What You Need to Know Today
Good evening, Early Risers!
Tech
Meet the girl who had Austin Tinder users in a frenzy at SXSW. Our hats go off to the marketing team who came up with the idea of creating a fake Tinder profile to promote the artificial intelligence thriller ‘Ex Machina’ that premiered at SXSW festival last weekend. Check out the brilliant and sad conversation (screenshot) between an unsuspecting Tinder user and the attractive 25-year old robot Ava, here.
The app millennials are using to stay focused at work. The app is called ActionAlly and it’s not a productivity app, says the creators. “The purpose of ActionAlly is to transform you into a fundamentally more effective person.” The app has features that allow you to create reminders of your to-dos in new browser tabs, you can plan your next work day the night before, and it allows you to schedule chunks of work time that will block websites in your browser (Facebook, YouTube, Buzzfeed), so you don’t get distracted. Best of all, it’s free.
Career
How you really sound when you ask for a raise (video). Before you go storming into your boss’ office and ask for a raise, watch this short video by Fast Company. “I show up to work on time.” What you really sound like, “I used to get trophies for participation.” After you watch some of the cringe worthy moments, read this article and find out how to actually get a raise you deserve.
Personal Development
What you should REALLY be taking away from the Starbucks: Race Together campaign. Starbucks’ CEO, Howard Schultz has been under a lot of scrutiny after his latest campaign failed miserably. Schultz made Starbucks baristas write on coffee cups #racetogether, in effort to raise awareness for racial equality. But the story that’s not getting attention is Schultz’s bold attempt at taking action on an important and timely issue.
All you need is 5 minutes to improve your creative writing. A new website called writersmob.com has created a simple way for writers to practice their craft with fun, 5-minute writing challenges. The platform is free, you can sign up and track your progress and you can compare your writing to what others wrote.