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GOP rep. on ISP privacy rules: 'Nobody's got to use the internet'
The internet is a ubiquitous part of our daily lives. It's where many of us turn when we need to file our taxes, apply for jobs or search for housing. But one Republican lawmaker who voted to roll back FCC privacy regulations last month said, "Nobody's got to use the internet" when asked about his decision at a town hall meeting, displaying a staggering amount of ignorance about how the internet affects the modern world.
GM aims to put 300 more self-driving Chevy Bolts on the road
General Motors and its San Francisco-based autonomous vehicles division Cruise have made it clear they plan to put an autonomous taxi fleet on the road as fast as possible. Earlier this year, rumors from both the Wall Street Journal and Reuters claimed GM's project with Lyft could start in a test market sometime this year before a wider expansion in 2018. While Cruise has been quickly adding staff in San Francisco, GM will still need to more test cars on the road in order to get enough data and information to refine its autonomous systems for passenger use. According to a new report from IEEE Spectrum, GM and Cruise plan to add 300 more self-driving Chevy Bolts to their fleet and could be rolling them out as soon as next month.
Dallas siren hack: Coming to a city near you
At 11:42 PM last Friday night in Dallas, suddenly and for no apparent reason, what locals call the 'tornado sirens' went off. All of them. It was a clear, calm night; no foul weather presaged the blare of an emergency system so loud it's meant to wake sleepers inside their houses. When the 156 sirens continued to go off in repeating 90-second cycles, seemingly without end, people started to worry about being bombed.
SpaceX announces date for second Hyperloop pod competition
It's been less than three months since the first Hyperloop Competition blasted test pods down a 1.25-kilometer test track in Southern California and SpaceX is already gearing up for the second edition. Hyperloop Pod Competition II will take place at SpaceX's Hawthorne, California facility over the weekend of August 25-27th, 2017.
This experimental e-book gets edited every time it changes hands
A Universe Explodes is an unusual e-book in a variety of ways. Best viewed on a mobile device, it's about 20 pages long and has 128 words per page. Only 100 people "own" the original version, though the book itself is free and can be read by anyone at any time. Each copy can be shared with up to 100 others, but first each owner must personalize it by removing two words and adding one to every page. Since each copy is subtly different, they are all considered "limited editions." Owners are required to share the book with a friend once they're done editing it -- and each time the e-book is passed on, more and more words disappear until there's only one left per page.
Of course there's a 'Candy Crush' fashion collection
The Candy Crush craze continues to reach new heights. Just when you thought a TV show based on the popular game was more than you could handle, well, that's not the only thing happening in time for summer. King, the app's developer, has teamed up with fashion brand Moschino on a collection of accessories and swimwear, in celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Candy Crush Saga. Available today (only until it sells out), the gear includes an iPhone case, bathing suits for men and women as well as a backpack, respectively priced at $70, $205, $300 and $650.
Trump administration is killing its open data portal
Reversing yet another Obama-era practice, the Trump administration announced on Friday that it will not only be keeping its visitor logs secret for five years after Trump leaves office, but will be shuttering the Open.gov portal. This is where the previous administration posted visitor logs, financial disclosures and data on White House staff.
Unlock YouTube's hidden Dark Mode to save your eyes
If you've ever tried to watch YouTube when it's dark out, you know that the typical bright white of the video service's page can be a bit blinding. Enter "Dark Mode," a hidden feature that turns the light surfaces black or dark gray so you can get on with those cat videos without all that glare.
'Tinder for BFFs' app makes more sense than you'd think
For most of my adult life, I've had trouble making friends. As a shy, introverted person, I don't go out often, and when I do, it's hard for me to talk to people. What do I say? How do I jump into conversations? After many failed attempts, I became increasingly self-conscious, developing deep-seated social anxiety and a fear of rejection. As a result, most of my friendships are cultivated through the internet, where the usual social barriers don't apply. Over the years, I've gotten better at relating to people in real life, but I still struggle occasionally. So when I heard about a friendship app, I was intrigued. Could this be the solution to my woes?
Facebook is now better at detecting fake accounts
Facebook has incorporated some technical changes to its website that make it easier to address one of its biggest problems: spam accounts. According to a blog post by Protect and Care Team manager Shabnam Shaik, the social network can now detect fake accounts more effectively, even ones that may look authentic. The company's upgraded systems identify inauthentic profiles by looking for patterns, such as repeatedly posting the same thing over and over or a sudden spike in messaging activity. Shaik says their systems can do those without looking at the actual contents of users' posts.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 36: Bad and Boujee
On this episode of the Engadget Podcast senior editor Cherlynn Low and executive editor Dana Wollman join host Terrence O'Brien to talk about some recent examples of bad corporate behavior. First the trio look the most recent developments at Uber, where days without controversy are increasingly rare. After that, they turn their attention to another perennial punching bag (and soon to be newest member of the Verizon family) Yahoo. The company's troubles aren't new. In fact the panel will be discussing just the latest fallout from a scandal surrounding political prisoners in China that dates back to 2007. Finally, on the Wind Down, Cherlynn reveals that gratuitous nudity isn't what makes an HBO show and Terrence wholeheartedly endorses the chaotic and experimental "pop." Then Dana offers her review of 1986's Little Shop of Horrors.
The new CIA head hates WikiLeaks (when convenient)
The new director of the CIA has come out swinging against WikiLeaks, calling the organization a "hostile intelligence service." In his first public speech, Mike Pompeo called Julian Assange a "narcissist who has created nothing of value," adding that he "relied upon the dirty work of others to make himself famous."
Facebook buys newspaper space to combat fake news
Facebook has splashed out on a bevy of full-page newspaper ads explaining how readers can better identify fake news. As Bloomberg reports, the marketing materials appeared in Bild, Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Die Welt -- among other dailies in Germany -- on Thursday, pushing 10 "tips" for parsing information online. They're timely, given the German government is currently debating a new law that would fine social networks which fail to act on the problem. Specifically, platform holders would be penalized up to 50 million euros (roughly $53 million) if they don't offer proper reporting tools, or refuse to remove illegal content.
ICYMI: The story of Microsoft's Solitaire and volleyball-blocking robots
Way back in 1988, Wes Cherry was a Microsoft intern and during his time at the company he created the biggest time waster the world has ever known: The Solitaire computer game. Cherry built the game out of boredom instead of being directed by his superiors. But he bosses -- including CEO and founder Bill Gates -- liked the game so much they added it to Windows in 1990. Since then, Cherry has made exactly zero dollars on his creation. And you thought your internship was bad.
Microsoft hammered by surveillance requests in 2016 (updated)
US authorities must have spent more time at Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court last year than in 2015. According to Microsoft's latest transparency report, the tech titan received 1,000 to 1,499 surveillance requests for foreign intelligence purposes (known as FISA) from January to June 2016. That's at least double the 0 to 499 requests it received within the same period the year before and then again from July to December 2015. Those figures look weird, because the government only allows companies to report FISA requests in a wide range of numbers. We unfortunately don't know the exact figures, though Microsoft's report is pretty telling anyway.
The Morning After: Friday, April 14th 2017
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. This Friday, we're saying an unexpected goodbye to the NES Classic Edition and preparing for the Model 3's big reveal in July. Oh, and scientists took a picture of a black hole -- you just can't look at it yet.
New York City's free WiFi kiosks speed up access to social services
When New York City launched its LinkNYC gigabit free WiFi program last year, it was a win for internet accessibility. With over 800 devices currently spread across New York City, the kiosks provide municipal broadband for anyone in WiFi range, as well as charging outlets, free phone calls, maps and directions, 911 access and a built-in tablet anyone can use. While the city unfortunately had to disable the web browsers due to some users' awkward browsing habits, LinkNYC kiosks are getting a new feature that will help users without internet access quickly find social programs and safety net services.
Survey says: Political polarization isn't the internet's fault
It's easy to blame social media for the rising political polarization in the US when you can use it to hide in a bubble of your own creation. Simply block people who don't share your viewpoint on Facebook and Twitter, and follow, Like and heart only people who do. According to a study conducted by economics professors from Stanford and Brown Universities, though, you can't blame it all on social media -- not when it's older Americans who barely use the internet who are becoming more polarized.
The time for Uber leadership to step down is long overdue
It seems like hardly a week goes by without Uber fending off bad press. If it isn't sexual-harassment stories or driver disputes, it's self-driving car accidents and reports of sleazy business practices. The situation has gotten so bad that employees are leaving in droves; President Jeff Jones left last month, AI Labs director Gary Marcus did as well, and so has VP of Product Ed Baker. Rachel Whetstone, Uber's head of policy and communications for two years, announced this week she was stepping down too. But until CEO and founder Travis Kalanick leaves and Uber changes its "Always be hustlin'" mantra, it's highly unlikely that anything will change.
Uber accused of ignoring drunk driver complaints in California
In the latest string of bad PR for Uber, the company could be facing down yet another fine from regulators in the state of California, this time for allegedly failing to look into rider complaints of drivers on the service being under the influence. As the Los Angeles Times reports, the state has a zero-tolerance policy for intoxicated drivers on ride-hailing platforms, meaning the company must immediately suspend and investigate a driver if they receive a complaint. But according to a legal filing from the California Public Utilities Commission, the ride-hailing giant failed to take action in at least 149 complaints during the one-year period from August 2014 to 2015, and may have left potentially dangerous drivers on the road.
