Amazon Launches Same Day Prescription Delivery; Judge Tosses X’s Suit Against Anti-Hate Group; Apple Can Update iOS in Boxed New Phones; Workers-Job Flexibility & Security = Better Mental Health
Posted: March 26, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Health, News, saas, technology Leave a commentAmazon has started rolling out same-day prescription delivery in New York City and greater Los Angeles. Cnbc.com reports that the new Amazon Pharmacy service is possible due to their using new, smaller facilities…stocked with most common medications for acute conditions. The locations are equipped to process a prescription “within a matter of minutes rather than hours or days,” the company said. San Bernardino, Riverside, and Anaheim…all in the LA area…are eligible for the same day service starting today. The broader LA metro will be up and running by April. Amazon plans to add more than a dozen other cities by the end of the year. Amazon already had same day service in Seattle, Miami, Indianapolis, Phoenix, and Austin. They are using e-bikes to do the deliveries in New York.
A judge has tossed X’s lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate…a non-profit that researches hate speech on the Musk-owned platform. According to engadget.com, the judge said that the lawsuit was an attempt to “punish” the organization for criticizing the company. Federal Judge Charles Breyer wrote: “It is clear to the Court that if X Corp. was indeed motived to spend money in response to CCDH’s scraping in 2023, it was not because of the harm such scraping posed to the X platform, but because of the harm it posed to X Corp.’s image.”
Apple has come up with an ingenious way to update the operating system in packaged iPhones that are ready for sale. Bgr.com says they use a more powerful MagSafe which is located in a metal cubby like for shoes. They can slide the box in to the metal enclosure, and software powers up the phone, downloads and installs the updated software, then powers the phone off. This will help people avoid trying to set up a new phone without updating the software first…which usually means the setup will fail…and the owner will have to start over after updating the software. It will be good for every new iPhone landing in user’s hands to have the latest version of iOS…literally right out of the box!
A study of 2021 data from over 18,000 nationally representative working Americans has found that workers who have more flexibility and security in their jobs also have better mental health. Arstechnica.com reports that the study was just published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. To a lot of us, this may be ‘Well, duh,’ but it is always good to see perceptions supported by data. The study was lead by Monica Wang of Boston University’s School of Public Health. The researchers note that the study does identify associations, and can’t determine that job flexibility and security directly caused mental health outcomes and the work absence findings.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
DOJ Sues Apple for Antitrust; Reddit IPO Priced at $34 a Share; Door Dash Drone Delivery Coming to the US; Waze Getting a Ghostbusting Voice
Posted: March 21, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, business, investing, News, technology Leave a commentThe Department of Justice has sued Apple. According to theverge.com, the DOJ and 16 state attorneys general claim that Apple uas driven up prices for consumers and developers at the expense of making users more reliant on its phones. The suit alleges that Apple “selectively” imposes contractual restrictions on developers and withholds critical ways of accessing the phone as a way to prevent competition from arising. The suit has been filed in New Jersey. An Apple spokesperson said the suit “threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets. If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple — where hardware, software, and services intersect. It would also set a dangerous precedent, empowering government to take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology.” Apple says it will vigorously defend against the suit.
Reddit priced its IPO at $34 per share yesterday, and hauled in $519 million…valuing the company at $6.5 billion. CNBC reports that the ticker symbol will be RDDT. Although $6.5 billion is a ton of cash, the company is actually taking quite a haircut from its private market valuation of $10 billion at the peak of the tech boom in 2021. Reddit’s core business of online advertising faces competition from industry giants like Alphabet and Meta. The company also counts Snap, X, Pinterest, Discord, Wikipedia and Amazon’s Twitch streaming service as competitors, according to its prospectus. Revenue increased 20% last year to $804 million from $666.7 million in 2022. Its net loss in 2023 was $90.8 million, marking an improvement from the $158.6 million net loss it recorded the previous year.
DoorDash is expanding its partnership with the Wing division of Alphabet to bring a pilot drone delivery service to the US. According to TechCrunch.com, users in Christianburg, VA will be able to order eligible items from the local Wendy’s menu. In order to use the service, you need to have a small clearing on your property…at least 7 feet in diameter. There are also weight and volume restrictions. If the order is more than a drone can carry, you’ll get delivery from a regular Dasher.
Waze is getting a new guest voice…and here’s a hint: ‘Who ya gonna call?’ Just in time for the release of Ghostbusters-Frozen Empire tomorrow March 22, Waze has scored Dan Aykroyd as a voice on Waze. Androidpolice.com says just choose ‘Spooky’ mood on the app, and there is Ray from Ghostbusters…the well-known voice of Dan Aykroyd. You can get a number of funny paranormal-themed comments as you drive to the next ghost busting event…or to work or home, of course.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
YouTube-AI Labels for Some, but Not All Videos; Intel Scores $8.5 Billion in CHIPS Act Grants; Google Socked With $270 Million Fine by France; Feds Can Film Your Front Porch for Over 68 Warrantless Days
Posted: March 20, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Google, News, technology, YouTube Leave a commentYouTube now requires labels for some AI generated videos…but not all of them. Mashable.com reports that YouTube put out a statement saying “We’re introducing a new tool in Creator Studio requiring creators to disclose to viewers when realistic content – content a viewer could easily mistake for a real person, place, or event – is made with altered or synthetic media, including generative AI.” Not all AI made videos will be labeled. According to YouTube, this policy only covers AI digital alterations or renderings of a realistic person, footage of real events or places, or complete generation of a realistic looking scene. For some videos, this is not a big deal. Exceptions are made for videos that use beauty filters, special effects like blur or a vintage overlay, or color correction. YouTube notes that all of these alterations were already available long before generative AI was a thing. One glaring exception though…Animated AI content. It seems this should be covered, since a lot of kids videos are animation or include animation.
Intel has been awarded $8.5 billion in CHIPS Act grants, and will have access to billions more in loans. According to CNBC, this is part of the Biden administration’s effort to ramp up bridging semiconductor manufacturing back to the US. the additional loan funds could total another $11 billion. Intel has long been a stalwart of the U.S. semiconductor industry, developing chips that power many of the world’s PCs and data center servers. However, the company has been eclipsed in revenue by Nvidia, which leads in artificial intelligence chips, and has been surpassed in market cap by rival AMD and mobile phone chipmaker Qualcomm. Intel makes its own chips. AMD and Nvidia design chips, then send the files and staff to Taiwan’s TSMC for the actual manufacture of the chips. Intel is building fabrication and research centers in Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio, and Oregon.
The French have socked Google with a $270 million fine over copyright protections for news snippets. Techcrunch.com says France’s competition authority found that Google disregarded its previous commitments to news publishers. They also took into consideration the fact that Google had used the news content to train its Generative AI model…Bard at the time, now Gemini. The French authority asserted that Google had not notified the publishers of that fact and hadn’t gotten their permission. Google had previously been fined by the authority to the tune of $592 million for using publishers’ material.
A federal court has ruled that law enforcement recording of the front of a person’s home for 68 days…15 hours a day…was ok without a warrant. Gizmodo.com reports that the officers had no warrant, and had put a camera on a pole across the street to record the man’s home. The Kansas man, Bruce Hay, was an army vet who was found guilty of lying about his disability status to get benefits from the VA. The federal court noted that video cameras in public spaces are a common thing now, and so there is a diminished expectation of privacy when you are out in the world. If you ever thought your front porch was private…well, now you know it isn’t.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Microsoft Picks Up DeepMind Founder; Threads Adds ‘Trending Now’-Finally; iPhone 17 Getting Anti-Reflective Display; Valve Rolling Out Steam Family
Posted: March 19, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Gaming, News, PC, Steam, Xbox Leave a commentIn a big ‘get,’ Microsoft has brought over Google DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman. Theverge.com reports that he will be the CEO of Microsoft’s new team that will oversee the company’s consumer-facing AI products like Copilot, Bing, and Edge. Suleyman will report directly to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Suleyman had left Deep Mind after Google acquired it, and then started up Inflection AI. Microsoft is also picking up some of Inflection AI’s employees, including co-founder Karen Simonyan, who will be Chief Scientist of the consumer AI Group. Personally, I am hoping that all these big tech companies focusing so much on AI may help rid the world of artificial stupidity…and maybe even natural stupidity if we’re lucky.
Threads has finally added a ‘Trending Now’ page! The announcement was made by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a post on the platform. According to gizmodo.com, the trending topics on the page for its first day live in the world were: Aaron Taylor Johnson, spring equinox, Bruce Willis’ birthday, Hong Kong security law, and former Trump lawyer Alina Habba.
A new rumor is out about Apple’s iPhones. It won’t make it to the iPhone 16, but will likely show up on the iPhone 17 a year and a half from now. 9to5mac.com says that an account called Instant Digital has said that Apple has reportedly developed equipment that adds a “super-hard” anti-reflective layer to the iPhone’s display, which is also more scratch-resistant than before. The new layer sounds a lot like Corning’s Gorilla Glass Armor, which the new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has. The Corning product reduces reflection by up to 75%, and adds scratch protection. Again, don’t expect the anti-reflective, more scratch-resistant layer until the iPhone after the one this fall.
Valve has unveiled a new feature for its Steam gaming. It’s called Steam Families. Geekwire.com reports that it is out in beta now, and will replace current features Steam Family Sharing and Steam Family View. Now, there will be a single menu that covers both game sharing and parental controls. You can designate 5 other users as members of your Steam Family…they all get access to all the games in all the other family members’ libraries. (Note that this includes most…but not all games on steam.) A user who’s playing a game via a member of their Steam Family maintains local save files and achievement progress, and can play even if the game’s original owner is online at the time. However, in order for two users to play the same game simultaneously, you’d still need multiple copies of the game across various libraries.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Apple Negotiating With Google To Get Gemini AI on iPhone; LInkedIn Wants To Add Gaming; Tesla Settles Discrimination Suit; Tick-Killing Pill for Humans
Posted: March 18, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Google, News, Tech, technology Leave a commentApple has been working more quietly than others on AI…which it calls machine learning. Apparently things aren’t moving quickly enough for Cupertino. Now comes word that they are in ‘active negotiations’ with Google to bring the latter’s Gemini generative AI to the iPhone. Theverge.com reports that Apple has also considered ChatGPT from Open AI. Earlier this year, Samsung added a number of Galaxy AI branded features to its Galaxy S24 smartphones. The tech is also of course a banner feature of Google’s own Pixel 8 smartphones. It would be a good deal for Apple, even if they have to drop a ton of money, since their own AI is behind Google’s Gemini and ChatGPT…but it would also be a good deal for Google, as they would get their AI tools on some 2 billion iPhones. If a deal is made, is is likely to stay under wraps until Apple’s WWDC in June.
In an effort to get more engagement and longer periods of it, Microsoft-owned LinkedIn is looking at adding gaming to the platform. According to TechCrunch.com, the platform now has a billion users. Most are on it for professional purposes or recruitment, but with Microsoft’s huge footprint in gaming, dropping some into LinkedIn really might do the trick as far as increasing peoples’ time on the platform.
A long court battle between a former elevator operator and Tesla has settled. Owen Diaz had originally been awarded $137 million in damages in 2021 for racial discrimination, but that was cut to $3.2 million. Engadget.com says no settlement amount has been disclosed, which is normal for this type of situation. Diaz had accused the car maker of enabling a racist workplace, ‘straight from the Jim Crow era.’ Co-workers had left swastikas and racist graffiti on his work space and around the Tesla Fremont plant. There is still another lawsuit against the electric car maker for racial discrimination, and that one is in process of getting certified as a class action…which could add 240 black employees or former employees to Marcus Vaughn’s suit.
We have them for dogs and cats…pills for tick prevention. Now, Tarsus Pharmaceuticals is working on a pill for humans. Wired.com notes that it could protect people from tick borne Lyme Disease for several weeks at a time. An early trial has found that after 24 hours of taking the pill, it works to kill ticks on people for up to 30 days. Whether you are a hiker, or walk your dog, or just are outdoors a lot, this will be a big deal if it makes it all the way through testing and approval by the FDA.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
House Passes Bill to Ban TikTok; Spotify Adds Music Vids; EU Parliament Passes AI Act; Amazon’s New AI Feature Lets Sellers Generate Product Listings
Posted: March 13, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, e-commerce, Music, News, tiktok Leave a commentA big showdown is looming closer as the House has passed a bill that will ban TikTok in the US unless the app separates from its parent company in China, ByteDance. Theverge.com reports that the bill had a big bipartisan majority…it passed 352 to 65, with one member voting present. It now moves on to the Senate…where passage is not assured. President Biden has said he will sign it if it reaches his desk. Before getting to the House floor, the bill came out of the Energy and Commerce Committee on a 50 to 0 vote. TikTok claims it doesn’t store US user info in China, but the lawmakers aren’t buying that. ByteDance does have connections with the Chinese army and government, which has concerned US policy makers for years. Not everyone is thrilled with a ban of the platform…in addition to influencers, there are a number of businesses who have testified that a ban would wipe out their business.
In an earth-shaking move, Spotify has added music videos in 11 countries…although not the US. So…Spotify is rolling out a beta of MTV…what an original concept! Snark aside, according to engadget.com, they will offer thousands of music videos across a wide range of genres and artists. To watch a video, users can just click ‘switch to video’ right on the now playing screen. The video will automatically start at the beginning, but users can switch back to audio at any time.
The European Union Parliament has voted to adopt the AI Act, which they claim is ‘the world’s first comprehensive AI Law.’ Techcrunch.com says the vote was 523 to 46. The new law attempts to set up a risk-based framework for AI; applying various rules and requirements depending on the level of risk attached to the use-case. It covers prohibited use case, as well as non-compliance penalties…which can reach as much as 7% of global annual turnover. The EU legislators note that there will be additional laws needed in the future, as AI evolves in order to ensure that humans are on control and protected.
Amazon is rolling out an AI feature that lets sellers generate new product listings from their existing web sites. Geekwire.com reports that Amazon will offer sellers the ability to quickly create new product listings using generative AI by providing a URL for their existing direct-to-consumer websites. Previous generative AI features released by Amazon include the ability to fill out a product listing starting with a few words, and to upload an image to automatically generate a product title, description, and attributes. More than 100,000 Amazon sellers have adopted generative AI tools for listing products, according to Amazon.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google Hits Brakes on AI Images of People; AT&T, Others Cell Outage This Morning; ARM Claims ‘Software is Driver in Deal With Nuro; Samsung Will Bring Galaxy AI Features to More Devices
Posted: February 22, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, gemini, Google, News, technology Leave a commentGoogle has pumped the brakes, disabling Gemini’s ability to generate images of people. PCMag.com reports that this came after users found that Gemini was producing historically inaccurate images in some situations. Like some extreme examples? It showed what it claimed was a Native American man and woman as an 1820s German couple…and one of the Founding Fathers as African American. It also came up with Asian members in the 1929 German military. Google put out a message saying “We are aware that Gemini is offering inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions, and we are working to fix this immediately.”
There were widespread cellular outages this morning starting at about 3:30 am Eastern that affected calls and even 911 service. The problems were all on AT&T’s network. According to NPR, AT&T now says it has restored around three quarters of its cellular network. Some 73,000 customers were affected. Verizon and T-Mobile reported that their networks were ‘operating normally.’ This is more concerning than in the past, since these days, nearly 71% of adults and 82% of kids live in wireless-only households. AT&T hasn’t said what caused the outages at this point.
Chipmaker ARM supplies most of the systems on a chip that run the world’s smartphones, and now they are diving into the world of driverless cars. Thenextweb.com says the chip maker has cut a deal with Nuro, a startup in the autonomous vehicle realm. The partnership aims to accelerate the commercialization of self-driving cars. Arm will bring its famed semiconductor IP to Nuro’s vehicles, starting with the startup’s delivery robots. In an only slightly hyped statement, ARM says ‘software is becoming the driver’ for cars! Arm is finding a nice place in the automotive segment…since 2020, they have nearly doubled their revenue in the sector. As for startup Nuro, they are shooting for level 4 autonomy, which doesn’t need a human driver under certain road conditions. They haven’t given any roadmap for how soon they think that will become a reality.
The AI push marches relentlessly on…Samsung is now going to bring its Galaxy AI features to more devices with a software update in March. The handsets affected are the Galaxy S23 series, S23 FE, Z Fold5, and Z Flip. The tablets that will get the AI include the Tab S9 Ultra, Tab S9+, and Tab 59. With this upcoming update, users will get access to Google’s “Circle to Search” feature, which lets users search from anywhere on their phone using gestures like circling, highlighting, scribbling or tapping. Another feature called Live Translate will provide voice and text translations for phone calls. Plus, users will get access to an “Interpreter” feature that generates text translations for live conversations.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
YouTube Dominates US TV Streaming-Nielson; Walmart Buying Vizio; iPhone 16 Rumor-Upgraded Microphones; US & Allies Police Take Down Cybercrime Giant LockBit
Posted: February 20, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, business, News, technology, Walmart Leave a commentNielson’s January report…just out…on TV viewing and streaming has YouTube again the overall king of streaming services. Techcrunch.com reports that YouTube has 8.6% of viewing on TV screens. Netflix is close behind with 7.9% of the eyeballs. It has now been 12 consecutive months that YouTube has been able to hold on to the top spot. An interesting wrinkle: 61% of Gen Z reported that they favor user-generated content over other content formats. When it comes to mobile devices, it’s a different story. TikTok continues to dominate those.
Walmart is going to acquire TV maker Vizio in a $2.3 billion deal. Rumors were floating about this last week, and now Walmart has made it official. According to theverge.com, Walmart says it is part of a move to boost its ad business. Vizio has more than 500 direct advertiser partnerships, thanks to its Vizio Platform Plus business — which the company says “now accounts for a majority of the company’s gross profit.” Vizio’s smart TV OS, SmartCast, is also used by more than 18 million active accounts. Walmart already has an existing Onn in-house brand of TVs, but owning Vizio will help the retailer better compete with affordable smart TVs from the likes of Amazon and Roku. Costco has sold a lot of Vizio sets…it will be interesting to see if they continue to sell them, or drop the line due to Walmart now making money off them.
A rumor has resurfaced about iPhone 16 models…this one about better microphones with higher signal-to-noise ratios, allowing the handsets to hear your voice more clearly. Macrumors.com says this is mainly intended to improve the accuracy of Siri…which we all know is badly needed. Siri is also going to be getting generative AI features with iOS 18 later this year. Some of the AI features will be limited to the iPhone 16 models…not only due to the better microphones, but also a bigger neural engine in the A18 series chips.
International law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Britain’s National Crime Agency have struck a huge blow to one of the world’s most prolific cybercrime gangs, LockBit. The agencies have frozen some 200 cryptocurrency accounts and snatched up a wealth of data…as well as seizing 11,000 domains and servers. The hackers have done billions worth of damage to organizations and extorted over $120 million in ransom payments and recovery costs. 5 defendants have been charged in the US…other gang members were busted in Ukraine and Poland, with more to come.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
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