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A fifth of startup founders think sexism reports are 'overblown'
Despite the pervasive issue of sexism and harassment in Silicon Valley gaining prominence in recent times, it seems the industry still has a long way to go in acknowledging the problem. A survey by venture firm First Round Capital polled 800 startup founders and found that 19 percent of respondents (that's nearly a fifth) believe sexual harassment in tech has been "overblown" by the media, while 40 percent say the issue is "more significant than the media is reporting". Meanwhile, 53 percent say they, or someone they know, has personally experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.
Tesla's diversity panel uncovers more tales of Silicon Valley sexism (updated)
When former Tesla employee AJ Vandermeyden sued the company for ignoring complaints of discrimination and "pervasive harassment," the self-driving vehicle maker downplayed her claims. Tesla told The Guardian at the time that it believes in "fostering an inclusive workplace" and that there is "more we can do to promote diversity." The company also said that there would always be a "small number" of people who make these kinds of claims. It turns out, however, that more women have had similar experiences at Tesla, according to a new report in The Guardian.
Queen's Speech 2017: What it means for UK tech
The General Election has been and gone, but questions remain regarding the suitability of Theresa May as Britain's premier. Nonetheless, as part of traditional ritual, MPs have once again descended upon the House of Lords for the reading of the Queen's Speech, where Her Majesty details the formal plan for the current government. Brexit and Britain's security were the banner announcements, but technology also played a key part, with driverless cars and spaceports the notable inclusions.
Recommended Reading: The bright future of free over-the-air TV
Free Over-the-Air TV Is Going to Get Better James K. Willcox, Consumer Reports Thanks to a new standard known as ATSC 3.0, over-the-air TV broadcasts will include all the newfangled tech like 4K and HDR. Consumer Reports has the run down on what that means for OTA, including whether or not you may have to pay for it.
UploadVR sued for ‘rampant’ sexism, general awfulness
UploadVR is the workplace that has everything, at least if you enjoy walking around an office with condom wrappers on the floor. That's just one of many charges being leveled against it by its former director of digital and social media in a recent lawsuit. She alleges that the company was a hotbed of "rampant" sexism and that its co-founders created a toxic working environment for women.
Kickstarter seeks creators to launch more ambitious projects
If you look at what's trending on Kickstarter, you'll see a bunch of gadgets, games and quirky knickknacks. While they all look fun and promising, it seems Kickstarter wants to see grander campaigns much more creative and forward-thinking than usual. The crowdfunding website has published its first request for projects that focus on innovative designs and revolutionary technologies. Its design and tech team is looking for three types in particular, starting with ones that push the envelope.
A ban on immigration is an attack on Silicon Valley
Almost immediately after President Trump signed an executive order banning immigrants from seven muslim majority countries from entering the US, tech companies have come out in force against it. The ban left hundreds of people detained in airports, even those with green cards. Some were even deported.
Amazon will help train veterans for tech jobs
Last week, Amazon said it would bring 100,000 full-time jobs to the US by 2018. This week, the online retailer announced a registered apprenticeship program with the US Department of Labor that will offer training to veterans. The initiative follows CEO Jeff Bezos' pledge to hire 25,000 veterans and their spouses over the course of five years. That goal was announced back in May.
ICYMI: Say farewell to 2016 with these favorite stories
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: We are rounding up some favorite stories from the year before it's lost to us all. When next you see ICYMI, it'll be from CES. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
US catches spies shipping military tech to Russia
We got some good things out of the Cold War, like James Bond and John le Carré, but overall it was a pretty miserable period in history. That's why it's so disappointing to see Russia trying to bring us back to those dark with its latest attempt at ham-fisted espionage. The Department of Justice has announced that an American and two Russians have been arrested on suspicion of running a scheme to swipe military technology. According to a statement, the trio posed as a US electronics startup in order to buy integrated circuits for weapons.
Microsoft could be unveiling its Surface All-in-One in October
Microsoft may very well be introducing its Surface All-in-One device this October during a special fall hardware launch, according to ZDNet.
Simit is a new language for more efficient programming
A team of researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Adobe, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Toronto, Texas A&M and the University of Texas have developed a brand new programming language that can speed up computer simulations significantly.
Recommended Reading: How reliable are internet movie ratings?
'Ghostbusters' is a perfect example of how internet movie ratings are broken Walt Hickey, FiveThirtyEight The reboot of the 1984 classic hits theaters this weekend, but the criticism of the new Ghostbusters has been flying for months. FiveThirtyEight takes a close look at internet ratings for the film as a way of showing that you shouldn't always rely on those numbers when making a decision about which movie to see. "People put far too much faith in numbers that are preliminary, decontextualized and, in the end, oversimplified," Hickey concludes.
Clinton's tech policy includes student loan relief for startups
Now that we're down to just one nominee per party, we're starting to hear some finer points of the candidate's platforms. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton revealed a more detailed tech policy today, a plan that includes high-speed internet for every household over the next four years, cybersecurity, net neutrality and more. Those tenets have already been discussed, but the more recent developments include student loan help for entrepreneurs and funding for STEM education.
Recommended Reading: Is the VR hype train grinding to a halt?
Why the virtual-reality hype is about to come crashing down Christoper Mims, Wall Street Journal While VR seems to be all the rage this year, WSJ's Christopher Mims argues that the bubble is about to burst. Mims says that it'll be the limited content that will ultimately derail the virtual reality hype train, and that it could happen sooner rather than later.
Embrace your inner DJ with McDonald's McTrax placemat
Would you like a side of sick beats with those french fries? McDonald's Netherlands has you covered with the McTrax Placemat, a sheet of paper that allows you to connect with your smartphone to channel your inner Diplo.
How much should we trust tech companies?
Last week, the internet was awash with journalists' interpretations of Spotify's new privacy policy. Depending on whom you ask, the policy was eerie, creepy or just downright atrocious. While Spotify scrambled to reassure us that it wasn't really interested in snooping through your photos or tracking your every move, people publicly quit the service, argued with its CEO and generally hated on the company. Such public outcries are now commonplace. But what is it about the industry that evokes such an endemic distrust? Why are we so quick to believe they're out to do us harm? Aaron Souppouris and Devindra Hardawar try to get the bottom of the matter. Or at least argue about it.
Europe's looking into tighter controls for America's tech titans
Almost all of the world's biggest tech companies are American, a fact that's got the European Union slightly worried. So worried, in fact, that the EU has started looking into forming a regulatory body with the power to monitor companies like Google and Facebook, ensuring that they don't abuse their dominant market position. A research document, prepared for digital commissioner Günther Oettinger and leaked to the Wall Street Journal, shows that officials are worried about these businesses threatening Europe's entire economy.
Pentagon turns to Silicon Valley for the future of warfare
Back in the day, when wars were won and lost by whoever had the biggest stick, the US reigned supreme. Nowadays, however, having the fastest jet isn't much use when hackers can attack you on a whim. That's why the Department of Defense has opened its doors to pitches from those outside the defense community to dream up the next generation of digital weapons. The idea is to coax minds from academia and the sort of companies that you read about on a daily basis into coming up with smarter drones, cybersecurity platforms and better conventional weapons. The DoD is hoping that some technologies will be up and running by 2025, hopefully in time to prevent America's film industry being ruined by the targets of its satire.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: magnetic hoverboard, cardboard robots and a Toyota Prius camper
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. The Los Angeles Auto Show kicked off last week, and Inhabitat was on the scene to bring you a first look at the hottest new green cars. Among the vehicles unveiled at this year's show were Volkswagen's SportWagen HyMotion hydrogen fuel cell concept car and Audi's new A7 Sportback H-Tron Quattro, which is also powered by hydrogen. Inhabitat editor Mike Chino also had the opportunity to test-drive the futuristic Toyota Mirai, which can be powered by clean hydrogen gas made from raw sewage. In other green transportation news, the company Camp-Inn has created a crazy custom Toyota Prius that transforms the hybrid sedan into a small camper. With a fiber-reinforced plastic hump added to the back of the car, there's enough space for a bed.
