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A fringe benefit of wearables is finding out if your loved ones aren’t dead

Mar17
by on March 17, 2019 at 5:00 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, syndication


I’m in a London branch of the Apple Store, about to buy a pair of Apple watches. And not for any of the standout apps or ludicrously expensive straps, but because it has a “send your heartbeat” feature. “Place two fingers on the screen until you see and feel your heartbeat. Lift to send,” says the website. It’s because when my husband Dion is in the pub, his boss and workmates are quite snooty about him texting me every hour or so to let me know he hasn’t died — but with this watch, he could just discreetly send a heartbeat. This…

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a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

What businesses can learn from the political divide in the US

Mar17
by on March 17, 2019 at 1:30 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Podium


By the time you read this, I hope you’ve at least received your far-delayed tax return due to the US government shut down. But no matter who blinked first to end the shutdown (or possibly start it again), chances are another self-inflicted crisis will likely happen between now and 2020 because Washington politicians don’t remember how to work together. This is no way to run a “superpower.” Americans are pissed off nationwide, and despite the president’s insistence that America is respected again, confidence in American leadership has plummeted worldwide. Even so, the US will likely survive its embarrassing inability to conduct the business of government…

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a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

You’re teaching Alexa to be an asshole

Mar17
by on March 17, 2019 at 7:30 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Podium


“Shut up, Siri!” “Screw off, Alexa!” We’ve all heard people berating their voice assistants, often in colorful terms. You’ve probably done it yourself, and so what? It’s not like our voice assistant has feelings — “she” is just a collection of code and a disembodied, robotic voice. Or so the conventional thinking goes. I’m here to tell you that thinking is wrong, and if you don’t want the Terminators hunting your grandchildren down in a dystopian future, start being nicer to Alexa today. Tech titans’ take Okay, I’m half-joking about the Terminators. But the point I’m making about the way…

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