Breaking up in the time of Twitter
For nearly 10 years, we shared everything, but it never occurred to me that sharing a four-digit PIN could ruin it all.
In late May, I was up at night dealing with a heinous cough and, seeking home remedies for post-nasal drip, grabbed the closest thing with an internet connection. That thing just happened to be my boyfriend’s iPhone. But before I could go down the rabbit hole of questionable medical advice, I was thrust into a conversation between the man I loved and a cook at a restaurant we frequented. I scrolled for hours through flirtatious word bubbles and scandalous selfies and with every iMessage, my heart broke just a little bit more.
For two months, I’d been sitting idly by while the love of my life shared his love with someone else. I hated those little blue word bubbles almost as much as I hated my boyfriend and his culinary sidepiece. If it weren’t for those bulbous harbingers of despair, I’d be living in ignorant bliss. Instead, there I was, gasping for breath in my tighty whities, bawling uncontrollably, the bright light of his iPhone screen filling my living room with dread.
The internet had become my escape, my personal pause button for emotional impulses.
The next day I kicked him to the curb, in proper mid-’90s talk show fashion, but within two weeks he was back. We were forced to cohabitate, as so many estranged couples in the Bay Area are these days. With online business booming and rent rising, it’s no easy feat finding an affordable place to stay on short notice. His presence was a constant reminder of the damage done. So I threw myself into my work to shake the nagging mix of anger and sadness. As the editor of a major online publication, that meant spending even more of my life on the internet. It may be a breeding ground for negativity, but I was numb to the kind of cruelty you find in the comments section of a smartphone review. The cruelty I’d felt in the real world, however, was oppressive.
For weeks, work was all I needed. From about 8AM until 6PM every day, I was free from my heartbreak. As soon as I woke up, I’d grab my phone to check my email and for the next 10 hours, I’d be wrapped in the sweet embrace of Twitter feeds, Slack notifications, Google docs and sluggish CMSs.
Days were relatively painless; at night the hurt crept in. True to the cliche, everything reminded me of him and the future we’d lost. More often than not, I’d cry myself to sleep after throwing back half a bottle of Rosé or a handful of martinis — up, with a twist and always stirred, naturally. When I wasn’t pre-occupied with the minute-by-minute crush of online publishing, life was just too much to bear. The internet had become my escape, my personal pause button for emotional impulses.
And then it happened. Love won. And I lost.
Like it or not, the internet was decidedly on the side of feels.
On June 26th, the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution ensures the right to same-sex marriage, upending archaic laws and effectively leveling the playing field for gay men and women in the hunt for eternal, state-recognized partnership. Twitter, Facebook and just about every online media outlet were abuzz with the news. As a gay man who’d spent the better part of the last decade in a committed relationship, I should have been shooting rainbow-colored hearts from every orifice. And I was thrilled… until I looked at my Twitter timeline.
A hashtag’s success is never guaranteed, but on that day, #lovewins won. Unfortunately for me, the internet decided to focus on the emotional side of the Supreme Court decision. Instead of reflecting the giant leap in human rights, herd mentality was charging ahead, heart first. Everyone and their mothers were rainbow coating their profile pics (with the help of Facebook’s opportunistic avatar editor) and my feed was flooded with sappy sentiment. According to AdWeek, Talkwalker, a social media analytics company, recorded 284,730 mentions of the #lovewins hashtag in the first hour. The less emotive, and selfishly preferable, #MarriageEquality pulled in 63,968 mentions in the same period. Like it or not, the internet was decidedly on the side of feels.
All about equal rights, but feeling kind of meh on love right now. Can we change that hashtag?
— Christopher Trout (@Mr_Trout) June 26, 2015
On just about any other day, I would have embraced the warm and fuzzy atmosphere, but I was miserable. Trending Twitter was killing me. As the outpouring of support for equal love reached fever pitch, I began to feel the crushing pain I’d avoided during many of my waking hours. With every new instance of #lovewins, I was reminded of love lost. My timeline was overflowing with support for couples who could finally see their eternal commitment validated by this great country. And I was overwhelmed with loneliness. For nine-plus years, my boyfriend and I had gone back and forth on the idea of marriage. We weren’t sure we wanted to be a part of a largely religious institution, but we were sure we wouldn’t take the plunge until our marriage counted the same as any other. Our chance had finally come and everywhere I turned, I was reminded of how that chance was squandered.
Thanks to an otherwise unthreatening hashtag, my safe space — the internet — had become a hell-scape. I could no longer rely on the sweet sense of denial online life afforded me. And I couldn’t just shut Twitter off. It is, after all, the media’s lifeline to the real world. So there I sat, choking back tears and half-heartedly campaigning for a hashtag that set love aside. But I’m not Kim Kardashian. I don’t have 34 million followers or the ability to break the internet with my bare ass alone. I am just me, and online, the power of one has nothing on the herd.
Eventually, the world would take off its rainbow-tinted glasses, and turn its gaze on another trending topic, leaving me to pick up the pieces of my broken heart in the real world.
Filed under:
Internet, Facebook
Tags: breakup, facebook, feels, gay marriage, hashtags, love, lovewins, marriage, relationships, same sex marriage, social media, social networking, twitter
Pentagon and Silicon Valley cyberunit reveals leaders and HQ
The Department of Defense’s partnership with Silicon Valley is a done deal, and now officials have announced who would serve as the initiative’s head honchos. According to The Wall Street Journal, two former high-ranking military officials will lead the Defense Innovation Unit–Experimental or DIU-x project. George Duchak, the former director of Information Directorate (ID) at the Air Force Research Laboratory, will serve at its director. ID is in charge of the airmen’s “command, control, communications, computers and intelligence and cyber technologies.” Meanwhile, former Navy SEAL and Reserve officer Rear Adm. Daniel “Brian” Hendrickson will be the deputy.
They’ll serve as the main connection between Silicon Valley companies and the Pentagon, getting rid of the numerous middlemen that tech firms typically have to go through to get to the Department of Defense. DoD Secretary Ash Carter believes the relationship can eventually help tech startups find work within the department, which could mean that securing a contract with the Pentagon will be easier in the future. In addition to revealing the cyberunit’s leaders, officials also told the WSJ that the DIU-x offices will be built near Moffett Field. That’s the same airfield Google leased from NASA in 2014 and where it tested (or where it’s still testing) its self-driving car prototypes.
[Image credit: Secretary of Defense/Flickr]
Source:
The Wall Street Journal
Tags: military, pentagon, siliconvalley
Microsoft Studios lead talks Kinect and the future of Xbox
You might not know who Microsoft’s Kudo Tsunoda is, but you know his work. He was the driving force behind Kinect and HoloLens. And more recently, he’s taken control of a large part of Microsoft Studios, the company’s in-house video game publishing and development arm. As part of his position, Tsunoda leads Rare, Lionhead and other first-party studios, and also oversees the development of key Xbox exclusives published by Microsoft, such as Scalebound, Quantum Break and the new Crackdown. I sat down with Tsunoda for a chat at Gamescom, and quizzed him on the future of Xbox, HoloLens and gaming at Microsoft.
On cross-buy
Microsoft is making a big push toward a unified gaming platform. The Xbox One itself will be updated to run Windows 10 in November, and Tuesday’s press conference saw cross-play and cross-buy announcements for Windows 10 and Xbox One games. The company seems to be headed toward a single marketplace for games. That’s something that makes a lot of sense, especially for smaller titles, but right now, most games that work like this are Microsoft developed or published. The outlier is Bloodstained, which will have the feature when it launches in 2017. According to Tsunoda, Microsoft is hoping to change things sooner than that, though:
“Once we’ve figured out how, through Windows, we can bring [PC and Xbox] gamers together with cross-play, we’re going to put that into our platform to make it simple and easy for other developers to do as soon as possible.”
That’d be big news. Sony, Microsoft’s chief rival, already allows for limited cross-play between its PS Vita handheld and PS4 console, and the upcoming Street Fighter V will let PC gamers face off against opponents playing on PS4s. With the new Xbox app and tighter integration though, it’s not difficult to imagine a lot of Xbox games being playable on PC and vice versa in the near future.
Although Tsunoda skirted around the question, cross-buy would be a huge win if Microsoft can get its third-party partners on board. The company has been fighting PR fires since the rather disastrous Xbox One launch, but the division’s gotten back its stride recently. Announcements of a regular monthly update pattern, Windows 10 streaming and backward compatibility (even with its caveats) have all gone over well with fans. And letting Xbox One gamers buy their games once and play them anywhere would go a long way to healing the “always-on” wounds.
On Kinect
It’s difficult to think of Tsunoda and not think of Kinect: The once bundled-in Xbox One camera is now an optional add-on. Given it’s Tsunoda’s baby, I asked if he’s interested in supporting the peripheral by having Microsoft Studios develop games for it. In return, I got a rather odd response:
“So the big thing is the depth-sensing technology, the stuff that’s inside Kinect. Obviously, we’re still doing a lot on the platform-side, but we’ve got Just Dance coming out soon for Kinect. I think it’s really about making an investment in depth technology itself. It’s great for everything we’re doing on this platform. Obviously, a big part of what we’re doing with HoloLens is environmental understanding, and that’s a big advancement in depth-sensing technology. These are things that Microsoft does really well: You invest in a cutting-edge technology; you use it in a space like games on Xbox, or a space like HoloLens. Just keep pushing the boundary of what we can do with depth-sensing technology and really try to be a leader in that space.”
I pushed Tsunoda for clarification on whether Studios would pursue the creation of games made specifically for Kinect, or HoloLens and if that’s even something Microsoft is still very interested in.
“I think that’s right. You can see that so much of what we’re doing is really trying to create awesome games that gamers will love. Whether that’s on Xbox One; whether that’s on Windows; whether that’s with Kinect; whether that’s with HoloLens — we really just want to produce technologies. We want to find how to use the medium to really deliver the core games that gamers and our fans are really going to enjoy.”
Microsoft, it seems, is still trying to figure out how to make Kinect useful for gaming, although that’s not really the end of the world.
On taking risks
Tsunoda has a reputation as a free thinker. Often seen sporting a pair of oversized sunglasses, he’s known for taking risks and pushing new tech like Kinect and HoloLens toward consumers even when it’s not entirely clear what it’ll be used for. I asked if he’s bringing that spirit to Studios; will we see riskier, edgier, more original games coming to Xbox, courtesy of Microsoft?
“As much as I like taking risks and pushing the boundaries of games and technology, at the end of the day, you come to places like Gamescom, [and] you see fans reacting to the work that you’re doing, and enjoying the games. That’s got to be the focus: Your end goal is making awesome games that people are going to enjoy. Taking risks, pushing boundaries, that’s all just a means to an end.”
I disagree. I think Tsunoda’s risk-taking and creativity could be used at Microsoft. Some fresh ideas would really set well among the inevitable sea of Halo, Forza and Gears of War sequels to come. Let’s hope he’s just playing his cards close to his chest and come this time next year, we’ll be talking about the resurgence of Microsoft, not just as a console maker, but also as a creative game publisher.
Filed under:
Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Tags: crossbuy, gamescom, gamescom-2015, gamescom2015, hdpostcross, hololens, interview, kinect, KudoTsunoda, microsoft, MicrosoftStudios, uk-feature, win10, windows10, xbox, xboxone
Asus announces the Zenfone Max with 5000 mAh battery
Bigger battery life is probably the typical smartphone user’s number one feature on the improvements wish list and ASUS has heard your calls. The company has just announced its new ZenFone Max at a launch event in India today, which features a gargantuan 5,000mAh battery.
5,000mAh should be enough juice to get even the most power hungry user through a full day of use. However, the large battery does mean that the smartphone is a little on the big side, with a 5.5-inch display and some rather hefty looking bezels.
There’s no word on the display’s resolution yet, but the smartphone comes with a Snapdragon 410 SoC and 2GB of RAM, so we’re looking at a entry/mid tier device. The processor should ensure plenty of life from the already huge battery. The Zenfone Max also features a 13 megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser auto-focus and dual-LED flash, along with a 5-megapixel front facing camera.
ASUS is keeping the pricing details under wraps for now, and it’s not clear exactly when the smartphone will be hitting the shelves. Given the cost competitive nature of India’s smartphone market, ASUS is going to have to price its Max accordingly against other handsets with larger batteries, such as the Innos D6000 (6,000 mAh) and the Marathon M4 (5,000 mAh), which retail for less than Rs 19,000 ($300).
First 6-inch 4K AMOLED panel shown off
The latest generation of QHD displays may already be verging on the point of overkill for smartphones but the nature of the spec sheet wars makes it seem almost inevitable that someone is going to launch a 4K display smartphone at some point in the future. We may have taken one step closer to that eye-popping future today, as Everdisplay has been showing off its 6-inch 4K AMOLED prototype.
Currently, the highest density AMOLED panel in production measures 5.1-inches and has a density of 557 pixels per inch (PPI). Everdisplay’s 6-inch 4K display offers a crystal clear density of 734 PPI. This might seem unnecessary for smartphones, but small ultra-high resolution panels do have useful applications for virtual reality hardware, and this is the market that Everydisplay is after with its 6-inch 4K display.
Although this may be the first 4K AMOLED panel that we have seen in the flesh, it is not the first 4K smartphone sized display that we’ve seen. Back in April, Sharp announced its 4K IGZO LCD panel, which measures 5.5-inches in size and packs in an incredible 806 PPI. The ZTE Star 3 is rumored to be the first smartphone to actually make use of this or a similar panel.
Related: Road to 4K: Do we need it? And who will be first?
Everdisplay isn’t just focused on VR technology though. The company is already producing a 5-inch 720p AMOLED display for smartphones and is developing 5.5 and 6 inch panels along with a circular 1.4-inch 400×400 AMOLED display for the wearables market.
There’s no word from Everdisplay on a price range of availability of its 4K AMOLED panel yet. Given its prototype status, we are unlikely to see it show up in any products for at least another year. In the future though, 4K may sound like an archaic resolution when compared to Samsung’s plans for 11K display technology.
YouTube changes up the views
For quite some time, YouTubers and users alike, have been frustrated by the algorithm behind calculating the amount of views a specific video has. Yesterday, YouTube revealed that the frustrating counter of “301+” was explained, as well as changes that will be put forth.
The YouTube Creators Google+ page and Twitter page posted an infograph of how the views counter worked before, as well as how the new views counter will work. Previously, the reason why viewers would see the 301+ was because view needed to be verified as a real view, and not just a bot or anything of that nature. Then after a few hours, the actual view count would be shown.
Now, YouTube is relying upon their experience and will go through the various “fake views” and remove them from the counter. These stats won’t be updated in real-time, meaning you can’t watch a video on three different devices and see the counter go up. However, you won’t have to wait for hours to see an updated views counter.
This isn’t the most earth-shattering change, but it’s cool to know exactly how YouTube came to the 301+ conclusion, and that they are trying to update things a bit quicker than before. Let us know what you think about this little change to YouTube, on top of the new video player UI that was released this week?
Source: Phandroid via: YouTube Creators Google+
The post YouTube changes up the views appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Microsoft Launches ‘Outlook’ App for Apple Watch
Microsoft this morning launched an official Apple Watch app for its email client Outlook, offering users of the service the ability to read emails and even respond to messages on their Apple Watch. Before today’s app, Outlook users with an Apple Watch received basic notification messages on the wearable device with no real way for interactivity, but now notification pop-ups will show more of the email body and let users jump directly into the app from the Apple Watch’s notification center.
Once in the app, users will be able to read their emails and even respond thanks to a few quick reply messages and the ability to dictate their response in a speech-to-text option. The Outlook app also comes with its own glance for quick looks at new emails in an inbox and upcoming calendar appointments. The watch app is out now for users with the iOS app already installed, and should download instantly for those with the Apple Watch’s automatic download feature turned on. Those interested who have yet to download the Microsoft Outlook iOS app from the App Store can do so for free [Direct Link].
Samsung to launch a mystery device along with Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and Note 5
As it turns out, Samsung will unveil three devices instead of two at its much anticipated press event in New York on August 13. Earlier it was believed that only Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus would be be launched at the Big Apple event. But a new teaser posted on Samsung’s website clearly shows that the company is launching three big mobile gadgets next week.
Accompanied by a countdown timer, the teaser shows the silhouettes of three different sized devices stacked atop one another. It is easy to recognize the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus thanks to its curvy edges, while the S pen popping out of a groove on top of the second handset unmistakably makes it the Galaxy Note 5. Then there is a big mysterious device at the bottom of the pile, which appears to have ducked every leak attempt.
The teaser comes with a cryptic slogan, “The big things are coming. We were the first to make them BIG. Now we’re making BIG even BETTER.” There are chances that the biggest device depicted in the teaser might be a tablet, and if the recent announcement of the Galaxy Tab S2 is not merely coincidental, it is quite likely that the mysterious device is a variant of the aforementioned slate.
Although it could be an 8-inch Galaxy Tab S2, the metal frame present at the bottom makes it look quite different from the earlier press images of the slate. Whatever the case may be, it won’t take long before the mystery gets resolved for good at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2015.
Source: Samsung
Come comment on this article: Samsung to launch a mystery device along with Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and Note 5
Samsung Philippines teases Samsung tablet to be announced at the Samsung Unpacked event
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Samsung has already done a great job so far teasing the announcement of two of its major devices, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge+. While the only other device we were expecting to be announced was the Samsung Gear A smartwatch, a new teaser from Samsung Philippines suggests there is a Samsung tablet to be announced at the Samsung Unpacked event booked for August 13th. In a shadowy teaser accompanied by the caption “We were the first to make them BIG. Now we’re making BIG even BETTER,” what is clearly the outline of the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and S-Pen toting Galaxy Note 5 is accompanied by the presence of a larger device at the bottom of the pile. The site also features a countdown, which is counting down towards the August 13th event.
The most likely candidate to fit the bill of this tablet is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 – although the device has been officially announced, it hasn’t been verbalized just which regions the device is going to, something Samsung is no doubt going to clarify at the Unpacked event.
Are you excited for the Samsung Unpacked event on August 13th? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Samsung Philippines via SamMobile
The post Samsung Philippines teases Samsung tablet to be announced at the Samsung Unpacked event appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Check out this stunning Edge smartwatch concept
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone is a rather nice looking piece of tech and it is quite possible that Samsung may bring its cutting edge display technology to its range of smartwatches too, at some point in the future. Until then, we can gawk at this awesome looking Edge smartwatch concept, which was put together by designers at Maform.
The watch concept features the same curved sides as Samsung’s smartphone design, and the increased display real estate may actually prove very useful. I can imagine that housing apps and navigation at the sides of the watch might also be a quicker way to get around.
The designers also envisioned the smartwatch with a simple clip mechanism on the back, allowing for a quick change of watch straps and the ability to pin the watch’s main body onto other items, such as a charger or onto your lapel, should you so desire.
Sadly, Samsung doesn’t appear to be working on a watch design like this. The next upcoming smartwatch from the company, the Gear A, is said to be a round design, more like the LG Watch Urbane or the Moto 360. The Gear A is expected to launch alongside the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge Plus at Samsung’s Unpacked event on August 13th, or, failing that, at IFA in September.
What do you think about this Edge smartwatch concept?
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