On October 8, Google announced that it was shutting down Google Plus for consumers, citing low user engagement, and a software error that potentially exposed the data of hundreds of thousands of users. Google indicated that Google Plus would operate until August 2019, allowing users to download and migrate their information. There’s a lot of… [Read more]
Facebook uses AI to decipher memes
Ever get the following nasty message when trying to post a seemingly harmless image to your Facebook timeline? We removed this post because it looks like spam and doesn’t follow our Community Standards. If your image contains text of any kind, it could be that Facebook dislikes the message. And chances are it wasn’t rejected… [Read more]
Google turns 20
In case you missed it, Google celebrated its 20th anniversary on September 4, 2018. To commemorate the occasion, The Verge took a trip down memory lane with the biggest moments, product launches, and acquisitions throughout Google’s two-decade history. Twenty years ago, Google started with an ambitious goal to organize the world’s information and make it… [Read more]
Facebook bungles single sign-on
By now you’ve most likely heard about the Facebook security breach that allowed hackers to not only take over the accounts of at least 50 million users, but also access third-party websites those users logged into with their Facebook credentials. The service that got compromised is an authentication process called “single sign-on” that allows a… [Read more]
The Benioffs buy Time magazine
I’m not sure how I feel about this. I used to read Time magazine regularly, often alternating subscriptions with Newsweek (what happened to them?). Of course that was back when the Time Person of the Year had real gravitas and a typical issue would run over a hundred pages. Now it’s more like a newsletter… [Read more]
The 10,000-year clock
This post has absolutely nothing to do with web design, marketing. branding, browsers or social media. It’s just cool. And inspiring. We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. — T.S. Eliot Jeff Bezos and… [Read more]
The rise of digital brands
As much as I hate the phrase “game-changer,” if any tech company qualifies, it’s Shopify. Building and managing an online shopping experience 10 years ago was a frustrating, tedious, tear-inducing, pain in the ass. Shopify changed all that. From shopping cart functionality and payment processing, to tax rates, multi-carrier shipping, customer notifications and inventory control,… [Read more]
Blocking bad trackers
By default, future versions of the Firefox browser will automatically block tracking codes placed by third-party advertisers and networks. In addition, Firefox users will be offered a clear set of options to control what information they share with websites. This is a good thing. Firefox’s new browser will keep brands from stalking you Written for… [Read more]
The LOC gets a new logo
The Library of Congress (LOC) just got a new logo. It was created by the influential graphic designer Paula Scher, a partner at the New York firm Pentagram. You probably hadn’t notice the new look, but a lot of people did — Like John Gruber of Daring Fireball, who seems to be especially annoyed: This… [Read more]
A slow death for Flash
Loathed by web purists, but loved by graphic artists who couldn’t code, Adobe Flash inches closer to obscurity. Adobe Flash is a once-dominant multimedia software platform used for the production of animations, applications, games, and web browser video players. It is also an insecure, ubiquitous resource hog that has put users at risk since 1999…. [Read more]
