MPR Raccoon & TicTac Chew

By David Erickson | June 15, 2018

Beyond Social Media Show, Episode 232

BL and David discuss a Snapchat Lens video game controlled by gum chewing; the Minnesota Public Radio Raccoon who captivated the nation by scaling a 25-story building; the minor league Yankees team fan-named the Staten Island Pizza Rats; restaurant goers paralyzed by choice; the Angela Merkel Instagram G7 post that memed Trump and went globally viral; a great idea for push button customer satisfaction; 13 year-old Courtney Hadwin whose astounding singing voice is Janis Joplin 2.0; rating results for digital assistants; the day Net Neutrality died; ReKognition; a Walking Algorithm…and much, much more.

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Best Digital Cases

New Snapchat Lens Games Controlled By Gum Chewing

There’s never been a video game players could control by gum chewing. Thanks to TicTac, there are some on Snapchat now.

#MPRRaccoon

A raccoon took a break on Tuesday outside a window on the 23rd floor of UBS Tower in St. Paul, Minn., hours after it began its ascent.

Daredevil Raccoon Climbs Minnesota Skyscraper and Becomes a Sensation

This poor raccoon apparently got itself stranded on a ledge of the Town Square office building in downtown St. Paul, likely on an errant mission to raid pigeon nests on the skyway over 7th Street. It's been there for two days now, without food or water. @mprnews pic.twitter.com/fVI5pmdCWq

— Tim Nelson (@timnelson_mpr) June 12, 2018

What you've all been waiting for… #MissionImpossible #MPRraccoon 🤣 @kare11 @ElleryTV @DPet_KARE11News @timnelson_mpr pic.twitter.com/SZKNem45yf

— Alicia Lewis (@alicialewisKARE) June 13, 2018

https://twitter.com/Izzy_in_Ottawa/status/1007053528492175360

Staten Island Pizza Rats

The Staten Island Yankees announced that they’ll have a new fan chosen name this season – The Staten Island Pizza Rats. Guess who inspired the name?

Staten Island Pizza Rats Website

https://twitter.com/SIYanks/status/1006190875540643840

Paralyzed By Choice

Restaurants are increasingly driving patrons down a rapid assembly line featuring a giant array of possibilities, some a little obscure.

That Endless Series of Menu Options Is Paralyzing Diners

Angela Merkel’s Viral G-7 Instagram Post

German Prime Minister Angela Merkel posted a photo in her Instagram account that instantly summed up the G7 Summit, immediately went viral and inspired memes.

“Just tell us what Vladimir has on you. Maybe we can help.” pic.twitter.com/DLc7YJFXqT

— Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) June 10, 2018

This looks like an episode of Celebrity Apprentice where Trump is about to fire Angela Merkel because her strudel marketing plan fell through. pic.twitter.com/ZLYlaDrNts

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) June 10, 2018

Push Button Satisfaction

HappyOrNot terminals look simple, but the information they gather is revelatory.

Customer Satisfaction At The Push Of A Button

Janis Joplin Re-Incarnated?

Endearingly shy 13 year-old Courtney Hadwin brought “America’s Got Talent” judges and the audience to a standing ovation when she opened her mouth to sing and belted out “Hard to Handle” sensationally.

See why @howiemandel called @CourtneyHadwin the next Janis Joplin. #AGT https://t.co/b1WcCp6C3t

— America’s Got Talent (@AGT) June 13, 2018

Rating Personal Digital Assistants

Stone Temple asked Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Microsoft Cortana and Apple Siri 5000 questions each to find out which was best at answering them.

Rating the Smarts of the Digital Personal Assistants in 2018

Worst Digital Cases

The Day the Internet Died

We knew it was coming, but the FCC declared the end of Net Neutrality and consumers stand to suffer. Good news: states are fighting back.

Surveillance Society

Fix the technology before implementing systems can have real and permanent effects over peoples lives.

Shiny New Stuff

21 Great Sources of free high quality photographs

High-Res Art

Museum Releases 20,000 High-Res Artworks You Can Download For Free

Face App Uses Neural Networks to Change Your Look

Face App uses AI to offer six filters: Smile, Hot, Young, Old, Male, and Female that can change the expression, and the age, of your selfie. The same person is shown in four filters, below.

FaceApp uses neural networks to change your look, now available on Android