Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Top of the News - 11 May

*1. And the nations first national mammal is? The bison.

"The designation does nothing to threaten the bald eagle’s position as the national animal. But the eagle is not a mammal. So, at long last, the nation now has an official one."

*2. More About Blockchain


"Blockchain is the missing link to the revolution because the commerce it spurs will define trust among machines and stakeholders."

+ From Ozy - The Midwestern Techie Revolutionizing Wall Street

"Today, financial services sit on an antiquated stack of technologies. Chain builds infrastructure technology for financial institutions to use blockchain (the underlying technology of bitcoin), licensing it so transactions will be run on a decentralized, encrypted ledger."

*3. All The News That's Fit to Facebook



"In other words, Facebook’s news section operates like a traditional newsroom, reflecting the biases of its workers and the institutional imperatives of the corporation."

Exactly! Not sure what the big deal is here, but it's getting traction as a big deal. Bottom line: everything you read, watch or listen to is biased.


"It is Facebook that curates and distributes. It owns the relationship with the user, and decides what content the user sees and how many see it."

*4. Location. Location. Location.

From WaPo - The one thing rich parents do for their kids that makes all the difference

"They...buy their children pricey homes in nice neighborhoods with good school districts."

*5. Hiroshima


"He will not revisit the decision to use the atomic bomb at the end of World War II," White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said in a blog post. "Instead, he will offer a forward-looking vision focused on our shared future."

BOTTOM OF THE NEWS

*Hello, McFly!

From Foreign Policy - Hoverboards Are Finally Here. Are "Flying Soldiers' Next?

"Now, only a year later than McFly's fictional flight, Zapata (French inventor) has made the hoverboard a reality. He claims it can travel 10,000 feet high at a speed of more than 90 mph. On Saturday, he demonstrated that it can accelerate to a speed of 40 mph for at least 1.4 miles."

*Surprise! People will actually read long news stories on their smartphone


Actually, I am in the minority here. If it's a long news article, I'll actually print it. However, I prefer to read books on a small phone screen.

*Sign up below to receive Top of the News via email.

No comments: