Quick Bytes – March 16th: John Oliver on Bitcoin and Beanie Babies
A look at the most interesting startup and business-related news stories of the week.
Bitcoin and beanie babies
Quick Byte
“Everything you don’t understand about money combined with everything you don’t understand about computers” John Oliver does a John Oliver and explains cryptocurrency with $15,000 beanie babies and rap videos. We can’t recommend this highly enough. If you don’t have time for all 25 minutes, you’ll find some real gems between 4:00-10:00.
The Full Story
John Oliver is known for his eloquent explanations of complex topics like net neutrality. Now, he’s turning his attention to the internet’s favorite topic of the moment: Bitcoin. It’s “everything you don’t understand about money combined with everything you don’t understand about computers,” quips Oliver, correctly. Read the Full Article Here
Lyft tests subscriptions
Quick Byte
Capitalizing on its competitor’s scandals, Lyft is now growing faster than Uber. And they’re not settling with the status quo. In what is being called a ‘Netflix-style’ subscription, Lyft CEO, Logan Green, said he wants to move the car industry from an ownership model to a subscription model. The idea being that you would pay roughly $200/month to be totally reliant on the Lyft network as transportation – self-driving cars being the driving force behind this (no pun intended). The idea is still very much in testing mode with a small number of riders currently using the ‘all-access’ pass.
The Full Story
Would you subscribe to a ride-hailing service like Lyft if you could, just as you might sign up for Netflix or Spotify?
On Wednesday, Logan Green, the CEO of Lyft, said that was the future for his company. “We are going to move the entire [car] industry from one based on ownership, to one based on subscription,” he said. For example, Green added that a subscription to Lyft could cost something along the lines of $200, which gets you 1,000 miles of traveling around. “You rely on the Lyft network for all your transportation needs,” he said. Read the Full Article Here
Google maps opens to gamers
Quick Byte
Google is opening it’s mapping platform to allow developers to create more location-based games, like the notorious Pokémon Go. Developers will have access to real-time map data, which can be incorporated into Unity, one of the most popular game engines in the world. This will allow developers a lot of creative flexibility with real-world locations. A Google API is also being created to assist with real-world ‘gameplay experiences.’ Let the games begin.
The Full Story
There’s been a wave of location-based mobile games announced recently, based on everything from The Walking Dead to Jurassic World. It turns out these games have more in common than just timing: they’re all powered by Google Maps. Today Google is announcing that it’s opening up its ubiquitous mapping platform to allow game developers to more easily create real-world games. The next Pokémon Go might finally be on the way.
Google says that its new Maps platform for games is divided into three main parts. First, and most obvious, is that developers who sign up will have access to real-time Google Maps data. As part of this, Google is also launching a new software development kit for Unity, one of the most popular game engines in the world, to make it easy to incorporate this mapping data into a game. “Our new Unity SDK does all of the heavy lifting,” says product manager Clementine Jacoby. “No Google Maps expertise needed.” Read the Full Article Here
COWORKING ACCELERATOR
Interested in taking your startup to the next level?