๐ก Uncomfortable, risky, and difficult: where the answers are.
Welcome to the second pulse of 2020!
So itโs been a pretty shitty week [non-tech-wise with Iran, US, Australia, and others, which is heartbreaking], but an exciting week tech-wise [with CES and stuff]โฆ
For me, itโs been a busy week of updating/making Snapchat Lenses, in addition to everything elseโฆ Try them out and snap me your thoughts.
Now, letโs get to the usual stuff. Scroll away.
- ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ช [ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ]
๐ NEWS
Instagram adds Boomerang effects. Users can now add SlowMo, โEchoโ blurring, and โDuoโ rapid rewind special effects to their Boomerangs, as well as trim their length [TechCrunch] - special thanks to TikTok! This is a simple example of how competition can benefit users.
Uber will end operations in Colombia ๐จ๐ด at the end of the month after local competition authorities found it to have violated market rules [CNBC].
Amazon-owned home security camera company Ring has fired employees for improperly accessing Ring usersโ video data [Vice] - aka watching Ring footage for fun! Fuck privacy, eh? Itโs Amazonโฆ
Facebookโs redesigned look for desktops is coming before spring 2020 [CNet] - and itโs more in line with their mobile apps.
Panasonic showed off their VR glasses prototype at CES, and they look nothing like what youโd expect [Futurism]!
And hereโs a recap of CES 2020 by the Verge; From 8k to 5G to AI to concepts - everything you need to know.
Twitter will soon let you control who replies to your tweets [TNW] - when announced, there was a heated debate whether itโs good or bad; you decide for yourself.
Teen Vogue ran an article about Facebook (ok, no problems here), which was an ad (still not a problem), with NO DISCLOSURE (huh!? ๐ค). And after disclosure, it was removed from their website (ok, now, wtf!?) [NYTimes]
TikTok overhauls its Community Guidelines focusing on โunderage delinquent behaviorโ [Wired] - better late than never, right?
A team of researchers from Germany and Greece recently identified several new properties of the human brain that could explain how our unique intelligence and consciousness emerges [TNW].
๐ง INSIGHTS
Look in the obvious places first
That makes sense, because the obvious solution is obvious because weโve learned how to solve problems like these. Your car keys are probably on your dresser, not in Santa Fe.
Hereโs the thing: if the problem is a longstanding one, if it hasnโt been solved in a while, then the places you think are obvious arenโt. Because theyโve already been tried.
As time goes on, the most likely site of the solution is further and further away from what you would have guessed. So begin there instead. Thatโs the new obvious place.
Hint: itโs probably a place that feels uncomfortable, risky or difficult.
from Seth Godinโs blog.
๐ STATISTICS
Top [non-game] Apps Worldwide by Downloads (Dec 2019) - Credit: SensorTower
Top Apps Worldwide for December 2019 by Downloads
WhatsApp was the most downloaded non-gaming app worldwide for December 2019 with close to 112 million installs, which represented a 30% YoY increase from December 2018. The countries with the most installs of the app during this period were India ๐ฎ๐ณ at 32% of its total downloads and Brazil ๐ง๐ท at 9%.
Read more on SensorTower.
Windows 7 is still pretty popular - Credit: Statista
A Quarter of Computers Still Run on Windows 7
On Tuesday, Microsoft will officially end an era when updates and support for Windows 7 will be discontinued. Although the operating system will continue to be available, the company will stop offering technical support, software and security updates and fixes. Microsoft recommends replacing Windows 7 with Windows 10 because the lack of security updates will make systems more vulnerable to viruses and cyber attacks.
According to data from analytics website Net Market Share, Windows 7 is still used on 26.6% of the worldโs computers. This means many users will have to either look for other options or deal with the negative consequences of using the outdated software.
Windows 7 has been available since 2010. Windows 10 followed in 2015. While there are obviously many upsides to using a more recent operating system, some users have deliberately hung on to Windows 7 citing problems with compatibility of third-party programs or older hardware, that is slowing down resources-heavy Windows 10.
via Statista.
New Sales Data for PlayStation 4 Ecosystem
New Sales Data for PlayStation 4 Ecosystem
106 million PS4โs sold
1.15 billion games sold (10.84 tie ratio)
5m PS VR units sold
103m MAU on PSN
38.8m PS Plus Subscribers
via Daniel Ahmad.
So WeChat had its annual devcon event yesterday, theme: Always Beta. Total transactions via mini apps: $115Bn, which is huge. There are now over 1mm mini apps, and over 20mm official accounts.
The below report highlighted miniapps / QR codes:
https://t.co/9nGL7BUbN4
๐ฑ TOOLS & APPS
Text Symbols by ingoJam: Write like ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฐ or ๐ฅ๐๐๐ค or sฤฑษฅส or ศถษฆษจึ - if youโre into it!
Beedii: Hand drawn emoji font with 40+ emojis and icons
๐ง AUDIO STIMULATION
The New York Times' Taylor Lorenz on Geekout with Matt Navarra
Taylor Lorenz of The New York Times has carved out a niche for herself as the journalist who explains youth culture online to the rest of us. Whether itโs Google Docs as a social network or party invites via Instagram, she understands the trends many of us would never hear of without her stories.
Taylor joins Matt Navarra and Martin SFP Bryant to discuss the rise of TikTok, the future of influencers, and why itโs better not to make predictions about the future. Oh, and Martin and Taylor have a heated disagreement over whether itโs Twitter or its users who need to change.
๐ก [ pulse ] โ a playlist on Spotify
For & By Pulse Family!
I donโt why you still havenโt added your songs!
๐ฆ TWEETS of the WEEK
It's okay to say no once in awhile. Remember you deserve a break. ๐งก
Being underrated and self-aware at the same time is a powerful combination.
Tell me a story about yourself the sounds like a lie but is absolutely true.
โ๏ธ an interesting threadโฆ ๐ an interesting responsesโฆ but thereโs more! click through.
๐๐๐ฑ๐ข๐ฏ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ฑ
I was responsible for the exorcism of a tree while in elementary school. I wrote letters in the voice of a demon and hid them in the tree, and convinced classmates they were real. My catholic school, unfortunately, also thought they were real and the dioceses got involved. https://t.co/N8PuxvlAUw
@adribbleofink There's a pizza place in Los Angeles that gives me free slices every time no matter who's working... for the past 22 years!
I have no idea why๐คท๐พโโ๏ธ
๐ FUN STUFF
When universe is against you.
Want more fun stuff? Follow tiiikktokk on Instagram!
That's all for this week...
Next week - same time, same place? โkay.
See ya