Happy Friday!
This week's top pick is a fantastic look at how Disney+ could become a major commerce platform. Disney+ already has 10 million subscribers and that number is growing, fast. Disney+'s new direct-to-consumer audience has presented its merchandising arm with an opportunity that could transform its business.
Also this week, the New York Times reports that the streaming era has finally arrived, (we agree!), Roku-powered TVs are poised to take on the UK market, and TikTok teases shoppable video.
Finally, a wonderful article covering artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's interactive Border Tuner and the people it has connected.
Enjoy, and see you next week!
Interactive art installation lets strangers talk to each other across the border
Searchlights have been illuminating the sky on the US-Mexico border between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, but these lights have nothing to do with border security.
They are part of Border Tuner, a large-scale interactive art installation. Each side of the border has stations. At each station, there is a microphone, a loudspeaker, and a small wheel. This small wheel allows you to search the night sky with your light, and when that light finds another light, a conversation begins. You can't see each other's faces, but you can hear each other's voices, booming from the speaker.
A conversation between strangers starting high above the border, where searching lights meet.