Believe it or not, we don’t cover every piece of tech news here at SnapMunk. In an effort to keep you apprised of all things relevant in the world of technology and startups, here are some noteworthy tech news items that didn’t get a full column this week but certainly deserve a glance.
Nintendo Market Value Passes Sony Thanks To Pokemon Go. There’s an important lesson here: if you want to dominate the tech industry, send people hunting FOR FAKE MONSTERS. Nintendo, who backed the Pokémon Go game, jumped to a market value exceeding $39 billion this past week and set a record in Japan for the most shares traded in a single day. Mark my words: this is a portent of an augmented, chaotic future. Don’t think it will be long before we see Star Wars, Disney, Warcraft, and a thousands of other brands and games follow suit…
Leslie Jones Quits Twitter Over Racism, Twitter Responds. Leslie Jones, of Ghostbusters fame, recently quit Twitter after being subjected to a constant stream of vile, racist bile. Seriously. Click the link, look at these tweets and try not to barf. At the center of the controversy was Milo Yiannopoulos, a hardcore conservative tech editor at Breitbart, who fueled the fire. Mr. Yiannopoulos has a long history of hardcore, obnoxious trolling. Thankfully, Twitter finally shut down the King Troll—they permanently banned him from Twitter. Take your racism to the Trump party Mr. Yiannopoulos!
Brazil Judge Orders WhatsApp Blocked, Then Gets His Ruling Overturned. As we saw in the longstanding battle between Apple and the FBI, leaders really DO NOT like encryption. The brass in Brazil is no exception. A judge ordered the 5 major phone carriers to block WhatsApp due to ongoing frustrations with trying to access the encrypted messages. Thankfully, a Federal Supreme Court judge overturned The Honorable Orwellian Dystopia’s original ruling and WhatsApp has been restored.
Pokemon Go Players In Bosnia Warned To Stay Away From Minefields. Pro Tip: DON’T PLAY POKEMON GO IN A MINEFIELD. After receiving word that some players were searching for Pokemon monsters in areas potentially containing old mines, authorities were forced to issue a warning. Approximately 120,000 landmines remain undiscovered in the country. I’m 99% sure that, before now, “Pokemon” and the literal use of “minefield” have never occurred in the same sentence. What a time to be alive.
The Last VHS Players To Be Made This Month. I feel like a small, fanny pack-wearing, Walkman-listening part of my soul is dying. The last VHS players ever will be made this month, and then the device will go to that great Radio Shack in the sky. Apparently the last VHS tapes were manufactured in 2008. Now for the crazy part: 750,000 VHS units were sold last year! Let’s all observe a moment of silence.
Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments!
