The 11th Hour Dispatch — Wednesday, July 11, 2018
BINGE WATCH
Emmy Award-winning director Mimi Leder has been tapped to helm Apple’s Reese Witherspoon/Jennifer Aniston-led drama about a morning talk show. Leder has directed episodes of numerous hit TV series including The West Wing, Shameless, and ER, the last of which she also served as a supervising producer and co-executive producer for periods of 1994 and 1995. The director is currently wrapping up the feature film On the Basis of Sex starring Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer. The Apple series, which is still currently untitled, will be executive produced by Aniston through Echo Films, Witherspoon and partner Lauren Levy Neustadter through Hello Sunshine, and Michael Ellenberg through Media Res. Writer Kerry Ehrin of Bates Motel fame will serve as showrunner. And now we sit back and wait for that release date as Apple continues to burn through its seemingly endless content budget.
YOUNG MONEY
Opera, the software maker behind the Opera browser, is rolling out a browser-based digital wallet. Opera Crypto is built into the latest Android browser and supports the Ethereum Web3 API. On top of tokens, the wallet will support (much cuter) “crypto-collectibles” like CryptoKitties. Opera argues that this built-in method makes its wallet much more user-friendly than other competitors, which often require installation of extensions or overly complicated passphrases. Opera Crypto is also integrated with Coinbase, the largest crypto exchange, which allows users to directly pay for items in online stores with their digital wallet.
BIG BUSINESS
Shopaholics rejoice! You may soon be able to buy more unneeded products from Amazon directly through Snapchat. A researcher recently discovered the unreleased feature in the code of Snapchat’s Android app. The feature would reportedly allow you to use your phone’s camera to identify objects, songs, and barcodes through third-party integrations with Amazon, song identification app Shazam, and other similar companies. Once photographed, Snapchat would display sellers and reviews of the product. Besides just being an interesting feature, it could be a way for Snapchat to monetize its struggling operation.
NOTHIN’ BUT ‘NET
Three “memelords” made this amazingly petty Google Slides presentation calling out Harpers Bazaar for allegedly using their content without consent or payment.
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