Category Archives: Blog

All eyes were on the Model Y after Tesla’s latest earnings call. The compact electric SUV based on the “budget-friendly” Model 3 sedan is apparently arriving sooner than expected.

During the Wednesday call, Tesla went over production plans for its newest vehicle and they were surprisingly ahead of schedule. No, we’re not talking about the Cybertruck, as that’s still a ways off before production, although Tesla CEO Elon Musk did rattle off some high praise for the sci-fi-inspired electric pickup. He was recently spotted in the Los Angeles area showing off the truck to former late night host Jay Leno. Read more…

More about Tesla, Electric Vehicles, Model Y, Tech, and Elon Musk

Facebook’s privacy violations are adding up. 

The Mark Zuckerberg-helmed behemoth has agreed to a $550 million settlement following a class-action lawsuit alleging the company violated an Illinois privacy law. So reports the New York Times, which notes that Facebook copped to the settlement in today’s earnings call; a call that also happened to include the announcement of $21 billion in fourth quarter revenue.

In other words, the $550 settlement is chump change to the same company that successfully brushed a $5 billion FTC settlement off its shoulder. But that doesn’t mean today’s news of the settlement doesn’t matter. Far from it. Read more…

More about Facebook, Facial Recognition, Tech, and Big Tech Companies

A new video shows the unfathomable speed at which the Australian bushfires are spreading, completely overwhelming a firefighting crew in less than three minutes. It’s a stark example of why, for so many people, running from the flames is much easier said than done.

Filmed around 7 p.m. on Jan. 4, the clip shows the Dunmore Rural Fire Brigade set up to protect property in Tomerong, approximately 90 miles south of Sydney and home to over 1000 people. However, 62mph winds hit the area 10 minutes earlier than expected, blowing thousands of embers their way. 

The extreme ember attack lit numerous spot fires, quickly overrunning the crew and forcing some to evacuate less than a minute after the wind changed — and less than a minute before the fire took over the road completely. Read more…

More about Australia, Firefighters, Bushfires, New South Wales, and Fires

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the company that invented the like button, says his goal isn’t to be liked — he just wants to be “understood.” 

During the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, Zuckerberg suggested that he intends to change his tone in order to address the company’s increasingly vocal critics. The CEO said that, in the past, Facebook has prioritized not “offending” people rather than “communicating our principles.” 

“One critique of our approach for much of the last decade was that because we wanted to be liked, we didn’t always communicate our views as clearly because we worried about offending people,” he said during the earnings call. “This led to positive but shallow sentiment towards us and towards the company. My goal for this next decade isn’t to be liked, but to be understood.” Read more…

More about Tech, Facebook, Social Media Companies, Tech, and Social Media Companies

It’s not just people who get to experience self-driving minivans in the Phoenix area. 

On Wednesday, Google spin-off company Waymo announced a partnership with UPS, the package delivery service. Soon, Waymo’s self-driving Chrysler Pacifica minivans will be moving packages around instead of humans. The autonomous driving company is more than a one-trick pony, expanding beyond its robo-taxi service in the Phoenix area called Waymo One.

It’s only in the Phoenix area to start, but Waymo vehicles will pick up items from UPS Store locations in Phoenix and bring them to a UPS facility in Tempe, just outside the city. Read more…

More about Delivery, Autonomous Vehicles, Ups, Waymo, and Tech

A new wave of emoji is coming — and boba finally makes the list. 

There’s plenty to celebrateThe Unicode Consortium, a non-profit that standardizes languages across digital platforms and devices, on Wednesday announced an upcoming launch of 62 new emoji. Among them are a transgender flag, emoji of 55 gender and skin-tone variants, a polar bear, a teapot, and a … piñata?

Over the past few years, the Unicode Consortium has been working on integrating more diverse, inclusive emoji — a response to criticisms about how it has been slow to address its lack of diversity. This new collection of emoji hints at their continued effort toward making emoji more inclusive, even in the subtle ways in which they represent different cultures. Read more…

More about Smartphones, Gender, Emoji, Lgbtq, and Boba

Spotify is making customized playlists for your pet, and my demon cat could not care less. 

The streaming platform released a playlist generator specifically made for pets earlier this month, curating music for both animals and their humans to listen to together. According to a survey conducted by Spotify, 70 percent of “animal parents” consider the emotional wellness of their pets daily. The music included on the “Pet Playists” can relieve stress, boost happiness, and keep pets company, Spotify says. 

“8 in 10 people believe their pets like music, and around 46 percent of people feel that music is a stress reliever for their furry friends,” Spotify wrote in a press release.   Read more…

More about Cats, Spotify, Pets, Culture, and Web Culture

The highly anticipated Margot Robbie-led Birds of Prey premieres in theaters on February 7, 2020, and to say the world is waiting with bated breath would be an understatement. 

Birds of Prey sees Harley Quinn (Robbie) as a newly single woman banding together with fellow supers Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Gotham City Detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to fight Black Mask (Ewan McGregor), a Gotham City crime lord. 

Both trailers released by Warner Brothers promised bright colors, girl power, and a constant stream of Harley’s fantabulous antics. At advance screenings on January 29, critics got a first look at the film. Here’s what they’ve said so far. Read more…

More about Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn, Birds Of Prey, Entertainment, and Comic Culture

If you thought people had let Frozen‘s hit song “Let It Go” go yet, you’re sorely mistaken.

The catchy tune is back in full force, and this time it’s being sung by Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams as she drives an electric vehicle in Audi’s new Super Bowl commercial.

Williams spends the entirety of the commercial channeling her inner Elsa and belting the song made popular by Idina Menzel. She does so to encourage people to let go of the past and embrace a more sustainable future.

The commercial shows Williams cruising in Audi’s e-tron Sportback past traffic jams, garages, and closing gas stations. Audi hopes that the visual will encourage viewers to join them in their sustainability commitment.  Read more…

More about Super Bowl, Frozen, Maisie Williams, Electric Car, and Culture

As conspiracy theories about the coronavirus spread on social media, Twitter is taking new steps to fight disinformation about the virus. 

The company announced that it will prevent automated search results that are “likely to direct individuals to non-credible content” and, instead, use search to direct users to authoritative information from organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

“… We’ve launched a new dedicated search prompt to ensure that when you come to the service for information about the #coronavirus, you’re met with credible, authoritative information first,” Twitter wrote in a statement. The company has formed partnerships with organizations in 14 countries, including the U.S., Australia, and Japan, and says it will expand to more locations “as the need arises.” Read more…

More about Tech, Twitter, Social Media Companies, Coronavirus, and Tech