DJ Khaled and Ray Liotta. An unlikely pairing, but it works.
Media
A dark, dark vision of the augmented future reality
Warning: the embedded video is pretty dark. Has a Blade Runner sort of feel to it. Imagine a future where everywhere you look, there’s data analysis and advertising. All reality is seen through an augmented translation. Keiichi Matsuda has put together a striking vision.
Peter Thiel, comic book hero
Ben Thompson comments on the Peter Thiel, Gawker battle that’s become front and center news.
Chewbacca mom and J.J. Abrams
[VIDEO] A few days ago, Candace Payne posted this video, showing just how much she loved her newly purchased Chewbacca mask. The internet approved, her video broke all kinds of viewing records.
Then James Corden asked her to appear in one of his carpool sketches. Pretty solid.
A live Simpsons episode (or at least for three minutes)
Pro Video Coalition:
The plan involved a sequence for the final three minutes of episode 595 (entitled “Simprovised”) that would be acted and animated in real time.
Incredible!
The inside story of when Run-DMC met Aerosmith and changed music forever
If you have even the slightest interest in music history, take the time to make your way through this gem.
Isolated guitar from Aerosmith’s Walk This Way
[VIDEO] Just came across this isolated Joe Perry guitar work. Hearing the guitar without all the other layered production elements was a real revelation. This is some beautifully subtle guitar work by a real master.
Who pays writers?
Are you a writer looking for a gig? Trying to get a sense of who pays what? Here’s a great resource.
The real problem with Facebook and the news
Ben Thompson digs into the Facebook news controversy. This is an issue worth paying attention to.
Senate demands answers from Facebook on trending bias in news articles
New York Times:
The chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee demanded on Tuesday that Facebook explain how it handles news articles in its “trending” list, responding to a report that staff members had intentionally suppressed articles from conservative sources.
A ridiculous display of arrogance.
Apple, podcasting and the open market
Late last month, Apple brought in some podcasters to discuss the business of podcasting. This post links to a series of three posts that explore this meeting and its consequences: The New York Times and blog posts from Marco Arment and Federico Viticci.
Netflix adds much needed setting to let you adjust data rate
From the Netflix blog:
The default setting will enable you to stream about 3 hours of TV shows and movies per gigabyte of data. In terms of bitrates, that currently amounts to about 600 Kilobits per second. Our testing found that, on cellular networks, this setting balances good video quality with lower data usage to help avoid exceeding data caps and incurring overage fees. If you have a mobile data plan with a higher data cap, you can adjust this setting to stream at higher bitrates.
Read the post to learn how to get to the settings, learn what each one means.
Clever, funny ad for Apple Pay in Australia
[VIDEO] I love the tag line:
It’s a big deal. For a fraction of a second.
Kangaroo, you are the stuff of nightmares
Watch that first video. Imagine that just appearing at your back door.
I saw something horrible and wrong in VR
Clearly, VR brings some very dark cyberpunk possibilities, but this actually makes VR seem even more compelling as a business model.
Latest drone footage of Apple’s Spaceship Campus
[VIDEO] The campus is looking good. And Matthew Roberts’ production technique is evolving. Now in 4K.
TV has lost the working class
We’re seeing a fundamental shift in TV, a move from reflection to idealism.
The AMC Apple TV app and the coming political battle on internet pricing
AMC adds yet another unbundling Apple TV app. My take on what’s coming as all this unfolds and things start to heat up.
Criterion collection leaving Hulu, moving to new Turner Classic Movies service
Bloomberg:
Time Warner Inc.’s Turner division will introduce its first online-only channel, allowing film buffs to watch classic movies without a traditional TV subscription.
Will there be an Apple TV app?
ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons on Prince the guitarist
[VIDEO] In this interview, Billy talks about technique and references the video embedded in the main post. Prince was a master of technique. Take a listen. Prince is in complete control. This is not about speed, this is about breathing life into his guitar, making it an extension of his Princely self.
Hey Liam, what are you doing for Earth Day?
Siri and Liam, together for Earth Day. Can it last?
Springsteen’s very first radio performance
[VIDEO] John Vettese, writing for WXPN Music Notes:
there was once a time when The Boss was just a young dude with a guitar and a dream. We hear that in this recording of his first-ever radio appearance, on WBCN in Boston on January 9, 1973. It might just be my favorite Springsteen rarity – I love how giddy and unsteady he sounds, the breezy saxophone commentary from Clarence Clemons, the way they effortlessly play off one another. Does this outdo the album version on Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.? Perhaps.
A Springsteen fan? Then you’ll love this.
Weird 80s font convergence
Jason Kottke lays out, visually, that Apple, Reebok, and TrapperKeeper all used the exact same font at one point in time. Fascinating.
Google search will soon add live TV listings
From the Google Search blog:
Last year we launched video actions in Search to help viewers find direct options to watch the shows they are looking for on programmer and distributors mobile apps and sites or stores like Google Play.
Today, I’m excited to announce that, coming soon, Google Search will have live TV listings.
A solid step in the right direction…
Apple and Earth Day
[VIDEO] This is the kind of video that Apple really does well. A great message, well put together. Perfect for Earth Day.
Tim Cook, again named one of Time’s 100 most influential people
Bob Iger, Disney Chairman and CEO, wrote the appreciation piece for Tim Cook’s Tim page. I think words do not do Tim Cook justice.
Irish pub singer belts out “Mr. Brightside,” gets response from The Killers
That Eric Alper:
A recent viral video shows an Irish pub in County Kerry, Ireland, full of mourners there to remember their recently deceased friend, Ger “Farmer” Foley.
I want to be remembered this way. Video embedded in the main Loop post.
New York Times on Facebook and the doom of publishing
Typically, a doom and gloom article is much hand-wringing and overstated worry. But I’ve been watching this happen all around me. Publishing is being pulled into Facebook’s orbit.
Another Taylor Swift Apple Music commercial
[VIDEO] Hard not to like this. Great song choice.
Kermit and Fozzie Bear’s fantastic 1979 camera test
[VIDEO] Kermit shatters Fozzie Bear’s illusions about himself. A delicious bit of improv.