1. Twitter Empowers the Oscars
Yesterday was not only the 90th anniversary of the Oscars, but the first time Twitter ran an Oscars’ ad. With Hollywood’s recent sexual harassment scandals, Twitter decided to brand a female empowerment message. The 60-second spot promoted #HereWeAre, wanting to get an idea across to viewers; its platform can serve as a way to elevate and amplify “underserved” voices. According to Twitter, the company has seen a 50% increase in conversation on the platform around women’s rights in the past six months. (Source: Variety)
Happy to join fellow women of color storytellers @IssaRae @JenBrea and the legendary @JulieDash. Fierce poem by @DeniceFrohman. #HereWeAre pic.twitter.com/L4SPqwIlX0
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 5, 2018
2. YouTube Jumps on the AI Bandwagon
Last year, YouTube tested out Reels, its version of stories that allows certain creators to share videos within a community. Now, Google is developing a new tool for YouTube that uses AI and machine learning to filter out and replace the background in videos much like a green screen does. It’s only available to those who already have access to YouTube’s “stories.”
They call it mobile real-time video segmentation, helping to up your YouTube game. “Our new segmentation technology allows creators to replace and modify the background, effortlessly increasing videos’ production value without specialized equipment,” said Google. (Source: Mashable & Engadget)
3. You Get Internet, Everyone Gets Internet!
Startup company Astranis is building satellites to provide Internet service to remote areas. Astranis’ satellites live in geostationary orbit (GEO), where the satellite is fixed above a specific point on Earth. CEO, John Gedmark, says, “other micro-satellites companies are all working on low earth orbit (LEO), where satellites rotate around the Earth every 90 minutes. If you want to provide Internet access in LEO, you need hundreds or thousands of satellites to ensure complete coverage. In GEO, we can get people connected with the first satellite we launch.” There are 4B people on Earth without Internet access. This launch could provide a cheaper solution for making the Internet more readily available in previously out-of-range regions. (Source: VentureBeat, The Hustle)
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Interested in more startup stories? Take a look at 7 Tips for Running a Startup as an Introvert: http://bit.ly/StartupIntrovert
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Feature Image Source: The Fearless Indian
