A Quick Look at Chromecast

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Yes, Google’s got it’s new dongle/gizmo Chromecast out.  It’s a wireless HDMI gizmo that lets you stream to your TV.  So really, it’s using your TV as a second monitor, which some of us do anyway.  However the Chromecast is also $35.00

Consumer reports does a great analysis.

To me, it’s interesting as it seems to:

  • Speak to an audience who is computer, not TV centric.  I’m that audience, and I get it – that TV is a big monitor.
  • Be remarkably restrained.  This is a small gizmo, not a big device.  If Google is going small, this opens up many opportunities.
  • Completely confuse and conflate TV, web, streaming, and TV.  Which may be the point and is kind of inevitable.
  • Would be REALLY interesting if paired with Steam.

Sounds like Google has some interesting plans.  Let’s watch this.

– Steven

Link Roundup 7/25/2013

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A huge, huge list of writing resources. It just keeps going and going.

http://cannonbarrage.tumblr.com/post/56442195378/massive-writing-resource-database

What comics freelancers got paid in the 70’s. This may make you feel better . . . or worse. I’m not sure wish.

https://twitter.com/JimZub/status/360407411703566336/photo/1

What is known – and unknown – about XBox Indie development. Lots of unknowns, I’m afraid, but it’s not entirely dismal.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/196948/What_we_know_and_dont_know_about_Xbox_One_selfpublishing.php

A book on Superman’s creators sounds like a great read for comics, fans, writers, and historians. May be worth picking up.

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/173240-super-boys-by-brad-ricca/

Skillbridge is trying to be a freelancing site for serious high-level stuff. This should be interesting to watch – and may provide some opportunities, or start a crash of pay rates.

http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/25/skillbridge-dorm-room-fund/

Facebook stock surges. By 25%. I certainly didn’t see this coming.

http://mashable.com/2013/07/25/facebook-stock-ipo-price/

Blackberry lays off 250 people. It may be time to give up. Finally. Again.

http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/25/blackberry-lays-off-250-employees-from-its-new-product-testing-and-rd-department/

For you makers, a dress made from a book.

http://boingboing.net/2013/07/25/dress-made-from-a-book.html

– Steven Savage

More Link Roundup!

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Bryan Cranston cosplayed as himself at ComicCon and wasn’t recognized.

http://www.businessinsider.com/bryan-cranston-heisenberg-mask-2013-7

Then it got weird…

Hugh Jackman did, too, and got criticism.  “Too tall.”

http://www.businessinsider.com/hugh-jackman-wolverine-comic-con-2013-7

Spat between CBS, Time Warner Cable may see New York, LA, and Dallas subscribers losing the network and its subsidiaries (incl. Showtime).

http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/cbs-chief-moonves-time-warner-cable-can-afford-to-pay-us-more-1200566843/

Twitter uses real users for fake tweets to promote new ad platform; gets caught.

http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2013/07/23/twitter-fakes-real-users-tweets-to-promote-ad-platform/

Want to write?  Draw!

http://mathiex.blogspot.com/2013/07/wri-draw-your-story.html

Sketching out characters, settings help keep details straight and in an easy to reference manner.

Conservative MP wants “opt in” for online porn for Canadians, mirroring similar legislation in the UK.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2013/07/23/mb-joy-smith-anti-porn-bill-winnipeg.html

Joy Smith, Member of Parliament for Kildonan-St. Paul (north part of Winnepeg) hasn’t been following the fall-out from PM Cameron’s idea. It’s not going to fly here.  (Well, it’s not flying in the UK, either.)

Yet another Sharknado article.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2013/07/absurd-sharknado-triggers-feeding-frenzy-for-schlock-movie-fans.html

For $1 million dollars and a cheese fest of a movie, The Asylum is getting a lot of press.  Sure, only a million people saw it on SyFy, but is there any other movie getting this much attention this summer?  The Atlantic Wire has a graph of the tweets (http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2013/07/sharknado-was-only-thing-worth-talking-about-last-night/67109/); fittingly, it looks like a dorsal fin.  Marketing departments at other studios must be wondering, “WTF?”

Five Writing Exercises That Will Make You More Creative

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-writing-exercises-that-will-make-you-more-creative/

– Steven