Tim Cook's Doubters Were Wrong

When Tim Cook took over as Apple CEO, many doubted whether the company could continue to innovate and grow without Steve Jobs. Question answered: On Wednesday, Apple became the first U.S. company to hit a $2 trillion valuation, Business Insider reports. Even more stunning, the New York Times notes: All of Apple’s second $1 trillion came in the past 21 weeks, while the global economy shrank faster than ever before in the coronavirus pandemic.

2_TECHNOLOGY

Microsoft's New Flight Simulator Is Stunning

Microsoft this week released a stunning, groundbreaking new version of Flight Simulator—the first since 2006. What makes the new Flight so revolutionary, Protocol says, is that it's simply the most detailed and realistic model of Earth yet created.

3_DESIGN

The ‘Human’ Graphic Designer That Wasn’t

Nikolay Ironov worked as a graphic designer for more than a year before revealing his secret, The Next Web reports. Ironov, with Art. Lebedev Studio, Russia’s largest design company, was not the person he claimed to be. Art. Lebedev Studio revealed the truth to its clients: their logos had been created by an AI system.

4_SOCIAL MEDIA

A Pandemic of Misinformation

Misleading health content has generated an estimated 3.8 billion views on Facebook over the last year, peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic, advocacy group Avaaz said in a new report released on Wednesday. The report found that content from 10 “superspreader” sites sharing health misinformation had almost four times as many Facebook views in April 2020 as equivalent content from the sites of 10 leading health institutions, Reuters reports.

SPONSORED

Why You Need Flauntly Now

Flauntly is an easy-to-use, modular marketing tool
that's perfect for remote work. Teams can collaborate,
manage, and create an unlimited number of landing pages.
Learn how

5_SOCIAL MEDIA

The Rise of Instagram Infographics

The latest Instagram trend is PowerPoint-style presentations, reports the Washington Post. Infographic influencers repurpose tools from marketing or human resources jobs and draw on their own personal experiences to explain topics such as anti-racism to a growing audience more concerned with substantive ideas than carefully chosen filters.

6_INTERNET

The Story Told by Data

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, technology and data have taken more significant roles in our daily lives. In its eighth edition of Data Never Sleeps, Domo provides a snapshot of how much data was generated by the minute, shedding insights on in-home entertainment, finding new ways to connect and the future of work.

7_MEDIA

The New York Times' 'Unstoppable Innovator'

Meredith Kopit Levien, the next New York Times CEO, has had a meteoric rise at the iconic publishing company, Digiday reports. “She has successfully led much of our company’s most important work—from reimagining our advertising business to driving our historic subscription growth to fostering a culture of product innovation,” said Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger in announcing her promotion.

8_APPS

Google Ups Color, Accuracy in Maps

Google this week released an update to Maps that helps it better reflect actual environments, The Next Web reports. The update shows natural features closer to how they appear on satellite imagery. Google says it was able to achieve the new colorings by leveraging a new color-mapping algorithm for its satellite imagery.

9_GEAR

BlackBerry Is Back from the Dead Again

A BlackBerry 5G smartphone with a physical keyboard is coming next year, Mashable reports. FIH Mobile will design and manufacture BlackBerry devices going forward, with OnwardMobility conducting product planning and market development. TBD: Whether the world needs a 5G smartphone with a physical keyboard.

10_SAY WHAT?

Toilet Transparency

Several new toilets in public parks in Tokyo have a unique design feature: They are see-through—but, rest assured, only when unoccupied, The Guardian reports. The transparent toilets, created by the Pritzker prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban and other leading designers, are made from colored “smart glass” that turns opaque when the cubicles are occupied.