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'Predictive policing' could amplify today's law enforcement issues
Law enforcement in America is facing a day of reckoning over its systemic, institutionalized racism and ongoing brutality against the people it was designed to protect. Virtually every aspect of the system is now under scrutiny, from budgeting and staffing levels to the data-driven prevention tools it deploys. A handful of local governments have already placed moratoriums on facial recognition systems in recent months and on Wednesday, Santa Cruz, California became the first city in the nation to outright ban the use of predictive policing algorithms.
Ya Doggie solves the pet food problem you didn't know you had
The adage that "dogs grow to resemble their owners" is not much of a compliment anymore in America -- namely because it portends that our pets will become as portly as their people. In fact, as CBS News reported earlier this year, a third of American dogs are considerably heavier than they should be and it's shortening their lifespans. However, a smart pet food scoop from Santa Cruz, CA-based Ya Doggie promises to not only help establish better feeding habits but also save you from kibble runs.
Silicon Valley to become one ginormous WiFi hotspot
Silicon Valley can't be shown up by, say, Singapore, now can it? That's why the Wireless Silicon Valley Task Force has selected the Silicon Valley Metro Connect, a tech consortium that includes IBM and Cisco to build a giant WiFi network for the region. When built, this massive WiFi hotspot will span 1500 square miles (nearly 3900 sq. km), from the city of South San Francisco to Santa Cruz, a distance of over 60 linear miles (96 km). The plan, for now is to have free access for local residents via advertising, but higher bandwidth applications like VoIP or streaming video would cost extra, reports The Associated Press. No word on how GoogleFi fits into all of this, given that Mountain View is part of this territory. Perhaps Google will use its other stronghold in San Francisco to make a power play for the rest of the Peninsula -- creating one giant battleground of free wireless internet access. Still, WiFi for the SiVi is superfly.
