Weekly Review #159: AI Pictionary, Venezuelan Bitcoin Mining, and Asian stars in Hollywood?
I had a spirited debate this week about the difficulty of casting minority leads in movies (specifically Asians) because its risky - there aren't many bankable minority leads, yet plenty of demonstrably successful white dudes. But how can there be if nobody ever casts them in lead roles?
After some digging, turns out even the stats are on diversity's side - diverse movies provide better returns on investment. Sounds like some brave producer needs to lead to the way!
I finally attended Tourettes without Regrets this weekend, an infamous underground variety show in Oakland. It certainly did not fail to deliver WTF moments, from sword swallowers to rap battles to burlesque and some guy who drank water through his nose. Highly recommended.
I also rewatched Home Alone, which is truly timeless, but only has like 15 minutes of booby traps. I remember that as the whole movie!
Tech
Some friends of mine didn't like their startup but liked each other - so they all went freelance and now they travel and teach and hang out together all the time. And they're building a movement! Love this playbook of principles they put together - very well thought out community.
r/The_Donald Is Tearing Reddit Apart
Trump's troll filled subreddit constituently hits the top of r/all while breaking all of Reddit's nice guy rules, but the mods won't kill it because of ad money. Though I heard they imposed sanctions soon after this article was written?
How Technology Hijacks People’s Minds — from a Magician and Google’s Design Ethicist
Long read about how technology subtly manipulates you to play by its rules. Good points to keep in mind, but hey, the tech adds value to your life, you have to give it some value in return...
Easily make a collaborative video montage to surprise loved ones. Perfect example of easy technology input, big joy output!
Why Writing Creative Headlines Hurt Conversions: What We Learned Analyzing 150,000 Opt-Ins - SumoMe
TLDR: Write straightforward headlines for nonfiction pieces, not fancy artsy ones.
How we turned $140k on Kickstarter into $40k in debt. And how we broke even.
Manufacturing is hard. Don't make the mistakes these guys did.
Lifehacks
The Secret, Dangerous World of Venezuelan Bitcoin Mining
Venezuela is falling to pieces. People broke into the Caracas zoo to eat the animals! Meanwhile, bitcoin is the only stable currency in the land, and electricity is free. Enter the Venezuelan bitcoin miners who ration servers in their basements and deliver groceries to their families using Amazon Fresh.
Amazon accused of 'dehumanising' staff to deliver gifts in time for Christmas | Daily Mail Online — www.dailymail.co.uk
The life of an Amazon scanner is horrifyingly robotic, as it has to be, to make good on their turnaround times. Automate this sheyit ASAP!
Fun
Quick, Draw! — quickdraw.withgoogle.com
Play Pictionary with a Google AI! Fun to see what others draw and what it correlates things with!