WEEKLY REVIEW  |  March 16, 2017

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TECH

Does your bank speak emoji?

Capital One does. The bank just unveiled their new chat bot, Eno, which allows users to receive account updates via text message. But this isn’t your regular bank text message: “Eno uses AI to understand a user’s SMS….The program can also understand an emoji.” Add this to the list of fintech programs unveiled at SXSW that we want to try.

Send and request money from your email.

Apps have certainly become less trendy in the past couple years, and Google is picking up on this. Forget using a payment app, because you can now send and request money directly in Gmail. Simply tap the dollar symbol on desktop or the attachment function on mobile to send and request money—and impress all of your friends.

Pay with your card, phone, watch, or—now—sunglasses.

SXSW was full of fintech announcements, and Visa was no exception. They just announced a new form of wearable payment devices: sunglasses. Visa’s payment sunglasses have a built-in NFC chip connected to a reloadable, prepaid card. Right now the glasses are only available in Australia to a small number of partners and influencers, but regardless they show the way payments might go in the following years.

MARKETING

Sideways Dictionary attempts to define tech jargon.

Jigsaw and the Washington Post have teamed up to explain tech jargon to the general public. Think BitCoin, White Hat, proxy. They’re first explained in analogy, and then defined further. The team is also offering a Chrome extension, and it’ll be used on the WAPO site. We can’t think of a better project to put your name behind.

Soap brand shows bacteria from everyday objects in new out-of-home campaign.

Soap brand Lifebouy blends their OOH campaign with a PSA: wash your hands! They’ve taken everyday objects and swabbed them for bacteria, and then made poster-sized petri dishes from the samples. The best part (or worst part of you don’t like puns): they’re calling them “bacteriADS.”

AdWords aficionado simplifies scripts for all of us.

One of our own, Kris Belau, will be speaking at SMX West on March 23 on the “How to Find, Hack & Build Great AdWords Scripts” panel. He makes scripts digestible for even the least technical of us—and even talks about LEGO bricks.

DESIGN

This donut-shaped object could save you money.

Donuts don’t often get to be the hero. But with this new donut-shaped shower head, they just might. Hydr, this circular, holey showerhead is not only beautifully designed, but it also uses less water. Save on your water bill, and experience smart design with every shower.

Fashion from a lab.

Spider silk might be the world’s most coveted material. And Bolt Threads, a Bay Area biotech company, has harnessed it in a tie. Well, at least the synthetic version of it. They’re only making 50 ties as prototypes, but we should expect to see more from them. Since they’re collaborating with Patagonia, it’s only a matter of time before we see our most coveted materials go from the lab to the department store.

INFLUENCERS

Filter businesses for inclusivity.

Remember when Yelp filtered businesses close to PokéStops after the Pokémon GO craze? Now they’re doing something similar, but revolutionary. They’re filtering businesses on whether or not they have gender-neutral bathrooms. Yelp isn’t the first to do this—Refuge Restrooms and Safe Bathrooms Club have also done this—but with its tools it may be able to compile the most complete list.

EVENTS

Celebrate the Hindu festival of colors in Milpitas on Saturday. Then make your way over to Bay Area Brew Festival to taste hundreds of Bay Area beers. If you’re feeling brave (or lucky), you could end the night in Pleasanton for a St. Patrick’s Day Brew Crawl. Then on Sunday recover from all that fun at Avocado Con, where you can taste avocado recipes from 15 Bay Area food trucks.

AND JUST FOR FUN

Stick LEGO bricks anywhere.

A crowdfunded tape will allow you to stick LEGO bricks anywhere you want. From walls to toys to clothes, Nimuno’s LEGO tape is something every creative needs. So much so that we’re kicking ourselves for not creating it.

A different way to put design skills to use.

In a creative rut? Trying thinking outside the box, or in Chris Newsome’s world, the doorstep. Newsome, with a background in art and design, started making hats for a toad that frequented his house. Hat’s off to Chris.


“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

Annie Dillard