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.
EU Goes After Meta, Apple, & Google; China Bans Intel & AMD Processors for Government PCs; Spotify Tests Video Courses; Apple’s iOS 18-More Control of Home Screen
Posted: March 25, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, business, Tech, technology Leave a commentThe European Commission is opening 5 non-compliance investigations into how Meta, Apple, and Google are complying with the new Digital Markets Act antitrust rules. Theverge.com reports that the EU regulator said in an announcement quote: “We suspect that the suggested solutions put forward by the three companies do not fully comply with the DMA. We will now investigate the companies’ compliance with the DMA, to ensure open and contestable digital markets in Europe.” The EU commission seems most interested in Google and Apple’s anti-steering rules in their app stores, and Google’s apparent self-preferences for its own services via its search engine.
China barred most government use of iPhones a while back, and now is going after US-made processors. According to engadget.com, Chinese guidelines ban the use of US processors made by Intel and AMD from government computers and servers. The new regulations also block Microsoft Windows and foreign database products, pushing government agencies there to use domestic products, which they term ‘safe and reliable.’ The rules came out in December but have just started showing up. They could be a blow to US companies’ bottom lines. China accounted for 27% of Intel’s sales last year and 15% of AMD’s.
Spotify is testing out video courses which teach everything from music production to Excel spreadsheet use. Techcrunch.com says the rollout of the videos has started in the UK. They are terming the courses ‘freemium.’ The first lessons are free, then the total course cost if taken will range from 20 pounds to 80 pounds. The price is the same for courses whether you are a basic or premium Spotify user for now. Spotify is pitching the courses as somewhere between YouTube videos, Master Class, and LinkedIn Learning. The educational video market is estimated at $315 billion as of 2023, so if this takes off, it could be a significant new income stream for Spotify.
Android users have had it for years…lots of flexibility to arrange and customize your smartphone screen. Now, Apple is apparently going to give users more flexibility starting with iOS 18. Macrumors.com reports that even though icons will still snap to a grid on the Home Screen, users will be able to arrange them more freely. There will be the ability to create blank spaces, rows, and columns between app icons. We’ll know more when iOS 18 is revealed at WWDC in June.
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.
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.
Google Will Restrict Gemini Elect Questions; Airbnb Bans Indoor Cams; Chem Injection Can Renew Batteries; Apple Tests AI Targeted App Store Ads
Posted: March 12, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Google, iPhone, Smartphone, technology Leave a commentGoogle is restricting queries to its chatbot Gemini about elections. The restrictions will be global…the only exceptions are queries from countries where there are no elections taking place this year. Techcrunch.com reports that the update is already live in the US, and is rolling out to India. Google notes that it is concerned about the AI service being weaponized, or induced to produce inaccurate or misleading responses. Google has not said if it will unblock answering election related questions after the elections later this year.
Airbnb will no longer allow hosts to record guests while they are inside the property. This has already been the case with Vrbo, and also at hotels. According to arstechnica.com, Airbnb has been allowing hosts to have disclosed cams outside the property and inside ‘common areas’ inside, but they are now completely banning them. Airbnb’s updated policy defines cameras and recording devices as “any device that records or transmits video, images, or audio, such as a baby monitor, doorbell camera, or other camera.” An exception is in place for monitoring a public space like your front porch or driveway with a doorbell cam.
We have all experienced it with phones or other small devices, and it will happen to electric vehicles eventually. After a number of charge cycles, the batteries start to drop in the charge they can hold, and they will eventually fail. As a lithium-ion battery pack is a pretty large chunk of an EV cost, here’s some potential good news. Bgr.com says that researchers have come up with a new battery revival injection that can restore an aged or degraded battery to near full capacity. The research comes from Toyota’s Central R&D Labs, and was just published in the journal Joule. the injection is lithium naphthalene. It brings the batteries up to 80% of original capacity, and that lasts at least 100 charge cycles so far. Note that if the battery has structural damage, the injection doesn’t work. This is potentially a huge breakthrough.
Just because Apple hasn’t been calling AI AI…they have used machine learning…doesn’t mean they aren’t all over it….and maybe not always in ways we will be thrilled about. Appleinsider.com notes that apple is experimenting with using AI to buy and place ads in its App Store, much like Google does with their Performance Max and Meta does with its Advantage Plus. Apple has told advertisers it is conducting the tests, and advertisers believe the company will introduce the product in the coming months. With the AI boost, Apple may see its ad business grow to $6 billion by 2025, with $4.1 billion coming from search ads.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
20 Inch Folding MacBook in Works; Pixel Sales Up 527%-In Japan; Simple Way to Remove Microplastics from Water; New Material May Bring Smart Contact Lenses
Posted: March 7, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Google, Smartphone, Tech, technology Leave a commentA folding Apple phone may or may not happen anytime soon if at all, but apparently Cupertino is seriously working on a 20 inch screen MacBook…with a folding screen! Macrumors.com reports that noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is saying “Apple’s only foldable product with a clear development schedule is the 20.3-inch MacBook, expected to enter mass production in 2027.” Right now, the largest screen MacBook is the 16 inch MacBook Pro. Apple had a 17 inch screen laptop for a while, but dropped that model way back in 2012. Kuo said the 20-inch MacBook is Apple’s only foldable product with a clear development schedule, suggesting that a foldable iPhone or iPad are not coming any time soon.
Google’s Pixel phones have been making inroads in penetration of the smartphone market, and no place more so than Japan. The phones, with their amazing software assisted cameras are really seeing a huge sales growth. According to 9to5google.com, an IDC report shows Pixel sales up 527% year over year from 2022 to 2023. That gives Google 10.7% of the market share there. Apple’s phones continue to hold a huge share of the market there, as do…somewhat surprisingly…Sharp’s phones. Sharp retains a large share of the market due to the demand for phones designed for the elderly, not necessarily cutting-edge devices. Meanwhile, Samsungs Galaxy shipments to Japan have dropped by 39%…showing where a lot of Google’s sales increase came from.
Scientists have discovered a surprisingly simple way to remove microplastics from drinking water. This sounds almost like magic, but bgr.com says researchers at a couple universities in China ran tests on both soft and hard tap waters, and by boiling the water, then running it through a filter, they were able to remove up to 90% of the microplastics. The results were published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. The boiling left the microplastics trapped in the crusty, chalky stuff that forms when you boil water in a kettle or pot. The scientists said a filter as simple as a stainless steel mesh like used to strain tea is enough to filter out most of the lime-encrusted plastic pieces that are left behind after boiling the drinking water. Hopefully, bottled water makers will be adapting this cheap, simple process too. Kids…DO try this at home if you want to.
One cool thing about science…often new breakthroughs are made while looking for something else. Now, the co-creator of graphene, along with a group of scientists have another breakthrough material. Konstantin Novoselov and the team say the new material lets them create a novel form of light manipulation. Thenextweb.com reports that they had been working on smart contact lenses. They discovered that the materials…dubbed ReS2 and ReSe2, not only could help with that, but were more powerful than expected. They can adjust the wavelength of light, and change its direction…up to 90 degrees! The scientists see potential in applications for medicine, AI, and AR. For contact lenses, the startup Xpanceo thinks the use of the new material could provide faster and cheaper blood testing using Raman Spectroscopy at a much lower cost and with better performance. They also see earlier detection of things like COVID and even cancer! It will be a while before we see all these benefits, but it is a pretty amazing discovery.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
OpenAI Responds to Musk Suit; Microsoft to Unveil New OLED Surface Pro & Laptop; Politicians Latest Plan to Make ByteDance Sell TikTok; Phase Genomics Scores Grant from Gates To Control Cow Burp Methane
Posted: March 6, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, Elon Musk, openai, technology Leave a commentOpenAI is asking for dismissal of all claims made by Elon Musk’s recent lawsuit. Musk was involved in the founding of OpenAI, but really left before much happened. TechCrunch.com reports that a blog post penned by Sam Altman and 4 other founders noted that Musk had promised a billion in funding, but only came up with $45 million. They raised $90 million from other donors to support OpenAI’s research efforts. Musk’s suit claims that the ChatGPT maker had breached its original contractual agreements by pursuing profits instead of the nonprofit’s founding mission to develop AI that benefits humanity. OpenAI was founded to build a counterweight to Google, according to Musk’s suit. OpenAI said Wednesday it maintains that its mission is to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity, which includes developing safe and beneficial AGI while promoting widespread access to its tools. It should be noted that Musk has engineers working full speed on an AI project that will rival OpenAI. It always comes down to money…no matter what a litigant may claim about benefiting humanity.
Microsoft is going to roll out OLED a new Surface Pro 10 and a Surface Laptop 6 this spring…both will drop before a big Windows 11 AI update that is also coming. According to windows central.com, they will feature upgraded displays, new processors, and be what Redmond is calling the company’s first AI PCs. The Intel powered boxes will ship this sporing, with ARM models becoming available in June. Both devices could be unveiled March 21st. They are reported to give users a huge performance increase over present Surface Pro and Surface Laptops. You will get on-device Copilot functionality, real time captions and translations, and a new feature called ‘AI Explorer.’
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has hatched a new bill that would make ByteDance sell TikTok in order for the app to remain available in the US. Engadget.com says it has the clunky name “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act”, and would prohibit US app stores and web hosting services from distributing TikTok unless it divested from parent company ByteDance. This is just the latest attempt to force a sale over concern that ByteDance is too much under the control of the Chinese government. Former President Donald Trump attempted to force a sale of TikTok in 2020, but was ultimately unsuccessful. The Biden Administration has also pressured the company to divest. And a US District Court Judge recently blocked an attempt to ban the app in Montana. It really is a concern about all the data flowing to China…virtually every kid I know spends more time on TikTok than any other social media platform by far.
A startup called Phase Genomics has gotten a grant for $1.5 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to research killing drug resistant bacteria…oh, and also to develop a way to battle methane produced by cow burps. Geekwire.com notes that one cow belches up 220 pounds of methane per year according to UC Davis…which makes cattle the top producer of greenhouse gasses coming from the agricultural sector. Methane is some 20 times worse for global warming than carbon dioxide. Phase Genomics will work on a project to create an antimicrobial discovery program to tackle this, as well as the drug resistant bacteria. The company is a spinoff from the University of Washington’s Genome Sciences department. Although it’s a cheap laugh (which I couldn’t resist), but cow farts and belches really are a serious problem…and except for vegans, no one wants to give up delicious steaks, but global warming is real, so we need a fix for this methane problem.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
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