Weekly Links #22
Here is a weekly selection of important information bits, thoughtful opinion pieces and interesting analyses from the digital and technology world. Published every Thursday.
If you want to make sure not to miss this link collection, sign up for the weekly newsletter. It is published each Thursday right after this list goes live.
- The Mind of Marc Andreessen
Extremely long, but well worth the read. Andreessen is one of the key figures in the tech world of Silicon Valley and beyond. - Self-Driving Trucks Are Going to Hit Us Like a Human-Driven Truck
An incredible piece detailing how one of America’s most common occupations – the truck driver – is facing extinction, and what it means for the economy and social welfare. - In Defence Of WordPress
Word. - The Value of the Internet: Much Less Than We Think
The common wisdom is that the value of the Internet for humanity cannot be overstated. But what if that is wrong? One does not need to agree with this text but it never hurts to occasionally question the ostensibly obvious. - Why ‘mobile first’ may already be outdated
- Mobile first
Two very different, but equally thoughtful takes on the meaning of “mobile first” and whether the term leads to wrong assumptions. - Spotify Wants to Fill an Entertainment Gap That Isn’t There
As announced this week, Spotify is expanding its scope from audio to video content. Wired wonders whether there actually is unsatisfied demand for video. - Other People’s Playlists: Spotify’s secret social network
While we are at the topic of Spotify: This is an interesting article about how people’s playlists create a kind of social network inside Spotify. - You Need Equity To Live In Silicon Valley
When people see the salary figures that are common in the San Francisco Bay Area they often are amazed. But an extraordinary salary does not mean a lot if living costs, especially the cost of buying a house and sending kids to a good colleague, are equally extraordinary. - Europe Is Struggling to Foster a Startup Culture
Unfortunately, it will take a while to fix this issue, if it even can be fixed. - China pledges faster and cheaper internet
Fast Internet is the key to future growth, and the Chinese government has understood that. The plan is to offer optical broadband speeds of 100 Mbps to “almost all urban families” by the end of 2017 - The German Startup Landscape: An Overview
Berlin has become an internationally recognized tech hub. But it is not the only region in Germany where startups and innovation congregate. On the contrary, Germany is highly decentralized, with several hubs focusing on particular types of products and services. - Amazon’s cloud is ten times bigger than the next fourteen competitors combined
Scale is everything, and Amazon has a lot of it. - Ziosk seeks to transform casual dining with tablets
For the U.S. restaurant industry and its staff, this is a game-changing device. I also recommend listening to this Planet Money podcast episode to learn how this thing is affecting the restaurant operations. - Internet.org Is Not Neutral, Not Secure, and Not the Internet
I wonder if Facebook expected this kind of resistance. - Why the Apple TV was always a pipe dream
There most likely won’t be an Apple TV, and that’s pretty much no surprise. - Hamburger icon: How these three lines mystify most people
Most of us see the Hamburger icon on a daily basis. I was not aware that the failed social networking app Path is credited with its invention. - Republic of Estonia invites the world to apply for Estonian ‘e-Residency’ online (video interview)
I wrote about this fantastic concept here and I am currently waiting for my e-residency.
And recently on meshedsociety.com: