Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
“Alexa, I’m depressed.” “Alexa, I’m being abused.” “Alexa, I’m considering suicide.” When Amazon introduced Alexa in 2014, it quickly discovered that users wanted more than traffic reports and Taylor Swift songs. According to the company, more than 50% of interactions with Alexa are “nonutilitarian and entertainment related,” a category that includes professions of love for…
You’re half-way through a gaming session and the world is breaking apart around you as you run from attacking aliens. Firing as you go, you turn a corner and suddenly your view is filled with the sight of a brand new sedan. You see a cute dog at your local coffee shop. When you lean…
Blast from the past, disguised as news: The Financial Times is going to have an app in Apple’s App Store. Wait! Don’t go! I’m going to (try to) make this more interesting. The reason the FT’s move qualifies as news is because the FT left the App Store back in 2011 in a dispute over Apple’s subscription rules. At…
The challenges of getting a portable digital television to actually show a working signal stand in strong contrast to the analog days. When it comes to technology, I have a lot of love for edge cases—situations where the march of innovation actually makes things a little bit worse. Which means that I’ve become a pretty…
This week, according to the Information, Jawbone shut down. That’s the company, valued at $3 billion, that brought us the Up fitness bands. So here’s the thing: Microsoft discontinued its fitness band in 2016. Nike discontinued its Fuel band in 2015. Meanwhile, Fitbit, the biggest remaining seller of fitness bands, is having a tough time….
GIF Image Credit: Elena Scotti/Gizmodo/GMG, photos via Shutterstock In 2009, Gary Olhoeft walked into a Best Buy to buy some DVDs. He walked out with his whole body twitching and convulsing. Olhoeft has a brain implant, tiny bits of microelectronic circuitry that deliver electrical impulses to his motor cortex in order to control the debilitating…
Image: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo GoPro needs a nice, clear-cut win. The company that makes such good action cameras it’s become nearly synonymous with the product has had a rough time. Last year, it had to lay people off and delay the release of its drone after declining sales and improved competition put a severe dent in…
The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you’ll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. Amazon After offering their first unlocked phone through a partnership earlier this year, Amazon has started selling another. This time they’ve partnered with Motorola to offer the 4th generation…
Image: Wall Street/20th Century Fox Sometimes, owning a smartphone feels pricy. There’s the hefty chunk of change you’ll need to spend on the phone itself, and then the monthly fee you’ll need to fork over to operate it. But for just $400 and the cost of a few old Zack Morris-style brick phones, you can…
If you want to sleep with a robot, you don’t have to wait decades for a Westworld-style theme park of carnal delights. The future of virtual sex is already here. Strap on enough hardware, and the avatar of your dreams will grind to the beat of your teledildonics. Today’s smart dolls are becoming increasingly lifelike — nowhere…