Source: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/343732/cable-news-networks-impeachment-hearings-fewer-t.html

Over the past week President Trump’s impeachment hearings have been the center conversation for all news outlets and late-night talk shows. Though many have deemed the hearings boring and not worth watching. Many people have been tuning into them. The hearings began last Tuesday,  and since then all of the stations airing the hearings have seen a spike in ratings.

The impeachment hearings are continuous, so all cable news networks have cut their advertising and commercials down almost 60%. The hearings air on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday . For all cable networks the weekday is the most important time for commercials and advertising. However, the increase in viewership has been able to make up for the drop in advertising.

Unlike regularly scheduled programming the hearings do not have a set run time. This means that networks aren’t certain about the amount of time they have to cut out in order to air the full hearing, nor are they aware of the time in which they can begin airing advertisements again. Viewership within news networks that have aired the impeachments hearings have risen from 40% to 45% versus daytime periods in the past few months.

Article Credit: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/nov/20/ok-boomer-the-insult-of-the-year-is-about-to-become-a-tv-show

If you’ve used any sort of social media app in the last month or so, you’re more than likely familiar with the new, go-to insult for anyone over the age of 55; “OK Boomer!”

That’s it. Thats the whole insult. Videos have surfaced of older men and women dumbing things down to millenials, gen x-ers, and pretty much anyone younger than them. This condescending clap-back is spreading just like any hilarious meme does, and major media companies are picking up on it. The executives at FOX television are working on trademarking the phrase for entertainment purposes.

The show would supposedly feature reality competitions, comedy, and game shows. The Guardian raises a good point however, that Fox hasn’t really given a clear idea as to what this show would be about, or what kind of television show it would even be. A game show and a comedy show? Another good point raised, “TV shows based on internet fads have a habit of not really enjoying all that much longevity.” And that makes sense, because of course it is a fad. People will get tired of the joke and move on to the next meme that they scroll past on their buzzing twitter feed.

Image source: https://www.cagle.com/news/dyingnewspapers/

According to a new report, the disintegration of local news in the United States is causing communities to fall apart and be severely uninformed.

As we all know, the digital age has forced newsrooms to cut costs, let go of staff, and adapt to the online world. If a newsroom can’t manage to keep itself afloat with these methods, then they simply go under, and we see this happening rapidly.

Though, if you’re reading this, you’re privileged enough to have access to any form information you’re looking to received. You can tailor your feed to reporting from sources you trust, set notifications on from news outlets so you’re always up to date, and overall have a unique information consumption experience of your own, on a device that fits in your pocket.

Sadly, this is not the case for every American. Underserved individuals are left in the dark. The New York Times cites a fascinating, and also unsettling statistic from a Pew survey earlier this year, which states that 71% of Americans believe that their local news outlets are doing well financially, with only 14% of Americans donating some amount of money to local newspapers.

People aren’t even aware that their source of information is suffering and is under serious threat. And this can spark a variety of problems.

One of which being the Flint, Michigan water crisis, as The New York Times also cites, where the community had voiced their concerns to their local paper long before national media reported on the issue.

I think it’s important for us to recognize how fortunate we are to have access to the world wide web without a second thought, and at the very least, use our resources wisely and support the communities who need it the most in any way we can.

Source material: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/us/local-news-disappear-pen-america.html

 

Image source: https://us.aibo.com/

Sony has launched a new API (application programming interface), which is a set of functions and procedures that allows software components to interact.

They’re calling the developing program Aibo. Sony is welcoming developers and their innovation to utilize this system to create products of services.

The company has already developed an irresistibly cute mechanical dog, and it has more tricks than just sitting and fetching.

In the concept video above, you can gain a fuller understanding of what this all means and what is possible for the future. Aibo was able to assist with monitoring the microwave, turning on a robot vacuum, reminding a human that they left the fridge open, and even act as a surveillance camera for mothers.

Sony notes that this program has the ability to teach the robotic dog new tricks, but there is no way of manipulating its emotions or mannerisms. Good thing it seems happy all of the time.

As Aibo made its way from Japan to the U.S., its current price is just shy of $3,000. Very pricey, but obviously over time, the price will naturally drop once devices like this become ubiquitous in all households, similar to the television now.

I think we all saw this new wave of the future coming. One day, robots like these will be commonplace. In ways they already are. Take Roomba or Alexa for example. I view these as steppingstones to the advancement of what’s to come. But as always, there could be serious consequences to relying on technology to complete daily tasks for humans. I would hope we don’t pull a WALL-E.

Source material: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/11/15/20967282/sony-aibo-smart-home-assistant-program-developer-api