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I had a chance to speak with Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President for Internet Software and Services, about iTunes Festival last night.

I must admit, I didn’t know what to expect when I sat down to speak with Imagine dragons. Here’s a band that has taken the world by storm in the last year or so and have every right to be riding high on that wave. What I found was a group of humble musicians that are truly thankful for everything they have.

Collectors Weekly:

There’s an open secret in America: If you want to kill someone, do it with a car. As long as you’re sober, chances are you’ll never be charged with any crime, much less manslaughter.

Over the past hundred years, as automobiles have been woven into the fabric of our daily lives, our legal system has undermined public safety, and we’ve been collectively trained to think of these deaths as unavoidable “accidents” or acts of God.

Today, despite the efforts of major public-health agencies and grassroots safety campaigns, few are aware that car crashes are the number one cause of death for Americans under 35. But it wasn’t always this way.

In light of the discussions we’ve been having here and elsewhere about CarPlay and distracted driving, this is an interesting history lesson in how we used to view cars versus today’s perceptions.

Examiner:

A child was at the Barrett Pharmacy & Variety in Watford City, North Dakota this past December, and the 6-year-old informed the pharmacist that she couldn’t sleep at night. According to the little girl, she was afraid of monsters that were in her room. Pharmacist Jeff Dodds prescribed the girl a bottle of anti-monster spray to take care of the problem.

“Spray around the room at night before bed, repeat if necessary,” the instructions on the label informed the user.

What a sweet thing to do. I wonder if he’d prescribe anti-moron spray I could use on the internet?

Co.Design:

Something between a black MIDI glissando and a brown note, the THX “Deep Note” is one of the world’s most recognizable audio logos, signaling the highest quality audio standard in films. Yet despite its distinctive crescendo, the THX Deep Note wasn’t actually composed so much as it was programmed, which makes it a fascinating success story of early computer audio design.

I remember the first time I heard that sound. It gave me chills.

Listastic for iOS is hands down the easiest way to create, manage and share lists of any kind!

Striking the right balance between function and simplicity, Listastic makes it a breeze to prioritize and collaborate on important ideas or tasks without the typical complexity.

Easily share a grocery list with your significant other, tasks with a team of colleagues or even gift ideas with friends & family.

Now available for iPad & iPhone, Listastic is free to download, and only $1.99 to ditch the ads and enable some great additional features!

A big thanks to readers of the Loop for checking out Listastic, available now on the App Store!.

Slowly but surely, street lights are going to be replaced by smart LED equivalents. Massive replacement projects are underway in Los Angeles, Paris, Copenhagen and now in Miami. The technology has a relatively large upfront cost, but pays for itself quickly as the yearly power cost to drive LED lighting is significantly less than the cost of running what it replaces.

Google executive Sundar Pichai told the South by Southwest conference Sunday that the company plans to release in two weeks a software development kit based on Android for makers of wearable devices, such as smartwatches.

I wonder what the tagline will be for this? “Viruses on your wrist” or “Android: Fucking up every part of your life.”

I would like to have seen Assange. On another note, Skype sucks balls.

Instagram has inked its first major ad deal with an agency, and it’s big.

The photo- and video-sharing site is rolling out a paid advertising program with a year-long commitment from Omnicom to spend up to $100 million, according to people familiar with the matter.

You knew it was coming. If you didn’t, you should have.

Ars Technica:

The Mophie Space Pack does three things, but it doesn’t do them equally well.

This is an accessory that will appeal mostly to Apple die-hards who use their phones all the time and want to carry as much of their stuff with them as possible.

I’ve always been a fan of Mophie products but this one seems to be too much for me. Is it a product you’d be interested in?

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CocoaConf is back this Spring and better than ever! We’ll be bringing the newest and best iOS and Mac developer technology training to five U.S. cities over the next few months:

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Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity—tickets are going fast!

One unfortunate New Zealander found out the hard way after losing a bet which involved his friends choosing him a new name if he lost.

His new name:

Full Metal Havok More Sexy N Intelligent Than Spock And All The Superheroes Combined With Frostnova

If this is true, I can’t imagine the hell he’ll have to go through now. Wow. Nice friends.

He’s just an odd fellow.

An easy to use new “Remote Administration Tool” malware package for Android offers to infect users, steal their photos and text messages, secretly capture audio or video, record their calls, download their web browser history and steal their email, Facebook and VPN account information.

I’m shocked.

Not skipping a beat, Chen was quick to throw a few jabs in Apple’s direction, answering that iPhone users are constantly searching for power outlets because battery life on the iPhone can’t even last a full day.

“I call you guys wall huggers”, Chen remarked in jest.

You make shit and can barely give your devices away.

This is great.

SBNation:

I got up there on a Saturday, and caught up with them a little bit, and then they said, “Well, let’s go look at the bird.” They were all in small hangars, all closed. We unlocked the back doors, turned on the lights, and I thought “Oh lord, there’s a spaceship.”

It’s still the most amazing aircraft. I remember seeing it at the Vancouver Air Show. They had it do a flyover of the city and watching it bank around the buildings of English Bay was incredible.

NPR:

A Canadian beverage company has concocted a low-alcohol, protein-packed “fit beer” that is expected to be marketed as a sports drink later this year.

I prefer skipping the workout part and going straight to the beer part.

This is funny as hell.

Mac OS X Hints:

Here is a way to disable sleeping when pressing the power button on 10.9.2.

Great tip. That action is incredibly annoying.

There are some interesting designs here, but more than anything I think this shows how companies are recognizing the importance of packaging. Apple led the way with this a decade or more ago.

Atlee Clark talking about the affect hosting the Olympic Games had on Canada:

However, there are less obvious but equally powerful outcomes from hosting the games. The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver had a deep impact on the Canadian psyche, creating a brazen, publicly demonstrated drive to win. That ambition rippled into the entrepreneurial community and has influenced much of the current crop of business leaders who are dedicated to keeping Canada on the proverbial podium.

So sorry.

Mercedes told us its “goal is to offer an after market solution by the end of the year.”

Great news.

You have to watch it now.

Apple:

There iTunes Festival has made a tradition of hosting some of the biggest names in music. The app has been updated to feature the iTunes Festival at SXSW.

If you aren’t lucky enough to attend the iTunes Festival at SXSW, the app is the next best thing.

It’s no surprise that some organizations are raising safety concerns about Apple’s forthcoming CarPlay technology, but the ship has already sailed on their main concern: distracted drivers. The fact is, CarPlay will help alleviate many of the biggest distractions in cars today.

Ars Technica:

I’m not shocked that the middle-aged me didn’t learn anything new in the first episode, at least not in terms of science. But the people involved in the show include some of the best in the business of communicating science, and I expect I will learn enough about the craft to make tuning in for more worthwhile.

I never saw the original Carl Sagan version (it wasn’t available to us in Canada when I was a kid) and the relentless promotion of it makes me squirm a little but I’ll certainly tune in to at least the first episode. How about you? Did you see the original? Will you watch this version?