Throwback Thursday: Billboard Magazine Debuts the 1st Music Chart

Throwback Thursday: Billboard Magazine Debuts the 1st Music Chart

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On this day in 1936, Billboard Magazine debuted their “music hit parade,” the first-ever chart that ranked national record sales. Founded in 1894 as a trade publication for bill posters, by the early 20th century, the magazine shifted its focus to different aspects of the entertainment industry, such as circuses and burlesque shows. As music began to be more accessible through technological advancements like the phonograph, record player, radio and jukebox, Billboard began to cover more of the music industry. For their first “music hit parade” published on January 4, 1936, jazz violinist Joe Venuti took the Number 1 spot. In 1955, the Billboard Hot 100 chart of top-selling songs was introduced, followed later by the Billboard 200 for top-selling albums. To this day, the Billboard charts serve as the magazine’s “most enduring and influential” achievement.

CES 2018: One Week Countdown

CES 2018: One Week Countdown

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The Consumer Technology Association’s annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is only one week away, and boy are we excited! For those who don’t know, CES is the largest consumer electronics show in the world, showcasing more than “3,900 exhibiting companies, including manufacturers, developers and suppliers of consumer technology hardware, content, technology delivery systems and more…with more than 170K attendees from 150 countries.” (CES). At last year’s CES, we were witness to paper-thin TVs, autonomous vehicles, multi-screen gaming laptops, VR headsets, and, of course, every connected device imaginable with Amazon’s Alexa built-in. But what will CES 2018 bring to the ever-changing technology landscape?

 

Here are a few things we know so far:

 

Samsung always makes a big splash at CES, and we’re hoping that 2018 is no different. Rumors are circulating that Samsung’s “bendable” smartphone, the Galaxy X, could be debuted during the show, as well as the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9 Plus, and a huge 150-inch TV featuring MicroLED technology.

 

Judging by their CES 2018 event tagline: “Reality has never been so exhilarating,” it seems that this year, Lenovo is all in for VR. The computer manufacturing company is hosting a launch event the first day of the show, most likely to unveil its standalone Google Daydream VR headset.

 

In the past, Google has made their presence known at CES through their third-party hardware partners, but this year, the search engine giant will take center stage themselves with a large outdoor booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center. And what will they be showcasing? Most likely the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL, the new Google Home Mini and Google Home Max, and the latest Daydream View virtual reality headset. But this is CES, so there are possibilities for a surprise as well – a new Chromebook, perhaps?

 

One of the main highlights at CES over the past few years has been the incredible showcase of autonomous, electric, and concept cars. It doesn’t look like last year’s “Tesla Killer,” Faraday Future, will be making an appearance this time around, after a turbulent year for the electric car company forced them to halt production on the FF 91, at least for now. However, it seems that Fisker, an automotive company based out of Southern California, will be taking the reigns from Faraday Future at CES 2018 with the debut of their latest luxury electric automobile, Emotion, with a reported range of over 400 miles. We’re also looking forward to more impressive concept cars from Toyota and Hyundai, which recently announced their “New Mobility Experience” at CES 2018, which will “introduce its vision of the car of the future, new and original future car technologies, as well as disclose its developments in autonomous driving, electrification and cockpit experience, including products that have the potential to be mass-produced within the next one to three years.”

 

Regardless of what the thousands of CES exhibitors show, we are certain that this year will have one major parallel to last year: and that’s more Amazon Echo and and Google Home product integration. So, what new, connected smart home devices can we expect to see at the show this year? A talking blender? How about an Alexa-enabled toilet? We’ll have to wait a few more days to find out.

 

CES will descend upon Las Vegas Nevada next week from January 9 – January 12, 2018.

Throwback Thursday: The Beatles’ “White Album” Hits #1

Throwback Thursday: The Beatles’ “White Album” Hits #1

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On this day in 1968, The Beatles’ ninth studio album, “The Beatles” (more commonly referred to as the “White Album” due to its plain white sleeve with no graphics) reached Number One on U.S. charts, remaining there for nine weeks. The four-sided album was released in late November of that year and featured celebrated songs such as “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” “Dear Prudence,” and “Blackbird.” Critically and commercially, the album was a success, however, it was during these recording sessions that the band began to experience great tension. Fights over creative differences, drug use, and the presence of Yoko Ono plagued the making of the album, with Ringo Starr even briefly quitting the band in August. With tensions continuing to mount amongst the band members, The Beatles would ultimately break-up in April of 1970.

The Smart Home: Where it Stands at Year’s End

The Smart Home: Where it Stands at Year’s End

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Up until recently, the notion of a smart home had been a sci-fi fantasy, with tech enthusiasts eagerly awaiting the day their kitchens or living rooms resemble the deck of the Starship Enterprise. To the joy of many, 2017 was labeled “The Year of the Smart Home,” when smart home products that had, up until this point, been popular with niche tech groups and the early adopter crowd would finally make it big in the mainstream market. The year began with an abundance of connected, “smart things” at CES in January – from washer/dryer units and refrigerators, to security cameras and thermostats – many of which incorporated built-in Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant voice control capabilities. But overall, how did smart home products live up to the hype in 2017?

 

It was the introduction of the Amazon Echo Smart Speaker back in 2014 that triggered interest in mainstream smart home gadgets. For the first time, the market had an inexpensive, easy-to-use, beneficial smart product everyone in the home could enjoy. Since then, tech companies and manufacturers have been playing “catch up,” some fairly successfully, like Google, and othersnot so much. With the introduction and influx of smart speakers, other connected products, like Philips Hue Smart Lighting, have gained popularity because they serve as perfect additions to the Echo connected things ecosystem. And, thanks to Amazon’s Echo, voice control has now become the key remote interface within the home.

 

Media research group, Kagan, reports that the number of smart homes in the U.S. grew to over 15 million by the end of last year, which equated to about 12.5% of all U.S. households. According to another report, 26.5% of all U.S. households in 2017 now have at least one smart home product.

 

However, in 2017, consumers are still skeptical about the security of these pricey gadgets. And in a year full of cyber-security disasters, homeowners are growing more anxious about the safety of these products, with a common fear amongst consumers being that intelligent alarm systems and locks can be easily hacked by intruders and that smart TVs and speakers will spy or eavesdrop on unsuspecting users. But according to Business Insider, 2017 smart home adoption problems don’t stem from security issues, but rather, from issues that have plagued these products since the get-go: “high prices, technological fragmentation, and consumers’ lack of a perceived benefit from the devices.”

 

Although prices are steadily dropping, there hasn’t been a strong enough demand for these products to justify the cost. Consumer awareness of the value of smart home products is helping somewhat, but there are plenty of challenges still facing these device brands and manufacturers, such as interoperability issues, security, and overall usability. In 2017, the connected living expanded significantly, and in 2018, it’s expected to continue to grow steadily in the U.S., driven by an expanding number of connected, smart devices in the market.

Top 5 Christmas Movies

Top 5 Christmas Movies

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Christmas is right around the corner! To celebrate, we’ve compiled a “Nice List” of our Top 5 Christmas movies to watch with your family during the holidays!

 

5) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Not feeling especially cheery this holiday season? Well, Tim Burton’s gothic, stunning, stop motion musical, The Nightmare Before Christmas is the perfect “anti-Christmas” Christmas film! The film follows Jack Skellington, “The Pumpkin King of Halloweentown,” as he stumbles from his world of ghouls and ghosts into the bright, lovely world of “Christmastown.” So moved by what he sees there, Jack recruits his fellow monsters and mayhem makers to recreate the wonderment of Christmas in their own horror-filled world (to hilarious results!)

 

4) Home Alone (1990)

When 8 year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is accidentally left behind while his family goes on a Christmas vacation to Paris, Kevin must protect his house from a pair of boneheaded burglars (“The Wet Bandits”) who plan to rob it on Christmas Eve. Directed by Chris Columbus and written by John Hughes, Home Alone is classic, feel-good family film for the holidays.

 

3) Elf (2003)

The most contemporary movie on this list, Elf became an instant holiday classic when it came out in 2003. Starring Will Ferrell as “Buddy the Elf,” a human who, as a baby, was accidentally abducted by Santa Claus after crawling into Santa’s giant bag of toys. Once in the North Pole, Santa and his elves decide to raise Buddy as an elf. Thirty years later, Buddy discovers that he is actually a human, and ventures down to New York City to meet his real father, who is on Santa’s “Naughty List.”

 

2) A Christmas Story (1983)

This 1980’s Christmas classic, set in the 1940’s, follows 9 year-old Ralphie Parker and his quest to get a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun for Christmas, despite the fact that he’ll most likely shoot his eye out. A Christmas Story is filled with memorable moments: from the pink bunny onesie, a tongue stuck on a frozen flagpole, and the infamous leg-lamp, this Christmas film is truly one for the ages.


1) It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

After his business and financial situation deteriorate, George Bailey contemplates suicide. However, an angel named Clarence is sent down from Heaven to show George what life would have been like if he was never born. A true classic, It’s a Wonderful Life is an uplifting holiday tale about community, love, and sacrifice.

 

 

That’s our list of the Top 5 Christmas Movies to watch with your family this holiday season! If you have any other holiday favorites, add yours in the comments section, below!