This week’s Else is brought to you by good design, which trumps good code any day. And by the Alibaba IPO, which kind of pissed me off (see below). Enjoy the links!
The UX App That’s Driving Design Everywhere, From Airbnb to Zappos – WIRED
When I read this I thought – “Of course there’s an app for that.” And then I thought – “I gotta use this app!”
Pranking My Roommate With Eerily Targeted Facebook Ads – My Social Sherpa
This is just so good, so rich, so fun. If you work in media or marketing, a must read.
Why Is Our Sci-Fi So Glum About A.I.? – NYTimes.com
Yes, my point exactly when I wrote my review of Her, which does not hew to the Hollywood narrative of AI Will Kill Us All.
Apple will no longer unlock most iPhones, iPads for police, even with search warrants – The Washington Post
Bravo, Apple, a huge play to push the data control off platform and into the hands of everyone. BRAVO.
Tim Cook Interview: The iPhone 6, the Apple Watch, and Being Nice – Businessweek
If you want to understand the new guy running Apple, this is the place to start.
Amazon Tops List of Google’s 25 Biggest Search Advertisers – Advertising Age
I wonder why? Hmmmmmmmmmm.
The $3.2 Billion Man: Can Google’s Newest Star Outsmart Apple? | Co.Design
I don’t think Tony Fadell thinks his job is to “outsmart Apple” but then again, it makes for a good headline. And the profile is good too.
Yahoo Stock Crashes As Alibaba IPOs – Business Insider
Ah yes – Alibaba. It’s not that Yahoo! exactly crashed (down 5%), but that it’s really worth very little were it not for the Alibaba holdings. That simply doesn’t make any sense.
Thoughts On Alibaba (Searchblog)
In which I think out loud about Alibaba. I am pretty sure I will piss a few folks off with this one. Sorry.
Venture Capitalist Sounds Alarm on Silicon Valley Risk – WSJ
Bill Gurley may well also have pissed some folks off, but in the end, I think he’s right in the thesis that too many companies are burning too much cash.