ABI.Local launch
The Anita Borg Institute introduces its ABI.Local program on the first day of its annual Grace Hopper Celebration, the world’s largest event for women in computing and technology. The goal of the program is to help women technologists all over the world connect with each other. With over 1,300 women already participating in New York and Delhi, the program is adding eight metro areas, including Boston, Washington D.C., and Silicon Valley, in part to donations from Google and an anonymous donor. CEO:
Establishing and growing a strong community of women who share our interests and career goals is imperative to keeping women in the field and broadening the appeal of a technical career to young women.
Announces 2016 autobiography
Collins announces that he will release an autobiography in October 2016.
Several times over the last few years I have been asked to write a biography but never felt that the time was right – until now. Having found the right publisher in Penguin Random House, I am ready to go on record about my life in music with all the highs and all the lows and to tell the story from my point of view, warts and all!
Reactions
Facebook starts testing “reactions,” which extend the site’s “like button” functions with new options : Love, Haha, Yay, Wow, Sad and Angry. Keeping with Zuckerberg’s wishes, there is no “Dislike” button. The test is currently limited to users in Ireland and Spain. Zuckerberg:
For many years though, people have asked us to add a “dislike” button. Not every moment is a good moment, and sometimes you just want a way to express empathy. These are important moments where you need the power to share more than ever, and a Like might not be the best way to express yourself. Reactions gives you new ways to express love, awe, humor and sadness. It’s not a dislike button, but it does give you the power to easily express sorrow and empathy — in addition to delight and warmth.
https://www.facebook.com/zuck/videos/10102412343501081/
Moments
Twitter launches Moments (previously known as Project Lightning), a curated “best of Twitter” feeds. The content is accessed through a lightning icon, which leads to a menu of posts. The company says it will allow outside companies to create Moments, including partners such as Bleacher Report, BuzzFeed, Entertainment Weekly, Fox News, Getty Images, Mashable, Major League Baseball, NASA, the New York Times,Vogue and the Washington Post. .
Upvoted
Reddit launches Upvoted (link), a standalone news site, to surface interesting news from Reddit itself. Unlike Reddit, the site will have no comments, and despite the name, no voting. A team of around ten will find stories on Reddit, verify the details, interview the original posters, and then write articles for Upvoted. At launch, the site will share around 10 to 20 stories a day, rising to 40.
Everything will have a direct tie back to Reddit. I want to find the tiny thread that connects it back to Reddit…The stuff our community creates on a daily basis blows our mind. Unfortunately, rather than telling that story, some news outlets take our users’ content and repackage it as their own. They don’t tell the backstory of our communities. We think our users’ stories need to be told, but with them at the center of it.
Photo doodling
Facebook launches a feature for its photo-editing suite of tools that gives you the ability to scribble right on a photo before publishing it to the social network.
Pepsi Perfect
To celebrate the day in the future that Marty McFly travels to in the Back to the Future series, Pepsi announces a limited edition soda, that is packed to match the bottles in the film. Only 6,500 bottles will be made, and they’ll be sold for $20.15, starting October 21. The bottles contain regular Pepsi.
Fans have always been a little crazy about it, and so we wanted to take advantage of the fact that Marty travelled to the future, to this month, and wanted to actually come out with the product…The brand has made its mark in pop culture frankly since Michael Jackson moonwalked. We’ve been dancing in and around pop culture for a while. So we look at this as another opportunity to have a little bit of fun.
Unveils ‘world’s most efficient’ solar panel
In New York City’s Times Square, Musk and Solar City introduce what they claim is the world’s most efficient rooftop solar panel, achieving a peak efficiency of 22.04%, 30-40% more power than current panels. The rating is verified by the Renewable Energy Test Center. The panels are cheap enough that the company can make money off of them even if government tax break policies expire. CTO Rive:
That’s been the singular focus of the company… to continue to get the costs down. I’m really excited about this… it’s the best solar panel on the planet and it empowers us from 2017 and beyond to control our own destiny.
Musk says that third-party panel manufacturers were happy to make a standard efficiency 15% panel year-over-year.
So we thought we had to make our own panels. I like counter-intuitive moves. I thought people would think, at the time, ‘Wow, that’s stupid,’ [which made me think], ‘That’s probably a good idea.’
Bans sale of Apple, Google video-streaming devices
In an e-mail to its marketplace sellers, Amazon says it will stop selling the Apple TV and Google’s Chromecast since those devices don’t “interact well” with Prime Video. No new listings for the products will be allowed and posting of existing inventory will be removed Oct. 29. Roku Inc.’s set-top device, Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation, which work with Amazon’s video service, aren’t affected.
Bitcoin.com launch
Ver announces the launch of Bitcoin.com, a collaborative platform to increase digital currency awareness. Community members can add posts, and the most upvoted post will win $1000 worth of Bitcoin. The site has a system where companies make public bids to have their ads displayed. Ver:
There has been a lot of suppression of ideas happening on other Bitcoin forums, and clearly lots of people are upset by this. It seemed like the perfect time to launch forum.bitcoin.com to give people a place where dissenting ideas are not suppressed.
Plans to go beyond 140 characters
Sources say Twitter is building a new product that will allow users to share tweets that are longer than the company’s 140-character limit, enabling users to publish long-form content to the service. Users can already tweet out blocks of text with products like OneShot, but those are images, not actual text published on Twitter. The company is also considering changing how it measures its 140-character limit, possibly removing links and user handles from the count.
Model X launch
Musk launches the Model X SUV. The car can seat seven, has rear upward-opening “falcon” doors, and with the “ludicrous” option can reach 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds. The car also has a “bioweapon defense mode,” an advanced HEPA air filter that will clean any viruses out of the air. The car also has the best safety ratings of any SUV, a result of its low center of gravity and lack of a traditional engine. The Model X 90D costs $132,000, with a range of 257 miles and 0-60 of about 3.7 seconds; the P90D runs $142,000, 250 miles and 3.2-second acceleration.
If there’s ever a bioweapon attack, the safest place is your car. There’s actually a ‘bioweapon defense mode’ right there in the HVAC. We figure you shouldn’t have to think if you’re in an emergency.
Netflix VR app
Oculus VR Chief Executive Iribe unveils Netflix’s app for the Samsung Gear VR headset, which will ship in November. The app will also be available on Oculus Rift following its commercial launch in early 2016. The app consists of Netflix Living Room, a feature which enables users to watch movies and TV shows in 3D. The complete Netflix catalog will be accessible when the app is available on the Oculus store.
Tests poll feature
The company gives Twitter staffers and certain verified accounts the ability to create two-option polls within its mobile app and desktop site. Polls have a lifespan of 24 hours.
FDA to re-examine
The FDA says it will hold a meeting on September 24 to re-examine the safety of Essure, a birth-control method that was approved in 2002. Essure is marketed as the only permanent birth control method that does not require surgery. While Bayer has acknowledged side effects including pelvic pain, migration of the device or rash, women have said they have experienced other unlisted side effects.
FDA:
Over the past several years, the Agency met with patients and patient advocates to better understand patient issues and experiences after Essure placement. We will continue to work with these individuals as we continue our efforts to better understand their experiences with this device.
Bayer says it appreciates the opportunity to discuss the matter with the FDA.
While there are risks with all medical devices and procedures, our highest priority is patient safety, and we sympathize greatly with any woman who has experienced problems with Essure.
Announces Merry Jane
Snoop Dogg announces Merry Jane (merryjane.com), a community centered on the cannabis lifestyle and business that will include content from various partners, including actor Seth Rogen. The site will launch in October and will only let 420 people into the site in beta. Merry Jane will have different types of content, including original shows that range from creating edibles to a series called “Deflowered,” one-on-one interviews where people share stories about their first-time experience. The rapper wants his site to be a place where aficionados and those who are curious to be able to find information:
I enjoy it for medical reasons, and it’s a peace situation for me. I always see beautiful things around me. I’ve always been an advocate for me.
Launch event announced
Tesla announces that the Model X will be launched on September, 29, in Fremont, California
Peace Burger one-day restaurant opens
The Peace Day burger pop-up restaurant opens for one day in Atlanta, featuring the hybrid Peace Burger, which shares key items from Burger King, Denny’s, Wayback Burger, Krystal and Giraffas. All proceeds from their hybrid burger going to nonprofit organization Peace One Day.
https://instagram.com/p/75py4-h3Wn/
Fast tracked
ZMapp is granted fast track approval in America. LeafBio says the grant is an “important milestone” which brings them closer to eventually gaining approval. The drug has been administered under emergency use authorization to nine infected patients in Africa in addition to two infected missionaries in Europe during its first clinical trial. LeafBio CEO Whaley:
We are gratified to receive this designation for ZMapp. We are hopeful that this step will accelerate its access once safety and efficacy are demonstrated to satisfaction by FDA in ongoing clinical trials.
Launch announcement
Peeple is announced by McCullough and Cordray as a “Yelp for People”. The app, which will be released in November 2015, will allow people to rate other people. To review someone, users must be 21 and have an established Facebook account. Reviews, which are in three categories (personal, professional or romantic) must be under the reviewer’s real name, and are made under the subjects cell phone number. Positive ratings post immediately; negative ratings are queued in a private inbox for 48 hours in case of disputes. Negative reviews are not shown for non-registered users. Cordray:
People do so much research when they buy a car or make those kinds of decisions. Why not do the same kind of research on other aspects of your life?..As two empathetic, female entrepreneurs in the tech space, we want to spread love and positivity. We want to operate with thoughtfulness.