Media

Bill Nye Saves the World

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[VIDEO] Bill Nye Saves the World is coming to Netflix on April 21st. I am looking forward to this one. Click through to the main Loop post for the trailer.

The weird, yet interesting, Super Bowl ad with Adam Driver (Star Wars’ Kylo Ren)

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[VIDEO] There were lots of fine Super Bowl ads yesterday, but none struck me as weird and interesting as the Snickers spot with Star Wars’ Adam Driver.

The ad is embedded in the main Loop post. Take a watch through it, then read on.

The ad is just weird, right? What makes it interesting to me is the fact that it was shot “live”, or at least gave that impression. After all, Adam Driver (Jeremiah in the ad) mentions that it is the third quarter, and even points out the current score. And then proceeds to “ruin” the commercial by missing his lines and causing the set to self destruct.

As to the live part, I suspect the spot was all filmed in advance, planned for the third quarter. As to the correct score, I suspect that was a live voiceover drop-in. You can’t really see him say the score. Driver doesn’t emerge from the shadows until he announces that it is the 3rd quarter.

But I did find the spot fascinating, its live drop-in setting the stage for future Super Bowl ads.

I’m a Mac. And now I’m a Huawei.

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[VIDEO] Say it ain’t so, Justin Long. Say it ain’t so. See the main Loop post for the new Huawei commercial starring our old friend the Mac.

As You Wish, tales of The Princess Bride

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Rob Griffiths:

This post isn’t about the movie. It’s about a book about the making of the movie, written by Cary Elwes, who starred as Westley, aka The Man in Black. And in the interest of thoroughness, the book’s full title isn’t As You Wish, it’s As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride.

And:

what really made the book for me were all the quotes that Cary secured from others involved in the production. These are present throughout the book, and you seldom need read more than a page before encountering one.

If you are a fan of The Princess Bride (and who isn’t?), this is a terrific read and, I suspect, would make a great gift.

Even better, consider upgrading to the audio book. According to Paul Goracke, the audiobook is not only narrated by Cary, but by the cast members (except Mandy and, of course, Andre).

Here’s an Amazon link to the book. And here’s a link to the audio book. Click on the “Audio Sample” button to get just a taste.

Inconceivable!

Apple Campus 2 drone footage update

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[VIDEO] So much of the basic construction is complete. The finish work is starting to emerge. This is a gorgeous campus. Terrific drone work by Matthew Roberts. Video in the main Loop post.

Hypnotic video of milling metals

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[VIDEO] There’s something magical about watching a machine cut through metal like butter, forming a velvety smooth curve. Video in the main Loop post.

Twitter is replacing the Moments tab with a new Explore tab

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I do think the explore tab is a step in the right direction, though what’s missing is the ability to customize it or, tipping the cap to AI, for Twitter to learn the areas that interest you.

As is, there’s a top 20 “Trending Now” list and a seemingly structureless “Today’s Moments” list. To me, these could easily be blended together into a single interface, perhaps with the ability to favorite things you like, and reorder the list by hottest trending topics, chronologically, or by preference.

I love Twitter, both for communicating with the folks I follow and who follow me, and for keeping up to date on the larger Twitterverse. So much potential. And such a valuable resource, if we can get it right.

In case your metronome breaks

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[VIDEO] She starts slow, then gets into the rhythm, so watch through to the end. Wish I could play like this. Video on the main Loop post.

AI and the path to creating jingles and pop hits

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Alex Marshall, writing for the New York Times, pulled together a fascinating piece, a bit of a survey of the current state of artificial intelligence and songwriting.

My 2 cents: All of this music is on the wrong side of the uncanny valley, but it is definitely getting closer. And I do think it will get there. Which is a scary proposition, given how difficult it already is for humans to make a living as musicians.

Steve Jobs used in two different non-Apple spots

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[VIDEO] I find this fascinating. Steve Jobs likeness and voice being used to pitch a non-Apple product. In this case, both spots are for the Obama-created U.S. Digital Service.

Jump to the main Loop post to read about and see both spots.

Great white shark cage breach

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[VIDEO] This is both fascinating and terrifying. Is there someone in that underwater cage? Video in main Loop post.

Medium pivots, shuts New York and DC offices

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Ev Williams, CEO of Medium:

As of today, we are reducing our team by about one third — eliminating 50 jobs, mostly in sales, support, and other business functions. We are also changing our business model to more directly drive the mission we set out on originally.

And:

We set out to build a better publishing platform — one that allowed anyone to offer their stories and ideas to the world and that helped the great ones rise to the top. In 2016, we made big investments in teams and technology aimed at attracting and migrating commercial publishers to Medium. And in order to get these publishers paid, we built out and started selling our first ad products. This strategy worked in terms of driving growth, as well as improving the volume and consistency of great content. Some of the web’s best publishers are now on Medium, and we’re happy to work with them every day.

And:

However, in building out this model, we realized we didn’t yet have the right solution to the big question of driving payment for quality content. We had started scaling up the teams to sell and support products that were, at best, incremental improvements on the ad-driven publishing model, not the transformative model we were aiming for.

Terribly difficult problem to solve. Medium is a terrific platform, but they face the same problem as the models they aim to replace: How do you convert reader interest and attention into cash?

We are shifting our resources and attention to defining a new model for writers and creators to be rewarded, based on the value they’re creating for people. And toward building a transformational product for curious humans who want to get smarter about the world every day. It is too soon to say exactly what this will look like.

In a world where fake news pays better than real news, this is a truly daunting challenge.

Apple Music, best of 2016

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[VIDEO] This (video in the main Loop post) popped up on Apple’s YouTube channel yesterday. A bit of a greatest hits of 2016, with bits from around the Apple ecosystem.

Nike’s new Kevin Hart Apple Watch commercials

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[VIDEO] Start with the video in the main Loop post (the longest of the spots), then, if this spot is your cup of tea, hop over to the Nike YouTube channel to see the rest of the series (7 in all).

Apple’s iBooks Game of Thrones enhanced edition

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[VIDEO] This video came out over the holidays, a promotion for the iBooks enhanced edition of Game of Thrones. I’ve been in power-save (vacation) mode, and just stumbled on it this weekend, thought it was worth a post for all you GoT fans.

Demon creatures from the deep

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These pictures are amazing. They are from deep sea fisherman Roman Fedortsov’s Twitter stream. As fantastic as they are scary. If I didn’t know better, I’d say they were special effects castoffs from some sci-fi movie.

Not for the squeamish.

Jony Ive gives us a peek inside Apple’s design studio

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[VIDEO] Though the video embedded in the main Loop post is intended to promote the book Designed by Apple in California, it also gives a tantalizing glimpse inside Sir Jony’s design studio. Take a look.

Apple AirPod video reviews and unboxing

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Chance Miller, 9to5mac, pulled together a nice collection of AirPod review videos. I found them all worth watching, each bringing a different take.

One thing in particular I learned was the value of the long AirPod antennae (the sticks that hang from your ears). They ensure a reliable connection, even at a significant distance. As long as you have line-of-sight to your device, you can get up to 150 feet away.

I love the fact that when you take one AirPod out of your ear, your audio automatically pauses. Solid Siri integration as well.

HBO to debut documentary on partnership and bond between Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine

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HBO press release:

THE DEFIANT ONES, a four-part documentary event, will debut on HBO in 2017, it was announced today by Casey Bloys, president, HBO Programming. Director Allen Hughes (“Menace II Society”) has made an unquestionably bold film about the unlikely but ultimately unbreakable bond of trust and friendship between two street-smart men from different worlds who have shaped many of the most exciting and extreme moments in recent pop culture.

And:

Set amid many of the defining events of the past four decades, THE DEFIANT ONES tells the stories of Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre — one the son of a Brooklyn longshoreman, the other straight out of Compton — and their improbable partnership and surprising leading roles in a series of transformative events in contemporary culture.

And:

Allen Hughes filmed Iovine and Dre over a three-year period in making THE DEFIANT ONES. In addition to extensive interviews with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, who speak frankly about their highs and lows, the show includes interviews with such music icons as Bono, David Geffen, Eminen, Nas, Ice Cube, Gwen Stefani, Jon Landau, Tom Petty, Trent Reznor, Snoop Dogg, Bruce Springsteen and will.i.am. The series also features never-before-seen footage from a multitude of recording and writing sessions with Eazy-E, JJ Fad, Stevie Nicks, N.W.A., Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and U2, among others.

I will definitely watch this.

Four new, quick cut Apple Watch commercials

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[VIDEO] The spots are all 15 seconds long. They each start with footage of someone opening a brand new Apple Watch, overlaid with the all caps message:

THE GIFT OF GO

Each commercial then branches off into quick cuts of going out, playing, running, and dancing. Solid work.

Videos embedded in main Loop post.

Jimmy Fallon plays Super Mario Run and Zelda: Breath of the Wild in front of Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto

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This was delightful, infectiously fun. Turns out, Jimmy Fallon is pretty good at this game. Great marketing for both Super Mario Run and the Nintendo Switch, which they showed off midway through the video, with Jimmy getting a chance to explore the open world of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the Switch.

I love that they had Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto in the audience to watch. My favorite part of the show was Miyamoto playing the Super Mario theme with the Roots. [VIDEO and links in main Loop post]