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Texas explicitly allows driverless car tests
Self-driving cars have been roaming Texas streets for a while. Believe it or not, though, there hasn't been legislation that directly permits autonomous vehicles -- there just wasn't a law banning them. The situation is clearer after this week, though. State governor Greg Abbott has signed a bill that explicitly allows driverless vehicles as long as they meet certain (fairly logical) conditions.
Apple, Facebook and Google condemn Texas transgender bill
Proposed legislation in Texas has irked some of the biggest names in tech, sparking condemnation from the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook and 12 other influential tech leaders. If passed, this controversial state law would only allow transgender students to use restrooms that match the gender printed on their birth certificate. While Texan lawmakers continue to debate what's become known as the "bathroom bill", the influential executives have penned a letter urging the state's governor not to pass the "discriminatory" legislation. Senior employees from Microsoft, Amazon and game developer Gearbox Software have also co-signed the letter with Facebook and Apple, claiming that the proposed law would be "bad for employees and bad for business." Governor Greg Abbott has revealed that he intends to pass the controversial bill before the end of May.
Texas bill could mean jail time for flying a drone over oil facilities
The ebb and flow of legal rules when it comes to flying a drone, whether it's a cheap mainstream model or something a little more intense, is confusing. It also differs depending on country, and even state. When it comes to Texas, both the House and the Senate are pushing a bill that could attach jail sentences to any pilot found guilty of flying something over oil and gas drilling facilities, as well as telecomms infrastructure and concentrated animal feeding operations -- factory farms. Politicians want these structures added to a "critical infrastructure" list, where flying a drone lower than 400 feet aboveit would be a Class B misdemeanor and could even mean up to 180 days in jail.
Texas legislature overrules Austin, allows Uber and Lyft to return
When Austin citizens voted in May 2016 to require fingerprint-based background checks from ride-sharing drivers and ban passenger pickup in traffic lanes, Uber and Lyft promptly pulled out of the city. But both are scheduled to restart operations in the city next Monday thanks to legislation passed by the Texas Legislature this month. The bill overrides local ordinances like Austin's that regulate ride-hailing services and only needs Governor Greg Abbott's signature to become law.
T-Mobile 'ghost calls' to 911 linked to two deaths in Dallas
911 outages as a result of cellphones have been a problem before, especially for T-Mobile, and it looks like the issue still hasn't been resolved. In the past week, an infant and an adult male died as a result of calls to 911 not being handled promptly, according to the Dallas Morning News. When a T-Mobile customer calls 911 in Dallas, the publication says that the phone will continuously dial 911 and the call center registers them as hang-ups. The 911 dispatchers need to then call the numbers back to verify the calls, which in turn means legitimate callers are placed on hold.
SXSW 2017: What to watch out for over the weekend
The atmosphere here in Austin, Texas is warming up nicely (as is the weather, thankfully). With the smell of BBQ and the constant strum of guitars now permanently lingering in the air, it can only mean one thing: SXSW's Interactive weekend is upon us. If you're not here on the ground in Austin, no worries: We're here to bring the show to you via the interpipes.
Lawmaker: Chile and Texas don't share a flag, y'all
The current roster of emojis includes many national flags, but not state-specific ones. So, left with few other options, people have taken to using the Chilean flag emoji (🇨🇱) to signify Texas pride. This makes sense considering how much the two flags look alike, but one Texas lawmaker has had enough.
Who is Jerry Falwell Jr. and why is he reforming higher education?
Donald Trump has already earned his reputation of nominating candidates for his cabinet-level positions who face stiff opposition from the science and tech community. He's given the nod to former Texas Governor Rick Perry, who once called on Congress to abolish the Department of Energy that he now heads, and EPA nominee Scott Pruitt, who, as Oklahoma attorney general, sued the EPA no fewer than 14 times. On Tuesday, Trump continued this streak by tapping Jerry Falwell Jr. to head up a presidential task force charged with suggesting reforms for the Department of Education.
ICYMI: Augment yourself with video glasses and exosuits
Today on In Case You Missed It: Between Snap Inc.'s more-buzz-than-Google-Glass sunglasses and exoskeleton suits for the workplace, we are officially future-living. Spectacles cost $130 and are dispensing in randomly placed vending machines. Meanwhile, SuitX, a robotics company from California, created three exosuit options designed to help physical laborers do their jobs and stay injury-free. Stanford researchers have a system that uses chemicals rather than electrons to send text messages, and Texas A&M's gymnastics team created an amazing mannequin challenge that must be seen to be believed. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Satellites could predict the next human-caused earthquake
Back in March, the US Geological Survey (USGS) changed its method of tracking earthquakes to include human-induced seismic activity. Suddenly, Oklahoma looked as tremor-prone as California, mainly due to the spread of wastewater disposal wells in the state. A team of geophysicists set out to build a model to predict this seismic activity. In their report released today in the journal Science, they analyzed three years of satellite radar data linking land deformation above wastewater disposal to earthquakes in the surrounding area.
Pro-Uber Austin politician sues to abolish fingerprint rule
Uber and Lyft have found a friend in Austin City Council Member Donald Zimmerman. The pro-ridesharing politician has filed a lawsuit against the mayor in an effort to overturn the rule requiring drivers to undergo fingerprint background checks. If you'll recall, ridesharing companies lost a special election in Austin held on May 7th, wherein 56 percent of voters were in favor of doing stricter background checks on drivers. According to Reuters, his lawsuit argues that the requirement's language was confusing, unlawful and did not provide enough information about the process.
Wrong house gets torn down based on a Google Maps error
We've seen our share of GPS-guided mishaps, but what happened to the owners of a Texas duplex is particularly heartbreaking. Their house was torn down by mistake (no, this isn't the first time that's happened, it's not even the first time in Texas) after it was damaged by a tornado, and the demolition company apparently blames Google Maps for the error. They lived at 7601 Calypso Dr., and as you can see below, on Google Maps it lists the same location for that address as it shows for 7601 Cousteau Dr. --the home a block away that was supposed to be demolished. (At the time of this writing, both Apple Maps and Mapquest have what appears to be the correct listing for 7601 Cousteau Dr.)
We're live at SXSW Interactive 2016!
Hello Austin! Once again SXSW -- the weird and wonderful show for interactive digital technology -- is upon us, and Engadget's here in full force to bring you the best bits as they happen. Unlike other shows that offer the latest phones, TVs or games, SXSW is all about the big ideas, the slightly crazy ideas, and hottest topics in tech. Expect innovative uses for VR, off-beat music installations, buckets of BBQ, and even a visit from the President. We'll be covering it all (minus, perhaps, the BBQ), and you can follow along right here on Engadget. If you want to make sure you don't miss a thing, then you can closely follow all our coverage here, or get the highlights (and behind the scenes fun) via Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat.
DraftKings and FanDuel are legal in Virginia
Virginia's General Assembly recently sent the Fantasy Sports Act to governor Terry McAuliffe, and now that he's signed, it is the first state with daily fantasy law on the books. Highlights of the bill include a $50,000 registration fee for companies like DraftKings and FanDuel and age restrictions on players (you must be 18, much like gambling). Oh, and in a nod to the mess that put the industry in the spotlight: employees and their relatives can't play in any contests. What's more, site operators need to keep player and operational funds separate in addition to keeping data secure.
Troublesome details arise about 'Clock Kid' Ahmed's arrest
The attorney for Ahmed Mohamed revealed new details about the September events in Texas in a letter sent to both school and city officials in Irving, Texas. If you'll recall, Ahmed is the 14-year-old boy who was arrested under suspicions of creating a "hoax bomb," but the device was nothing more than a clock. Early accounts of the events that day detailed one teacher seeing the gadget and thinking nothing of it before a second told him that it resembled a bomb. In a letter of demand, Mohamed's lawyer alleges that school officials never really thought that the clock was an explosive device, as the second teacher didn't initially treat the gadget like she thought it was dangerous. She did escort Ahmed to the office, where the letter alleges that five police officers, the principal and the assistant principal performed an "interrogation." During that time, he was allegedly not permitted to contact his parents and was forced to sign a letter of confession under the threat of expulsion. Eventually, authorities decided not to charge him, but his family says the damage was done.
Google tests self-driving cars in Austin, Texas
Plenty of folks in Austin, Texas have spotted Google's distinctive self-driving Lexus cars recently, and now we know why. The company revealed that it's now rolling the vehicles in downtown Austin in order to "(test) our software in different driving environments, traffic patterns and road conditions." While Google could also test its self-driving cars in Nevada and elsewhere, Austin is the first city outside of Mountain View where it's actually done so. The reason? "We've loved how much Austin embraces innovation," a Google spokesperson told the Austin American-Statesmen. She added that with Google Fiber and several company offices in the city, it was a natural fit for self-driving cars.
Texas judges make it harder to fight patent trolls
Federal courts might have made it harder for patent trolls to sue over vague ideas, but the Eastern District of Texas (the trolls' preferred venue) just put the ball back in their court. Some judges in the region now demand that the targets of these lawsuits get permission before they file motions to dismiss cases based on abstract concepts. If the defendants don't show "good cause" for needing those motions, the lawsuits go ahead -- and historically, that means that the trolls either win their cases or extract settlements from companies unwilling to endure the costs of a prolonged legal battle.
Tesla loses its shot at direct car sales in Texas
If you want to buy a Model S in Texas, you're going to have to jump through some hoops for at least the next couple of years. Bills that would let Tesla sell cars directly to customers aren't going to get a vote before the state's legislative session wraps up on June 1st, leaving the electric vehicle maker high and dry until the next session kicks off in 2017. This doesn't mean that you're completely out of luck if you want Tesla-made transportation in Austin (see above for proof), but you can't simply pick one up.
Hyperloop test track likely bound for Texas
Tesla CEO and SpaceX CTO Elon Musk took to Twitter this afternoon to provide a bit more info on his Hyperloop project. According to the tweet, the 700-MPH transit system will get a test track where both companies and student teams can visit to test pod designs. What's more, he says Texas will be the likely home for it. SpaceX announced in August that its new rocket facility would be built in Brownsville, and The Lone Star State was a consideration for Tesla's Gigafactory, so it's clear Musk and Co. fancy the area. There's also the possibility of an annual student competition, similar to the Formula SAE Series. Let's be honest: who wouldn't want to see some super high-speed pod racing?
Google Fiber hits Austin this December
It looks like AT&T's gigabit internet is going to get some new company in Austin come December: Google Fiber. At a recent planning meeting in the Weird City, Mountain View detailed how it'll at long last roll the service out, and, as Gigaom notes, it seems similar to what's been in place in the Kansas City, Missouri area. Just like before, individual neighborhoods will have to commit to using the service for Google to consider putting Fiber there. If your area's selected, you'll have to pay a $300 "construction fee" to access the pipeline but, aside from a free 5mbps package, other pricing details haven't been announced. Itching to sign-up and get yourself on the map? You'll have to wait until the last month of the year for that. It feels like a lifetime ago since we first caught wind of Fiber's Austin appearance, but surely you've used those 18 months to plan your first blazing-fast download, right? [Image credit: StuSeeger/Flickr]