Techmeme: Interviews with digital artists and game makers who are pushing the boundaries in Roblox by creating interactive art projects and MMO games (Lewis Gordon/The Verge)

Open Links In New Tab

Mobile Archives Advertise

July 18, 2021, 1:40 PM

Top News

Guy Rosen / About Facebook:

Facebook says their data shows a 50% decline in vaccine hesitancy among US users, refuting Biden's claim that it's “killing people” by allowing COVID-19 misinfo — At a time when COVID-19 cases are rising in America, the Biden administration has chosen to blame a handful of American social media companies.

More: The Guardian, New York Times, CNBC, Insider, CNN, International Business Times, Engadget, The Verge, Reuters, Mashable, Social Media Today, Neowin, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, NBC News, Politico, and New York Times

Facebook: Marjorie Taylor Greene. Tweets: @noupside, @dylanbyers, @rflaherty46, @sachabaroncohen, @peteralexander, @thehill, @brandonlive, @juddlegum, @lidskylidsky, @maya_sen, @babydocanita, @mjaeckel, @datadrivenmd, @nicoleperlroth, @davechensky, @rothschildmd, @badastronomer, @brandyzadrozny, @mariachong, @moonalice, @karaswisher, @lam_barrett, @brianstelter, @marietjeschaake, @bostonjoan, @sheeraf, @brianschatz, @caulfieldtim, @jessreports, @brandee, @jesselehrich, @bryanrbeal, @technicaladept, @drdavidley, @quinnypig, @sbyrnes, @mmasnick, @soledadobrien, @ylecun, @reedgalen, @jaronschneider, @andymstone, @moonalice, @sarthakgh, @steveschmidtses, @sivavaid, @karaswisher, @govhowarddean, @steveschmidtses, @mgsiegler, @sarahfrier, @jeffschogol, @the12fthofnever, @emilydreyfuss, @johnbattelle, @melissaryan, @qjurecic, @dylanbyers, @jesselehrich, @repzoelofgren, @matthewstoller, @jason_kint, @alastairmca30, @davewiner, @anthony, @jesselehrich, @datadrivenmd, @ccadelago, @ceciliakang, @charlesarthur, @juddlegum, @kevincollier, @dylanbyers, @mattyglesias, @jason_kint, @ggreeneva, @ggreenwald, @benshapiro, @timwattsmp, @saracarterdc, @ggreenwald, @moonalice, @kari_jerge, @polisciprofhi, @chelseaclinton, @grady_booch, @micahgrimes, @redsteeze, @lemberg, @mc_of_a, @mattzeitlin, @thebrandonmorse, @xpangler, @karaswisher, @esaagar, @kurtwagner8, @alexthomp, and @dylanbyers

See also Mediagazer

Carl T. Bergstrom / @ct_bergstrom:

[Thread] The response to Biden from Facebook's VP of Integrity is a textbook example of bluster and obfuscation — After Biden's criticism of @Facebook for their inaction on antivax propaganda, @fbnewsroom is going on the offensive. They issued a press release that is a textbook example of bluster, obfuscation, and agnatogenesis. Here's the link. Let's take a look. https://about.fb.com/...

More: Bloomberg. Tweets: @ct_bergstrom, @ct_bergstrom, @ct_bergstrom, @ct_bergstrom, @ct_bergstrom, @ct_bergstrom, @ct_bergstrom, and @ct_bergstrom

Lewis Gordon / The Verge:

Interviews with digital artists and game makers who are pushing the boundaries in Roblox by creating interactive art projects and MMO games — Like so many Roblox players, digital artist Everest Pipkin has their own abandoned birthday world. — Last year, when the pandemic …

Tweets: @talewindgames, @roblox_rtc, @v21, and @lewis_gordon

Helen Rosner / New Yorker:

Experts say consent and disclosure are key to the ethical use of synthetic media, amid controversy surrounding Bourdain's deepfake voice in a new documentary — The new documentary “Roadrunner” uses A.I.-generated audio without disclosing it to viewers. How should we feel about that?

Tatiana Walk-Morris / Retail Dive:

Foundry, which aims to acquire and optimize online brands for marketplaces like Amazon, launches with $100M from LightBay Capital and Monogram Capital Partners — Dive Brief: — As investors fund platforms that support digital brands, Foundry, a platform that supports and acquires online brands …

More: Business Wire, PE Hub, Austin Business Journal, and PYMNTS.com

Flavia Rotondi / Bloomberg:

An Italian museum is using cameras to monitor people looking at artwork, to define a work of art's “attraction value” and accordingly change museum layouts — As Italy's museums and galleries welcome back tourists and try to recoup some of the 190 million euros ($225 million) …

FinSMEs:

Specright, whose software helps companies manage and share supply chain data across suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers, raises $30M Series B — Specright, a Tustin CA-based provider of Specification Management software, raised $30M in Series B funding.

Source: Specright. More: ocbj.com, socaltech.com, and Wall Street Journal

Zachery Eanes / Raleigh News & Observer:

Raleigh, NC-based insightsoftware, which makes financial reporting and budgeting software, receives ~$1B investment from PE firm Hg at a valuation of $4B — Raleigh software company insightsoftware draws a $1 billion investment — ORDER REPRINT → — Raleigh-based insightsoftware …

Source: Business Wire. More: Triangle Business Journal, Wall Street Journal, and WRAL TechWire

Jason Parham / Wired:

An oral history of Black Twitter, which helped fill a void created by the fizzling out of web forums like BlackVoices, Melanet, and NetNoir in the mid-2000s — From #UKnowUrBlackWhen to #BlackLivesMatter, how a loose online network became a pop culture juggernaut, an engine of social justice, and a lens into the future.

More: Protocol. Tweets: @wired, @niemanlab, @publicsourcepa, @sesmith, @raju, @anthony, @glichfield, @alexwhitcomb, @wired, @wired, @wired, @wired, @condelibrary, @kozza, @longreads, @glichfield, and @wired

Richard Lawler / The Verge:

WhatsApp is testing encrypted cloud backups on Android — Read the fine print before you switch it on — When you're using WhatsApp your messages are encrypted end-to-end, which means prying eyes can't easily see what's in them as they travel back and forth.

More: PCMag, SlashGear, WABetaInfo, Gizchina, Engadget, NDTV Gadgets 360, News18, Neowin, HC Newsroom, and BGR India. Tweets: @wabetainfo

Bloomberg Law:

TurboTax developer Intuit will leave the IRS Free File Program, which drew scrutiny in recent years after an investigation found Intuit hid free-filing options — Intuit Inc., the maker of TurboTax, is leaving an IRS program that offers millions of Americans the ability to file their taxes for free.

More: Intuit, The Hill, CNBC, Mashable, The Verge, and Engadget

Tweets: @nickheer, @carnage4life, @iansherr, @book_leslie, @blaketoliver, @justinelliott, @schxleo, @ericnakagawa, @tax, and @senwarren

Allison Johnson / The Verge:

Sony Xperia 1 III review: nice design with a 120Hz display and several manual camera modes, but expensive at $1,300, will get just two years of security updates — A good camera system and top-notch features, but it's priced too high to recommend — The Sony Xperia 1 III is a great phone that I won't recommend to many people.

Kyriacos Nicolaou / Cyprus Mail:

Cyprus-based LearnWorlds, which allows users to create interactive online courses without needing any programming knowledge, raises $32M from Insight Partners — LearnWorlds, a company based in Cyprus, has procured a $32 million minority investment from global venture capital and private equity firm Insight Partners.

Source: PR Newswire. More: Tech.eu and FinSMEs

Wall Street Journal:

How decision-making by Masayoshi Son, who estimated WeWork would be worth $10T by 2028 and wanted Adam Neumann to be “crazier”, led to WeWork's implosion — Adam Neumann and Masayoshi Son pushed WeWork to new heights as they challenged each other to think big and bet billions.

Sponsor Posts

Google:

Gemini 2.5 Pro: Our most intelligent AI model — Gemini 2.5 Pro (experimental) is now available, with thinking capabilities, enhanced performance, and improved accuracy. Try it at no cost in the Gemini app.

UiPath:

Introducing the UiPath Platform™ for agentic automation — UiPath's new platform empowers enterprises to experience the full power of AI to transform industries

Zoho:

Portable badge printing with SUNMI mobile terminals, now on Zoho Backstage — We're excited to roll out our latest integration: the Zoho Backstage Organizer app now supports SUNMI smart mobile terminals (Android only).

IDrive:

Protecting your Cloud Applications Data — Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Sponsor Techmeme

Featured Podcasts

Techmeme Ride Home:

The New Netflix

The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.

Subscribe to Techmeme Ride Home.

Sponsor this podcast

Channels with Peter Kafka:

Ian Rogers tells me I need a crypto wallet

Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.

Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.

Azeem Azhar's Exponential View:

What does Spain's blackout mean for the future of clean energy?

Azeem Azhar explores how AI and exponential technologies are shaping our future.

Subscribe to Azeem Azhar's Exponential View.

Invest Like the Best:

David Senra - The Focused Few

The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.

Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.

Grit:

HubSpot CEO on the Future of SaaS, AI, & Leading Through Change

Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.

Subscribe to Grit.

Lenny's Podcast:

Inside Devin: The world's first autonomous AI engineer that's set to write 50% of its company's code by end of year | Scott Wu (CEO and co-founder of Cognition)

Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.

Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.

Add your postcast here

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 1:40 PM ET, July 18, 2021.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.