The Morning After: Weekend Edition
What is real?
Letter from the Editor
Still reeling from the result of November 8th? This week, Jess Conditt spoke with professor Allen Lichtman, who saw it (and every other presidential winner since 1984) coming, thanks to insights gleaned from geophysics, not political science. The lesson the professor wants us all to learn? Voter polls are just fodder for the media, not predictors of actual outcomes.
Speaking of media fodder, Facebook finds itself embroiled in controversy about the role the social network played in the distribution of fake news -- which many feel played a significant role in Trump's victory. Nathan Ingraham looked at the scope of the challenge Facebook faces and what needs doing to fix it. In the meantime, those in search of truth should be reading news sources outside the social network's bubble to stay (accurately) informed.
And, while its parent company struggles with an unwanted transition from pure platform into something resembling a media company, Instagram is making a shift of its own accord. Edgar Alvarez explains how the company is building a future that's as much retail platform as it is social network. Should users be concerned about these business partners gaining undue influence on the Instagram experience? The company says that users will always come first, but time will tell whether its actions stay true to its words.
Instead of sliding in the DMs, Facebook's CEO is up late talking fake news
In a very late Friday night news dump, Mark Zuckerberg waited until midnight to spill the details in Facebook's ongoing fight against fake news. The CEO laid out several points (raising the bar for posts that pop up as "related," making it easier to report fakes, and cutting off their access to advertising were a few) and said he's listening for more suggestions. That's a good thing, since it seems like everyone has one.
Now that we've had all week to think it over, what's the feeling about the new MacBook Pro? It's pricey, lacks MagSafe and needs dongles to plug almost anything in, and that OLED Touch Bar is just a little more annoying than amazing (so far). But TouchID is a welcome addition, and it's still powerful, with a long-lasting battery wrapped in a thinner and lighter design. Decisions, decisions.
Netflix Vista combines binge watching and "Black Mirror"
A new short works Netflix into the world of "Black Mirror," imagining the technology from "The Entire History of You" put to a slightly different use. We're not sure if Netflix Vista is a much better upgrade than Windows Vista, but as usual, the two-minute video is enough to keep you thinking.
AI is helping to track tuna fishing around the island nation of Palau
Overfishing threatens tuna populations in the Pacific, as well as other species that can get caught accidentally, like sharks and turtles. Now the Nature Conservancy is testing out the use of machine learning to process hours of video showing exactly what each boat is really catching.
"Watch_Dogs 2" is more realistic than we thought
This week, a player found that Ubisoft had gone the extra mile in rendering certain areas of a female character, posted a screenshot to PSN and was quickly banned. The ban was eventually lifted, and the company says a patch is coming to make the "explicit" area consistent with others in the game. Welcome to 2016.
The Chromecast Ultra delivers everything promised: 4K, HDR video streaming. The only problems? Most of the video apps it works with are probably already built into your new TV, and its higher $69 price means it lacks the value proposition of earlier versions
Hands-on with Snapchat's Spectacles
The hardest part of using these Spectacles is probably finding a pair. But once you do, what is it like rocking the $130 camera-equipped shades? Being able to shoot video hands-free is a plus, and the circular format means it's viewable in landscape or portrait. It's still early, but Andrew Tarantola calls them a "a clever, relatively inexpensive wearable."
The upside of Stephen Hawking's "1,000 years left on Earth" prediction
You may have heard that, earlier this week, the well-known theoretical physicist put a time limit on humanity's quest to find a new residence. Some are bummed out by the prediction, but we're finding the silver lining in it: Hawking's made this same prediction for years. That means that no matter how many celebrities kick the bucket in 2016 and how frequently the climate is ignored, our timeline is still looking the same. Small victories, right?
The $300 photo book that chronicles 20 years of Apple design
Whether you love Apple, or love to hate Apple, this book should have some appeal to you. The $300 tome "Designed by Apple in California" features over 450 product shots by photographer Andrew Zuckerman, cast against white backgrounds. We checked, and no, there's no headphone jack here either.
Holiday Gift Guide 2016: The Gamer
If you are a gamer or know one, this is the most important section of this year's holiday gift guide. A VR headset or PS4 Pro is great if you can afford it, but we also have options for smaller budgets, like a high-end mouse or a new headset.
But wait, there's more...
Hyperloop One co-founders discuss whether it can deliver on its promises
Vibrator, vape or VPN, this is for the naughtier side of Santa's list
Earthquake science explains why election polls were so wrong
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