We’ve come a long way since the days of selecting a CPU player for the other Pong paddle, tank, or hand-to-hand combatant. Now the computers are taking it to us, in meatspace, and seemingly nothing no tabletop activity is safe from their depredations. The latest to succumb to computer domination? Foosball. Read MoreDaily Archives: August 11, 2016
We’ve come a long way since the days of selecting a CPU player for the other Pong paddle, tank, or hand-to-hand combatant. Now the computers are taking it to us, in meatspace, and seemingly nothing no tabletop activity is safe from their depredations. The latest to succumb to computer domination? Foosball. Read More
Today’s AdBlock Plus workaround to Facebook’s adblock bypass ham-handedly removes posts from friends and Pages, not just ads, according to a statement provided by Facebook to TechCrunch. “We’re disappointed that ad blocking companies are punishing people on Facebook as these new attempts don’t just block ads but also posts from friends and Pages. This isn’t… Read MoreFacebook will soon update code to nullify AdBlock Plus’ workaround
If you’re not using Simplenote, you’re missing out. This… well, simple note app has been a standby and lifesaver for me for years, though occasionally I have worried about its future: Will it survive if Automattic, which bought it back in 2013, goes under or gets bought itself? What if the servers go down? Is there a god, and if so, does he or she use Simplenote, too? Read MoreSimplenote, the planet’s most useful piece of software, is now ...
Songster and perpetual master of subtlety Morrissey has teamed up with pals at PETA to produce This Beautiful Creature Must Die, a mobile and desktop browser-based app that turns saving cuddly 8-bit farm animals from a gruesome death into a fun, Tetris-like puzzle game. Morrissey believes his bloody new anti-meat mobile game is more important than ‘Pokemon Go’ The game… Read MoreMorrissey thinks his gory new anti-meat mobile game is more ...
Snapchat has decided it’s time to make money. The company recently launched a massive expansion of its advertising, as well as an API that will make it easier for advertisers to buy ads. Given Snapchat’s aspirations to go public, turning on the money spigot is a necessity. But for a company that prides itself on constantly innovating, Snapchat’s monetization plans are… Read MoreAdvice for Snapchat from the world’s first Pokémon Go master
Please, please let me visit the room where new Pokémon are created. I want to know exactly what was going on when the team came up with Wishiwashi, a small, sad fish that becomes a group of slightly less sad fish when it reaches a certain level. Wishiwashi is one of three entirely new Pokémon revealed today for the upcoming Pokémon Sun and Moon games for Nintendo 3DS. The other all-new… Read MoreNew Pokémon in Sun and Moon include sad fish, surfing ...
140 Proof, a company that helps advertisers target their campaigns based on social data, has been acquired by AcuityAds for up to $20 million in cash.
140 Proof co-founder and CEO Jon Elvekrog said the deal will combine his company’s strength in social media with AcuityAds’ programmatic ad-buying tech.
The 140 Proof brand and team will continue to exist within AcuityAds, Elvekrog said. Read MoreAcuityAds acquires social ad targeter 140 Proof for $20M
Facebook recently incorporated a sneaky change to the way its ads are displayed that disguised them as ordinary content and circumvented ad blocking software in browsers. Ads crowded the streams of even the most vigilant users. But this hell on e...
Facebook’s blocker-blocking ads blocked by blockers
It’s no Pokemon Go, but it’s charming nonetheless, employing Google’s Cloud Vision to add a little bit of CGI dragon magic to your immediate vicinity. The “Dragon Spotting” game is free and accessible through a mobile browser designed to promote Disney’s upcoming Pete’s Dragon remake. The page offers up the player simple instructions through a series… Read MoreDisney enlists Google Cloud’s Vision for a ‘Pete’s Dragon’ AR ...
News outlets may get back some of their mojo stolen by a June Facebook feed algorithm change that preferred friends over publishers. Today Facebook will start predicting stories that are informative and highlighting them to people if they’re “related to their interests, if they engage people in broader discussions, and if they contain news”. Facebook surveyed tons of people… Read More