Aftermath
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After Math: On the road again
It's been a big week for transportation news. Karma is making a comeback with its $100,000 Revero, London is putting traffic updates on the backs of its busses, LeEco just threw down big bucks on a brand new factory, and Skully officially went belly up. Numbers, because how else would you know if you can drive 55 or not?
The After Math: Office Politics
It's been a busy week for HR departments across the nation. Microsoft fired, Porsche hired and Kickstarter claimed credit for 300,000 new jobs. On the other hand, Qualcomm's about to pay big for its discriminatory promoting practices and Tor took a very large step back from former developer Jacob Applebaum amid a growing chorus of sexual harassment claims.
The After Math: She blinded me with science
This was a pretty good week for all but VHS enthusiasts. NASA tested a new lightweight rocket material. The Kepler space telescope found a couple of potentially habitable exoplanets. Researchers built a robot out of a sea slug. And scientists at TU Delft went ahead and solved that whole nanoscale data storage issue. Numbers, because it's "rocket science", not "rocket art".
After Math: Fun and games
This was a big week for diversions. Nintendo is sitting pretty thanks to its overnight smash hit, Pokémon Go -- not to mention the excitement surrounding its upcoming NES Classic Edition mini-console. Additionally, MoviePass rolled out its revised film subscription rates. ESPN is finally giving eSports the attention it deserves. And Twitter tripled the size limit for displaying animated gifs to a whopping 15MB. Numbers, because how else will you know who holds the high score?
After Math: What are we watching?
These days, it seems the only news being reported is bad news. Britain's surprise exit from the EU stands to tear the nation in twain, Zika is spreading across the planet like viral wildfire, economic and racial divisions are widening; Trump is still a thing and none of it looks even close to being resolved. Thank goodness for the internet which, this week, brought us 25 hours of congressional sit-ins, Adele's latest album over streaming and 23 new Instagram video channels. Numbers, because how else will we know how badly the global economy is tanking?
The After Math: FIRST!
Now that presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has come right out and declared "America First", a popular slogan among white nationalists throughout the country, here's a look at some of the other precedent-setting events of the week. Microsoft announced that it's getting into the legal weed game. Regulators have been presented with a proposal for the first US-based human CRISPR experiment. And Broadway announced that it will take the unprecedented step of livestream a musical. Numbers, because how else will we know how unpopular the presidential candidates are?
The After Math: Can't buy me love
There's something in the air this week. Seems everybody's in L-O-V-E, love. Well, except maybe this guy. Researchers successfully tested a new gene therapy using the DNA from three donors. Lenovo debuted the world's first Tango-enabled smartphone. Tinder kicked all the kids out and Google's gave its devs something to crow about. Numbers, because how else would we know that one is the loneliest?
The After Math: Technology to the rescue
With all the new products being showcased at Computex this past week, it's totally understandable if you happened to miss some of the actually useful things technology does for us. Besides enabling us to send pictures of our genitals anywhere in the world in an instant, I mean. Uber, for example, is being leveraged to help underserved elderly residents of a "depopulated" Japanese town get around. A new mobile app is getting the NYPD to the scene 12 percent faster. And a NASA satellite has spotted 39 previously undiscovered "major" sulphur dioxide emitters. Numbers, because how else are we going to keep score?
The After Math: Coming Soon
It's been an auspicious week for big promises. Google announced a whole bunch of stuff at its 2016 I/O developers conference, though it didn't have a whole lot in the demonstrable product department. Similarly, a trio of transportation companies announced that they're working on self-driving cars, IBM showed off a new kind of optical storage system that will eventually do impressive things, Google patented human flypaper that will one day coat cars.
The After Math: Governance gaffes
With the 2016 presidential elections beginning to reach fever pitch, some candidates have adopted the classic tactic of blaming the guy who's already got the job. That's not to say the administration has been without reproach for the past eight years, but there's been plenty of blame to go around this week. Like the fact that a public university spent nearly $200,000 to delete images of its police force brutalizing its student body, or how the feds are spending $3.1 billion on a blue ribbon cyber-security commission. Here's what big brother's been up to, by the numbers.
The After Math: OK, let's try that again
There are just some weeks we'd love to Groundhog Day our way through and try again to get right. Ben Affleck knows what I'm talking about. There was Apple's snoozefest on Monday that debuted smaller versions of the same stuff you already own. A Texas duplex was razed to the ground because somebody didn't understand the core concept of Google Maps. And Microsoft hasn't had to back-peddle this hard since the police arrested Clippy at Miami International with 70 pounds of coke. Numbers, because how else would we keep track of all the superhero movies Ben Affleck ruins?
The After Math: It's virtual insanity
Between SXSW and GDC, Virtual Reality has been front and center in the public eye (and not just the folks wearing prosthetic penguin appendages). Sony's PSVR headset finally received a price tag and shipping window, Sulon Technologies introduced its wireless hybrid AR/VR goggles and the UK's first VR-enhanced roller coaster is now open for business.
The After Math: Fun and games
Google's DeepMind AI bested a Go Grand Master, but it's not over yet -- and it doesn't mean you can't still enjoy a game or two. If black and white counters don't thrill you, Nintendo had a surprisingly bountiful Direct broadcast this week, announcing the return of several hits from those golden SNES days, while Gears of War has claimed voice actors for its next iteration. At the same time, Intel just bought a company on the strength of its 360-degree video chops. And if the robots get ideas above their station, just poke 'em with a stick.
The After Math: Better, happier, more productive
Has a week of petty partisan politics and bleak international news got you down? Don't try to drown your sorrows in a bottle of whiskey (the little bastards will only learn to swim) -- instead get inspired by the wonderful world of science. We've got record-setting astronauts, self-sterilizing plane potties, high-tech headlights, and the oldest galaxy discovered to date!
The After Math: Love is in the air
Scientists just confirmed the existence of gravitational waves -- actual ripples in the fabric of spacetime -- but who cares about unravelling the secrets of the universe, Valentine's Day is coming up. To pay respects to the most high holy of made-up bullshit holidays, here are seven of the most heart-string-tugging posts from the last week.
The After Math: The rule of three
There's an old rule in comedy writing called the rule of three (no, not "threeves") which dictates that things in sets of three "are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective." What is true for comedy, turns out, is also true for technology. This week we saw 30% older mice, Orange is the New Black getting renewed for three more years and Louis CK rounding down the price of his new web comedy to, you guessed it, $3. Numbers, numbers, numbers!
The After Math: Up, up and away
We've seen a number of historic announcements regarding the future of autonomous flight this week. Amazon promised 30-minute deliveries via its fleet of flying horses. DHL tried its best to demonstrate its delivery drone (but was itself bested by the weather). The University of Oslo set a world record by picking up boulders with a team of drones. And Arizona's building an exo-atmospheric balloon port because people are clearly willing to travel into space if it means getting out of that state.
The After Math: Baby, it's cold outside
It's 50 degrees and raining here in San Francisco which, by West Coast standards, constitutes the second coming of Snowpacalypse. With this sort of weather the only rational choice is to stay inside and patiently wait for spring. But just because we're tied to the couch for the next few months doesn't mean we can't take a tour of the West Wing, knit ourselves some binge socks or play 16 new (old) XBox games. Because counting the days to spring is way easier if you do it by the numbers.
The After Math: 'Murica!
With the presidential elections just under a year away, the American political season is kicking into high gear. But the race to be Commander in Chief isn't the only thing going on in this country. We've got veterans getting new members, Chicken McNugget dispensers and hoverboard bans as well! Here's your United States, by the numbers.
