Fast Company
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How Facebook Used Science And Empathy To Reach Two Billion Users
Facebook’s growth team has a methodical approach to understanding what new users want, and a surprisingly broad mandate.<p><i>As of yesterday afternoon, Zuckerberg said over 650 students had registered [to] use thefacebook.com. He said that he anticipated that 900 students would have joined the site by</i> …
FacebookWithin Our Lives, 95 Degree Days Could Be Totally Normal
It’s going to be this hot more often.<p>The term “global warming” has fallen out of favor, with the all-encompassing “climate change” taking its place. But the planet is getting hotter–just this month, flights were grounded in the Southwestern United States because it was too hot to take off. Now, a …
Climate ChangeAmazon’s New Echo Show Has A Decent Chance Of Taking Over Your Kitchen Counter
The $230 device adds a visual element to the Alexa. In the kitchen that matters a lot.<p>I have an Alexa Echo in my kitchen, but I’ve found it to be of limited use because it’s non-visual–it can hear and make sounds, but it can’t see and display images.<p>Amazon’s new Echo Show device (see our full …
AmazonMeet The Winners Of The Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy
The award honors the super wealthy who are giving away their money in interesting ways.<p>Andrew Carnegie is probably best known for being a 19th Century steel baron. But in 1901, he sold that business to J.P. Morgan for $480 million—the equivalent of about $310 billion today—to fund another kind of …
PhilanthropyForget Coal: Asteroid Mining Is Coming Sooner Than You Think
Robots are paving the way toward lucrative space mining as NASA and private startups launch pioneering prospecting missions to precious metal-rich asteroids.<p>President Donald Trump is obsessed with returning America to its coal mining past—but scientists and entreprenurs have far more ambitious …
Space ExplorationThe 5 Most Common Procrastination Excuses Solved
From not knowing how to start to not having a deadline, here are some solutions.<p>Bad news: We’re biologically hardwired to procrastinate. Research shows we possess a limited amount of willpower that drains throughout the day, regardless of what we do.<p>We can’t avoid procrastination. Instead, embrace …
ProcrastinationMichael Jordan, Serena Williams, And The Manning Brothers Reveal The Secret To Success
In this new Gatorade ad, we find out they key to becoming a winner is actually losing.<p><b>WHAT:</b> A new Gatorade starring Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, the Manning brothers, Matt Ryan, JJ Watt, Kyle Schwarber and Karl Anthony Towns, all revealing the one special ingredient that makes a winner.<p><b>WHO:</b> …
Serena WilliamsJordan Brand Celebrates Russell Westbrook’s NBA MVP With Some Unconventional Math
Add up all the points, triple doubles, and other stats, and the answer is zero. Sort of.<p><b>WHAT:</b> A new animated ad to celebrate Russell Westbrook’s NBA MVP award, which made the Oklahoma City Thunder star the first Jordan Brand athlete to win the league’s top individual honor since Jumpman …
BasketballN.Y.C.’s Biggest Brutalist Eyesore Gets A Glassy Second Life
“We simply have to see adaptive reuse as ‘Capital-A’ architecture,” says Joshua Prince-Ramus.<p>Nicknames give architectural works evocative personas. Take the Freedom Tower, the Oculus, and the Shard. More often than not, the alias isn’t a good one. Such was the case with a Brutalist building in the …
Second LifeSee The New “Star Wars” Trailer Recreated Entirely On A 1984 Apple Computer
The old school, monochrome computing power of Apple’s 4th-generation IIc juxtaposes nicely with “The Last Jedi.”<p><b>WHAT:</b> A recreation of the latest <i>Star Wars</i> trailer made with the computing power of a machine that’s been obsolete for 30 years.<p><b>WHO:</b> Indonesia-based illustrator Wahyu Ichwandardi.<p><b>WHY WE</b> …
Star WarsMiddle America Is More Innovative Than A Lot Of America Thinks
Just because you don’t hear about them as much doesn’t mean there aren’t startups in places other than coastal cities–and they might be the companies best equipped to curb the excesses of startup culture.<p>In his book, <i>The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vision of the Future</i>, AOL co-founder Steve Case …
Silicon ValleyWhat If The Data Science “Skills Gap” Is Just A Hiring Hot Mess?
One veteran data scientist explains why asking for advanced degrees and X years of experience is creating artificial scarcity.<p>I honestly feel for recruiters who are tasked with filing data-science and machine-learning job openings. The list of requirements that employers draw up for those roles is …
Big DataThis Unapologetically Queer Japanese Film From 1969 Is Required Viewing
The distribution team at Cinelicious Pics has restored Toshio Matsumoto’s classic “Funeral Parade of Roses,” a barrel roll through Tokyo’s 1960s drag scene.<p>The name Toshio Matsumoto may only ring a bell for the most astute film aficionados. Even then, he’s usually attached at the proverbial hip to …
LGBTQThis Drone Responds To Your Emotions Just Like A Good Pet
Scared? Happy? Surprised? This drone knows, and responds appropriately.<p>A good dog just knows. When you’re sad, she’ll sleep in your bed. When you’re overwhelmed, she’ll keep her distance. And when you want to play? A dog is <i>always</i> ready to play.<p>Drones are becoming more common in our lives, with …
DronesA Design Student’s Brilliant, Terrifying Thesis On Trump’s Tweets
Falsehoods, fallacies, lies: Trump’s tweets are plucked straight from a dystopian novel. One graphic designer is underscoring the similarities with type.<p>George Orwell, author of the dystopian novel <i>1984</i>, is probably rolling in his grave over the Trump presidency. The British writer’s cautionary, …
LiteratureSwitching Up My Morning Routine Helps Me Crush Procrastination By Lunchtime
You never procrastinate on the same exact things all the time. You need a strategy for handling that, starting first thing each day.<p>You already know that sticking to a good morning routine can set the tone for your whole day. That’s why I like getting my first article of the day finished before …
ProductivityBaby Boomers Are Aging–And Designers Need To Adapt
As Americans age, interface and product design itself will transform.<p>The U.S. Census projects that there will be approximately 83.7 million adults over the age of 65 in the U.S. by the year 2050–double the number in 2012. With the explosion of the elderly population, designers are facing a …
U.S. CensusNasdaq’s Trekkie CEO Wants To Modernize Wall Street With Blockchain, VR, And Anything Else That Sticks
Adena Friedman, the first woman to run a U.S. stock exchange, needs to look for growth outside of Nasdaq’s comfort zone.<p>It’s Friday morning at Nasdaq headquarters, and that means demo time. Adena Friedman, a Nasdaq veteran who became CEO of the exchange in January, breezes into a 30th-floor …
StocksThis Emotional Intelligence Test Was So Accurate It Was Creepy
Experts believe that emotional intelligence is the job skill of the future. So I had mine tested, and the results were scarily correct.<p>A few weeks ago, after receiving a 21-page PDF report breaking down my so-called “emotional intelligence,” I did the logical thing and forwarded it to my boyfriend. …
Emotional IntelligenceThis Tool Is Built To Make Responsive Type A Reality
Prototypo uses algorithms to automatically adjust type parameters. Will it lead to typography that scales to screen size?<p>Over the past few years, responsive web design has gone from a desirable feature to an outright necessity. People visit websites on different devices, which means that website …
TypographyGraphic Design’s Next Great Challenge: Branding AI
Pentagram brands an AI processor startup demonstrating its smarts, and without tech tropes.<p>James Cameron did the world a terrible disservice with <i>The Terminator</i>. Even today, society defines cutting-edge technology by steel and glowing red LEDs. And so most of us cannot distinguish the logic of …
Machine LearningHow To Get People To Wear More Sunscreen: Make It Free
BrightGuard is installing free sunscreen dispensers across the country, in the hopes of reducing melanoma rates by 20% by 2025.<p>The link between severe sunburn early in life and skin cancer later on is well-drawn: Even one blistering sunburn as a child more than doubles a person’s chances of …
Skin CancerIs Seattle’s Rising Minimum Wage Helping Or Hurting Low-Wage Workers?
A new study finds the city’s rising minimum wage means low-wage workers are getting paid more but working fewer hours. Is it right?<p>As the minimum wage goes up in Seattle–with workers now required to make as much as $15 an hour, and all workers set to make that much by 2021–the city has become a …
EqualityHere’s Every Single In-Joke From The Title Sequences Of “Silicon Valley”
This eight-minute video reveals all the little jokes about startup culture you may have missed from four seasons of “Silicon Valley” opening credits.<p><b>WHAT:</b> A thorough breakdown of all the jokes during the credits of each <i>Silicon Valley</i> season<p><b>WHO:</b> YouTube video essayist Shots Fired<p><b>WHY WE CARE:</b> …
Silicon ValleyHow Trump Has Changed How We’re Giving To Charity
Democratic giving is up 50%, Republican giving is up 28%.<p>In terms of sheer cash contributions, the Trump presidency is turning out to be a boon for philanthropy. The average amount that Democrats intend to donate this year went up 50% during the president’s first 100 days in office. Among …
Women's RightsSZA Goes On “The Pharcyde,” Haim Does A One-Take: This Week In Music
These are the songs we recommend for your Productivity Playlist, volume six.<p>Welcome back to another week in music. Forgive the slight delay in our regularly scheduled Friday post, but this past week had some late releases that were crucial for the playlist. So here we are on Monday morning ready to …
MusicN.Y.C.’s First LGBT Monument Will Be A Luminous Garden Of Rainbows
The design was inspired by Stonehenge and uses prismatic glass to casts rainbows on Hudson River Park.<p>Yesterday, more than 40,000 people made their way down Fifth Avenue for the annual NYC Pride march. In step with the city’s LGBT Pride activities, Governor Cuomo’s office took the opportunity to …
Greenwich VillageAmazon Echo Show Review: The Power Of Alexa, A Touchscreen, And A Camera
An on-screen presence makes Amazon’s voice assistant harder to ignore.<p>This is embarrassing to admit, but I probably use Amazon’s Echo speaker to brew coffee more than anything else. Being an insufferable Aeropress snob involves precise timing while juggling a few different tasks–measuring, …
AmazonThis Is Exactly What To Put On Your Resume To Get An Interview
There isn’t a straightforward answer, but relevancy plays a big part.<p>Whether you are well into your career or have a gap in your employment, it can be tough to decide what to include on a resume. This is especially true when you reach a point where you question whether your work experience happened …
EmploymentAnki Wants To Use Its Toy Robot To Hook In Kid Coders
A new upgrade to Anki’s Cozmo app lets kids control the robot with a drag-and-drop interface that transitions to real programming languages.<p>What do college robotics students and grade-school kids have in common? Both can now learn programing with Anki’s $180 Cozmo robot. After releasing a …
Robots