-
Tech NewsNews
This Truck Spilled 40,000 Pounds of Printer Ink In a Crash That Probably Cost a Gazillion Dollars
If you’ve ever griped about the cost of printer ink—and at this point, who hasn’t?—then prepare for some well-deserved schadenfreude. On Wednesday morning, a tractor-trailer spilled 40,000 pounds of printer ink onto an Atlanta highway in what is undoubtedly a really freaking expensive crash. According to a local Atlanta news station, the accident occurred around … Continued
-
Tech News
Wikipedia and Reddit Stage Eleventh-Hour Protest Against Alarming EU Copyright Plan
The European Union has been reconsidering its copyright laws for several years, and for months we’ve been trudging towards a final vote. Well, that vote is scheduled for Tuesday, and if approved it could mean the end of the open internet as we know it. Specifically, there are two troubling provisions in the EU’s new … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech NewsNews
Boeing Charged Extra Money for ‘Vital’ Safety Features on 737 Max
Boeing makes a lot of money selling planes around the world. But if you want all the bells and whistles that help ensure those planes don’t fall out of the sky, that sometimes costs extra. At least that’s the conclusion that some experts are coming to as investigations continue into what caused two plane crashes … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech News
I Rode an E-Scooter as Far From Civilization as Its Batteries Could Take Me
Almost as suddenly as the electric rent-a-scooters appeared, everyone had an opinion about them. They began clogging sidewalks across the Bay Area in late 2017 ($1 to start!) as brands with four-letter names like Bird and Lime fought for dominance in the latest vampiric startup scheme. Folks were excited to share their takes, even if … Continued
Joe Veix -
Tech NewsApple
All the Apple Rumors You Can Handle Heading Into Its Streaming and News Event Next Week
In case you hadn’t heard, there’s an Apple event on March 25. That’s probably why we’ve seen Apple quetly drop some refreshes of familiar products these past few days. Monday saw two slightly beefed-up iPads, Tuesday brought news of an upgraded iMac, and yesterday, Apple quietly released new AirPods. But the big star of next … Continued
-
Tech NewsDesign
This Clever Hack Will Change the Way You Find Music on Spotify
My favorite thing about Spotify has always been music discovery. So when the company started building personalized playlists like Discovery Weekly and Release radar, I was hooked. The only problem was listening to all the new music takes forever. But an independent project from a couple of Spotify developers offers an amazing hack for exploring … Continued
-
Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Over 80 Percent of Spear Phishing Attacks Involve Brand Impersonation, Security Firm Says
As phishing attacks become increasingly commonplace, it’s important to know what to look out for. But not all phishing attacks are the same, and some are far more sophisticated than others. Cybersecurity experts say spear phishing, in particular, is on the rise. Traditional phishing scams are often numbers games, but spear phishing involves targeting specific … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsTech Policy
Either the CEO of AT&T Staged a Robocall During a Live Interview or No One Is Immune to This Plague
The robocalling problem just keeps getting worse and worse—last year, the Federal Communications Commission ordered telecommunications executives to start doing something about the problem, which one report in January 2019 estimated had exploded to the tune of 26.3 billion robocalls placed to U.S. numbers annually. And not even the people in charge of the nation’s … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsRobots
Poll: 25 Percent of European Adults Think Maybe Robots Should Be Calling the Shots, Not Politicians
A January 2019 poll conducted by the Center for the Governance of Change at Spain’s IE University has found considerable anxiety throughout Europe about the pace of automation and technological change, Quartz reported—though it also found that about a quarter of respondents believed that maybe artificial intelligence should be in charge, rather than political leaders. … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsAmazon
Amazon Killing Ads for Unprofitable Items Is Yet Another Example of Its Ruthless Money-Grabs
Looking to boost its already massive profits, Amazon is reportedly hitting vendors of unprofitable items where it hurts: their ads. Citing emails sent to Amazon vendors in addition to conversations with individuals familiar with the matter, CNBC reported Wednesday that Amazon recently began informing some of its brands that it will no longer allow them … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence
Transit Unions Are Drawing Up a Plan to Confront Autonomous Vehicles
As institutional embrace of automation continues to create a mounting threat to existing jobs, unions are formally taking note. Last year, the largest Las Vegas service workers union organized a strike partly over casinos’ plans to embrace automated systems, and the union won language in the resulting contract that included protections against automation. 2018 also … Continued
-
Tech NewsGadgets
What the New Oculus Rift Offers Weary Gamers
Between the departure of former CEO Brendan Iribe and Oculus’ recent focus on standalone VR headsets like the Oculus Go and the forthcoming Oculus Quest, it sort of felt like the company’s PC roots were being left behind. But Oculus promised it was working on a successor to the original Rift from 2016, so here … Continued
-
Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Spy-Cam Ring Recorded 1,600 Hotel Guests for a Subscription Porn Site
South Korean authorities say as many as 1,600 motel guests in the country were secretly recorded last year as part of an illegal spy-cam ring that included thousands of patrons. Tiny cameras were concealed inside of TVs and power sockets, among other locations, in 42 motel rooms in 10 cities. The footage was livestreamed, police … Continued
By Dell Cameron -
Tech News
Photoshop Contest: What Is Tim Cook Really Drawing?
Tim Cook, who at nearly 60 years of age has decided to lean into internet memes, tweeted out his own photoshopped version of a (widely edited) promotional image for the iPad Mini today to announce the sequel to the Airpods. Cool. Is any of that especially important? Absolutely not, but that’s what in we in … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech News
Humans Built Complex Societies Before They Invented Moral Gods
The appearance of moralizing gods in religion occurred after—and not before—the emergence of large, complex societies, according to new research. This finding upturns conventional thinking on the matter, in which moralizing gods are typically cited as a prerequisite for social complexity. Gods who punish people for their anti-social indiscretions appeared in religions after the emergence … Continued
-
Tech NewsNews
Chinese Goths Stage Selfie Protest After Subway Rider Ordered to Remove ‘Horrifying’ Makeup
Bela Lugosi may be dead, but his spooky spirit lives on as symbol of protest in China. Social media users in the country are now posting their goth selfies in an act of solidarity with a woman was told to take off her “horrifying” makeup before getting on a train. The woman, a university student, … Continued
-
Tech NewsCrime
Police Report: Popular YouTuber Children Were Starved, Beaten, Pepper-Sprayed by Mother
Warning: This article includes descriptions of sexual and physical abuse of children. The YouTube channel “Fantastic Adventures” has amassed 800,000 followers with its depiction of a family of children fighting super villains and outwitting evil babysitters—but in real life, these kids were reportedly being horrifically abused by their adoptive mother, who allegedly punished them by … Continued
-
Tech NewsTech Policy
Phone Companies Are Finally Doing Something About Our Robocall Hell
We live in a robocall hell with an epidemic of 26.3 billion fraudulent calls made to U.S. numbers in 2018. Tired of con artist robots, no one picks up the phone for strangers anymore. My voicemail is filled with Chinese-language scammers using my area code and telling me that I’m about to be deported. I … Continued
-
Tech NewsGoogle
How Will Google Overcome Stadia’s Biggest Obstacle?
The problem with a gaming platform that relies entirely on the internet is that it relies on the internet. Stadia, Google’s new streaming game platform, will require that users have a robust internet connection to work, and that’s a big problem. “It’s what has plagued game streaming from the beginning,” said Pat Moorhead, Principal Analyst … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence
Aviation Experts Have Predicted Automation Will Lead to Disasters Like the Boeing Max Crashes for 15 Years
The two tragic crashes of Boeing’s best-selling 737 Max planes increasingly look to be caused in part by a malfunctioning automated system—and the pilots’ lack of training around how to deal with it—that was designed to keep the aircraft from stalling out. The final reports aren’t in yet, but the similarities between the crashes in … Continued