Instagram Adds “Stories”

Instagram

Josh Constine, writing at TechCrunch:

People only post the highlights of their life on Instagram, so today the app adds its own version of “Stories” to poach goofy, off-the-cuff, everyday content from Snapchat. It works exactly like Snapchat Stories, allowing you to post 24-hour ephemeral photo and video slideshows that disappear. But because Instagram Stories appear at the top of the old feed, your followers will inevitably see them without you needing to build a new audience in a different app.

I mean, yeah, it is a clone of Snapchat’s feature, but it is also exactly why I post rarely to Instagram and post stupid things all the time on Snapchat.

Kesha Drops Sex Assault Case Against Dr. Luke

Kesha

Claudia Rosenbaum, writing for Buzzfeed, on Kesha dropping her sex assault case against Dr. Luke in California to focus on releasing music:

“Kesha is focused on getting back to work and has delivered 28 new songs to the record label,” Daniel Petrocelli, partner at O’Melveny & Myers, said in a statement to BuzzFeed News. “We have conveyed to Sony Music and the label Kesha’s strong desire to release the single and an album as soon as possible.”

Apple to Introduce 100 New Emoji in iOS 10

Apple

Apple:

More than one hundred new and redesigned emoji characters will be available to iPhone and iPad users this Fall with iOS 10. This exciting update brings more gender options to existing characters, including new female athletes and professionals, adds beautiful redesigns of popular emoji, a new rainbow flag and more family options.

The Typography of ‘Stranger Things’

Sarah Gless, writing about the typography of Stranger Things:

The opening to Stranger Things is pure, unadulterated typographic porn. With television shows opting for more elaborate title sequences (think GOT and True Detective), the opening of Stranger Things is refreshingly simple. It trims the fat and shows only what is necessary to set the mood. More importantly, it proves a lesson I’ve learned time and time again as a designer: you can do a lot with type.

Kickstarter Products on Amazon

Kickstarter

Amazon has launched a section of their store dedicated to products that were launched on Kickstarter:

Getting a creative idea off the ground is often just the first step. Amazon Launchpad is a chance for creators to be discovered by new audiences, and to serve those audiences well by using Amazon’s retail expertise and infrastructure. The program offers custom product pages, comprehensive marketing support, and access to Amazon’s global fulfillment network.

Interview: Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind

Third Eye Blind

As the rest of the nation watched in abject disbelief, Republicans descended upon Cleveland last week for what might, in retrospect, be best described as a suicide party. The Nominee Who Must Not Be Named delivered his usual bile (you know the formula by now) and promptly scared the living shit out of anyone who dared dissect even a single component of his rhetoric. But just minutes away, Third Eye Blind had successfully injected a small but Twitter-shattering shot of truth into an otherwise bullshit-laden establishment. Though initial reports inaccurately cited that Stephan Jenkins and company had actually played at the Republican National Convention itself, a band-issued clarification (and anyone actually familiar with the band’s lyrical content) promptly confirmed otherwise. The band played at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a Musicians on Call fundraising event, an event that’s unaffiliated with the Republican Party. However, given that the bulk of their audience that fateful evening were RNC attendees, the band eschewed their usual arsenal of hits for an impassioned plea to GOP faithfuls to reject the anti-LGBT and anti-science platform their party has perpetuated for decades.

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Chart Round-Up: Drake Still Number One

Drake is once again at number one on the charts, Gucci Mane comes in at number two, and Twenty One Pilots are sitting at number three:

Trailing Drake on the latest Billboard 200 at No. 2 is Gucci Mane’s Everybody Looking, which debuts in the runner-up slot with 68,000 units (of which, 43,000 are in traditional album sales). It’s the highest rank ever for the rap artist, who previously peaked at No. 4 in 2010 with The Appeal: Georgia’s Most Wanted.