Category: Technology

• The Ostrich Report On: Field Recordists

  Posted at 10:00 pm by ostrichreport, on March 22, 2019

  

  Every time you hear a non-human sound in a movie, TV show, or a game, it might be the ghost of your grandfather trying to communicate with you from beyond the grave. Or, more likely, it might be the work of a field recordist. They are the people who go out of the studio to record natural sounds of streams, trees, animals, you name it. We never really think about them, but without field recordists, every piece of media you own would sound off and Michael Winslow would probably be a billionaire. I reached out to some of those sound specialists to learn more about their jobs, and this is what they told me: Continue reading →

  Posted in Nature, Technology | 0 Comments | Tagged audio, field recording, field recordist

• The Ostrich Report On: Working At A Laundry Startup

  Posted at 1:00 pm by ostrichreport, on February 27, 2019

  

  Having someone else do your laundry for you isn’t exactly a new idea. “But what if we made it into an app,” asked some entrepreneurs. “HOLY SHIT, HERE’S A BLANK CHECK,” shouted a bunch of investors, and just like that, Washio was born. Washio was a San Francisco-based startup that picked up dirty clothes from your house, cleaned them, and delivered everything back to you. And because they couldn’t work “bacon” into their whole image, the company went with the internet’s second favorite thing: ninjas, which is what they called their employees. It was a cute concept to be sure, but it didn’t last. Tyler, who worked for Washio, explains why:

  Research by Evan Symon.

  Continue reading →

  Posted in Business, Technology | 0 Comments | Tagged laundry, startup, washio

• The Ostrich Report On: AutoWorld – The Failed Theme Park That Was Supposed To Save Flint, Michigan

  Posted at 1:00 pm by ostrichreport, on February 25, 2019

  

  By my rough estimate, the city of Flint, Michigan must be built atop of at least 666 ancient burial grounds because it just cannot catch a break. Ever since GM (first founded in Flint) downsized its workforce in the 1960s, the city has been struggling with population loss, high crime rates, and, most recently, lead-contaminated water and outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease. THIS is what the US should be declaring a national emergency over. But back in 1984, people had a different idea. They actually thought they could save Flint with a car-themed amusement park called AutoWorld. Spoiler alert: it did not work out. Mike actually worked there and this is what he’s learned about it:

  Research by Evan Symon.

  Continue reading →

  Posted in History, Technology | 0 Comments | Tagged autoworld, flint

• The Ostrich Report On: The Chinese Video Game Market

  Posted at 1:00 pm by ostrichreport, on December 21, 2018

  

  If you’ve ever seen an internet ad, you know that China makes a lot of video games, but you probably also think they’re all porn clones of fortress defense browser games that steal your credit card information. But the reality of the Chinese interactive entertainment market is more complex and much, much weirder. I’ve learned that after talking to Alex who used to work for a large video game company in China. He told me that… Continue reading →

  Posted in Technology | 0 Comments | Tagged china, chinese video games, video games

• The Ostrich Report On: Junkyards

  Posted at 1:00 pm by ostrichreport, on December 14, 2018

  

  One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. That’s not only a horrible way to tell your kids they’re adopted, but also a pretty succinct summary of the junkyard business. Need a cheap headlight for your POS clunker or a replacement intake carburetor… cylinder or whatever for that discontinued car your dad bought you for graduation? The junkyard’s probably cut them out of a trashed car months ago and have them stored away in their warehouse. I wanted to learn more about a business that turns garbage into dreams so I talked to Luke who works at a salvage yard in Texas. He told me that: Continue reading →

  Posted in Crime, Money, Technology | 1 Comment | Tagged junkyard, scrapyard

• Search for:

• Recent Posts

  • The Ostrich Report Is On Indefinite Hiatus
  • The Ostrich Report On: Field Recordists
  • The Ostrich Report On: Working At A Dating Scam Site
  • The Ostrich Report On: Garbagemen
  • The Ostrich Report On: Social Security Disability

• Categories

  • Crime (9)
  • Money (8)
  • Health (8)
  • History (5)
  • Technology (5)
  • Science (4)
  • Sex & Romance (4)
  • Movies & TV (3)
  • Military (3)
  • Music (3)