Journal

Film industry site Moviepilot walks us through how—and why—they’re using Facebook Instant Articles.

The last few times you’ve used Facebook, there’s a good chance you noticed something different. Lots of different publishers, including big names like the Washington Post, are now publishing full-length content directly to Facebook. The program, called Instant Articles, is designed for mobile users. It pushes full articles directly to Facebook, meaning that users get to see articles without ever leaving the Facebook app, and Facebook gains access to the sweet, sweet advertising money surrounding the content. Fast Company recently met with one of the publishers using Instant Articles for an in-depth look at how—and why—it uses the platform.

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Backed by frogVentures, Voyomotive is tackling the burgeoning connected-car space.

Tech companies and automakers are racing to get more connected cars on the road, but unless consumers have a few grand to spare on a new ride, they’re missing out on some of the fuel savings, security, and diagnostic tools that come standard with today’s models.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics has determined that TV, smartphones, and tablets are okay for the youngest children…with caveats.

In the App Store, you’ll spot countless educational apps aimed at babies and toddlers. But thus far, there’s been a pretty large caveat that comes with the potential benefits of these experiences. The American Academy of Pediatrics has regularly discouraged any of this screen time, with a blanket recommendation to avoid TV watching and smartphone use by children under two. For children over two, they recommended the limits be set at two hours a day.

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On “Back to the Future Day,” Michael J. Fox talks precision medicine and hoverboards.

On “Back to the Future Day,” the White House is publishing a letter by Michael J. Fox about the state of Parkinson’s disease research. The letter details the latest research into Parkinson’s and related conditions, and also touches on a series of online conversations the White House is holding about medical research.

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Thursday’s earnings report will be the last detailing Google’s performance prior to reorganizing under the Alphabet umbrella.

Tomorrow, Google will report its third-quarter earnings, the first since the Internet giant’s August announcement that it was creating a new public holding company, known as Alphabet. But this report will be the last that details the state of the company prior to the reorg.

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Founder Christina Stembel is disrupting the flower delivery market—but the competition is hot at her heels.

Flower delivery entrepreneur Christina Stembel isn’t looking for candlelight and chocolates from her husband Neil on Valentine’s Day. Instead, she’d prefer a willingness to work the overtime shift at her 4,000-square-foot studio in San Francisco’s flower district.

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Is the gig up for the gig economy?

Micro-gigging via the various labor platforms in the sharing economy leaves already vulnerable workers no better off, and in some ways worse off. The pay is low, the safety net eviscerated, job security nonexistent. A graphic designer can make $300 in one day, but not have any more work lined up for two weeks and have trouble making rent. A public-relations consultant can count IBM as a client, but still have to choose between squirreling away some money for retirement and affording the smartphone she needs to track all her clients. A young college graduate goes freelance but can’t pay her crippling student loans. If you lose a gig and haven’t yet found another, tough luck, you aren’t even eligible for unemployment compensation; if your client pays a month late, or stiffs you entirely, tough luck again. And on top of it all, you get paid less than your regularly employed counterparts, on average 25% less in hourly wage (with the gap even larger for some occupations).

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The tech giant is concerned about privacy issues in Europe and the United States.

Microsoft is requesting legal changes in response to a recent controversial political decision in Europe. Earlier this month, the European Union undid its long-standing “Safe Harbor” policy, which allowed foreign tech companies to store data about European users in data centers outside of Europe.

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Fresh on the heels of its streaming video deal with Netflix, Virgin America has signed content agreements with Spotify and the Times.

Virgin America is teaming up with Spotify and the New York Times for your reading and listening pleasure. Under a short-term agreement lasting through March 2, 2016, passengers will be able to stream Spotify’s entire catalog for free and read limited content from the Times website through the airline’s Wi-Fi service. Travelers will still need a Times subscription to read all of the site’s articles, but Spotify’s library will be available in full.

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“Somebody horked our seats!” cry the Conservatives

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“The time to hesitate is through! No time to wallow in Stephen Harper‘s mire,” Canadian voters announced yesterday with a landslide victory for the Liberal Party and its leader, maple-flavored Jim Morrison clone Justin Trudeau. Harper will step down as Conservative Party leader and, as is Canadian custom, will be stripped of his holdings in Canadian Tire money and jeered in all Tim Horton’s for the next 9 years. The other interesting Canadian, Drake, celebrated election day by putting on a baggy turtleneck sweater and doing the Carlton Dance in Don Johnson’s neon spaceship, which everyone loved because, as Kara Brown explained, Drake is the best at being a dork.

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