WEEKLY REVIEW  |  March 24, 2017

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TECH

The Google app gets an upgrade.

If you’ve used the Google app before, you know it’s the holy grail of personalized information—articles you’re interested in, the time it’ll take to get to work, scores of your favorite sports teams, and more. Now the app is even easier for specific searches, like a more clickable Google search engine. “The Google search box is great when you’re looking for a specific answer, but there are also moments when you just want to catch up on the latest for topics of interest,” the company explains.

Adobe’s new project is less about tech, more about marketing.

In which category should we place marketing news from a tech company? We’re not sure, but here it is regardless: Adobe just announced their new project Fleek, a place where marketers can recruit creators and influencers for campaigns directly. It cuts out the middlemen used by other solutions like it, and is one of many new announcements on the marketing front from Adobe.

MARKETING

Cheerios campaign utilizes a larger-than-cereal CTA.

Honey Nut Cheerios’ new campaign doesn’t just use their classic bee, it urges Cheerios eaters to “bring back the bees.” North America’s bee population is nowhere near what it used to be, so Cheerios is giving away wildflower seeds to fix that. However, it’s not without controversy. Accusations of pesticide usage and the fear of invasive species have turn some customers into critics. Read the article for all of the naysaying.

Center for Psychological Research shows the danger of phone addiction.

This print campaign for the Center for Psychological Research, Shenyang shows how phone addiction morphs your social life. Using larger-than-life phones, the photos place a phone between the user and kids and loved ones with the tagline “The more you connect, the less you connect.”

DESIGN

The New York Times celebrates music with a type treatment we just can’t get over.

This list of “25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music Is Going” is one of the most comprehensive music articles we’ve read in awhile. But it’s also beautifully designed. If you click on any article, click on this one.

The Oxford comma worth millions.

The Maine Legislative Drafting Manual instructs lawmakers to not use the Oxford comma—unless the series is modified. However, it gets a little more confusing when comma confusion blurs the lines between whether or not truckers get overtime pay. The state law claims overtime rules do not apply to: “The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of: (1) Agricultural produce; (2) Meat and fish products; and (3) Perishable foods.” Does that mean packing for distribution, or simply distribution? The answer is a class-action lawsuit.

INFLUENCERS

Sesame Street brings on Julia, a new muppet with autism.

Julia is a shy but engaging 4-year-old muppet with autism. She is the first new muppet in a decade, but for a good reason. The addition of a muppet with autism helps explain the autism spectrum to kids. And when one in 68 American children have autism, it’s more than worth the airtime.

Apple paints the iPhone red for (RED).

Apple is not new to (RED), a campaign that promotes and gives to The Global Fund, a nonprofit organization that finances HIV/AIDs grants in Africa. First there was the (RED) iPod Nano, then (RED) Beats headphones and (RED) Smart Battery cases among other things. But starting today you can buy a (RED) iPhone 7, too.

EVENTS

This weekend is carnival themed. On Saturday, experience carnival food like never before with Corn Dog Day at SoMa StrEat Food Park. Then on Sunday, get lost in the Macy’s Flower Show Carnival. You can also see the flower show through April 9.

AND JUST FOR FUN

Someone chopped down a tree in Oakland and someone else wrote poetry on it.

Surely most of our readers are familiar with Lake Merritt in Oakland—and with The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Last week, a chopped-down tree was given a Sharpie “tattoo” of The Giving Tree and the Internet got emotional. We did a little, too.

Butterbeer ice cream is here and it’s giving people hope.

The Harry Potter series got people reading, brought others to tears, and inspired a generation (and a theme park). But now you can experience a little bit of the magic from home. Pennsylvania-based Yuengling’s just created Butterbeer ice cream. Needless to say, the Internet approved.


“Spring is the time of plans and projects.”

Leo Tolstoy