The BYTE [8/14]

THE BYTE

Welcome to the BYTE, where we serve up the latest home and tech news from the last week for you to sink your teeth into.

This week we’re taking a BYTE out of Facebook, moving trends, little helpers, batteries, and subscriptions. Dig in!

Generally

Beyond Social
Facebook is branching out even more from its social circle. Facebook is starting to launch its own original programming video channel.

Like
Facebook didn’t want you to get confused about what to do with its latest feature so its video platform is called Watch. It is being rolled out slowly to users so keep your eyes peeled. The platform will air an MLB game a week and is partnering with brands such as Tastemade to create original shows. With almost everyone starting their own video platform it will be interesting to see how Facebook can compete.

Pack Your Bags

We’re Moving In…
Moving inland that is. Redfin’s migration report from Q2 this year shows that there is still a strong trend of people moving out of California and away from the coast in general. The report showed that many of these coastal movers are moving to metros in the South and the Sunbelt. While many big cities such as San Fran, L.A., and New York have people moving out, at least three big cities have people wanting to stay put. Chicago, Boston, and Seattle had the highest share of residents planning on staying.

Take Notes

Nano-bots
A new project out of Stanford is made up of tiny, wheeled robots that are here to help. Zooids are their name and they can help bring your phone to you from across the coffee table and point you in the right direction by drawing an arrow. One day they may even be able to clean your home or make your bed. The researchers describe them like ants. One ant can’t do much but a lot of ants can pick up just about anything.

Paper Licking Good
Developers from New York have created a thin battery that activates when you lick it.  You heard that right, by licking the battery the saliva interacts with the material and turns it into electricity. The idea is being looked at to help areas in need or after a disaster to provide short term power to those in need, but who knows maybe one day we will lick our phones to charge them up.

One More Subscription Service
Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and on and on. Subscriptions are everywhere, but this non-profit wants to get you to sign up for a different reason. Inspire, is hoping you will buy a subscription for wind-power. A flat fee, that is customized based off of your past energy usage, gives you cleaner energy by purchasing a Renewable Energy Certificate from a local or regional wind farm. All of this with a good looking app that graphically shows your usage and where to save.

Totally Unrelated

Who Turned Off The Lights?
Exactly one week from now a total solar eclipse is happening over the U.S. Don’t look at it and know when it will pass over you here.