Amazon in Your Trunk: This week Amazon announced a new program to deliver packages to your car, using their Amazon Key program. Your car? Yes, building on the success of their front door unlocking program, Amazon will now be able to use their Key app to find your car via GPS and unlock it to make the delivery. To start out, the service will only be available to Amazon Prime subscribers and is limited to 2015 or newer GM and Volvo vehicles. (LINK)
You Can’t Say That on Facebook: With all of the Zuckerberg and Facebook scrutiny in recent weeks (note: be sure to watch this Bad Lip Reading of Zuckerberg’s Congressional Testimony), this week we got our first look at the content guidelines Facebook uses to moderate content – a 27-page guide with an almost 8,000-word bulleted list of no-nos. It’s also now possible for users to appeal bans on individual posts, starting with takedowns involving nudity or sexual activity, hate speech and graphic violence. Facebook is promising a speedy clarification and a possible reconsideration, ideally within 24 hours. (LINK)
A.I. for Kids: Starting May 9th, Amazon customers can subscribe to a version of Alexa that has audio books, games and music catered to kids. According to Buzzfeed News, Alexa will reward kids for good manners (like saying “please”) and will have kid-appropriate answers for questions like “Where do babies come from?” (A: “People make people.”) or “Why are kids mean to me?” (A: “People bully, or are mean, for many different reasons. Bullying feels bad and is never OK.”) Amazon is also launching a kid-version of the Echo Dot with soft covering and kid controls. (LINK)
Lost in Space in your Kitchen: This week Netflix and Google Home launched an interactive game to promote the reboot of “Lost in Space” on Netflix (which we LOVE, by the way). You can talk directly to the five members of the Robinson family, give Mom tips on how to escape from the spaceship, help Dad decode hidden messages, or aid Judy in her search for fuel. Each game lasts only five or six minutes, and they are all family friendly. To get started just say “Hey Google, play the Lost in Space game” with your Google Home device. (LINK)
The 99% of Music Videos not from OK Go: We’re really digging this Slate feature about San Francisco–based musician Michael Deni and his countless failed attempts at making music videos, including ones that actually harmed his band more than helped. It’s no secret that a truly great music video can launch a musician’s career and earn them global fans and attention. Yet even though the bar is very high, bands with big budgets and bands with no budgets continue to produce and publish videos – but not everyone is OK Go. The summary? Unless your video is worth watching, don’t put it up on YouTube. (LINK)
GREG SWAN 