Few films start so inauspiciously as Stop Making Sense. Talking Heads frontman David Byrne walks onto a bare stage at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles wearing a grey suit and white sneakers and carrying a boombox. “Hi,” he tells the crowd. “I got a tape I want to play.” He puts down the stereo, launches into “Psycho Killer,” and everything comes to life. Byrne breaks into wide-eyed staccato dance moves, the audience whistles in appreciation, and the show only gets better...
This year at Coachella the biggest spectacle wasn’t Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar, or even Lady Gaga. It wasn’t Selena Gomez and the Weeknd’s PDA, either. Instead, it was a massive dome where attendees could see giant neon caterpillars, alien landings, and geometric shapes pulsing through the cosmos—no hallucinogens required. Chrysalis, as the show in the dome is called, is a virtual reality trip very different from the goggle-enabled VR most folks are familiar with. Instead of crushing their flower crowns with...
The music platform incubates talent wonderfully, but can’t hold onto it. What’s next? The post As Streaming Services Boom, SoundCloud Strives for Relevancy appeared first on...
Every month or so, the media reports on the latest so-called superfood that will either cure or cause cancer. As a scientist and lover of social media, I can recognize a whiplash phenomenon when I see one. The spotlight often shines brightest on the latest single research studies because the public finds new revelations most compelling, particularly if they challenge decades of established scientific research. Exhibit A: a Cell Metabolism study from Qiao-Ping Wang and colleagues, published in the summer...
On Tuesday, Facebook kicked off its annual F8 developer conference with a keynote address. CEO Mark Zuckerberg and others on his executive team made a bunch of announcements aimed at developers, but the implications for Facebook’s users was pretty clear. The apps that billions of us use daily—Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram—are going to be getting new camera tricks, new augmented reality capabilities, and more bots. So many bots! Here’s our list of the biggest news to come out of F8...
Lacy’s smartphone has been his personal studio since he first started making music. The post How Steve Lacy and His iPhone Are Taking Over the Music Business appeared first on...
Everyone has an air travel horror story, usually one including some combination of delays, lost bags, smelly seat-mates, and cranky personnel. Yet most everyone’s tale of woe would pale in comparison to that of the man who was dragged off a plane at Chicago’s O’Hare airport Sunday night. United Airlines had overbooked the Louisville, Kentucky-bound flight, and offered up to $800 for anyone willing to wait for a later trip. Not enough people volunteered, so the airline selected four people—already...
Before I get into this, I should admit something: my home audio setup is pathetic. I listen to shows and movies out of the speakers built into my TV. When I have friends over, a UE Megaboom Bluetooth speaker supplies the background music. Sometimes I catch myself listening to podcasts on my phone’s speakers. The best listening devices I own are headphones—which is why I often spend time on the couch, alone, watching TV with headphones plugged into my Roku...
