Weekly Links #29

Here is a weekly selection of important information bits, thoughtful opinion pieces and interesting analyses from the digital and technology world. Published every Thursday.

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• Seasteading Institute aims to build floating city by 2020
  
  Intriguing idea. This quote from the article explains very well why pursing it makes sense: “…individuals are born arbitrarily into states created by past wars and cannot change the government to which they are affiliated without leaving their home. Floating city-states, however, would allow individuals to sail their home to a new colony if they disagreed with the way a government was operating.”
• BBC Micro:bit—a free single-board PC for every Year 7 kid in the UK
  
  What an amazing initiative by the BBC.
• Paramount plans to shorten window between movie releases in theaters and on demand
  
  If this becomes a trend… it could be a game-changer. Having to wait for a movie that you want to watch which is not available in the theater anymore but not yet as on-demand stream is frustrating and makes little sense for the movie studios.
• The crazy economics of inflight Wi-Fi
  
  Insightful background. Lately I have been experiencing excellent inflight Wi-Fi at fair prices when flying between Europe and the U.S., on Lufthansa and United.
• Meerkat Drifts Further From Twitter, Cozies Up to Facebook Instead
  
  Everyone could see that one coming: Because Twitter wanted to promote its own video broadcasting app Periscope, it behaved rather hostile towards Meerkat. This caused Meerkat to look for its own strong ally. Facebook seems to be happy to play that role.
• Apple Watch sales plunge 90%
  
  One always needs to take this kind of non-official third-party data with a grain of salt. However, one thing about the Apple Watch is remarkable to me: I see no more excitement, anywhere. Neither online, nor has the topic of Apple Watch been brought up in any talk I had with any person over the past 1 month. It almost seems as if most people really do not care about that type of device.
• The cult of Vice
  
  Long interesting profile about Vice, the roughly 20 year-old media company that is becoming somewhat of a juggernaut.
• Vertical is the new horizontal
  
  Thoughtful observation: Smartphone users increasingly record and watch video in vertical mode. That can have a huge impact on the industry, which traditionally relied on and produced for horizontal video consumption.
• Why GoPros Are the Only Camera Worth Buying Right Now
  
  I am not too much of a photographer but this sounds convincing. Except if you consider yourself a serious photographer, there are only two types of cameras you might be interested in: The one of your smartphone, and possibly a GoPro. GoPro, by the way, is now moving into content.
• The Social-Network Illusion That Tricks Your Mind
  
  Description of an essential dynamic in the field of online social networks.
• Becoming a Writer
  
  Great thoughts about the benefits and best practices of writing (blogging).
• Reading
  
  To write well, you need to read. Here are some inspiring notes about a healthy reading habit.
• Tinder Rolls Out Verified Profiles For Celebrities, Athletes Or Otherwise Famous Folks
  
  I am struggling in seeing the benefit of this. Or maybe, it really is about celebrities on Tinder being able to “recognize” each other so they do not risk having to date “regular” people (who might even become a threat to them)?!
• How people respond to life-changing inventions
  
  Most likely true in most cases.
• Robots Seem to Be Improving Productivity, Not Costing Jobs
  
  Data worth keeping in mind. Although this is only about factory robots, and it confirms that low skill jobs are the ones that there is less and less need for.
• Was a shadowy lobby behind the attack on freedom of panorama? The truth is more worrying.
  
  The state of and debate about copyright in Europe is very sad.
• In Defense of Being Average
  
  For those who have scanned the whole list from top to bottom, here is fantastic piece as a reward.