bushido Blade 2, among countless others.
Those days are long gone now, of course. But playing games had and still has a profound effect on me and many others who grew up with them. Which is why, in 2015, at the height of its popularity, gaming seems to be at a turning point, with all eyes on an open future, but with one foot set in the past.
Show Notes:* Satoru Iwata – Wikipedia * Pixels (2015 Film) – Wikipedia * "Nintendo Tweeted About The Pixels Movie And It Did Not Go Well" – GamesRadar * "If You Love Games, You Should Refuse To Be Called A Gamer" – New Stateman * Rocket League – Wikipedia
It's annoying, aggravating and sometimes downright infuriating. In its relentless efforts to dominate the social web, Facebook's flagship product, the News Feed and profile pages, have become absolutely inundated with content.
Some of it is good, some is great, but a lot...isn't. There are clickbait headlines, far-flung ideologies, and auto-playing video ads lining the same walls as the photos from your friends. And increasingly, as Facebook becomes the way to socialize online, our experiences there become more difficult to separate from the real world.
Is it possible to quit Facebook? Would you really want to?
Show Notes:* "I'm Breaking Up With Facebook" – Chris Domico * 054: The Great Facebook Debate * "Exposure To Diverse Information On Facebook" – Facebook Research
We like to think our individual stories are unique, perfectly formed snowflakes that are ours to own and can never be copied. But the truth is, the good stories? They have a lot in common. Interesting narratives, the ones that really capture the imagination, all hit on key points that propel the story forward and keep us interested. This is true in film, television, music and books.
But the same can even be said for entire companies. This week, a look at how a company’s story marches forward like a ticking clock.
Show Notes:* "What's Your Hour In 'Silicon Valley Time'?" – Backchannel * 049: A Phone With A View * Steve Jobs At The AntennaGate Press Conference – YouTube
The goal of this podcast has always been to explore the intersection of technology and storytelling. Sometimes that means looking at media, or products, or even entire companies as they maneuver to blend narratives into the things they create and let go into the world.
On this week’s show, we’re going to focus on one company that, through its incredibly innovative yet restrained use of technology, has mastered the art of digital storytelling. Today, we’re talking about everyone’s favourite film studio, Pixar.
Show Notes:* Toy Story: John Lasseter Exclusive Interview – YouTube * "Technology And The Evolution Of Storytelling" – Medium * 004: The Happiest Place On Earth * Jurassic Park Was Ahead Of It's Time, Jurassic World Is Not – YouTube
What is music? Really – what is it? Is it culture? Is it our history? Entertainment? Is music art, beautiful and perfect, or is it like water – always expected to be readily available wherever we are? Different people will give different answers, and that’s precisely the problem.
Now that everyone has a connected music player and artists’ bits flow all around us, it’s become increasingly difficult to define what music’s role is, because it’s everywhere! And that makes it difficult to assign value to music, even though it’s something we all cherish.
Show Notes: "Apple Music: Music Needed A Home...So We Built One" – YouTube * "Number Of Paying Spotify Subscribers Worldwide From July 2010 To June 2015" – Statista * "Apple Music And Apple's Focus" – Stratechery * "For Taylor Swift, The Future Of Music Is A Love Story" – The Wall Street Journal * "To Apple, Love Taylor" – Taylor Swift * 046: "Taylor Swift Is Not A Luddite!" * "Taylor Swift's 1989* Is Coming To Apple Music" – The Verge * "Tidal Is Still Great, Except For All The Nonsense" – The Verge * "Tidal's Point Break" – The Verge
This week marked the return of the E3 game convention in Los Angeles, with big studios and publishers announcing some gorgeous, exciting titles that will soon be available to audiences everywhere.
More than that though, this year’s convention seemed to have another big feature: a marked change in tone. Many are saying that this year was the best E3 in recent memory, thanks in no small part to great games, but also the industry itself, one that seems to be advancing the story of gaming beyond its current realm and toward new audiences, genres and frontiers.
Show Notes:* Sony Press Conference – E3 2015 – YouTube * "E3 2015 Signals The Beginning Of Overdue Change For Big Budget Games" – The Verge * "PS4 vs. XBox One: Which Is Better?" – Techradar * "E3 2015 Horizon: Zero Dawn Gameplay Trailer" – YouTube * "Honest Trailer: Destiny" – YouTube * "Full Coverage: E3 2015" – The Verge * "Losing Weight With Apple Watch (Check-In #4)" – Chris Domico
It’s that time of year again. Every June, thousands of developers, journalists, and enthusiasts flock to California for Apple’s biggest event of the year, WorldWide Developers Conference. It’s a chance for the company to show off its newest and biggest upcoming releases of iOS, OS 10 and any number of new products.
While WWDC predictions are an annual tradition, this year we’re going to do something a little different. Rather than guess at what will be announced, we’ll take a look at how Apple might announce it. What stories will Tim Cook and company weave into their latest products to make people the world over lust after what’s new?
Show Notes* "Apple WWDC 2014 Highlights: A New Era?" – Information Week * "Coming At WWDC 2015: New Apple Watch SDK, Quality Focused/Refreshed iOS9 & OS X 10.11, Apple Music" – 9to5Mac * "Sony Music Boss Confirms Apple Will Reveal Its Music Streaming Service Tomorrow" – The Verge * "Google Now Gets Smarter With 'Now On Tap' And Ability To Work Inside Apps" – The Verge * "♫ The Craig Federighi Show ♫ | WWDC 2014: The Musical | Song A Day #1979" – Jonathan Mann/YouTube * "Apple To Unveil Tool Kit For Watch App Developers" – NYTimes
Perhaps the most interesting thing about wearable technology is its relationship to the wearer. The devices are meant to be with you, on you, a part of you. To understand who and where you are, and offer insights throughout the day that previously you had no knowledge of.
No surprise then that one of the first big features of wearable computers focus on health. Sleep, movement and, with a little work, even food. They can tell you calories consumed and calories burned, in the name of making better choices.
This week, a look at how and why these bands, bracelets and watches are pushing to tell the story of your body, down to the step.
Show Notes "Losing Weight With The Apple Watch" – Chris Domico * "Losing Weight With The Apple Watch: Check In Number Two" – Chris Domico * "Escape Velocity" – Matt Dusenbury * "Filling The Green Circle" – Marco.org * "A Humble Suggestion For Activity Rings" – _DavidSmith * The Weight Of The Nation –* HBO
We often discuss on this show Facebook and the way the social giant seems to insert itself into our lives, whether its people sneakily using the network at the dinner table, or those times the network used us for more data.
It’s made moves into messaging, commerce, and now, with the release of its new Instant Articles program, Facebook seems poised to become a pretty excellent publisher too, working with top brands like The New York Times, National Geographic, and Buzzfeed – and that has a lot of people worried about the future of publishing.
This week, we finally have the great Facebook debate. Is Zuckerberg’s company on the path to swallowing the whole world, or is there room for content to live outside of Facebook’s walled garden and still thrive?
Show Notes:* Facebook Instant Articles * "Six Reasons The Media Insiders Panicking About Facebook Instant Articles Are Wrong" – Vox.com * "Publishing News Direct To Facebook Is A Big Step – But The Apocalypse Is Not Upon Us" – Poynter * "Facebook Starts Publishing The New York Times, Buzzfeed, And More With Its 'Instant Articles' Program" – Recode * "Flowing Between Formats – Facebook Instant Articles" – Medium
A few days ago, a paper published by members of Facebook’s Data Science Team revealed something that many users of the network had probably already felt – that the social network’s algorithms, by altering what content users see, can insulate them from opposing views. In this case, researchers were studying the right/left divide in American politics and - surprise - people identifying with one camp saw less content from the other.
However, the differences were not as drastic as one may think. And the results do come with a caveat: While machines may filter out some politically unsavoury content, it’s still the user who’s primarily to blame for staying inside the bubble.
How do we get better stories to bubble up in front of us, and avoid insulating ourselves from the outside world?
Show Notes:* "Exposure To Ideologically Diverse News And Opinion On Facebook" – Science * "Facebook Says Its Algorithms Aren't Responsible For Your Online Echo Chamber" – The Verge * "Don't (Just) Blame Facebook: We Build Our Own Bubbles" – ArsTechnica * "Did Facebook's Big New Study Kill My Filter Bubble Thesis?" – Medium * "The May Challenge" – Medium * "Wired Wrists: News In The Age Of Wearables" – Medium
We’ve covered a lot of topics and a lot of stories in our year of doing this show, from the movies to the Super Bowl, and lately, even mechanical watches. And every time, our focus has always been the same: what is the story being told, and how is technology – the platform, the environment, the ways of communicating – pushing it?
Show Notes* "The May Challenge" - Medium * "The Real World Use Case For Apple Watch? Getting Your Life Back" – Medium * "Own Your Words" – Matt Gemmell * "The Case For Publishing Directly To Facebook" – DigiDay
Summer is almost upon us, and with it movie studios are bracing us for the coming flood of tentpole features – films of epic scale that are sure to break box office records.
But before opening day are trailers, which themselves function as mini-movies, compartmentalizing a two hour story into two minutes, packed with action and drama in ways designed to make audiences salivate.
Show Notes: "New Trailers: Star Wars, Anti-Man, Terminator: Genisys, And More" – The Verge * "Matthew McConaughey Reacts To the New Star Wars Trailer, And A Meme Is Born" – The Verge * "The Real Batman Versus Superman Trailer Is Here, And It's Still Awful" – Polygon * Grindhouse: Fictitious Trailers – Wikipedia * "The Box Office Strikes Back" – Medium * "This Is How Rich People Watched Furious 7* Last Weekend" – The Verge
By now, we have talked endlessly, and breathlessly, about Apple Watch — as have countless other. Earlier this week, dozens of reviews hit the web, and Apple's own pre-sale and try on experience opened up, finally giving the public a glimpse of the new product they’ve been hearing about for months.
One thing is clear, Apple Watch, and its wearable cousins in Android, represent a future that we aren't really sure of yet. Today, on our 50th episode, we'll talk about that that future - the one where alerts, messages, and stories live on your wrist.
Show Notes:* Peter Cohen on Twitter * "Apple Watch: The Definitive Review" – The Verge * "A Tale Of Two Wearables" – Medium * "The Apple Watch Sold Out In Under Six Hours" – The Huffington Post
When Twitter first arrived on the scene in 2006, its use wasn’t immediately apparent. Why would anyone care what I’m doing right now? conventional wisdom went. Slowly but surely though, the broadcast system proved its worth, particularly when it came to live events and breaking news. It did and still does have a flaw, though. Text just isn’t all that fun to look at. And in our rich-media world, hotter media wins.
Enter Periscope, a new app launched last week that seeks to bridge that gap by adding live broadcast video to Twitter portfolio of products. Will it help build the network and return Twitter to its important roots?
Show Notes:* "Podcasting Live From Florida" – Periscope.tv * "There Was An Explosion In New York City And Seconds Later I Was Watching It Live On Periscope" – The Verge * "Periscope, Twitter's Answer To Meerkat-style Livestreaming, Is Now Available" – The Verge * "Peering Into Far-off Lands" – Medium * "Meet Periscope, Twitter's New Live Video App" – Buzzfeed * "Facebook F8 Developer Conference" – Facebook
There’s something special about documentaries. Their rich narratives, lush design, the idea that what we’re watching isn’t only a beautiful story, but the truth. This, is how it happened.
Perhaps that’s why documentaries seem to be becoming more popular, and with that power comes the ability for those stories to have a greater influence on the world they reflect back at us. Some do more than just show us the truth. They’re asking us to make a choice.
Show Notes:* The Jinx: The Life And Deaths Of Robert Durst Trailer – YouTube * "The Jinx (Miniseries)" – Wikipedia * 002: Billions And Billions * "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" – Wikipedia * "Nightcrawler (Film)" – Wikipedia * "Blackfish (Film)" – Wikipedia * "Ontario To Ban Breeding, Acquisition Of Killer Whales" – The Toronto Star * "The Shocking Truth: The Rise Of Documentary Film" – The Economist * "Meditations In An Emergency" – The Magic Elephant
From the desk, to the lap, to the pocket, and now the wrist. This past Monday, Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook took the stage to give his company’s latest product a proper release. Much more than a rehashing of what was announced last September, this week’s event marked a shift in the discussion around Apple Watch, away from technology and form factor, toward small, subtle, everyday uses.
The foundation now laid, we’re about to see the company’s first foray into the wearables market. In this episode, Chris speaks with Apple analyst Neil Cybart of Above Avalon about how the Watch may affect our lives, and Matt rants against Apple's latest marketing misstep.
Show Notes:* Apple Watch: The Watch Reimagined – YouTube * 026: One More Thing... * 027: Y'See This Watch? * "Apple Watch: Asking Why And Saying No" – Stratechery * "How Apple Will Make The Wearable Market" – Stratechery * Above Avalon by Neil Cybart * "Marketing Implications From BuzzFeed's Apple Watch Demo Video" – Above Avalon * Neil Cybart on Twitter
For the music industry, it has been a slow and bloody descent. Gone are the days of record-breaking sales and platinum awards for all but a few artists as new formats and listening habits take over.
Music, like all media, has always been at the mercy of technology. And as our recordings got better, storage got cheaper, and those songs you love went from something you buy off a shelf to something that’s pumped directly into your device of choice, it became…truly ubiquitous. Something special and unique, but somehow utterly expected. Like water flowing from a tap.
Show Notes:* "Spotify – For Music" – YouTube * "For Taylor Swift, The Future Of Music Is A Love Story" – The Wall Street Journal * "Differentiation And Value Capture In The Internet Age" – Stratechery * "Taylor Swift's YouTube Views Doubled Following Spotify Pullout" – The Huffington Post * "Spotify Removes Silent Album That Earned Indie Band $20,000" – The Verge * "Vinyl Isn't The Future Of Music. This Chart Proves It." – Vox * "These Were Spotify’s Most-Streamed Songs This Year" – TIME
You see it everywhere you go – people looking down at screens, tapping on glass at work, at home, and just out in the world. They’re full immersed in the goings-on online, and sharing what they’re doing with those they know.
As everyone becomes their own publisher, with an unseen audience of hundreds or thousands and an online reputation to uphold, has the art of face-to-face connection become antiquated? An afterthought of the new ways we communicate? This week, Matt and guest host Breki Tomasson take a look at how conversations in the virtual world are changing our behaviour in the physical one.
Show Notes:* Social Media Week * "Reading On A Screen Before Bed Might Be Killing You" – The Huffington Post * "Are Smartphones Killing Our Conversation Quality?" – LiveScience * "The Myth Of Multitasking" – Psychology Today * "How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco's Life" – The New York Times Magazine * CSICON.net
Welcome to Social Media Week in NYC: a networking conference in the busiest city in the world where no one looks up from their phone #SMWNYC
— Matt Dusenbury (@MattDusenbury) February 26, 2015
We all want to be better – better players, better managers, better storytellers. No matter what your craft, hobby, or job, everyone has always at some point thought to themselves, “If I could only just…” I’d be able to take on the world. Thus the self-help genre was born. And the market for motivational stories and do-it-yourself life hacks has only gotten more persuasive and profitable as these stories move from books to television and the web.
In this episode, a look at why and how these stories are so captivating, plus we’ll give out the 7 secrets of highly effective people that will make your life better without even trying.
Show Notes: History Of Self-Help Books - Wikipedia * "Scientists Tallied Up All The Advice On Dr. Oz's Show. Half Of It Was Baseless Or Wrong" – Vox * "Sht Dr. Phil Says" – The Berry * CSICON.net
After last week’s show, the one that had Matt and Chris dive into the uber-spectacle known as the Super Bowl, this week, a bit if a change of pace. We have a special guest joining us to talk about podcasting, storytelling, and the power of reach.
Show Notes:* Get Well Soon, Chris! * CSICON * "'Serial,' Podcasting's First Breakout Hit, Sets Stage For More" – NYTimes * 5by5 * "Finding Fire" – Chris Domico
There is nothing quite like the Super Bowl. The pageantry, the spectacle. With each passing year the game becomes less about football and more about the songs sung at halftime or number of advertising dollars spent. The Super Bowl no longer tells a story of football teams battling for supremacy, if it ever did. In our digital age, the best stories happen around the field, rather than on it.
Show Notes:* "John Oliver Is Baffled By Our Super Bowl Obsession" – Mashable * 024: We're Not In Toronto Anymore * Super Bowl XLIX – Wikipedia * "Apple 1984 Super Bowl Commercial Introducing Macintosh Computer" – YouTube * "The Unsustainable Economics Of Super Bowl Ads" – Vox * "The Highest Super Bowl Overnight Rating Ever" – Comcast * "The Meteoric Rise Of Left Shark" – Mental Floss
When the President of the United States speaks, everybody listens. At no time is this more apparent than during the State of the Union, an annual address that provides the president a prime-time forum to lay out the political agenda for the coming year.
Telling the story of an entire country in a single night is not easy, and with technology, the event has evolved over time. From missives tens of thousands of words long, to shorter speeches, to radio addresses to live TV broadcasts. This week, when Barack Obama gave his speech to the 114th Congress, both major US parties sought to tell competing stories of the last year in politics – and the web was their enabler.
Show Notes:* 2015 Enhanced State Of The Union – WhiteHouse.gov * "President Obama’s State of the Union Address — Remarks As Prepared for Delivery" – Medium * "#SOTU: The 2015 State Of The Union On Twitter" – Twitter * "What Obama Would Say At The State Of The Union If He Were Being Brutally Honest" – Vox * "Holy Shit I Just Interviewed The President" – Hank Green * "Obama Mixtape: 1999 – Songify The News Special Edition" – YouTube * "The Best State Of The Union Memes" – AJ+
We live in an age of ubiquitous technology, when the world’s information exists at our fingertips, and the answer to almost any question is never more than a few taps away. We’ve mapped the world, crossed it, conquered it. The planet fits in our pocket.
As technology helped shrink the world, it also gave us the power to build new ones. Digital realms where anything can happen, opening new frontiers to explore. That is the promise of virtual reality, a concept that has for decades seemed always just over the horizon yet frustratingly out of reach. Now companies are making a big push to bring virtual reality into the mainstream.
Show Notes: Virtual Boy TV Commercial (1995) – YouTube * Oculus Rift * Samsung Gear VR * Google Cardboard * "Google Glass Explorer Program Shuts Down" – TechCrunch * "An Hour In Hell: Hands-on With Alien: Isolation In Virtual Reality" – Polygon * "Based On A True Story" – Matt Dusenbury * Ready Player One* – Amazon * "Ethan Hawke's 'Good Kill': A Searing Indictment Of America's Drone Warfare Obsession" – The Daily Beast * "Army Uses Virtual Reality To Attract Reservists" – The Telegraph
We are always looking forward. With our hearts, our minds, and especially the gadgets that dominate our lives. So promising is the allure of What's Next that for a few days in Las Vegas every year, technology companies from around the globe gather to show off their latest, greatest, and experimental devices. It's the Consumer Electronics Show, and since 1967 it has drawn millions of people to the desert to get a glimpse of the future.
At least, that was the idea, back when consumer electronics were still mostly on the periphery of society – strange things that people only interacted with begrudgingly, when they had to. In 2015, in a world where electronics now dominate most of our daily interactions, the trade show is finding it increasingly difficult to stay relevant.
Show Notes:* "Fever Dream Of A Guilt-Ridden Gadget Reporter" – Gizmodo * "I Bought A Fake Apple Watch For $27 At CES" – Mashable * "Intel Pledges $300 Million To Increase Workplace Diversity" – TIME * The Internet Of Things – Wikipedia * "LG Makes Even Normal Appliances Seem Weird At CES 2015" – The Verge * Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) – Wikipedia * "The Work Of Art In The Age Of Gadgets" – The Verge
It probably would have opened and closed in a weekend. The comedy film, The Interview, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco seemed poised to be just another stupid movie, one in which the two men are tasked by the CIA to assassinate North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un. The premise itself was so laughable, the movie so shoddy, it was easy to dismiss by most audiences.
But in November, a massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, the film's studio, by a group calling themselves the Guardians of Peace, seems to have been a retaliatory attack for the film's violent premise. Now the film's Christmas Day release is cancelled, the movie itself shelved, and world leaders are weighing in.
Show Notes: "Digital Dilemma: How Will US Respond To Sony Hack?" – Yahoo! News * "Sony Says It's Not Caving On The Interview*, But All Of Its Promotional Sites Are Gone" – The Verge * "North Korea 'Blows Up White House And Capitol Building' In New Video Showing US Under Attack" – Mirror * Geekdays #47 – CSICON * "Sony's Cowardice Spreads To Paramount" – The Atlantic * "Death Of A President" – Wikipedia * "'Blow Up Those Citadels': North Korea Threatens, Blames US For 'Interview'" – NBC News
Do you realize what you’ve done, North Korea? You just made James Franco & Seth Rogan harbingers of free speech. Franco. And Rogan. #Frogan.
— Matt Dusenbury (@MattDusenbury) December 17, 2014
Ordinarily, right about now you'd be hearing the intro for today's show, outlining the topics we plan to cover and offering a bit of background as to why. But not this week. And the reason the simple. we've got writer's block. So on this episode, rather than delving into a company, project or recent event that's caught our eye, we'll take some time to get back to writing, something we each love to do, and always want to do more of, even when we can't put a single word down on paper.
Show Notes: "For Taylor Swift, The Future Of Music Is A Love Story" – WSJ * "Differentiation And Value Capture In The Internet Age" – Stratechery * "How To Cure Writer's Block" – The Telegraph * National Novel Writing Month * Write Or Die – Dr. Wicked * O*n The Isle Of Sound And Wonder – Alyson Grauer * "My 14-Hour Search For The End Of T.G.I.Friday's Endless Appetizers" – Gawker * "Giving Up Gaming's Ghost" - Chris Domico
More than any other, Twitter has proven its worth not just as a social network, but as a social utility. It's where news breaks, information is served and careers are launched – or destroyed. Of all the social apps and services people may check during the day, Twitter is unique in both its approach and presentation.
That's why it's disappointing to see the company flounder while the service is so useful. And nowhere is this more clear than in the company's newly released strategy statement – a bumbling mess of Silicon Valley jargon that is tone deaf, to say the least.
Show Notes: John Oliver: Corporations On Twitter – YouTube * "Twitter Sharpens Its Strategy To Win Over Investors" – WSJ.D * "Major Networks Not Airing Obama's Immigration Speech" – The Huffington Post * "Can the World Cup fix Twitter’s growth problem?" – Digiday * Hatching Twitter* by Nick Bilton – Amazon.com * "#Music" – Matt Dusenbury * "New Twitter Search API Won't Be Available To Third-Party Clients" – Marco.org * Episode 025: Twitter And Taylor – Exponent.fm * "A Tale Of Two Social Networks" – Matt Dusenbury * "Giving Up Gaming's Ghost" – Chris Domico
The problem with Twitter's Trending Topics.
The gaming industry is shifting. That much is obvious. On the inside, a push to make gaming more inclusive by telling a broader arrangement of stories has been met with intense resistance these last few months. And on the outside, as studios seek to elevate their product's stature, new technology and approaches are being used to help games transcend stereotypes, and move them into the same cultural space as music and film.
In the middle of this uncertainty, a new Call Of Duty game was released earlier this month. One of the biggest media properties of all time, the newest release, Advanced Warfare, wants to usher in a new realm of storytelling for a franchise that has been heavily criticized, though immensely popular.
With new gameplay and new narrative approaches, Call Of Duty, a gaming staple, is undergoing its own shift. And it just may bring part of the industry with it.
Show Notes:* "Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare Trailer" – YouTube * "Casting The Single-Player Movie Star" – NYTimes * "Vice ‘Call Of Duty’ Trailer Blurs Line Between Advertising And News" – Poynter * "Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 – Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'?" – YouTube * "Twitch Metrics New Barometer For Success As 'Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare' Boasts 6 Million Viewers" – Forbes
Elections. They are the cornerstone of any democracy. Election Day is the time when we, collectively, commit to affirm, create to destroy the course of the nation, all in the name of progress. At least, that's how the story goes. But this past Tuesday, the United States had its midterm elections with an abysmal voter turnout percentage. Many, it seems, simply didn't care enough to cast a ballot. At the same time, narratives across news channels geared up for the typical all-night coverage, as though the fate of the free world hung in the balance.
How do these two opposing stories shape the law of the land?
Show Notes:* "U.S. Midterm Election: Republicans Storm To Senate Victory" – CBC * "Midterm Turnout Down In 2014" – US News * "The Republicans Win The Senate" – The Economist * "Young Voter Turnout In Canada" – Wikipedia * "Facebook's 'I Voted' Sticker Was A Secret Experiment On Its Users" – Vox
What's in your wallet? Chances are its contents are the same as ours, and everyone else. Identification, a bit of cash, and cards. Oh, the cards. Credit cards, loyalty cards, and discount cards. Every slot in your wallet is probably filled with similar looking cards with a plastic strip.
ach one of those multicoloured rectangles is tied to a system, one that's well established, and we've been using for years. For most shoppers, these plastic cards just...are. They exist. It's how things are done.
...but what if they weren't?
Show Notes:* Apple Pay * Google Wallet * Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) * "Retailers Are Disabling NFC Readers To Shut Out Apple Pay" – The Verge * "Maker Of Apple Pay Competitor Has Already Been Hacked" – re/code * "In-depth Look At CurrentC And The Personal Data They Want To Collect" – iMore * "Failed CurrentC" – Snarketing 2.0
It didn't take long after the first shots rang out for news to spread. A gunman just stormed the capital with deadly intentions. Or was it multiple gunmen? How? Where were they? Twitter instantly flooded with reports from the scene, the horrifying truth buried underneath a deluge of conflicting updates. Is there one shooter or more? Are we under attack? Where's the Prime Minister? In the early moments of an emergency, every story seems true.
By nightfall, things would be clearer. A single gunman, homeless and mentally ill, had shot and killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, a soldier standing guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, before running into Parliament. Not long after, he was cut down in a hail of gunfire in the Hall of Honour.
A lot of emotion flew that day: fear, anger, and eventually, relief. On today's episode, as heartache gives way to patriotism in Ottawa and across Canada, we take a look at how stories of fear and triumph move during disasters, as well as their effect on society.
Show Notes:* Shooting In Ottawa Parliament Building – YouTube * "Canada's Coverage Of The Ottawa Shootings Put American Cable News To Shame" – Mother Jones * "Around The World: Canadian Coverage Of Ottawa Shooting Praised By International Media" – J-Source * Canadian Vs. American News Coverage, Matt Dusenbury – Twitter * Terror In Canada, CityNews Toronto – Twitter * "Cold Lake Community Cleans Up Mosque Vandalized In 'Disgusting' Crime" – Cold Lake Sun * "Evidence Shows Ottawa Shooter Was Motivated By Ideology: RCMP" – The Globe & Mail * "Gunman Prepared Video Before Ottawa Attack: RCMP" – CTV News * 030: Stories Spread * "Hit-And-Run That Killed Canadian Solider Is Called Terrorist Attack" – New York Times * "Canada, At War For 13 Years, Shocked That 'A Terrorist' Attacked Its Soldiers" – The Intercept
Canadian vs. American news coverage
• CBC: “Suspect was Canadian citizen, born in 1982” • CNN: “Dead Gunman Recently Converted To Islam”
— Matt Dusenbury (@MattDusenbury) October 23, 2014
Long ago, taking a photo was an active process. The photographer had to set up, the subject had to pose, and everyone had to remain still. Even after the shots were taken, no one could say for sure if they were any good until the film was developed. Taking pictures took days.
Today, snapping a picture takes less than a second, thanks to incredible advancements in mobile photography. What's more, advanced camera systems come replete with a variety of sensors and radios – wrapped in what we call a smartphone – allowing anyone to review, edit, and share their snaps instantly. In this episode, we're joined by special guest Shawn King of Your Mac Life, to look at how far photography, and the stories those pictures tell, have come – from specialized service to everyday occurrence.
Show Notes:* "Side-by-Side Comparison of All Eight iPhone Cameras" – DL Cade * "The Complete Guide To Snapseed Photo Editing App" – iPhone Photography School * "iPhone Models Remain The Most Popular Cameras On Flickr" – TUAW * Pixelmator – Saulius and Aidas Dailide * "Your Verse: Apple iPad Air" – YouTube * "2014 Celebrity Photo Leak" – Wikipedia * Starting Point Photography * Shawn on Twitter * Your Mac Life * "Selfie Centre" – Pete Carr
@chrisdomico @CampfireProj @MattDusenbury OMG!!! :) http://t.co/1Ik9H9tl6b
— Shawn King (@ShawnKing) October 18, 2014
The ebola virus pandemic currently sweeping through west Africa has been nothing short of tragic. Since the start of the outbreak last December, over 4000 people have died, with thousands more still ill. While health officials work to treat those who have contracted the disease, fear about ebola continues to spread.
On this side of the world, a 24-hour news cycle and a hyper-connected public have created an environment of uncertainty. This week, we look at how technology is enabling the spread of bad stories, false claims, and fear of others in a terrible situation.
Show Notes:* "Second U.S. Ebola Case Confirmed; Caregiver Remains In Isolation" – NBC News * "There Is A Simple Lesson In This Ebola Outbreak, And We Need To Learn It" – Vox * "Ebola Panic Is Getting Pretty Racist" – The Verge * "Tracking The Deadly Ebola Outbreak In West Africa" – The Verge * Outbreak (film) – Wikipedia * Contagion (film) – Wikipedia * "Passenger Pulled From US Airways Plane After Yelling 'I Have Ebola'" – Gawker * "Five US Airports To Begin Screenings For West Africa Arrivals" – The Guardian * "NBC News Crew Quarantined After Failing To Voluntarily Confine Themselves" – The Huffington Post * "'Nothing Is Working': What It's Like Living In A Country Ravaged By Ebola" – Vox * From Demonized To Organized – iTunes/Amazon
What is the web? Really, what is it? With the rise of smart devices and sprawling social networks, never before has the average person been able to tell their story so well, to their friends, family and the world. On the other hand, this constant sharing of information makes for a marketer's dream, with people telling you who they are, what they like, and how badly they want it. This raises one of the biggest questions of the day: whose story is winning? Is the internet a place for public sharing or public relations?
Show Notes:* "Facebook Rolls Out Atlas Ad Service To Better Track User Activity" – The Street * Episode 028: Three Stories * "Disconnected" – Chris Domico * "Should You Be Afraid Of Facebook's Massive New Ad Network?" – The Verge * 020: I Want You To Be Wrong – Exponent.fm * "Don't Blame Uber" – Stratechery
This week’s episode will be a little different. Rather than look at one thing, today we’ll be exploring the stories being told by three major projects: a state’s advertising campaign, a new social network, and a software company that wants to help companies cut through the noise.
Show Notes:* Pure Michigan – YouTube * Pure Michigan Advertising Campaign – Wikipedia * Ello * "Meet Ello, The Social Network That Wants To Be The Anti-Facebook" – CNET * "Study: 2011 Pure Michigan Campaign Generated Record $1 Billion" – CBS Detroit * Sprinklr * "How A Company Can Lose Its Voice To Social Media Gaffes" – The Globe & Mail
Earlier this month, Apple released its new iPhones, to much fanfare and a record number of pre-orders. But those devices weren't the stars of the show. Instead, it was the unveiling of a totally new Apple device that has people buzzing.
In Part 2 of our keynote roundup, we look at Apple Watch, wearable devices, and how the next big story will be on your wrist.
- Introducing: Apple Watch – YouTube
- "Apple Watch: Asking Why And Saying No" – Stratechery
- Samsung Galaxy Gear "Evolution" – YouTube
- Apple iPhone "Hello" – YouTube
Finally, fall is upon us. And with the shortening of the days and changing colour of the leaves comes another seasonal hallmark: iPhone upgrades. This month, Apple hit its annual refresh of its flagship device, to oohs and ahhs and even a few people exclaiming, "that's it?"
This week, we look at the history of iPhone announcements: the hype, build up, the rumours and leaks before the big release. Apple is a company that knows how to tell a great story, and the iPhone is its bestseller.
Show Notes:* Apple September Event 2014 – YouTube * "Timeline Of Apple iPhone Rumours (1999-2007)" – FierceWireless * "This Is How Apple Rolls" – MacWorld * "The Watch Punt" – Marco.org * "Apple Sold A Record 4 Million iPhones In 24 Hours" – The Verge
As ad revenues and subscription rates continue to fall, newspapers shutter and social networks gain followers, people have raced to find a way to take advantage of new publishing opportunities, provide a better experience and earn a profit on the web.
So far, the challenge has proven difficult, to say the least.
This week, Matt and Chris are joined by special guest Jim Dalrymple of The Loop to talk about how stories get circulated on the web, and what, if anything, can be done to help publishers and writers the world over.
Show Notes:* The Loop * 011: Build Your Way Out * "Worked Things Out With The Wirecutter" – Marco.org * "Seeing Through The Illusion: Understanding Apple's Mastery Of The Media" – 9to5Mac * Amplified – 5by5 * The Loop Magazine – iTunes
Sports, whether football, basketball, hockey or soccer, has the power to bring strangers together, bring cities together, even bring countries together, as people revel in the thrill of competition, bask in the glory of victory, to blunt the agony of defeat. In this episode, Matt and Chris focus not on the sports themselves, but how sports stories, through real life and pop culture, find their way into the public square and reshape the narratives of entire cities.
Show Notes: Moneyball: The Art Of Winning An Unfair Game* – Wikipedia * "The Impact Professional Sports Have On American Society" – Sporting Life 360 * Draft Day – Wikipedia * "Canada's Game, Commodified" – Matt Dusenbury * "Redskins Name Change: Controversy Continues To Build As Washington Prepares For 2014 NFL Season" – International Business Times * "How Sports Leagues Use iBeacons To Compliment In-Stadium SMS" – MobileMarketer
For more than a week, the town of Ferguson, Missouri has been on edge. Following the shooting death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African-American man who was killed by a white police officer on August 9, scores of people have taken to the streets to protest. The police response, looking like something from Baghdad rather than St. Louis, has not helped quell the anger in the community.
What's happening in Ferguson right now is many things: tragic, infuriating, even defeating. In the past, this would be something that could be contained to the area. But technology is allowing the world to peer into Ferguson, and let residents tell stories for themselves.
Show Notes:* "Tensions Dash Peace In Ferguson" – CNN * "The Root Of Unrest In Ferguson, Explained In 2 Minutes" – Vox * "Tensions Rise Again In Ferguson" – Vox * "#IfTheyGunnedMeDown: Behind A Twitter Campaign, A Multitude Of Stories" – SCPR * "Did This Ferguson Resident Live-tweet Michael Brown's Killing?" – Vox * "How We'd Cover Ferguson If It Happened In Another Country" – Vox * "Washington Post Reporter Arrested In Ferguson" – The Washington Post * "The Militarization Of Police" – Slate * "Why Do Police Have Military-grade Equipment In The First Place?" – Vox * "DOJ Asked Ferguson Police Not To Release Michael Brown Video" – Washington Times * "Senate Will Review Military Transfers To Local Police, Key Senator Says" – Talking Points Memo
Finished playing through The Last Of Us: Remastered. There is no hope
— Matt Dusenbury (@MattDusenbury) August 9, 2014
Gaming has come a long way since the days when kids would pump quarters into dust-covered boxes at the local arcade. Today, designers are able to go far beyond two-dimensional spaces and create 3D worlds so lush and immersive they'll take your breath away.
Those beautiful environments though aren't enough. With power and speed at their disposal, game companies are now using virtual worlds to tell new stories, and push their creations deeper into popular culture.
Show Notes: * "The Last Of Us: What It Takes To Survive" – YouTube * The Last Of Us: Remastered – Amazon * "The Last Of Us Photo Mode Can Also Make Beautiful Trailers" – Polygon * Heavy Rain – Wikipedia * "Call Of Duty: Ghosts Ships $1 Billion In Copies – But How Much Did Gamers Spend?" – NBC News * "Money Machine: Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 Rakes In $500 Million In 24 Hours" – Forbes * Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Trailer) – YouTube * "Call Of Duty + VICE: Superpower For Hire" – YouTube * We Need To Talk #10: Guardians Of The Galaxy – CSICON * "Code Conquers Reality" – Matt Dusenbury * We Need To Talk #9: Transformers 4: Age Of Extinction – CSICON * "Connecting Your Home To A Wider World" – Chris Domico * "Inflamed" – The Loop Magazine (Preview)
What's great about the world today is if you have an idea, no matter how big or how small, there's a chance you can bring it to life. All it takes is a willingness to say yes – by the creators, designers and the public, who can vote with their dollars. It's lead to an explosion of curiosity around crowdfunding, a concept that allows people to harness the power of the web and a good story to fund their dream projects.
Show Notes:* "Potato Salad: Behind The Scenes" – YouTube * AryaBall – Kickstarter * DonorsChoose.org * "When Love Is Not Enough" – Medium * "How To Create A Successful Kickstarter Campaign" – Hanif Azwar * "If You Back A Kickstarter Project That Sells For $2 billion, Do You Deserve To Get Rich?" – The Verge * Reading Rainbow – Kickstarter * Veronica Mars (Film) – Wikipedia * "These Countries Account For 85% Of Total Kickstarter Pledges" – Statista * "Kim Gordon Backs School Of Doodle's Manifesto For Sonic And Feminist Youth" – The Guardian * Potato Salad – Kickstarter * We Need To Talk #9: Transformers 4 – CSICON * "Code Conquers Reality" – Matt Dusenbury
The car isn't what it used to be. Once the ultimate possession, a symbol sought after for its freedom, owning a car now is less a necessity than questionable investment. Born at the advent of the internet and saddled with an economic recession, an entire generation has discovered itself through social connections forged on the web, and they're no longer racing to get their licenses when they turn 16. Slowly, the car is losing its hold as a signifier of status, opening the transportation arena to new players, to talk to the new generation, in a new way.
Show Notes:* "Gallons Of Light – Tesla Model S" – YouTube * "An Institutional Failure" – Chris Domico * "Overcoming The Impossible" – Matt Dusenbury * "Millennials Don't Care About Owning Cars, And Car Makers Can't Figure Out Why" – Co.Exist * "All Our Patent Are Belong To You" – Tesla Motors * "Zipcar, Uber, Lyft: The Car Sharing Market Is Booming" – Sustainable Mobility * "Sorry Taxis: You're History" – Mashable * "Why Uber Is Worth $18.2 Billion" – Stratechery * "Uber Protests Spark Chaos And Traffic Jams From London To Madrid" – Mashable