The Public Access Weekly: Underoos
Hey, check out our new Public Access Weekly logo! Doesn't it look great up there? I've got to give a hand to Erik, our designer, who whipped it up for us -- I think it looks terrific and I love the way it echoes the banner on the Public Access home page. What do you think? Like it? Love it? Miss the old TV logo? I'm curious, so weigh in in the comments with your thoughts.
Also, heads up -- this Sunday, March 13th is daylight saving time so don't forget to spring those clocks ahead!
I cannot tell you how happy I am to have an excuse to use that GIF. (So happy. And no, I couldn't find a bigger size version of that GIF. Sorry!)
And now: Housekeeping. First, a reminder that if you're looking for Public Access posts on Twitter, check the #PublicAccess hashtag. We use it when we're tweeting out noteworthy posts, when we congratulate new users on their first posts and when a post makes it to the Engadget home page. Feel free to use it yourself when you're promoting your own stories; it makes us easier for us to find and retweet.
Remember about two weeks ago when I said that Public Access posts couldn't be indexed because there were some legal and technological aspects we were working through? We are officially working through them and Public Access posts will be indexed, hence findable in Google search, just like every other story on Engadget starting on Monday. If that makes you a happy camper, add a thank you GIF in the comments for our hard-working devs.
Lastly, I'd like to give a shout-out and many congratulations to our first three Public Access users to have stories make it to the Engadget home page: Richard Heby's explanation on why he won't be buying a Galaxy S7 was a really well-thought out opinion piece (and he gets bonus points for replying to all the comments on that story). Cormac Reynolds' article on the science behind the superpowers was a fun look at the types of technologies that are being developed that could (maybe) one day provide us all with mutant powers, while Edward Watkinson's twelve must-have travel apps inspired me to download Bonjournal.
Kudos you guys - that's some stellar work! If you want to see your article make it to the Engadget home page, you can find a quick run down of what it takes here.
Looking for something to read? Check out:
The newest version of Vantablack, the carbon nanotube material from Surrey NanoSystems, is even darker than the first version (which could absorb 99.96% of the light that touches it). This could result in some interesting military and space applications. Plus, you know, science is awesome.
No, YOU'RE awesome Carl.
In more "Yay science!" type news, Japanese scientists have developed a bacteria that can eat through PET plastics -- a serious environmental boon, even if the process does take a while (It currently takes the bacteria six weeks to chew through a thin layer of PET).
In non-science news, one of the cofounders of Epic Games (known for Gears of War and the Unreal Tournament series) has a nit to pick with Microsoft about its closed gaming ecosystem: Namely, he thinks the UWP apps will result in an ecosystem that relies entirely on the Windows Store hence closing out other more traditional .exe files (as well as services like Steam). There are a lot of strong responses here in the comments as well.
Looking for something to write about? Mull over:
Apparently people frequently attempt to get into cars that are not Ubers. Which, as our own Roberto Baldwin learned, can be pretty awkward. Or, in the recent case of a San Francisco woman, dangerous. Have you ever had someone hop into your car thinking you were an Uber or a ride share? Or do you have an awkward ride share story to tell? Dish!
There are a whole slew of geek holidays happening in March! For example, yesterday was The International Day of Awesomeness (and Chuck Norris' birthday and Mario Day) and Monday March 14th is Pi Day. Two weeks from today is Tolkien Reading Day. Tell us all about your Pi Day plans (or upcoming geek holiday plans), how you're celebrating and don't forget to include pictures!
We recently published a story that listed five reasons why crowdfunding projects fail, including over promising and not understanding your audience. Why do you think crowdfunding projects fail? Give us reasons and support your statements. Or, if you've ever funded a failed crowdfunding project (or been part of a crowdfunding project that failed) tell us the story of why you think it fell through and what you learned from the experience.
