Things of note for the week ending Friday 2nd October, 2015.
Hello, welcome to October (I know we’re a day in but seriously – it’s my second/third favourite month of the year and it’s already gorgeous and lovely and generally just quite awesome) – I hope you have a good one.
1. DEFENDING EDWARD.
No, not this one.
This one.
Thing is, no one told HLN News.
In this epic piece of trolling, ‘Snowden supporter’ Jon Hendren is asked to give his opinions on Edward Snowden joining Twitter. But Jon had other ideas…
Brilliant.
Well done, Jon.
*Salutes*
..
2. SEE MACBETH
He’s a mardy bugger, isn’t he?
Admittedly I haven’t seen it yet but, on the strength of the absolutely stonking reviews it’s been getting, Macbeth has jumped straight to the top of my MUST SEE list which I’ll aim to tick off by the close of the weekend.
So yeah, you should too.
3. THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP
Brain Pickings is one of the best websites I subscribe to and I have NO IDEA how the author keeps it going with such endlessly interesting content. The piece I’m highlighting for you today is is relatively short (for BP at least) and looks into the science of why we sleep and what happens inside our brains when get our snooze on.
Ps. Want more/better sleep? The screen you’re reading this on is not helping.
Pps. Cracking insomnia.
4. AMAZON BANS CHROMECAST/APPLE TV
I say ‘bans’, what I mean is ‘has banned the two companies’ respective TV streaming products, aka Chromecast and Apple TV, from being sold anywhere on Amazon’.
Gizmodo reports:
Third party sellers just received an email from Amazon with orders to clear out their Google Chromecast and Apple TV inventories by October 29. The more specific reason for the purge is the fact that Chromecast and Apple TV don’t support Amazon Prime Instant Video. Nevermind the fact that Amazon sells the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, two products that compete directly with Chromecast and Apple TV. Amazon wants everyone to know that it has the customers’ best interests in mind.
Well ain’t that swell.
You kinda get why it made the decision to do this (Gizmodo spell it out clearly enough above); at the end of the day it’s a business decision. However depriving consumers of choice never really worked out for anyone. Thing is, it’s not like Amazon banned the sales of iPhones and Android devices when it launched the Amazon Fire Phone. But then again, the Fire Phone is probably Amazon’s biggest embarrassment to date.
And I’m certain this TV decision isn’t a petty way to get back at the big kids that sell more phones than Amazon does… right?
Of course not.
Right?
…
5. FACEBOOK, BUT FOR WHEN YOU’RE DEAD
This week, in ridiculous Facebook stories (no, not video profile photos – which I’m not even linking to because I’m sure you’ve all done it already, I mean, this guy’s nailed it), the big blue behemoth will soon let you create your own legacy content.
Yes, that’s a thing now. LEGACY. CONTENT.
Snark aside for a second this is actually a good thing. We are mere flesh and bone and alas, our tiny containers of liquid and emotion only really have an 80 year (ish) shelf life. Some of us may never know when our time will come. Others will be given notice. Either way, the end result is as saddening as it is inevitable.
We will not live forever.
I will die some day.
You will too.
If that deafening dose of reality doesn’t wake you from your screen-staring slumber, then I don’t know what will. Hug your loved ones tonight and embrace every day.
And when you’ve done that, update the new legacy content section of your Facebook profile so your friends and loved ones can all remember your personally edited history of your best bits. It’ll be like your own version of the ‘here’s who died this year’ section at the BAFTAs.
Speaking of which, this should be relevant to anyone who has considered unfriending a few family members this week…
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE.
______________________
Bonuses this week are all surprises in their own unique way.
…
Thanks,
Whatley out.
Ps. This made me smile, much.
