Massive Twitter Hack

Episode 315 – July 16, 2020

Topics:

• Google’s Digital Diplomas
• Minnesota Twins Crowdtrack
• Fully Remote Workforce
• Aged Iconic Cover Albums
• #GoyaGate
• Self-Service Hulu Advertising
• Michelle Obamacast
• Instagram’s TikTok Clone
• Retail Mask Mandate
• Obstructionist Apple
• COVID 19 Small Business Closures

During episode 315, BL and David discuss the massive Twitter hack and Bitcoin scam directed at high-profile accounts; the Minnesota Twins broadcast a scrimmage with a crowdtrack; free Grow With Google courses; long-term care seniors pose for iconic classic rock album cover recreations; Michelle Obama’s new podcast on Spotify; Hulu rolls out self-serve advertising; an ad agency goes fully remote; Target joins the growing list of retailers mandating masks for customers; Chris Cuomo calls out Trump over Goyagate; Instagram to clone TikTok; Hong Kong’s protest movement keeps getting stymied by Apple;..and much, much more.

Best Practices

Google’s Digital Diplomas

Google will be offering career courses it says are the equivalent of a 4-year college degree. 100,000 scholarships and grants will be available.

• Google announces 100,000 scholarships for online certificates in data analytics, project management and UX
• A digital jobs program to help America’s economic recovery
• Professional Certificate Training Programs

Take Me Out To The Virtual Ballpark

The Twins’ game-operations staff wants to match fabricated crowd noise with on-field intensity.

• Twins’ game-operations staff trying to come up with apropos sounds

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Twins Coverage (@twinscoverage) on Jul 15, 2020 at 8:03pm PDT

Obamacast

Michelle Obama is starting to podcast on Spotify on July 29. She’ll be talking about relationships and will feature her mother, friends and, surely, Barack.

• Higher Ground and Spotify Announce ‘The Michelle Obama Podcast’ Debuting July 29

Aged Iconic Album Covers

A long-term care activities director in England has staged photo shoots to recreate classic rock album covers featuring residents confined during the pandemic.

• Seniors recreating famous album covers is your perfect lockdown escape
• Now that’s rock ‘n’ roll! Care home residents recreate iconic album covers

Sydmar Lodge Care Home residents and carers have been recreating classic album covers. The home has now been in lockdown for 4 months. pic.twitter.com/XS5YQ4f1Sw— Robert Speker (@robertspeker) July 10, 2020

Fully Remote

San Francisco ad agency Traction broke its lease and will work remotely indefinitely in yet another sign of the impact of Covid on work.

• Office Hours: Ad Agency Goes Permanently Remote

Help Yourself Hulu

Closed beta will let marketers with modest budgets onto the platform.

• Hulu Rolls Out Self-Service Ad Tool to Woo Small Businesses

Chris Cuomo Slams Trump for #GOYAGATE

The president posted a photo of himself with Goya products on his desk in support of the trump supporting company.

• Goya’s CEO said the U.S. is ‘truly blessed’ with President Trump. Latinos are now boycotting.

Here’s my fantasy: trump and pence eat all the beans, get terrible gas, and float away into the atmosphere, where aliens pop them and they explode. #GoyaChallenge https://t.co/2JQY0IdlEX— (((B.L. Ochman))) Masks Save Lives (@whatsnext) July 16, 2020

Retail Mask Mandate

Target joins Walmart, Best Buy and CVS as retailers to make face coverings mandatory.

• Target Joins Major Retailers To Require Mask-Wearing by Customers

Instareels

Instagram plans to launch its TikTok clone in the US and more than 50 other countries within weeks.

• Instagram’s TikTok competitor is coming to the US next month

Worst Practices

Catastrophic Twitter Hack

Bill Gates, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, Kayne West and Elon Musk among other big names and major companies were hacked in a Bitcoin scam on Wednesday.

• A Brazen Online Attack Targets V.I.P. Twitter Users in a Bitcoin Scam
• The Big Twitter Hack Keeps Getting Stranger and Stranger

Obstructionist Apple

Apple was notably absent from major tech companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook that announced last week that they would halt the processing of data requests from Hong Kong authorities.

• Hong Kong’s protest movement keeps getting stymied by Apple

Shiny New Stuff

B.L.’s Finds

• Spin Cycle – this machine washes your clothes while you ride your bike. It’s meant for developing countries where people have to wash clothes by hand and it is totally cool. Each load takes about 10 minutes.

This machine washes your clothes while you cycle pic.twitter.com/WorUsitc64— Insider Life (@lifeinsider) July 14, 2020

David’s Finds

• Streamable – HD streaming video service

Politics

Hyper-Partisan Local News Sites

Using previous research and news reports as a guide, Nieman Lab mapped the locations of more than 400 partisan media outlets.

• Hundreds of hyperpartisan sites are masquerading as local news. This map shows if there’s one near you.

Pro Tips

Microsoft Burner Email Accounts

Microsoft will soon allow users of Office 365 email services to create as many custom, disposable email addresses as they please.

• Microsoft will now support burner email addresses in Office 365

Weekly Numbers

Pandemic’s Effect On Small Business Ownership

• Demographics Of Coronavirus’ Impact On Small Businesses