Happy Record Store Day! Today is the perfect time to get out, visit your local record store, and pick up some great music. For more info about what's available and where to go, head over to this link.
Let me know in the comments below what you picked up!
Brett Terpstra does so much for the tech world. I’m sure you’ll see me writing about one or more of the plethora of things he creates[1]. Today this post is inspired by the great podcast he does, called Systematic which is on the 5by5 Network. Brett usually has a Top 3 Picks of the week section at the end of each of his shows, and today I want to share 3 of my recent favorite picks.
First up is the recently launched Twitter Music. Twitter is getting into the music game with it’s new iOS app and web service. Basically what you have in the app and on the site are 4 tabs:
Popular: Shows what’s currently trending on Twitter.
Emerging: Shows the latest emerging talent found in tweets.
Suggested: Suggestions based on artists you follow on Twitter, and suggestions based on artists that the people you’re follow, are following.
Now Playing: Shows what your friends are listening to, by using the #Nowplaying hashtag.
If you’re familiar with the We Are Hunted app/service, then you might be familiar with how Twitter Music looks. Twitter acquired the startup last year, and it fuels what Twitter Music looks like today. With this new service and video sharing service Vine, Twitter is definitely moving more into the media based space. I’m excited to see what they announce next! A Netflix competitor?
Next up is the brand new Yahoo Weather app for iOS. With a very beautiful photo depending on the condition of the weather, and either minimal or detailed information, this weather app is a joy to use. You can swipe right and left to change locations, and swipe down to reveal more info about the weather: including an hourly & weekly weather report and even sunset information. Within the app there are links to other apps made by Yahoo. According to Yahoo and it’s CEO Marissa Mayer, they’re trying to “create a chain reaction” and delight users with this app, and hopefully get them to use their Mail, News and other apps.
The last of my Top 3 recent picks is a game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rooftop Run. This is a super fun and addictive “runner” type game, and is the first TMNT game on iOS. You can play as either of the four turtles, run, and fight enemies along the way. If you’re looking to spark a childhood memory, or are just getting into a runner-type game, then this is a sure bet!
As a matter of fact, i’m using his Marked app right now to preview my Markdown text. ↩
Head over to 'experience-finder' Thrillist and enter the old school gaming code - U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, B, A...and enjoy!
The Q still has it!
"Imagine a way to learn piano that combines the enjoyability of Guitar Hero with the effectiveness of Rosetta Stone. That's the basic concept of Playground Sessions, a software product that officially launched Monday."
While the big news for Facebook this week might have been their announcement of Graph Search, something else slipped in under the radar on Wednesday.
With Facebook's Messenger app, you can now call you friends for free. Currently the feature is being rolled out in the U.S. only. You'll be able to call you friends over your data connection, or on Wi-Fi. To access this new feature, you won't even have to update the app.
To place a call, tap the "i" icon on the top right side of your chat window, and press "free call". In order for this to work, the friend you're calling will also need to have Facebook's stand-alone Messenger app installed. Otherwise, the "free call" option will be greyed out.
Do you think you'll start using Messenger to call your Facebook friends? Is this feature part of something bigger that might be rolling out at a later date? Facebook phone anyone?
