Innholdsfortegnelse for #295 i Techlife News

Few college-bound kids lose their shot, and their slot, at their dream school once they get in, but it happened at one of the world’s most elite institutions and for a reason that has, until recently, hardly registered in the university admissions process: social media. Harvard University’s decision to rescind admission offers to 10 incoming freshmen because of offensive Facebook posts comes at a time of heightened attention to free speech and student conduct on U.S. college campuses, and has stirred debate far beyond the halls of the Ivy League school. Other schools say it’s an eye-opener for those involved in the admissions process. “We’re going to continue to watch how this unfolds and, with other higher ed institutions, learn from it,” said Janet Bonkowski, spokeswoman for the University of…

Online retail giant Amazon is making a bold expansion into physical stores with a $13.7 billion deal to buy Whole Foods, setting the stage for radical retail experiments that could revolutionize how people buy groceries and everything else. Amazon could try to use automation and data analysis to draw more customers to stores while helping Whole Foods cut costs and perhaps prices. Meanwhile, the more than 460 Whole Foods stores in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. could be turned into distribution hubs - not just for delivering groceries but as pickup centers for online orders. “The conventional grocery store should feel threatened and incapable of responding,” Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said. Moody’s lead retail analyst Charlie O’Shea said the deal could be “transformative, not just for food retail,…

Facebook has started deploying its artificial intelligence capabilities to help combat terrorists’ use of its service. Company officials said in a blog post last week that Facebook will use AI in conjunction with human reviewers to find and remove “terrorist content” immediately, before other users see it. Such technology is already used to block child pornography from Facebook and other services such as YouTube, but Facebook had been reluctant about applying it to other potentially less clear-cut uses. In most cases, Facebook only removes objectionable material if users first report it. Facebook and other internet companies face growing government pressure to identify and prevent the spread of terrorist propaganda and recruiting messages on their services. Earlier this month, British Prime Minister Theresa May called ongovernments to form international agreements to…

It has long been rumored that Apple is developing either a virtual reality (VR) or an augmented reality (AR) device, and these rumors were somewhat confirmed at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Jose earlier this month. At the conference, Apple announced the ARKit, a new kit allowing developers to create augmented reality apps. The ARKit, deemed a “game changer” by the CEO of Marxent, who for six years have been developing AR apps for Apple, will run on the new Apple iOS 11 software and is due to launch in the fall on the iPhone 8, and on all iOS devices dating back to the iPhone 5. Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an interview augmented reality is “Something [Apple] is doing a lot of things on” and it is…

Apple is seeking to void some of Qualcomm’s patent claims and licensing agreements, intensifying its legal battle with the chip maker over the technology in iPhones and iPads. In a federal court filing Tuesday, Apple cited a Supreme Court ruling last month that a printer-cartridge maker’s patent rights end with the initial sale of the cartridges. Apple says that ruling strengthens its argument that Qualcomm cannot continue to demand royalties for the patents after selling its cellular chips. The new court documents expand on a $1 billion lawsuit Apple filed in January in U.S. District Court in San Diego. Qualcomm has disputed Apple’s claims that it is overcharging for patent-related license fees. The San Diego chip maker had no immediate comment on the latest filing. Apple is also seeking to…

Table 19 Relieved of her maid of honor duties and dumped by the best man, Eloise (Anna Kendrick) attends her oldest friend’s wedding only to find herself seated among a group of misfit strangers. As she bonds with her new tablemates, she discovers just how much friendships – and even romance – can happen under the most unlikely circumstances. FIVE FACTS: 1. This is Jeffrey Blitz’s first film since Rocket Science (2007) which also featured Anna Kendrick. 2. Anna Kendrick’s first big film was Twilight (2008) in which she played Jessica. She reprised the role for the next three movies in the series. 3. Craig Robinson and Anna Kendrick both starred in Rapture-Palooza (2013). 4. Lisa Kudrow worked with Craig Robinson in an episode of Friends and Robinson was the…

More than 70,000 playbills, posters and theatrical materials for a Brooklyn, New York theater dating as far back as the Civil War era are now available on a digital archive for the viewing public. The archive for the Brooklyn Academy of Music made available Tuesday has been in development for several years and was funded by a $1 million grant from the Leon Levy Foundation. The New York Times reports materials from the Leon Levy BAM Digital Archive include press clippings and posters from the Brooklyn Academy’s opening days in the 1860s. Roughly 40,000 artists are featured in the archive, and every one of the 70,000 items on display is linked to artists and people involved with the item. The collection is available at levyarchive.bam.org.…

Uber is enabling passengers to tip its U.S. drivers with a tap on its ride-hailing app for the first time, part of a push to recast itself as a company with a conscience and a heart. Besides the built-in tipping announced Tuesday, Uber is giving drivers an opportunity to make more money in other ways too. Riders will be charged by the minute if they keep an Uber car waiting for more than two minutes. Uber also is reducing the time riders have to cancel a ride to avoid being slapped with a $5 fee from five minutes to two minutes after summoning a driver. Uber won’t take any of the tip money. The San Francisco company will continue to collect part of ride-cancellation fees, as well as the waiting-time…

When it comes to getting airplanes off the ground in broiling weather, it’s not the heat or the humidity. It’s the air density. Hotter air gets thin, making it harder to take off and land safely, mostly for smaller jets. That’s what has kept some planes grounded in Phoenix this week where temperatures have been pushing 120 degrees. Airplanes take off and stay aloft because of lift, the force from the movement of air underneath the plane’s wings that push it upward. “As air warms up, it expands and there’s fewer molecules to be under your wing,” said Lou McNally , professor of applied meteorology at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. With less lift, “you need more of everything. You need more thrust to take off. You need more distance (on the…

The chairman of Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn said it may spend more than $10 billion to set up manufacturing in the United States, and will announce investment plans by early August for at least three states. Terry Gou gave no new information about where Foxconn will locate a U.S. display panel factory he said in January would cost up to $7 billion to build. That announcement triggered a flurry of lobbying by state leaders hoping to attract the investment, which he said might generate as many as 50,000 jobs. Foxconn is the biggest contract manufacturer of smartphones and other devices for Apple, Sony, Blackberry and other brands. Its success has made Gou Taiwan’s richest businessman. The company raised its profile with its purchase in March 2016 of struggling Japanese electronics…

The White House on Monday urged technology CEOs to pitch in on President Donald Trump’s effort to modernize government. “Our goal is to lead a sweeping transformation of the federal government’s technology that will deliver dramatically better services to citizens, stronger protection from cyberattacks,” said Trump, adding that the possible changes could produce up to $1 trillion in savings over 10 years. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google parent company Alphabet, were among those attending an afternoon of working groups on issues like technology infrastructure, cybersecurity and visas for foreign workers. Trump has spoken out against illegal immigration and signed an executive order banning travelers from six Muslim-majority countries, a source of tension with technology firms. “We’re working very diligently with everybody, including Congress, on…

Amazon is hoping to claim more territory once held by department stores, essentially placing a dressing room in your house. The company, which has been making a big push into selling clothes, is testing a new service that lets members of its Prime program try on styles before they put items on their charge card - at no upfront fee. Customers have seven days to decide what they like, and then pay only for what they keep. Shipments arrive in a resealable box with a pre-paid label for returns. More than a million pieces of clothing and accessories are eligible, Amazon said Tuesday, including from brands like Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Theory and Levi’s that are big names at the department stores. The program differs from what department stores like…

Wanted: 10,000 New Yorkers interested in advancing science by sharing a trove of personal information, from cellphone locations and credit-card swipes to blood samples and life-changing events. For 20 years. Researchers are gearing up to start recruiting participants from across the city next year for a study so sweeping it’s called“The Human Project.” It aims to channel different data streams into a river of insight on health, aging, education and many other aspects of human life. “That’s what we’re all about: putting the holistic picture together,” says project director Dr. Paul Glimcher, a New York University neural science, economics and psychology professor. There have been other “big data” health studies, and the National Institutes of Health plans to start full-scale recruitment as soon as this fall for a million-person project…

Google is promising to be more vigilant about preventing terrorist propaganda and other extremist videos from appearing on its YouTube site amid intensifying criticism about the internet’s role in mass violence. Its crackdown will involve both computer programs and an expanded group of people dedicated to identifying videos promoting terrorism so they can be blocked from appearing on YouTube or quickly removed. Google is making the commitment in the wake of violent attacks in the U.S. and elsewhere. A van struck a crowd of people outside a London mosque Sunday, the second time an automobile was used as a weapon in that city this month, and less than a week after a gunman attacked GOP lawmakers on a baseball field. And earlier this month, British Prime Minister Theresa May called…

It’s been more than 25 years, and Ice Cube’s still got something to say. The 48-year-old entertainer has come a long way from his start as part of the West Coast rap group N.W.A. and later a solo artist, branching into movies and now founding a soon-to-be-launched half-court basketball league. But some things haven’t changed, like his willingness to call out law enforcement on the way he sees policing done and to speak his mind on race issues, like he did recently when he took late-night host Bill Maher to task for his use of the N-word during a show. He brought that attitude to the 25th anniversary re-release this month of his 1991 solo album, “Death Certificate,” with its newly added-on lead single, “Good Cop, Bad Cop.” Asked for…

How Did We Get So Dark? Royal Blood The follow-up to Royal Blood’s massively successful debut album continues in the same vein with a mixture of melody and musical riffing. Certain tracks are reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age with a hint of Muse, and there is certainly subtle, but significant, progression that allows them to retain their place as a two-piece rock phenomenon. FIVE FACTS: 1. Before the duo entered the world of rock, Mike was a chef and Ben was a barman. 2. The band received some great promotion when the Arctic Monkeys’ drummer Matt Helders wore one of their t-shirts on stage at Glastonbury. 3. The song ‘Better Strangers’ on their first album was named after a line in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. 4. Led…

There’s been a disturbance in the force and the young Han Solo film is suddenly without a director. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said this week that the Star Wars spinoff is parting ways with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller due to different creative visions on the film. Kennedy said a new director would be announced soon. Lord and Miller had been filming the untitled project in London since January 2017 with stars Alden Ehrenreich as the young Han Solo and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian. The supporting cast includes Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke and Thandie Newton. “Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project. We normally aren’t fans of the phrase ‘creative differences’ but for once this cliché is true,” the directors said in…

Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick resigned Tuesday under pressure from investors. “I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight,” Kalanick said in a statement to The New York Times. On June 13, Kalanick went on indefinite leave amid criticism of his management style and following the death of his mother in a boating accident. The San Francisco-based company he co-founded in 2009 has been trying reverse damage done to its reputation by revelations of sexual harassment in its offices, allegations of trade secrets theft and an investigation into efforts to mislead government regulators. The Uber…

A telecom company in the Netherlands has teamed up with the country’s traffic safety authority to develop a bicycle lock that also locks mobile phones, in a move aimed at protecting young riders who regularly pedal through busy streets while looking at their phone. An app will open the lock and simultaneously block the KPN cellular network, meaning that the cyclist’s phone can only be used to call emergency services. Once the bike is locked, the cellphone will work again. The Dutch Traffic Safety Association said Wednesday that the “Safe Lock” is expected to go on sale by the end of the year for around 100 euros ($110). The association says that one in five bicycle accidents involving children is caused by smartphone use.…

Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Monday he does not believe carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming, a statement at odds with mainstream scientific consensus but in line with the head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Asked on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” whether carbon emissions are primarily responsible for climate change, Perry said no, adding that “most likely the primary control knob is the ocean waters and this environment that we live in.” Perry’s view is contrary to mainstream climate science, including analyses by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The EPA under President Donald Trump recently removed a web page that declared “carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas that is contributing to recent climate change.” Taking down the web page came after EPA Administrator Scott…

Shares in several major sports chains hit 52-week lows on word that Nike may soon be selling its gear directly on Amazon.com. Goldman Sachs said Wednesday it believed the deal would give Nike better exposure to Amazon’s huge retail channel and customer base, especially millennials. Nike goods can already be found on Amazon subsidiary Zappos.com and its shoes and gear can be found through third-party sellers on Amazon.com. Goldman believes the deal would give Nike better control of its brand’s presentation on the site. But investors saw mostly the gravitational pull of Amazon, sending shares of Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc., Hibbett Sports Inc., Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp., Finish Line Inc., and Foot Locker Inc. plummeting between 5 percent and 7 percent Wednesday. It’s the third sector in less than…

People have used crowdfunding sites to raise money for business ideas, help afford medical emergencies and even to pay for vacations. Now the concept is coming to college savings. More 529 plans, the accounts that give families a way to put away cash for college, are adding crowdfunding-like tools that make it easier for savers to ask family and friends to contribute to a kid’s college fund. Account holders can create webpages and share the links on Facebook, Twitter or in emails. Some parents have asked for cash contributions as birthday gifts instead of toys. Others have used them to boost the savings of a child who lost a parent. Money is withdrawn from the gift giver’s checking account and goes directly into the 529. There are no fees for…

Google is trying to turn its search engine into an employment engine. Beginning this week, job hunters will be able to go to Google and see help-wanted listings that its search engine collects across the internet. The results will aim to streamline such listings by eliminating duplicate jobs posted on different sites. Google will also show employer ratings from current and former workers, as well as typical commute times to job locations. This detailed jobs information is a departure from the way Google’s main search engine has traditionally shown only bare-bones links to various help-wanted sites. Google is teaming up with a variety of help-wanted and employer-rating services, including LinkedIn, Monster, WayUp, DirectEmployers, CareerBuilder, Glassdoor, and Facebook.…

The safety record at the U.S. laboratory that created the atomic bomb is facing intensifying criticism as work ramps up to produce a key component for the nation’s nuclear weapons cache. A series published this week by the Center for Public Integrity cites numerous internal reports and other documents outlining federal regulators’ concerns about safety lapses at Los Alamos National Laboratory over the years, including spilled plutonium and workers positioning plutonium rods in a way that could have been disastrous. In an internal memo, Los Alamos officials took aim at critics and reassured employees of the safety of the lab’s facility for making plutonium cores used to trigger the explosions in nuclear bombs. “As employees, you should be proud of your laboratory’s accomplishments over the past decade to strengthen our…

A concussed serenity sets in somewhere in the middle of the ceaseless ballet of metal and machismo in Michael Bay’s “Transformers: The Last Knight.” Freed of concerns like plausibility or story, you can simply gape in wonder at the ruthlessly thunderous images in front of you. Maybe that’s the feeling of brain cells dying a painful, anguished death. It’s a sensation I imagine cornered boxers sometimes experience while blow after blow rains down upon them. Dazed by the unrelenting digital demolition on screen, thoughts go through your head like: ‘Can this movie literally crush me?’‘Is death by Dolby possible?’ and ‘You know, it’s really time to get the car washed.’ By the time you’ve scraped yourself off the floor after all 149 minutes of the 3-D “The Last Knight,” you…

“Cars 3” finished in first place at the North American box office this weekend with $53.7 million in earnings. It effectively stole the top spot from “Wonder Woman,” which had held on to No. 1 for two weeks in a row. “Wonder Woman,” in its third weekend in theaters, earned $41.3 million, bringing its total to $275.1 million. New opener “All Eyez On Me” exceeded expectations with a $26.4 million debut in third place, burying “The Mummy,” in weekend two, in fourth place with $14.5 million. The Mandy Moore shark thriller “47 Meters Down” rounded out the top five with $11.2 million, while the R-rated comedy “Rough Night” got off to a rough seventh place start with only $8 million. The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday…

Kia has claimed the top spot in a survey of new vehicle quality for the second straight year. Genesis - a luxury brand owned by Hyundai Motor Co. - was second in J.D. Power’s annual initial quality survey. This marks the first time in the survey’s 30-year history that two Korean brands have topped the list, a spokesman for J.D. Power said. Porsche, Ford and Ram rounded out the top five. The lowest ranking brands were Fiat, Jaguar, Volvo, Mitsubishi and Land Rover. The survey questioned 80,000 owners of 2017 model year vehicles about the problems they had in the first 90 days of ownership. Owners were most likely to complain about technology, including poor voice recognition systems, clunky navigation and problems pairing smartphones to their cars. Kia owners had…

NASA’s planet-hunting telescope has found 10 new planets outside our solar system that are likely the right size and temperature to potentially have life on them, broadly hinting that we are probably not alone. After four years of searching, the Kepler telescope has detected a total of 49 planets in the Goldilocks zone. And it only looked in a tiny part of the galaxy, one quarter of one percent of a galaxy that holds about 200 billion of stars. Seven of the 10 newfound Earth-size planets circle stars that are just like ours, not cool dwarf ones that require a planet be quite close to its star for the right temperature. That doesn’t mean the planets have life, but some of the most basic requirements that life needs are there,…

Toshiba Corp. has chosen a U.S.-Japan consortium as the preferred bidder in the sale of its lucrative memory chip business. The troubled Japanese electronics giant has had deep recent losses and has been selling pieces of its operations to ensure its survival. Tokyo-based Toshiba said Wednesday the board of directors selected the consortium of Innovation Network Corp. of Japan, Bain Capital Private Equity and the Development Bank of Japan as the preferred bidder in the sale of Toshiba Memory Corp. The company’s U.S. Westinghouse nuclear operations have racked up massive red ink. Reactors it has been building are still unfinished, partly because of beefed up safety regulations following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Westinghouse Electric Co. filed for bankruptcy protection in March. Toshiba’s attempt to gain cash from the chip…

While Airbus and Boeing will again hog the spotlight at the Paris Air Show with their battle for ever-larger slices of the lucrative pie in the sky, a lot of the really interesting stuff will be going on elsewhere at the upcoming biennial aviation and defense industry gathering. Lockheed Martin’s F-35 jet will crane necks with high-speed aerial displays, drones will again be a hot topic and a would-be flying car will aim to show that it is closer to getting off the ground as a consumer ride. Defense contractors will be seeking customers for their latest high-tech weapons, including drones designed to act as wingmen to piloted aircraft in battle. More peacefully, there’ll be the launch of a distress beacon with an integrated GPS transmitter to help locate planes…