Believe it or not, we don’t cover every piece of tech news here at SnapMunk. In an effort to keep you apprised of all things relevant (and damn entertaining) in the world of technology and startups, here are some noteworthy tech news items that didn’t get a full column this week but certainly deserve a glance.
Google Glass Disappears From Social Media – Remember when Google Glass was going to be the next big thing? Everyone and their mom was going to be wearing smart glasses. Unfortunately, like many other Google projects (Google+, Google Wave, etc.), Google Glass sucked. And so Google decided to send it to that great server room in the sky: this week they made it “official” by deleting all associated social media accounts.
B.o.B Starts A Rap War With Neil DeGrasse Tyson. This kind of thing could only happen in our increasingly moronic social media culture. Rap artist B.o.B took to Twitter to inform people that the Earth is actually flat. Neil DeGrasse Tyson rained on his parade with actual science and facts. B.o.B. responded by releasing a diss track. Tyson’s nephew, who is also a rap artist, responded with a diss track of his own. Tyson then went on “The Nightly Show” and gave B.o.B. a thorough beat down. The fact that this is even a story proves that the apocalypse is nigh.
Periscope Now Integrating With GoPro. This is awesome on so many levels. Periscope, the popular live streaming service owned by Twitter, is now integrating with certain GoPro cameras. Imagine being able to watch your friend ski down a tough slope, or watch a Red Bull athlete cliff dive, or watch someone fly a drone over a volcano. The opportunities really are endless here.
Facebook About To Launch “Reactions”. We’ve all had the somewhat awkward experience of “liking” someone’s bad news on Facebook. We want to show them we care, so we like the post, but we don’t really like it, and it’s all so confusing. Facebook is going to clear up the confusion in the upcoming weeks by allowing users to post “reactions”. Those reactions will be Like, Love, Haha, Yay, Wow, Sad, and Angry. Do we really need a “Haha” reaction? Have we stooped that low as a society?
Flash Will Be Dead In Two Years. The end is finally near. Flash only made up 6% of all video in 2015, down from 21% in 2014. Most likely it will be fully eliminated within two years. The leading video codec is H.264, making up 72% of online video, with Web M expected to be the next in line.
Google Wants To Enhance Your Experience Of Political Debates. If Donald Trump isn’t going to be in the next Republican debate, maybe Google can make the debate more enjoyable. Google is enhancing its algorithm to show prior quotes, photos, and social messages from the candidates, while they engage in a live debate. Because, you know, if ain’t on Twitter, it ain’t real…
Circuit City Ready For A Triumphant Comeback. Back in the day, Circuit City used to be the place to go for all your tech needs, whether it was a sweet new Walkman or a screaming Gateway 486 computer. Then, like Radioshack, Circuit City fell on hard times and filed for bankruptcy in 2008. But like an awkward, nerdy phoenix rising from the ashes, Circuit City is coming back. A new ownership group is opening a store in Dallas in June, and hopes to have 50-100 corporate locations plus 100-200 franchise locations. Time to break out my stonewashed jeans and Starter jacket.
The DeLorean Is Going To Be Back In Production. Great Scott! The DeLorean Motor Company is back in action, and will begin producing the car that Back To The Future made so famous. Only 300 or so will be made to start, with production starting at one car per month, eventually increasing to one per week. And it’s not going to be cheap; the estimated price tag is $100,000. I’m not sure how Marty McFly would feel about that price tag.
Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments!
