https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/drop-in-city-centre-footfall-is-local-areas-gain/44063 The city felt less like a zombie movie and more like a nature documentary. The soundscape had changed: you could hear birds and your foot fall on the pavements. There was a new pace: families strolled; flaneurs meandered aimlessly. The landscape was still: no scrolling images on bus shelters or deserted billboards. It was … [Read more…]
https://www.engadget.com/amazon-ar-shopping-furniture-home-decor-171005257.html This was the last place on their list. The advert said ‘apartment’. Bearing in mind how much time she’d spend in it, with most university activities in a “blended environment”, she preferred the English word ‘flat’. It seemed to sum up the dull, lifeless couple of rooms. They looked at each other as the … [Read more…]
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/20/the-rolling-stones-to-open-flagship-uk-shop-in-september https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/uk-subcultures-are-alive-and-well/43997 The smartdrives were lined up in what had once been a motorway service station. Others joined the end as the lead set off through the night. A convoy on the edge of legality. There wasn’t the usual transit messaging: the old CB radio jokes, the chat. They always switched off the intercar networks. … [Read more…]
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/airbnb-is-renting-out-blockbusters-last-location-for-a-heavy-dose-of-90s-nostalgia/ They still called it Main Street but it had not been the main thing since The Before. Artist and activist pop-ups had retail-squatted the smaller units but the rest were boarded up, holograms pushing the new online malls and experiences. The streets were deserted apart from the delivery drones, machine and human. But one … [Read more…]
https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/28/advertima-rings-up-17-5m-for-computer-vision-powered-behavioral-analytics-for-in-store-retail He took a deep breath in as the doors opened. It wasn’t the gently encouraging signage that appeared as he passed, or the patronising, approving messages that appeared on his trolley when he chose the ‘right’ things. He didn’t even mind the way the prices changed under the words: “This week you lost five … [Read more…]
https://singularityhub.com/2020/07/01/a-highway-to-smell-how-scientists-used-light-to-incept-smell-in-mice/ She was being good. Waiting in line. Moving from one pavement sticker to another. The line was moving slowly but the masked and gloved doorman was letting people in, gradually. She was on her phone of course, swiping through posts, adding data points to her profile as she waited. The shop windows played cheery … [Read more…]
The age of mass electric motoring is here. But is the world ready? The upgrade had been worth it. That throaty roar of a V8 reminded him of Top Gear in its heyday. But he missed other things: the petrol station shop. He missed the snacks and cans of Red Bull; the chamois leathers; the … [Read more…]
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615302/how-coronavirus-turned-the-dystopian-joke-of-faceid-masks-into-a-reality/ Life was more difficult since the outbreak. She’d had to reprogramme the phone security apps and the algorithms were taking some time to recognise her muffled speech. But where she really noticed it was when she was out. She’d got used to being recognised. Knowing her coffee would be ready when she got to … [Read more…]
https://voicebot.ai/2020/01/28/facebook-makes-new-99-99-ai-navigation-model-open-source/ The playlist filled the room as soon as the new soundbar found the network. The music swept around the room creating the sort of soundstage Alex’s father had needed endless speakers and wires to create. And he’d had to get up to ‘change the disc’. She smiled and said “TV” and as the music … [Read more…]
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-18/amazon-plans-terminals-which-allow-payments-by-wave-of-hand-dj She paid and took their coffees. It always felt religious. A laying on of hands, she thought. She was prevaricating. A deep breath and she turned from the counter. This was no big deal. Look he was smiling. She smiled back. That sent the right signals. She was cool, in control. She put the … [Read more…]