Facebook and Instagram Getting Lots of AI Based Controls; ChatGPT Can Browse the Net Again; Reddit Removing Ability to Opt Out of Ad Personalization; Credit Union Suit Against Apple Pay Can Move Forward

Posted: September 28, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Meta has announced that Facebook and Instagram will be getting a number of new AI powered creator tools, including some that will allow users to edit images and create stickers using text prompts. AI image editing will be available on Instagram, and AI-generated chat stickers will roll out on Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger. According to theverge.com, AI-powered photo editing on Instagram includes two new features: restyle and backdrop. With restyle, users input a text prompt — Meta’s examples include “watercolor” or “magazine collage” — and the tool updates the existing image based on those directions. The backdrop feature also utilizes a text prompt by the user to add new AI-generated backgrounds to images (“surround me with puppies,” for example). For both editing features, Meta says it will identify when images are created using AI tools so audiences can discern whether what they’re seeing is synthetic or human-generated. 

It has been on hold for a while, but ChatGPT will again be able to browse the internet. Engadget.com reports that OpenAI has announced that the AI product will now be able to answer even the most modern of queries as the assistant will be able to look up information in real time. The new feature is called Browse with Bing and it works in the normal Bing Chat window. OpenAI’s team wrote in a tweet. “Browsing is available to Plus and Enterprise users today, and we’ll expand to all users soon. To enable, choose Browse with Bing in the selector under GPT-4.”

Reddit is revising its privacy settings, intending to make ad personalization and account visibility toggles more consistent. That’s all well and good, but they are also removing the ability to opt out of ad personalization based on Reddit activity. Techcrunch.com says Reddit claims it will still have opt out controls in ‘select countries.’ They didn’t say which ones. This ad change up is just one of the changes the platform has made in an effort to increase monetization. Reddit’s CEO Steven Huffman said in an interview last summer that “Getting to breakeven is a priority for us in any climate.” Like all platforms…YOU and your data are the product!

Three credit unions have sued Apple for what they claim is a total monopoly on mobile wallets for iPhones and Apple Watches. 9to5mac.com notes that this is not a new issue, but this new suit claims that since Apple won’t grant competing mobile wallet apps access to the NFC chip, it’s monopolistic. What does that mean to you the user? It means that you can only make contactless transactions with your phone or watch using Apple’s mobile wallet. Any banks or financial institutions like the credit unions have to sign up for Apple Pay to use the NFC chip…and Apple gets to charge a fee on each transaction. According to the complaint, Apple’s conduct forces more than 4,000 banks and credit unions that use Apple Pay to pay at least $1 billion of excess fees, and harms consumers by minimizing the incentive to make Apple Pay safer and easier to use. This should be a real battle.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

New Meta Quest 3; Open AI Talking to Jony Ive; Google’s Upcoming Pixel Event; Musk Disabled Misinformation Reporting Feature on X

Posted: September 27, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Meta has announced the Meta Quest 3, and it will be showed off on October 10th at a Meta Connect event. Unlike its predecessor, the Quest 2, the $499.99 Quest 3 will function as both a virtual reality and mixed reality headset. That means, like Apple’s forthcoming Vision Pro headset, you’ll be able to see and interact with the real world while you wear it. According to theverge.com, Meta claims the Quest 3 should offer double the graphics performance of its predecessor and even outperform last year’s Quest Pro, though it won’t offer more battery life. While it is more powerful, the headset is also smaller and slimmer, which Meta claims should make it more comfortable to wear. I agree…smaller and slimmer are huge selling points. You can preorder through Meta or B&H photo, and the Quest 3 will ship on October 10th. You can also sign up for preorder notifications at Best Buy, which will then let you know when those stores will start accepting preorders. At $499, Meta should be able to get a better foothold in the mixed reality headset world while Apple will be selling their headset next year at $3500!

Former Apple design guru Jony Ive, who moved back to Britain several years ago, is apparently in talks with OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT about a hardware project. The Information reports that in addition to Open AI CEO Sam Altman, Masayoshi Son, the founder and CEO of SoftBank, is involved in the proposed project in some manner. Altman and Ive have only begun discussing what a piece of hardware could do or look like, not concrete features, capabilities or target market yet. OpenAI once ran a robotics research division, which explored ways machines can learn to perform complex tasks like solving a Rubik’s Cube. But it disbanded the team in July 2021 after encountering major technical roadblocks — and presumably cost overruns. I for one, welcome our upcoming AI powered robot overlords. Good grief!

Google’s Pixel Event 2023 is October 4th in New York City. A number of leaks have already revealed much of what will be shown off at the event. Besides the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, we expect to see the Pixel Watch 2. Engadget.com says that the Pixel 8 Pro will had a slightly smaller screen than its predecessor and the screen will be flat, not curved. Leaks already indicate upgrades in both camera hardware and software. Besides that, as we have reported, the Pro will have an infrared temperature sensor. That sensor doesn’t appear to be photography related, but might sense the temperature of inanimate objects. Perhaps the best feature may not be a feature at all…and that is the expectation that Google will support the Pixel phones with 7 years of software updates. It does look like we can expect a $100 bump in price for the Pixel 8 to $699…but the 8 Pro will start at $899, the same price as the 7 Pro. 

Back in 2022, Twitter (now X) introduced the option for users to report misleading or misinformation on the app, however, that option has now disappeared. According to gizmodo.com, Reset, which follows this sort of activity, said in a statement “It would be helpful to understand why X have seemingly gone backwards on their commitments to mitigating the kind of serious misinformation that has translated into real political instability in the US, especially on the eve of the ‘bumper year’ of elections globally.”  Reset reported that X removed the “politics” category last week from every jurisdiction except the European Union, where the Digital Services Act (DSA) prevents social media from displaying misinformation on their platforms. X has not responded to inquiries about the eliminated option.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

FTC & 17 States Sue Amazon; iPhone 16 Pro Getting Tetraprism Telephoto Like Max; CIA Builds Own AI Tool; Google Podcasts Will Sunset-Moving to YouTube

Posted: September 26, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Federal Trade Commission and 17 states are suing Amazon for allegedly maintaining monopoly power that stifles competition. According to geekwire.com, The complaint alleges that Amazon uses “anticompetitive and unfair strategies” that “stop rivals and sellers from lowering prices, degrade quality for shoppers, overcharge sellers, stifle innovation, and prevent rivals from fairly competing” against the e-commerce giant. The long-awaited lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, is a test for FTC Chair Lina Khan and those who have targeted Amazon for years over its business practices. Amazon put out a statement denying this, and saying that the government and states were ‘wrong on the facts and the law.’ Stay tuned for a long, intense court battle.

Not surprisingly, the iPhone 16 Pro will join the Pro Max next year in getting the tetraprism telephoto camera. Appleinsider.com reports that the tip comes from well-respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo says the supply chain has been bulking up fast, because demand for the 15 Pro Max with the tetraprism ‘exceeds expectations’, and they are playing catch up. He says the tetraprism camera will grow by around 110% in 2024, amounting to between 70 million and 80 million units. 

I apologize in advance for another scary AI story so soon, but the CIA has developed its own ChatGPT type tool to pore over public information. Bloomberg says the CIA’s Open-Source Enterprise division will be releasing the AI tool to US intelligence agencies soon. The tool will allow users to see the original source of the info they are using. The Agency claims with such a flood of data as is available on the net, the tool is needed. They claim the Agency will closely follow US privacy laws. 

Google Podcasts app will be sunsetted next year…who knew they even had it? I didn’t. It has been around since 2018 apparently. Engadget.com notes that for those who have used it, the content will be folded into YouTube and YouTube Music. YouTube…which presumably you DID know had podcasts, has 23% of all podcast listeners in the US. Google says podcasters that are on the Google Podcast service will get a ‘simple migration tool’ to move to YouTube Music. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Amazon to Pour $4 Billion into AI Startup; Meta’s AI Will Include a ‘Sassy Robot;’ Google Pixel 8 Cam Features; Spotify to Clone Podcaster Voices-In Other Languages

Posted: September 25, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Amazon is getting set to pump $4 billion into AI startup Anthropic. Techcrunch.com reports that Amazon will initially invest $1.25 billion for a minority stake in Anthropic, which like Google’s Bard and Microsoft-backed OpenAI also operates an AI-powered, text analyzing chatbot. As part of the deal, Amazon said it has an option to increase its investment in Anthropic to a total of $4 billion. Google is also invested in Anthropic, as they, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and others scramble to up their game in the latest hot tech. All this breathlessness in the tech sector over AI reminds me of Facebook’s old slogan…’move fast and break things.’ Let’s hope they don’t break humanity. 

Meta is preparing to bow a generative AI chatbot they are calling ‘Gen AI Personas’ internally. The chatbots are aimed at young users. According to the Wall Street Journal, we’ll hear more about the chatbots at Meta’s Wednesday event. The platform hopes to woo younger users with more colorful behavior, following ChatGPT’s rise over the last year as one of the fastest-growing apps ever. Similar, but more generally targeted, Meta chatbot personas have already been reportedly tested on Instagram. One of the chatbots is a so-called ‘sassy robot’ persona, inspired by Bender from Futurama. Meta eventually plans to have ‘dozens’ of the chatbots. It remains to be seen if the Gen Z folks…who remain suspicious of Meta’s Facebook and Instagram to an extent…will embrace these new ‘bots. 

As more people…including yours truly…test out the latest Apple cameras on the iPhones…especially the 15 Pro Max…Google is planning to drop the Pixel 8 soon with its own camera improvements. 91mobiles.com says that google has a promo video out that highlights some of the controls available in the upcoming Pixel 8 Pro model. Expect Real Tone, Night Sight, Astrophotography, Super Res Zoom, and the ability to swap faces in an image likely through Magic Editor. For videos, Google has added features like Video Boost, Night Sight for low-light videos, Audio Eraser to reduce ambient background sounds, and improved skin tones. It is getting to the point with smartphone cams that really only professional photographers need a hefty DSLR with interchangeable lenses. 

Spotify is apparently partnering with some podcasters to use AI to translate the podcasts into Spanish…in the podcasters’ own voices. Theverge.com reports that they are also planning to bow French and German translations in the next few weeks. “By matching the creator’s own voice, Voice Translation gives listeners around the world the power to discover and be inspired by new podcasters in a more authentic way than ever before,” Ziad Sultan, Spotify’s vice president of personalization, said in a statement. This is a rather ominous issue, and one of the reasons SAG-AFTRA is striking. A platform or company cloning your voice and not paying you…and on top of stealing your voice for no compensation, having the ability to make your clone say things you would never say is a huge issue. Copyright may not be enough…Congress and legislatures may need to pass laws protecting the rights of people to their own voices and likenesses. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Amazon Launch Highlights; Apple-Possible iPhone Stock Trading; Cisco Acquiring Splunk; More Free COVID Tests

Posted: September 21, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Amazon unveiled some updated hardware yesterday at an event, and apparently is using AI to make Alexa ‘smarter.’ Theverge.com reports that the online giant showed off the Echo Show 8…the third generation, as well as a new Echo Hub and a forth generation Echo smart speaker. They will have both Thread and Zigbee connectivity, which should make it much easier to connect to whatever smart home gadgets you might decide to add. Amazon is also getting set to ‘supercharge’ Alexa with generative AI. this new and improved Alexa can understand conversational phrases and respond appropriately, interpret context more effectively, and complete multiple requests from one command. Right now, Amazon plans to roll out the updated Alexa slowly via a preview program in ‘the coming months’ and in the US only for now. Amazon did warn as they add features to the generative AI Alexa there may be some point where you will be charged fees for the extra service. Yep…every firm you deal with is giddy with the thought of charging all of us more monthly fees. 

Before it was put on hold after the market turned down, Apple and Goldman Sachs were working on a stock trading service for iPhone users. Originally, it was intended to launch in 2022, but after the market slid, Cupertino put the feature on hold. According to 9to5mac.com, Apple doesn’t have current plans to go ahead and launch the stock trading for iPhones, but apparently most of the infrastructure for the service is ‘ready to go’ should they decide to green light it.

Cisco is snapping up cybersecurity firm Splunk for some $28 billion in cash. CNBC says that amounts to about t$157 a share. It is one of the biggest acquisitions by Cisco so far. Splunk is a cybersecurity company that helps enterprises monitor and analyze their data to minimize the risk of hacks and resolve technical issues faster. So far this year, Cisco has been on a bit of a buying spree, picking up Armorblox, Oort, Valtrix, and Lightspin. All of those relate in some way to cyber security as does Splunk. 

The Post Office is restarting its program for shipping free COVID tests to US households. Cnet.com reports that the White House is dropping $600 million on getting new at-home kits produced. The USPS has been sending out free COVID-19 tests since January 2022, to the tune of some 20 per household for those that took part. Unlike some complicated government applications, ordering free tests from the Postal Service is simple. It takes less than two minutes to complete a short form asking for your name and mailing address, and the tests ship in about a week or two.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Airbnb Verifying All Properties in Top 5 Markets; Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Rumors; Tesla Batteries-Better in Colder Climates; Yelp Wall of Shame

Posted: September 20, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Airbnb is cracking down on fake listings, and says it will now verify all listings in its top 5 countries…the US, Canada, Australia, UK, and France. Going forward, the platform will require hosts to submit information like photos with GPS data. It will start the first batch of top countries later this year, and expand to another 30 countries by next fall. Besides properties that don’t exist, Airbnb is trying to weed out listings that have false information, or owned by someone besides the mentioned host. the platform claims it will give hosts sufficient time to get the information to them for existing properties. If hosts ultimately don’t comply, the company says they will limit their accounts…but hasn’t said they will outright ban them. 

Just over a week since Apple grabbed the smartphone limelight with the new iPhone 15’s. Now, Some rumors are emerging about next year’s Samsung Galaxy 24 Ultra. First off, Mashable.com says that Samsung will follow Apple in using titanium in their top smartphone. It is also expected to have sides that are curved, but the screen will be completely flat. An optimized version of the Ultra’s 200 MP primary lens is expected. One rumor has the Ultra getting a beefed up 50MP lens with 3X optical zoom…replacing the present 10MP telephoto. Hopefully, that won’t happen. The Ultra will have a brighter screen…2500 nits to the iPhone’s 2000, and will get a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. One rumor we never like to hear…pricing will apparently match the new iPhone 15 Pro Max…so start putting away some coin now.

A new study by Recurrent…which has access to data from some 12,500 Tesla cars via its software service…shows how climate can have an impact on battery life. According to electrek.co, it has already been found that frequent Supercharging doesn’t hurt battery life…but how about the climate? We already know that extreme cold hurts battery life due to the need to heat the battery pack. By the same token, the packs need to be cooled in hotter climates. Recurrent found in their study that Tesla vehicles in colder and coastal climates have, on average, a better Range Score than Tesla vehicles in hotter climates in the US: the ones in the colder and  coastal areas got a range score of 95, while cars in the hotter areas had a score of 92. In really hot climates, you may see a 20% battery degradation, so plan accordingly. New battery tech is on the horizon, and it’s expected that we will see less climate impact on battery longevity in the future. 

Yelp has been catching businesses…over 5,000 so far since 2012…engaging in shady tactics, like paying customers for favorable ratings or hiring people to write phony reviews. Now, the company has a new tool to help people — and maybe the feds — track businesses that have tried to manipulate their standing on the review platform. Techcrunch.com reports that Yelp is releasing a new index that tracks every U.S establishment it’s ever caught engaging in “suspicious” activity to influence its reviews. Are you listening, Amazon and others?

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Pixel Watch 2 Getting Makeover; Xbox Series X Gets Refreshed; Musk Says X Moving to Monthly Payments; Microsoft Surface Boss May Be Landing at Amazon

Posted: September 19, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Some details have leaked out ahead of the Pixel Watch 2’s unveiling in October. 9to5google.com reports that the updated smartwatch will include a thermometer, and will have improvements for the wearable versions of Fitbit and Personal Safety. There had already been leaks alluding to an electrodermal activity sensor for stress management and tracking. The thermometer will allow checking skin temperature on demand…unlike the Sense 2, which only tracks temperature variation at night. The Watch 2 will also get an update to personal Safety, including full support for Emergency Sharing…which lets you share your location with trusted emergency contacts. 

In a major leak, Microsoft is going to launch an all-digital Xbox Series X with a new diskless cylindrical design, and a new gyro controller. According to engadget.com, the leak came when Microsoft accidentally included the info in some documents uploaded for its court battle with the Federal Trade Commission. The new device isn’t scheduled to drop until a year from now. Time will tell if it will hurt present business, while some players wait for the updated device. Microsoft is reportedly working on another couple of gaming consoles, according to the leak. 

In a livestream chat with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Elon Musk said the social network is “moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the X system” in order to combat “vast armies of bots.” CNBC notes that Musk didn’t say how much a new plan would cost users of the platform, or what extra features they might get for forking over some dough monthly. He claimed that they have 500 million ‘monthly users’ that generate 100 to 200 million posts a day. Humorist Andy Borowitz joked that now X Users will Require Elon Musk to Pay Them to Keep Using It.

Panos Panay, who has been at Microsoft almost 20 years and lately has headed up Surface devices, is reportedly heading to Amazon. Bloomberg reports he will be overseeing hardware products at the online giant. Panay was instrumental in creating the Surface devices and can take credit for a lot of their success. He won’t be on hand Thursday for the Surface and AI event Microsoft is holding in New York City. Panay will apparently stay at Redmond another couple weeks to ease the transition before he heads to Amazon.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Microsoft Surface Event-Days Away; TikTok Nailed with a Big EU Fine; iPhone 15 Pro Max-‘Robust Demand;’ Lyft Dinged for $10 Million Over Board Action

Posted: September 18, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Microsoft’s Surface and AI event is coming up this Thursday, September 21st in New York City. Zdnet.com reports that we will likely see a couple new two-in-one surface models, new laptops like the Surface Laptop Studio 2, and the Surface Laptop Go 3 and Go 4, and of course, a big helping of AI-powered features and services. It is thought that during the event, Microsoft will also make some previously announced AI features available for users. The Microsoft event won’t be live-streamed for the public. They plan to put out rolling announcements all day Thursday and into Friday as well. 

TikTok has been fined 345 million Euros over privacy settings for kids. According to arstechnica.com, the EU is whacking the platform for the way it processes the personal data of children and teens. What TikTok did was set profiles of kids ages 13-17 to public by default…meaning anyone on or off the platform could view their content and contact them. The EU has been pretty aggressive in policing platform conduct…this year they fined Meta’s Facebook 1.2 billion Euros. As for TikTok, they have 90 days to comply with the ruling to change settings and pay up.

After going on sale along with the other iPhone 15 series handsets at a bit after 5am Friday, the 15 Pro Max sold out to the point that orders after 7:30am were looking at November deliveries. Macrumors.com says that noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo finds that iPhone Pro Max demand has easily outstripped iPhone 14 Pro demand at the same time period a year ago despite the $100 price bump…BUT demand for the iPhone 15 Pro is softer than it was for the 14 Pro so far. Kuo attributes this to the better telephoto lens with 5 power optical zoom. I was able to get in during the first few minutes…and will report on the telephoto zoom probably next week. By the way, the iPhone 15 models are roughly on par with where the 14’s were selling at this same time last year. 

The SEC has nicked Lyft to the tune of $10 million for failing to disclose a board member’s role in the sale of almost a half billion worth of private shares before the initial public offering. TechCrunch.com says a Lyft board member director arranged for a shareholder to sell $424 million worth of shares to a special purpose vehicle set up by an investment advisor affiliated with the same director. Neither Lyft nor the SEC has disclosed the name of the director involved, and Lyft had no immediate comment. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Arm Opens on NASDAQ 10% Above Offer Price; Ford Wants to Double Hybrid F-150 Hybrid Sales; Chromebooks Will Get 10 Years of Updates; $100 in Government Funds for EV Chargers Now Available

Posted: September 14, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

SoftBank’s Arm Holdings opened today on the Nasdaq, and opened strongly for its first day of trading…up 10% from the offer price. Reuters.com reports this gives Arm a valuation of nearly $60 billion in its return to public markets after 7 years. The Arm chip architecture is widely used in mobile devices due to the fact that it draws far less power than other chips. Arm licensed tech has been making inroads into the laptop market for the same reason…increased battery life with great performance. SoftBank still held a 90.6% stake in Arm as of this morning. 

Ford has generated a fair amount of excitement over its F-150 Lightening electric pickup, but the automaker also builds hybrid F-150’s, too. Now, according to arstechnica.com, Ford has announced it wants to double sales of hybrid F-150 pickups. Up to now, about 10% of F-150’s have been hybrids. The hybrid is actually not a lot more efficient than the regular 3.5 liter V-6, only getting about 4 mpg on the highway, but the automaker feels that other conveniences like 2.4kW onboard AC power…upgradable to 7.2kW will help lure buyers. Ford and other makers also understand that a fair proportion of the public is still nervous about electric vehicles based on ‘range anxiety,’ and worries that there won’t be an EV charging station nearby…so a hybrid you can fill at any gas station is a draw for those not quite ready for a fully electric EV. 

Google is extending the time that they will support Chromebooks. The devices will now get 10 years of updates, instead of 8. This, by the way, is the amount of time auto makers have had to support vehicles with parts availability for decades now…and seems reasonable. 9to5google.com says ChromeOS is also adding adaptive charging and energy saver mode. The extended update time frame will apply to all Chromebooks released from 2021 and thereafter, and will kick in next year. Google will also give existing owners (and IT admins, like schools) of Chromebooks released before 2021 the option to “extend automatic updates to 10 years from the platform’s release when they receive their last automatic update.”

The Departments of Energy and Transportation have announced that $100 million in grants to repair or replace malfunctioning or broken EV chargers is now available. Arstechnica.com reports that they are accepting applications for the funding. The $100 million is part of $5 billion the government is putting into a national network of EV chargers by 2027. How about the additional chargers? Well, some of those grants have already been awarded. Trillium Energy Solutions, the tech arm of Love’s Travel Stops has gotten $4.8 million to build out high-speed EV chargers along highways at 4 existing locations in Pennsylvania and another 4 in Colorado. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Amazon Bows Ground Shipping Service for Sellers; Ring’s New Pet Tag Accessory; FTC-Musk May Have Jeopardized Data Privacy and Security at Twitter; Hyundai Developing It’s Own Giga Press for EV Production

Posted: September 13, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

In a direct shot at UPS and FedEx, Amazon has rolled out ground shipping for sellers. According to geekwire.com, the service for sellers will pick up items directly from their warehouses and deliver them to customers. It is now available in 15 metro areas, and Amazon plans to expand the footprint in the near future. Amazon Shipping is notable in part because it operates independently from the company’s fulfillment network, targeting businesses that would normally use UPS, FedEx or other traditional shipping services. Delivery is promised in 2 to 5 days. 

Ring has launched a new Pet Tag accessory that is designed to reunite lost pets with owners. Techcrunch.com reports that it puts a QR code on your pet’s collar that can be scanned. Scanning the QR code will display the information that you have logged in your Pet Profile, such as health conditions, that can help someone who may find your pet best understand your pet’s immediate needs. If you have opted in to the “Contact Me” feature via your pet’s Pet Profile, the person who finds your pet can engage in two-way communication with you to facilitate the return of your pet. There is no GPS functionality nor beacon facility…the sort of thing that you could use if you put an Apple Air Tag on your pet’s collar. Ring’s Pet Tag is much cheaper, though. It’s available for Preorder today at Ring.com or amazon.com for $9.99…considerably less than an Apple Air Tag at $25 if you buy a 4 pack.

Court filings indicate that the Federal Trade Commission believes that the ‘chaotic environment’ Elon Musk created at Twitter…now X…prevented the company from complying with their obligations to the FTC. Twitter had settled with the FTC over the company’s use of deceptive ad targeting under former CEO Jack Dorsey. Engadget.com says the company paid a $150 million fine and signed on to an agreement to implement specific privacy and security measures. It was those additional data protection measures that apparently fell by the wayside once Musk took control, triggering new scrutiny from the regulator. According to the DoJ, Twitter’s former chief privacy officer Damien Kieran said Twitter Blue launched so quickly a “security and privacy review was not conducted in accordance with the company’s process for software development.” 

In a bit of blatant borrowing, Hyundai is copying from Tesla’s playbook, planning a new process like Tesla’s ‘Giga Casting.’ Hyundai calls the new process Hypercasting, and according to electrek.co, the company says it will cut costs at the same time it boosts production. The massive machines produce parts much bigger than what the auto industry was used to. Automakers can save much-needed time and resources without the need to bond multiple parts (it can also help reduce the vehicle’s weight). Tesla is said to have reduced costs by about 30% using Giga Casting. Hyundai, which reached a tentative wage pact with its South Korean labor union Tuesday, agreed to a “special agreement for future growth.” The goal is to boost domestic investment to convert existing ICE manufacturing plants into “core manufacturing bases for future vehicles.”

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

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