GIFs
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Giphy wants to be the Netflix of GIFs
GIFs are portable human expressions. Looped images of grumpy cats, falling babies and weird Drake moves convey a barrage of information and emotions in a way that words and emojis cannot. While the format has been around since 1987, the ability to copy and paste it into a conversation is much more recent. It was the creation of Giphy, an animated GIF search engine, that made pop culture references searchable and shareable in an instant.
Twitter needs searchable GIFs for fun and profit
This week, a group of Android users noticed a new feature in the Twitter app: a GIF button that can be used to search through trending GIFs to drop into status updates. As you'd expect, the internet lost its collective mind. Twitter is the unofficial home of GIFs. Whether you're sharing a quick moment in time or trying to make a point without words, bite-size animated images are a perfect match for the social network's dynamic timeline.
Tinder adds GIF support to show matches what you really mean
It doesn't seem like Tinder's done anything with Tappy, the photo messaging app it acquired last year, but the hook-up application has added a new feature that takes advantage of the internet's favorite image format: GIFs. Thanks to a partnership with Giphy, now you have the option of sending GIFs to your potential mate. More than that, you can "like" a message to indicate, well, that you were into what the person on the other side was layin' down. There's a video of it all in action below, wherein you'll find a guy whose spelling and grammar are somehow more questionable than his choice in haircuts.
Giphy Cam finally lets you make GIFs from videos
Giphy Cam, the app that lets you become a master GIFs-man (or woman, it doesn't discriminate) has just released its first major update. Before, users were only able to create GIFs using the native camera, either capturing 10 second full-motion clips or 5-shot bursts that are then stitched-together. Now users can import photos and videos from their camera rolls. What's more, people are able to trim their clips, apply more than one filter to the GIF and add text, giving their creations even more personality. Giphy Cam is still only available on iOS devices with no mention of when it'll cross platforms. In the meantime, Android users will have to rely on the Giphy bank of pre-made GIFs to express their animated points.
Twitter's Scratch Reel lets you scrub GIFs like digital LPs
Twitter debuted a new Scratch Reel feature on Thursday which allows users to hover a mouse or finger over GIFs and rewind or advance the image as they please. The functionality appears to only apply to GIFs created by third-party @SnappyTV publishers, so don't expect to be go all Pam the Funktress on your GIF feeds just yet.
The makers of VSCO Cam unveil an Instagram-like app for GIF making
Let's face it: GIFs continue to be a popular way of expressing yourself, no matter how you'd argue the word is pronounced. There are a number of apps that'll help you make your own animations, and now the folks behind VSCO Cam are joining the fray, too. The company built DSCO: an iOS app that lets you easily capture a few seconds worth of footage to create the moving image. If you're familiar with VSCO, you know that its mobile photography app allows you to apply a number of presets to achieve the look you're after before beaming them to a social network, posting them to the company's own portal or just saving them to view later. The same is true with DSCO. Once you have the video, you can employ a number of filters, including a collection of presets developed alongside MTV and others, to put the finishing touches on that all-important GIF. You can then send it to the aforementioned spots for sharing or safe keeping. The app is a free download, but like we've already mentioned, it's only available on iOS.
ICYMI: Insect robot for kids, paralysis fixed and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-184110{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-184110, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-184110{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-184110").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: We are covering the drone guideline news from the FAA the only way we know how: With some silly videos and real ones as well, like the Google X drone delivery test video -- all to warn you all that UAV regulations are finally coming. A new Kickstarter for a toy insect robot comes with origami-like assembly, to teach kids about coding and engineering. And scientists at Ohio's Case Western Reserve University have electronically bridged a gap between a paralyzed person's spinal column and arms using brain wave sensors, in effect letting him use his arms once again.
GIF party: The new Public Access homepage
by09.03.2015
This week's assignment is for Public Access members to contribute GIFs on how they feel about the redesigned home page, but we thought you might also want to see some reaction GIFs from the folks on staff because, hey, we have feelings too you guys. Let the GIF party commence! When they first told me that there was a new home page in the words for Public Access, I was like: It's been a few months since we started Public Access, and we wanted to make the home page clean, functional and inviting to use. We also wanted to play around some with new sections to highlight great stories and include links to the detailed user reviews that can be found on most product pages. When the intrepid Engadget devs, Conrad and Stefan, gave me my first look at the mock up to the new Public Access home page I thought: It's nicely laid out and the Top 5 box is a great way to highlight posts (it's currently displaying the posts with the most page views). It'll look even better when the Q&A section and the tags are added (which are both on the way). When I heard there was an official launch date, I reacted a little like this: When the new Public Access home page actually went up with all the elements working flawlessly, I was stoked and also thankful to Stefan and Conrad for all their work. Just for fun I asked Stefan to share a GIF about how he felt when the page was done and up. He said this GIF pretty well sums up his reaction: Thanks again to everyone who worked on the home page! We're looking forward to seeing your reaction GIFs too, so share 'em in a Public Access post (or heck, put them up here in the comments if you'd prefer).
Giphy Cam wants to be the Instagram of GIFs
Everybody loves a good animated GIF but they're just such a pain to create from a mobile device. Or rather, they were a pain to create on mobile devices now that Giphy's new mobile camera app is available. The Giphy Cam is a free iOS app that allows users to create and share animated gifs as easily they do overproduced shots of their lunches.
Cat Shake gives you an endless stream of OMG KITTIES
Few things in life are better than videos and GIFs about cats -- they bring joy to people. If you feel that way, then you'll probably want to download this new iOS app called Cat Shake. As its name suggests, the application requires you to, well, shake your device to fulfill its purpose. Once you do so, your reward will be too-cute-to-handle cat videos, "classic" cat GIFs and, because why not, adorable cat sounds. For those of you who don't have an iPhone or iPad, don't worry -- you can always go to Tumblr TV, type in what cat you're in the mood for (we'd recommend "funny cat") and problem solved. Or, you know, there's YouTube too.
Microsoft wants to make you funnier in online chats
Do you constantly struggle to make jokes? Are you one of the millions of folks who wishes they could be spontaneously funny when communicating via the internet? Microsoft Research has some news (PDF) for you. The company's developed a web-based chat system dubbed "Cahoots" that analyzes text in your messages and suggests memes and reaction GIFs based on context and perceived emotion of the sender. It can even auto-generate memes on the fly using existing templates (think QuickMeme). Images were culled from I Can Haz Cheeseburger, Bing and ReactionGIFs.com and at the end of the study, some 738 of Amazon's Mechanical Turks found Cahoots pretty useful. No word's been given about the system actually reaching the public, so in the meantime you might want to start marathoning comedy specials on Netflix to bone up on your timing. [Image credit: See-ming Lee æææ SML/Flickr]
Tumblr TV makes sure you never run out of GIFs to watch
You already know Tumblr is like GIF heaven. But now, with Tumblr TV, the social network wants to make the animated-image viewing experience better for people. Not only does the newly minted site let you easily search for GIFs, but those results can be enjoyed in fullscreen mode, played continuously and shared with other Tumblr members. So say you search for "Drake," as this editor would do, you can then watch a feed of nothing but Drake-related content that's been uploaded by the community. Unfortunately, it's not as easy to share a specific GIF's URL if you don't have a Tumblr account -- instead, your only option is to use the link related to the topic you've searched for. Either way, Tumblr TV is definitely worth bookmarking.
Facebook now supports GIFs, so go knock yourself out
It's hard to believe, but that bastion of instant gratification, Facebook, has never supported GIFs (except via a kludge). But that appears to be fixed and you can now express your joy or add some comedy to posts on the social network. You just need to add a GIF link from Giphy, Imgur and other sites to your status updates, and it'll play inline like magic (uploads won't work, however, as TNW spotted). We're not sure when Zuckerberg and Co. turned the feature on, though it doesn't seem to work yet on mobile apps and may take some time to roll out to your neck of the woods. Meanwhile, here's a little inspiration.
This adorable desk gadget motivates you like Pavlov's bell
We're almost halfway into April and chances are your self-improvement-minded New Year's Resolutions bit the dust sometime between Valentine's Day and Easter. Whereas our day-to-day habits are pretty ingrained into our minds, establishing new ones is the hard part, and that's where MOTI comes in. It's a cute little gizmo that you place in plain sight (this is key) that acts as a motivator, hence the name, for your menial tasks. How it works seems pretty simple, too. Just put it on your desk or wherever else you might see it on the daily and press its face when you do the task you're having trouble keeping up with.
Hulu's GIF library offers visuals for your reaction tweets
Websites like Giphy and others are useful for supplying a GIF to get your point across. Hulu is looking to help too, so long as your thoughts/feelings/hot takes can be summed up with an image from one of the TV shows streamed there. The company launched it's own repository, which is appropriately housed on Tumblr, allowing you to search for specific shows, actions and reactions to find the perfect moving picture for your needs. Heck, there are even gems like this one from Star Trek: The Original Series.
Vote for the best GIFs on the net in 'The 2015 .GIFYs'
Fans of GIFs and judging things, it's your time to shine. Public voting is open for The 2015 .GIFYs, the first and only award dedicated to the majestic moving GIF. Vote for your favorite GIFs across 11 categories, including "film and TV," "music," "weird," "sports," "animals" and "cats." Yes, cats get their own category because they're not animals but the fluffy embodiment of our deepest desires (to sleep all day and be waited on hand and foot).
Tumblr's 'big update' promotes essay writing, fewer GIFs
If we're honest, there isn't enough money in monochrome erotica and Benedict Cumberbatch GIFs to sustain a billion-dollar website. That's why Tumblr is doing its very best to become more of a publishing platform that can attract the sort of writing (and attention) you'd normally find on Wordpress and Medium. The site began this process a few weeks ago by enabling embeds of its pages anywhere else on the internet, and now it's ready to give users a much stronger set of tools.
New York Congressman knows what the kids like: Trump GIFs
Remember last week when Speaker of the House John Boehner was raked over the coals for reducing a complex political argument to a series of glib Taylor Swift GIFs? Well, now it's New York representative Charlie Rangel's turn. The apparent congressman for life posted a direct response to Speaker Boehner's attack on Obama's free college plan, with a series of GIFs of his own -- these ones featuring Donald Trump. Does the congressman have some salient points about the benefits of making higher education more affordable and accessible? Probably. Are those points lost among a sea of head scratch-inducing GIFs? Yes. Like Boehner and others before him, the seemingly undefeatable Rangel (even in the face of multiple ethics violations and scandals) made the mistake of putting virality ahead of content.
John Boehner, Politics and the nuance of Taylor Swift GIFs
For an excellent example of how not to use the web to make a point one need look no further than Speaker of the House John Boehner. The Republican from Ohio took to the internet to lay out his argument against President Barack Obama's plan to provide free community college to millions of Americans. His chosen medium for conveying that message? Taylor Swift GIFs. Now, whether or not Swift endorsed the use of her image for spreading a political message is beside the point (though, I'm sure nobody asked her). What's more important is that the man who is next in line for the presidency after the vice president reduced a complex political argument to a series of 12 only barely appropriate animated GIFs.
Read this novel made of GIFs
A sign of the times. The future of storytelling. An attempt at something a little different. None of the above. Whatever the reasoning, Dennis Cooper has decided to craft a novel entirely in GIFs, each one show-and-telling a little bit more of the (sometimes fragmented) story. You can read it yourself either online or by download to PCs or tablet. "Zac's Haunted House" is made up of a whole load of GIFs that you scroll through to form the narrative of each chapter. Cooper, whose previous work spans both fiction and art, has taken the animations from a wide range of mediums: sometimes they're cribbed from Samurai Jack, other times it's older movie vignettes from long before the birth of the web. While we'd say it's more of a short story than a novel, how long it'll take you to finish will largely depend on your connection speed -- no reading required.
