Five Favorites

On this week's episode, we find Facebook tweeting — of all things. Also, our hosts discover the existence of the "poncho toilet" thanks to CAH's latest marketing campaign

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).] 

This week Five Favorites 

1. Google Assistant just got much better and more convenient on iOS thanks to Siri Shortcuts [The Verge - story by Chris Welch]

2. Microsoft's Xbox One might drop physical media [Fast Company story by Jared Newman]

3. Amazon reportedly wants gas stations and restaurants to start using Amazon Pay [The Verge - story by Shannon Liao]

4. Facebook, Instagram down: Social media sites stopped working for many [ABCActionNews - Story by Susan Gonzalez]

5. Hot Topic: Black Friday hits $6.2B in US online sales, smartphones accounted for $2.1B  [Techcrunch - story by Ingrid Lunden]

DISHonorable Mention: 

• A Mommy Blogger Is Under Fire For Posting That Her Son Is The Least "Liked" Of Her Kids On Instagram [BuzzFeed - Story by Stephanie McNeal]

Honorable Mention: 

• Cards Against Humanity is selling diamonds and TVs for 99% off and totally winning (?) Black Friday [Techcrunch - Story by Greg Kumparak]

Tweet of the Week: 

• @johnbcrist

On this week's episode, our hosts discuss the power of filters. Also, a whole lot of Facebook news. 

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).] 

This week Five Favorites 

1. L'ORÉAL'S new clip-on sensor tracks your exposure to UV rays [Wired - story by Pia Ceres]

2. Google Gives The Pixel Camera Superhuman Night Vision [The Verge story by Vlad Savov]

3. Influencers Are Monetizing With Custom Photo Filters [The Atlantic story by Taylor Lorenz]

4. Microsoft is now selling Amazon's Echo devices [The Verge - Story by Tom Warren]

5. Hot Topic: Facebook has a growing morale problem [The Verge - story by Casey Newton]

DISHonorable Mention: 

• Facebook Lasso app lead Brady Voss leaves for Netflix right after launch [Techcrunch - Story by Josh Constine]

Honorable Mention: 

• People Raise Over $1 Billion for the Causes They Care About on Facebook [Facebook Blog - Story by Naomi Gleit, VP Social Good]

Tweet of the Week: 

• @salleeannruibal

On this week's episode, non-parents will be educated about the "Baby Shark" song. Also, Facebook copies another product. 

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).] 

This week Five Favorites 

1. Facebook debuts Lasso, a TikTok-style video app aimed at teens [Engadget - story by AJ Dellinger]

2. Disney's Streaming Service is Called Disney+, Here's How It Will Be Different From Netflix [Slashfilm story by Ben Pearson]

3. Half of YouTube viewers use it to learn how to do things they've never done [The Verge story by Patricia Hernandez]

4. How Bill Gates Aims to Save $233 Billion by Reinventing the Toilet [Bloomberg - Story by Jason Gale]

5. Hot Topic: The foldable phones are coming [The Verge - story by Tom Warren]

DISHonorable Mention: 

• Uber driver charged after 'surfing' teen falls off vehicle's roof and dies [WGN - Story by TRIBUNE MEDIA WIRE]

Honorable Mention: 

• Dyson Is Working on an Air Purifier That's Also Headphones [Bloomberg - Story by Giles Turner & Debbie Wu]

Tweet of the Week: 

• @dhof

On this week's episode, Amazon may be Amir's next door neighbor. Also, we were right over a year ago. Told you so! 

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).] 

This week Five Favorites 

1. A year after tweets doubled in size, brevity still rules [Axios - story by Kia Kokalitcheva]

2. Google Home will play music and sound effects when you read Disney storybooks [The Verge - story by Shannon Liao]

3. TikTok surpassed Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat & YouTube in downloads last month [Techcrunch story by Sarah Perez]

4. Amazon in advanced talks about putting HQ2 in Northern Virginia, those close to process say [Washington post - Story by Jonathan O'Connell and Robert McCartney]

5. Hot Topic: iPad Pro: hands-on with Apple's new all-screen tablet [The Verge - story by Nilay Patel]

DISHonorable Mention: 

• Tencent is launching its own version of Snap Spectacles [Techcrunch - Story by Rita Liao & Jon Russell]

Honorable Mention: 

• Google Engineers Are Organizing A Walkout To Protest The Company's Protection Of An Alleged Sexual Harasser [Buzzfeed News - Story by Caroline O'Donovan & Ryan Mac]

Tweet of the Week: 

• @goodgaljenjen

On this week's episode, we struggle to determine what topic is truly "hot". Also, another Facebook departure — all while Christ apparently returns — in an Uber! 

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).] 

This week Five Favorites 

1. What to Expect at Apple's October 30th Event: New iPad Pros, Mac Mini, Low-Cost Retina Notebook and More [MacRumors - story by Juli Clover]

2. Twitter is now consistently profitable [Recode - story by Kurt Wagner & Rani Molla]

3. You can now use Alexa to move around inside apps like Netflix and Hulu on Fire TV Cube [Techcrunch story by Sarah Perez]

4. Elon Musk successfully cosplays as a normal car company CEO [The Verge - story by Elizabeth Lopatto]

5. Hot Topic: Snapchat loses 2M more users in Q3 as shares sink to new low [Techcrunch - Story by Josh Constine]

DISHonorable Mention: 

• Oculus's Brendan Iribe Is Latest Founder to Leave Facebook [Bloomberg Tech - Story by Sarah Frier]

Honorable Mention: 

• Michael Jordan Leading $26 Million Investment in Esports Group aXiomatic Gaming [Bleacher Report - Story by Mike Chiari]

Tweet of the Week: 

• @danieljpowell

On a very special episode of Five Favorites, Amir and Chris take a break from the usual format to discuss the Google Pixel 3.  In this review, they discuss:

• The camera - is it as good as advertised?
• AI or Bust - does AI truly make the Pixel 3 a winner?
• Issues - does anything not quite work on the Pixel 3?

All this and more on "In Review" - Five Favorites Style!

On this episode, it's clearly Techtober as our Hot Topic is yet another big company event. Also, Steph Curry has a tiny phone. It's a fact. 

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).] 

This week Five Favorites 

1. Apple Invites Media to October 30th Event in New York City [MacRumors - story by Juli Clover]

2. PlayStation Vue is now integrated with Apple's TV app [The Verge - story by Micah Singleton]

3. The new Palm phone is basically a Verizon-exclusive smart pocket watch running Android Oreo [PCWorld story by Michael Simon]

4. YouTube partners with Eventbrite to sell concert tickets below music videos [The Verge - Story by Julia Alexander]

5. Hot Topic: Adobe Photoshop for iPad, Project Gemini and lots, lots more [CNET - story by Lorin Grunin]

DISHonorable Mention: 

• Ex-Microsoft sports director charged with attempting to steal $1.5M and selling employee Super Bowl tickets [Geekwire - Story by Taylor Soper]

Honorable Mention: 

• Twitter spammed people's phones with cryptic notifications [The Verge - Story by Casey Newton]

Tweet of the Week: 

• @ClickClickClick

On this episode (part 2), it's Chris' turn to get excited about a new phone. Also, Bixby is insulted multiple times. 

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).] 

This week Five Favorites' HOT TOPIC (extended discussion) 

The 5 biggest announcements from the Google Pixel 3 event [The Verge - story by Natt Garun]

On this episode, we discover that cats are now getting their own Snapchat filter. Also, realizations of T2 being closer than we imagined are clear. 

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).] 

This week Five Favorites 

1. Upcoming 2018 iPad Pro Could Be 5.9mm Thick With No Headphone Jack [MacRumors - story by Juli Clover]

2. Google Shutting Down Google+ After Exposing data of up to 500,000 users  [CNET - story by Richard Nieva and Alfred NG]

3. Can Neuroscience Teach Robots Cars To Be Less Annoying  [Bloomberg story by Gabrielle Coppola]

4. FACEBOOK MADE YOU A SMART-HOME DEVICE, AND THERE'S A CAMERA ON IT [Wired - Story by Michael Calore]

5. Hot Topic: Listen to Episode 114 (Google's Pixel Event)

DISHonorable Mention: 

• Snapchat just introduced new selfie filters meant specifically for your cat [Business Insider - Story by Sean Wolfe]

Honorable Mention: 

•  Twitter's Jack Dorsey doesn't use a computer or a tablet, apparently [Mashable - Story by Stan Schroeder]

Tweet of the Week: 

• @Davidbyttow

On this episode, art is self-destructing and the minimum wage is going up. Also, a robot takes a selfie on Mars and shares it on Twitter. This is the world we live in now. 

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).] 

This week Five Favorites 

1. Apple Further Refutes Bloomberg Report Suggesting Chinese Spies Tampered With iCloud Servers [MacRumors - story by Juli Clover]

2. 9 things to expect from the Google Pixel 3 event next week [The Verge - story by Jacob Kastrenakes]

3. Tile's new trackers feature a replaceable battery [The Verge - story by Ashley Carmen]

4. Bezos Blinks and Raises Amazon's Minimum Wage in U.S., U.K. [Bloomberg - Story by John Lauerman and Jeremy Kahn]

5. Hot Topic: The 5 biggest announcements from the Microsoft Surface event [The Verge - story by Natt Garun]

DISHonorable Mention: 

• Instagram test shares location data with Facebook [TNW - Story by Rachel Kaser]

Honorable Mention: 

• $1.3M Banksy Artwork "Self-Destructs" at Auction [ Hyperallergic - Story by Hrag Vartanian]

Tweet of the Week: 

• @MarsCuriosity