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8 Major Athletes Who Are Also Huge Blerds

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Tim Duncan

The San Antonio Spurs star may be one of the biggest Blerds on the list with a professed love for the iconic nerd game Dungeons and Dragons. To take things up a notch, he is also a frequent visitor at Renaissance fairs.

Chris Bosh

Chris Bosh

The Miami Heat baller is a huge tech lover and advocates for everyone to learn how to code. Back in 2013, he even revealed that one of his dreams off the court would be to “teach kids about coding because the possible applications are fascinating, and it’s really quite simple when you think of it.”

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The First Teardown of an Apple Watch Unveils a Magnificent Feat in Engineering

It’s the Apple Watch teardown! The real one this time. We’ve been waiting eight long months since it was announced to get our hands on one and now we’ve got it. Our teardown team once again traveled beyond the international dateline, to join our friends at MacFixit in Melbourne Australia, to be one of the first people on earth to get an Apple Watch. We’re not counting all those celebrities.

Source: iFixit Video

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Facebook Drops Another Microsoft Service, Proving It May Have Outgrown the Relationship

As Facebook continues to roll out new features and make slight adjustments to its social media behemoth, it’s clearly placing a higher priority on in-house services. While this is allowing Facebook to gain more independence, it’s also forcing it to sever ties with some of the tech giants that helped it become the unstoppable force it seems to be today.

Facebook users probably didn’t notice any major changes when they logged on to chat with their friends or scroll through cat photos, but the site had just ended its relationship with Microsoft’s Skype service.

It’s been roughly four years since Microsoft and Facebook announced that they would be partnering on bringing video calling to Facebook Messenger.

Throughout the time there never seemed to be any real signs that the relationship wasn’t going well and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg insisted that he and then-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer were “really aligned on this.”

Things have changed since then, and it all centers around a key question in the world of business — why pay someone else to do what you can do yourself?

Facebook unveiled video calling in Facebook Messenger via its iPhone and Android apps, a sign that Facebook will stick with in-house development for its new technology rather than relying on third parties like Microsoft.

That was all but confirmed after Facebook discreetly stopped using Skype technology for their video call service on desktops, according to Business Insider.

“This change was made because Skype-powered video calls required users to install a browser plug-in, while the technology Facebook whipped up works without one — important for call performance, video quality and letting Facebook more quickly make changes and upgrades to video chat,” Business Insider reported.

While Microsoft and Facebook have typically always had a positive relationship, this actually isn’t the first time Facebook severed ties with Microsoft.

Back in December, Facebook decided to stop relying on Microsoft’s Bing for Web search results on the platform.

It essentially seems like a tale of the baby bird outgrowing the need to remain in the mother’s nest. Microsoft invested $240 million into Facebook back in 2007 before it was the giant it is today.

Now Facebook has no need to rely on Microsoft for funding or services.

While the change doesn’t mean much for Facebook users, it was far from unnoticed for Skype users.

A plethora of features on Skype that incorporated integration with Facebook will no longer be available such as being able to message Facebook friends within the Skype app.

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5 Incredibly Exciting Architects From Africa You Should Get to Know

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Mokena Makeka

Makeka is an architect from Cape Town, South Africa. The complex history of apartheid plays a vital role in his architecture because he removed symbols of segregation. He is responsible for redesigning the Railway Police Station and the Cape Town Railway Station.

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The design is for Cape Town Station that will be completed in 2030.
This is a bird's eye view of the design.
This is a bird’s eye view of the design.
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Jay Z Drops #TidalFacts to Defend New Streaming Service Against Premature Allegations of Failure

When Jay Z announced the March launch of his new music-streaming service Tidal, there was only one thing more evident than just how far-reaching the hip-hop mogul’s network is — everyone was waiting for Tidal to fail.

Before Tidal officially hit the market, bloggers and reporters were busy detailing what they believed would be an epic failure.

Industry professionals insisted that Jay Z’s latest endeavor would do nothing more than expose the “limit of his celebrity,” and reviews scoffed at the idea of paying for a music-streaming service when so many free options are already out on the market.

So when Tidal quickly dropped out of the top 700 downloads on the iTunes App store, the reactions varied from “I told you so” to accusations that Jay Z and Beyonce’s every move for the next year or so would be desperate attempts to save a so-called sinking ship.

Jay Z, and the Blerds team, believe that critics have the situation all wrong.

“Tidal is doing just fine,” he tweeted in response to all the backlash. “We have over 770,000 subs. We have been in business less than one month. #TidalFacts.”

As we previously reported, it seemed unusually early for Tidal to be considered a failure simply because it wasn’t keeping up with streaming services like Spotify and Pandora that have years of experience under their belt.

“The iTunes Store wasn’t built in a day,” Jay Z continued on Twitter. “It took Spotify 9 years to be successful…We are here for the long haul. Please give us a chance to grow & get better. #TidalFacts.”

He even accused other companies of signing huge checks just to put out smear campaigns against the new service.

“There are many big companies that are spending millions on a smear campaign,” he added. “We are not anti-anyone, we are pro-artist & fan. #TidalFacts.”

In addition to asking people for more time before judging the new app, he also reminded everyone that when it comes to comparing the service, Spotify and Pandora still aren’t the best matches.

The service isn’t just about streaming music for a quick workout or a long road trip. It’s about giving fans access to exclusive content that builds on their relationship with the artists they love and adore.

“We made Tidal for fans,” he added. “We have more than just music. We have video, exclusive concerts, tickets for events early, live sports….Tidal is where artists can give their fans more without the middlemen. #TidalFacts.”

He continued to explain the difference between Tidal and other streaming services and emphasizing the principle at the very core of the app.

Tidal’s mission is to keep the integrity of the music and stop slashing the amount of revenue artists can make through streaming as it continues its steady incline to become the most popular method used for listening to music.

“Our actions will speak louder than words,” another tweet read. “We made Tidal to bring people the best experiences and to help artists give that to their fans over and over again. We are human (even Daft Punk ha). We aren’t perfect—but we are determined. #TidalFacts.”

Tidal is certainly going to have a tough road ahead as it is bringing a relatively new concept to the marketplace with a streaming service that actually does a lot more than just play music.

When it comes down to it, however, the service is not necessarily competing for numbers.

The number of people who just want to listen to certain music easily outnumbers the number of people who not only want to listen to an artist but also want to see their behind-the-scenes footage, exclusive interviews and more.

As Jay Z said, Tidal is a service specifically for the dedicated fans.

Tidal very well could turn out to be a tremendous failure for the hip-hop mogul, but it only seems right that the service is at least given a chance to grow and evolve before it’s bashed as a “flop” after only a few weeks of being in existence.

 

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Has This Tech Lover Unlocked the Future of Graphic Novel Reading?

For so many graphic novels, their run in the world of print is great, but the true success takes off once the story is adapted for television. It’s because in today’s digitally oversaturated world, fewer people are talking about imagination when they say they want their novels to jump off the page.

They literally want someone to get the story’s content and convert it to a form that brings action-packed scenes to life.

Well, former IBM employee and graphic novel lover Erica Austin has launched a solution that could lay the blueprint for the future of graphic novel reading.

Many readers still enjoy the feeling of scanning from panel to panel to keep up with their favorite characters but also wouldn’t mind seeing the content of the pages take on a life of their own from time to time.

That’s where Austin’s new app comes in.

Against the grain“Against the Grain” allows for a more interactive graphic novel experience that integrates e-book versions of Austin’s self-created novels with short videos that highlight some of the novel’s more action-packed scenes.

So after reading through a few pages of content, the reader may stumble upon a video that gives an animated portrayal of an encounter with a villain or a perilous adventure.

“Against the Grain,” which is also the name of the novel series, is certainly a very early approach to such a concept and one would be lying if he or she said the animations couldn’t use a little bit of work.

Overall, however, the videos along with the digital panels that take readers through a more traditional reading experience are executed very well.

“Boasting a clean, crisp interface, bursting with amazing artwork and incredible two-dimensional and three-dimensional animations, Austin’s comics transcend the standard read,” a press release explains. “The app also allows users to preview new issues before purchasing and watch animated trailers so they know exactly what they are going to get.”

The app currently boasts two issues of Austin’s novel, which brings the content to about 200 illustrated pages and about six different animations.

The new app is certainly worth checking out, but perhaps the real test of its excellence will be explored if other graphic novel creators try to mimic her more interactive approach.

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5 Interesting Reasons Why Black Students Are Steering Clear of STEM Fields

 

blackwomanscientistAmericans of all shades are not very good in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects.  

In a report from Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, “among the 34 members, the United States performed below average in mathematics in 2012 and is ranked 27th.” The United States does not focus on STEM careers as it once did in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Manufacturing and tech jobs are scarce even though Silicon Valley has many booming startups.

The report alludes to the dysfunction of K-12 learning in the United States. In regard to science and reading, the U.S. is average. In order for minorities to become interested in STEM careers, the U.S. will have to evaluate its educational system and determine if education can be a valuable tool to use to compete on a global stage.

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