Spotify buys podcasts 🎧, Snopes quits Facebook 🚫, FBI tracks DNA 🔬

After an unsuccessful attempt at entering into the streaming video market, Spotify is now in talks to acquire Gimlet, the podcast content creator that first introduced the show ‘Homecoming’. While Spotify has bought other companies before, this is the first time Spotify has bought a content creator and distributor.

Facebook and Snopes had been in talks to work together to create a fact-checking program for the Facebook platform, but Snopes has decided to cancel the partnership. The team decided that fact-checking for only Facebook would be impractical for Snope’s small team. Snopes has instead opted to create a fact-checking API tool that can be used across platforms.

Family Tree DNA, one of the largest providers of at-home genetic testing allowing for people to trace their ancestry, is working with the FBI. The FBI is using Family Tree DNA’s vast database of information to find DNA matches for unsolved crimes. Prior to the partnership and announcement, Family Tree DNA had a database of well over a million profiles. Collaborations of this type obviously have grave privacy implications for consumers whose genetic data is being tracked.

Gravity Sketch is a program that allows people to ‘paint’ in 3D in Virtual Reality. Ford has recently started to explore the technology and they have a customized version designed to aid their engineers. A typical rendering of a concept car may take months, but with Gravity Sketch, an engineer at Ford was able to render a new concept in 40 hours. There is a video in the article showing the design process using Ford’s Gravity Sketch.

React-insta-stories allows web developers to implement instagram-like photo stories on their website. The component will allow users to scroll through the story by tapping on the left/right sides of the image or pause the story by tapping and holding on the image. There is an example of the code in action in the link.

Papers With Code is a website that contains links to free resources on Machine Learning, including papers, code, and evaluation tables. Anyone can contribute to the database and to the project. The site is organized so users can look for the most cutting edge research straight away, or they can browse by specific topics.

A concert was held in the popular game Fortnite, and it was an interesting experience for millions of users in attendance. Users were transported to a special concert location in the game, where EDM producer Marshmello played a live 10 minute set. Epic games was able to create a new virtual experience that brought together millions of players to enjoy the visually impressive event - which then turned into a killing field as soon as it ended.