TED raises $280M to help nonprofits battle climate change, online sex abuse and more

Posted on April 17, 2019 by Anthony Ha

TED is unveiling the eight participants in the second year of The Audacious Project, a program aimed at helping nonprofits pursue their most ambitious goals. TED’s Chris Anderson told reporters yesterday that this is “an attempt to solve one of the most annoying things about the nonprofit world” — the fact that organizations have to Read more about TED raises $280M to help nonprofits battle climate change, online sex abuse and more[…]

Journalist Carole Cadwalladr says ‘the gods of Silicon Valley’ have broken democracy

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Anthony Ha

On the same day that she became a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her work bringing the Cambridge Analytica scandal to light, journalist Carole Cadwalladr took the stage at TED to “address you directly, the gods of Silicon Valley.” Cadwalladr began her talk by recounting a trip she took after the Brexit referendum, back to her Read more about Journalist Carole Cadwalladr says ‘the gods of Silicon Valley’ have broken democracy[…]

Disney+ streaming service launches on November 12, with a price of $6.99 per month

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Anthony Ha

Disney’s direct-to-consumer streaming strategy took center stage today at the company’s investor day. That strategy includes Hulu (where the recently-closed Fox acquisition has given Disney a contyrolling stake), ESPN+ and the Indian streaming service Hotstar, but executives spent most of their time hyping the upcoming launch of Disney+. The company said the service will launch Read more about Disney+ streaming service launches on November 12, with a price of $6.99 per month[…]

VSCO sues PicsArt over photo filters that were allegedly reverse engineered

Posted on April 6, 2019 by Anthony Ha

Photo-editing app-maker VSCO has filed a lawsuit against competitor PicsArt. The suit focuses on 19 PicsArt filters that were supposedly “reverse engineered from VSCO’s filters,” with VSCO alleging it has become a legal issue involving false advertising and violations of the app’s terms of service. “VSCO has invested significant time and resources in developing its presets Read more about VSCO sues PicsArt over photo filters that were allegedly reverse engineered[…]

Hulu announces a new ad unit that appears when you pause

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Anthony Ha

Just to get this out of the way: Yes, Hulu is introducing an ad unit that will show up when you pause a video. But no, the ad won’t be a video. Hulu says it has 25 million subscribers, the majority of them on an ad-supported plan — so they’re used to seeing TV-style commercial Read more about Hulu announces a new ad unit that appears when you pause[…]

Casper announces the Glow — a portable, sleep-friendly light

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Anthony Ha

Over the past few years, mattress company Casper has expanded its product lineup to include everything from dog beds to nap pillows. (It’s also opened its own nap store.) The latest addition: the Glow, an $89 light. While the company has never made this kind of Internet-connected hardware before, Chief Strategy Officer Neil Parikh pitched Read more about Casper announces the Glow — a portable, sleep-friendly light[…]

Verizon’s unlimited data carrier Visible starts selling iPhones, announces Android compatibility

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Anthony Ha

When Verizon stealthily launched a new startup called Visible last year, it operated under a bring-your-own-device model — to sign up, you needed to already have an unlocked iPhone, and Visible would send you a new SIM card. Today, however, Visible is announcing that it’s partnering with Affirm and Apple to sell iPhones with 0 Read more about Verizon’s unlimited data carrier Visible starts selling iPhones, announces Android compatibility[…]

Original Content podcast: We conquer clutter with Marie Kondo’s new show

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Anthony Ha

On the surface, “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” sounds like a simple show: Over the course of eight episodes, organizing guru Marie Kondo helps a variety Los Angeles residents sort through their belongings and clean up their homes. But for some, following Kondo’s KonMari method can be a surprisingly difficult or emotional experience — after Read more about Original Content podcast: We conquer clutter with Marie Kondo’s new show[…]

The ‘Stuff You Should Know’ podcast has been downloaded 1 billion times

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Anthony Ha

Stuff You Should Know, the explainer podcast hosted Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant (pictured on the left above), has now surpassed one billion total downloads. The podcast is published by How Stuff Works/Stuff Media, which was acquired by iHeartMedia last fall. The company says this is the first podcast to cross the billion-download threshold. (Publishers Read more about The ‘Stuff You Should Know’ podcast has been downloaded 1 billion times[…]

Apple is producing new content about Snoopy and other Peanuts characters

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Anthony Ha

Apple has signed a deal with DHX Media that will see the Canadian broadcaster producing new shows, specials and short films about Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang. That includes exclusive short-form content for Apple starring astronaut Snoopy, aimed at getting kids excited about STEM. Peanuts was created by Charles Schulz, Read more about Apple is producing new content about Snoopy and other Peanuts characters[…]