Tuesday: October 13, 2009
Disney retail stores to get an Apple-style overhaul.The retail reboot will make it easier for consumers to book Disney vacations in stores and will also host a familiar Apple shopping experience. Even the Genius Bar is rumored to get the Disney treatment (read last part of article).
Monday: January 7, 2013
Disney unveils next generation guest experience in the form of digital wristbands.The new wristbands will work in tandem with a new Disney app that you can use on your smartphone. The wristband (officially called MagicBand) can be used as your rooom key, theme park ticket, photopass, payment information and even access to FastPass for quicker access to rides and attractions. So long Key to the World cards!
Apple would like you to know that they've had over 40 billion downloads from their app store.That's a lot of downloads. Apparently half of that number was just in 2012 alone.
Thursday: January 3, 2013
Have a peek at some concept art for Pixar's 2013-2014 movies and beyond.In 2014 it's their if-dinosaurs-didn't-go-extinct movie titled The Good Dinosaur, directed by Bob Peterson, with a tease we've seen before. In 2015 it's Pete Docter's 'Movie That Takes You Inside the Mind', now titled The Inside Out; and in 2016 they've also got Lee Unkrich's movie about Día de los Muertos, which we really don't know much about at all. Notably missing is Andrew Stanton's sequel Finding Nemo 2.
Wednesday: January 2, 2013
Avis acquires Zipcar for a mere $500 million.Avis says it expects to generate $50 to $70 million in ‘annual synergies’ as a result of the deal. FYI: The company booked $7.3 billion in revenue for the full year 2012, and employs roughly 29,000 employees today. The transaction is expected to close in the spring of 2013.
New version of iOS starts appearing in developer logs.Developers have started noticing some curious entries in there log files regarding a new version of Apple's iOS operating system. The current version of iOS is six but references to iOS 7 are being found. Along with the new version of iOS a new iPhone hardware identifier has been unearthed as well. Look forward to iPhone 6 sometime in the near future.
Wednesday: December 19, 2012
Barack Obama is TIME's 2012 Person of the Year.Since the moment Obama arrived on the national scene in 2004, the very idea of leadership has been under assault. Many of the old institutions that once anchored the American Dream have been bled of public confidence. Banks, Big Business, the news media and Congress all polled at or near record lows during his first term. Obama himself was the target of uncommon vitriol, but he has somehow managed to keep the public’s faith.
Tuesday: December 18, 2012
TIME pulls the curtain back on short list for 2012 Person of the Year.All eight candidates appeared on TIME’s online reader poll, but none took first place. TIME’s online voters have already revealed their choice for this year’s top newsmaker: Kim Jong Un. More than 5.6 million people voted for the supreme leader of North Korea, although his results and those of other high scorers got a boost from members of Internet forums like 4Chan.
Friday: December 14, 2012
University of Chicago receives mystery package addressed to one Henry (Indiana) Jones Jr.An interesting read if only for the care and detail that went into the package itself. The package was received by the admissions department and reportedly almost thrown out until a student worker made the discovery. Could this be some new viral marketing in the making or a student with a really unique application package? Who knows - but either way, this is pretty neat.
Thursday: December 13, 2012
Apple selects the Best of 2012 awards from notable iTunes Store apps and games.For the first time in two years, no photography apps made it in to the top listings. 2012 also marks the first year that an Entertainment app was given an editor’s choice award. As always, during the end of the year wrap up Apple highlights games and apps from a wide variety of categories, so it’s well worth skimming the list for hidden gems.
The Monsters University movie website is academically detailed in every way possible.Click around the teaser site and you'll find everything from a list of Monsters University student clubs all the way over to a Monsters University academic calendar. Not really sure what to make of the actual movie plot at this point other than its Mike and Sully in their college days presumably in some kind of Revenge of the Nerds scenario. Whatever it ends up being I'll be at the theaters wearing some sort of MU paraphernalia (which you can buy on the MU online campus store).