In Orbit: MashBash 2019

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A staggering lineup of the world’s most innovative minds, a slew of events optimized for maximum showoff potential on the ‘gram, and a bounty of amazing tacos—it can only be SXSW. In 2019, the masses converged on Austin, hopping on motorized scooters to zoom to the next celebrity panel or legendary BBQ spot

And when they had their fill of absorbing knowledge and brisket, one party beckoned above all others. Where was the only place to take a selfie with an alien while enjoying a cocktail, piloting an AR-powered spaceship, and dancing your heart out? This year’s MashBash, of course, where we blasted off into the unknown in our space-themed celebration. Read more…

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Instagram founders say losing autonomy at Facebook meant “winning”

Rather than be sore about losing independence within Facebook, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom told me it was an inevitable sign of his app’s triumph. Today at South By South West, Systrom and fellow co-founder Mike Krieger sat down for their first on-stage talk together since leaving Facebook in September. They discussed their super hero origin […]

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Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ will haunt you, and not just in the ways you’d expect

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When the credits rolled on Us, I realized I needed a minute.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like the film – quite the opposite. It was that the film, written and directed by Jordan Peele, is so rich, so layered, so diabolically clever and emotionally astute, that it felt an enormous undertaking to process in a single sitting. 

Several hours and many conversations later, I’m still convinced this film has secrets I haven’t uncovered yet, and I’m just eager for my next chance to go digging through it again.

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Foursquare introduces experimental ‘Hypertrending’ feature for SXSW

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Ten years later, Foursquare is still making a case for location-sharing tech.

The company known for popularizing the digital check-in at SXSW a decade ago now is showing off a new, experimental feature that takes advantage of all of the company’s location data. It’s called Hypertrending, and it’s launching now in Foursquare’s apps for SXSW attendees in Austin (you have to shake your phone to access the feature).

Hypertrending is essentially a real-time heat map that lets you see where people are at any given moment. It’s all anonymized, so you can’t see the location of any one individual, but the idea is to give users a window into where the masses are — something that could be useful for the thousands of people who descend on Austin for SXSW. Read more…

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