Facebook has expanded its “Like” functionality to encompass more reactions. Will Oremus wrote about how Zuckerburg and co. could use this to their advantage:

• With the Like button users told Facebook that they wanted to see more of a certain thing. But with the new buttons Facebook can understand how users truly feel about something.
• Facebook could use this, for example, to figure out the perfect mix of emotions to elicit in you through the posts it shows, to keep you coming back.
• It could also, of course, figure out the mix of emotions that get you to click on the most ads.
• In fact, advertizers could now be asked to pay more if they want to ensure that their posts are shown alongside those that generate positive feelings.

Read other musings about why Facebook made some of the choices that it did, and what this means about the future of the social network here.

Source: Slate

Minorities in the United States usually earn less than a typical white heterosexual male. Yet there’s one minority group that defies this in both the United States and the wider world: lesbians. The Economist took a look at why:

• Since men usually earn more than women, lesbians might be working longer to compensate for the lost income of a male partner. Longer hours mean more experience which means promotions and higher wages.
• It might also be because lesbian couples share more childcare and housework responsibilities, freeing them to focus on their careers.
• Perhaps employers are promoting lesbians over other candidates because they’re less likely to take maternity leave.
• Or maybe having to deal with all of the discriminations that result from being a sexual minority make lesbians more competitive.

The full article provides more details and points out potential problems with the data. It’s worth a read here.

Source: The Economist

People always find a way wrote Chuin-Wei Yap:

• Due to concerns about China’s economy the rich are increasingly looking for ways to move their cash to safe havens abroad.
• To prevent sudden capital flight the government has limited transfers of cash out of the country to $50,000 a year.
• One company tried to hire a law firm to exploit a loophole by sueing itself for breach of contract. The plan was that the company would lose the lawsuit, and thus pay $3.5 million to its foreign subsidiary abroad.
• It was hoped that going through the entire legal process would keep the government blind to what was really going on.

Read more here.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Via: Marginal Revolution

Lindsay Kolowich posted an infographic showing Google’s biggest revenue generators:

• The most expensive keyword on Google is “San Antonio Car Wreck Attorney”.
• If someone has an ad on those keywords, and the ad is clicked, Google earns $670 from them.
• Lawyers in general seem to use Google to identify clients. Of the top 10 most expensive key words on Google, nine relate to legal inquiries.
• Rounding out the top 10 is “Austin Drug Rehab” – ads for which cost $463 per click.
• Ads for water damage, insurance, and online education are also amongst the 100 most expensive.

See the infographic here.

Source: Hubspot

Studios are changing how they think about release dates wrote Molly Driscoll:

• The summer months used to be when audiences could expect to see the blockbuster action movies that drew crowds.
• This movie season though Star Wars came out in December – traditionally a fallow period– and anticipated movies like Deadpool and Batman v Superman are coming out well before the summer.
• This is in part because there’s less competition. The highest grossing films – Avatar and Titanic – came out in December, allowing them an unchallenged run in theaters for several months.
• Movie studios are also trying to compete against a golden age of television. Now top quality TV content is released around the year, and the movie industry is trying to keep up.

Read more here.

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Kelsey D. Atherton wrote about how non-state actors – such as terrorist groups and pirates – may soon start to operate:

• The big advantage that conventional forces have that even prominent non-state actors such as ISIS have not been able to replicate is access to an air force.
• Yet drone technology could soon change that. It has the potential of turning even small fishing boats into literal aircraft carriers.
• These could be used, for example, by pirates to perform surveillance before choosing to attack a ship.
• They could also be used to deliver heavier weapons on board a target ship, making it easier for pirates to quickly board.
• The solution to this may be lasers that can melt down incoming drones.

Read more here.

Source: Popular Science

Jennifer Miller wrote about disruptions to the real estate market:

• Instead of spending a day travelling to different homes, virtual reality will mean that those looking for a place to live will be able to stop by an agent’s office and tour multiple residences.
• It’ll be particularly helpful for those moving to another city as they’ll know what their next home will look like before they make the move.
• Architects will be able to show buyers what their homes will look like once they are built.
• Virtual reality tours can also be setup to let viewers hear the ambient audio and know if they have to be worried about noise from a nearby railroad crossing.
• It’s expensive though. Setting up a home for virtual reality tours can cost $100,000 a pop.

The full article provides many more details. Read it here.

Source: The New York Times

In a wider article about how the call center industry is changing, The Economist had some interesting bits of information about the impact they are having on The Philippines:

• In the west malls have movie cinemas on the top floor to attract youth to the stores on the floors below.
• In one Filipino mall the top floor is occupied by a call center. It serves the same purpose – since it’s large groups of young people who work there, it helps ensure a steady flow of customers to the stores below.
• As many call centers serve those in the west, large numbers of people work through the night. This has led to a vibrant night life with things like 24/7 Karaoke bars.
• Meanwhile employers outside of the call center industry focus on being able to sleep at night as a big selling point to potential candidates.
• Worryingly the weird hours and cramped dormitories seem to have led to an increase in rates of HIV.

Read more here.

Source: The Economist