I will be speaking on VR/AR at Innovation Enterprise next week, so I thought it appropriate to start off with VR.
How Walt Disney World VR Ruined My Vacation
Summary: This was an opinion piece focused on the writer's trip to Disney World. Many of the latest attractions include a dose of VR making many sick form the attractions.
Opinion: Since I will be doing a fireside chat on VR next week, I figured this was a good one to highlight today. Nausea from VR experiences has been a common complaint coming out of the experiences, and it's something that needs to be rectified if VR will truly go mainstream. No one wants to pay to be sick!
Sierra Leone Ran the First Blockchain Based Election
Summary: In a country of 7.4 million people, Sierra Leone has implemented blockchain technology in their voting system to help reduce the cost of voting ballots and to reduce corruption in the voting process.
Opinion: This is a huge step in the use of blockchain technology. It helps eliminate corruption in societies where there isn't an accepted form of recording nationally, like Sierre Leone. It's a technology that will help establish a stronger foundation for counties that need it.
Amazon's Top Shows Drove 5 Million Prime Subscribers
Summary: Amazon's bread and butter is Prime Subscription, and they use original content programming to drive those sign-ups. Although not tracking isn't specific, Amazon tracks how soon after watching a show that a person signs up for Prime.
Opinion: What I appreciated was the use of approximate data to derive the lift in Prime subscribers. Often in marketing, we can use approximate tools to track lift and conversion which some may forget. This is a good reminder of its efficiency and effects.
Google Bans Cryptocurrency Ads
Summary: Similar to Facebook's ban earlier this year, Google has blocked cryptocurrency ads from showing up in its ad network starting June 2018. Their reasoning was that they have seen enough harm to consumers that they want to approach the area with caution.
Opinion: With its penetration and access, this could be a positive step in regulating what has been a largely unregulated industry. Think fake news. However, my concern would be penalizing those cryptocurrencies who have been legitimately operating in the space.