Innholdsfortegnelse for #435 i Techlife News

Mike Bloomberg’s stockpile of cash, swarm of employees and paid social media influencers are testing the abilities of online platforms -- and his Democratic challengers -- to keep up with an expensive internet campaign. Despite the billionaire and former New York City mayor’s late entry into the presidential race, he has far outspent his rivals on nearly every platform in a matter of weeks. His unconventional online strategy is heavy on memes and the paid support of prominent social media users, blurring the lines between political advertising, satire and misinformation. That has not only boosted the platforms’ bottom lines, but has also revealed how easily their policies can be bent. “We’re in the position where tech companies can’t even apply their own policies to what we’re seeing,” said Mark Jablonowski,…

A communication satellite almost out of fuel has gotten a new life after the first space docking of its kind. Northrop Grumman and Intelsat announced the successful link-up nearly 22,500 miles (36,000 kilometers) above Earth on Wednesday. It’s the first time two commercial satellites have joined in orbit like this. The recently launched satellite — Northrop Grumman’s Mission Extension Vehicle, or MEV-1 — will serve as a guide dog of sorts for its aging Intelsat companion. Company officials called it a historic moment for space commerce, akin to the threespacewalker capture of a wayward Intelsat satellite 28 years ago. “We’re pushing the boundaries of what many thought would be impossible,” said Tom Wilson, president of SpaceLogistics, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman. “The impossible is now a reality. Today is a…

You have no excuses now that the holidays have ended: It’s time to book travel for the wedding(s) you agreed to attend in 2020. Whether you’re going to an exotic destination wedding or just flying back to Cincinnati for your awkward cousin’s nuptials, wedding travel can get expensive in a hurry. A weekend trip can easily cost over $1,000 in airfare and lodging — or much more if you’re traveling with family. These costs get so exorbitant because many weddings are: — In the summer. — On weekends. — Near smaller airports. Any one of these factors drives up the cost of flights and hotels, but all three combined can create a perfect storm of expenses. Short of asking the betrothed to move their ceremony to a less pricey time…

China’s massive travel restrictions, house-to-house checks, huge isolation wards and lockdowns of entire cities bought the world valuable time to prepare for the global spread of the new virus. But with troubling outbreaks now emerging in Italy, South Korea and Iran, and U.S. health officials warning Tuesday it’s inevitable it will spread more widely in America, the question is: Did the world use that time wisely and is it ready for a potential pandemic? “It’s not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen — and how many people in this country will have severe illness,” said Dr. Nancy Messonnier of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some countries are putting price caps on face…

Amazon wants to kill the supermarket checkout line. The online retailing giant is opening its first cashier-less supermarket, where shoppers can grab milk or eggs and walk out without waiting in line or ever opening their wallets. It’s the latest sign that Amazon is serious about shaking up the $800 billion grocery industry. At the new store, which opened this week in Amazon’s hometown of Seattle, shoppers scan a smartphone app to enter the store. Cameras and sensors track what’s taken off shelves. Items are charged to an Amazon account after leaving. “I love the convenience of literally grabbing and going” said Art Kuniyuki, a payroll and benefits manager from Seattle, who spent $15 on Barilla pasta, Dove chocolate and other groceries shortly after the store opened. Called Amazon Go…

Panasonic is pulling out of its partnership with Tesla to produce solar panels at a factory in New York state, the Japanese electronics maker said. Panasonic’s production at the factory in Buffalo will end by May, with an exit by September, it said in a statement. The decision is to streamline the company’s global solar energy operations, it said. Panasonic will continue making batteries for Tesla’s electric vehicles in another factory in Nevada, it said. Panasonic also quoted Tesla as saying that the move won’t affect Tesla’s solar business plans. Panasonic will also continue selling solar panels under its brand in the U.S. through its own distribution channels, it said. The two companies’ agreement to work on solar energy was announced in 2016. Panasonic will offer severance packages to employees…

Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who calculated rocket trajectories and earth orbits for NASA’s early space missions and was later portrayed in the 2016 hit film “Hidden Figures,” about pioneering black female aerospace workers, has died. She was 101. Johnson died Monday of natural causes at a retirement community in Newport News, Virginia, family attorney Donyale Y. H. Reavis told The Associated Press. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement that Johnson “helped our nation enlarge the frontiers of space even as she made huge strides that also opened doors for women and people of color.” Johnson was one of the “computers” who solved equations by hand during NASA’s early years and those of its precursor organization, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Johnson and other black women initially worked…

In the rush to replace insecure, unreliable electronic voting machines after Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential race, state and local officials have scrambled to acquire more trustworthy equipment for this year’s election, when U.S. intelligence agencies fear even worse problems. But instead of choosing simple, hand-marked paper ballots that are most resistant to tampering because paper cannot be hacked, many are opting for pricier technology that computer security experts consider almost as risky as earlier discredited electronic systems. Called ballot-marking devices, the machines have touchscreens for registering voter choice. Unlike touchscreen-only machines, they print out paper records that are scanned by optical readers. South Carolina voters will use them in Saturday’s primary. The most pricey solution available, they are at least twice as expensive as the hand-marked paper…

A proposal that would ban motorists from using handheld cellphones on Indiana roads appears on its way to becoming law. The Indiana Senate voted 43-4 Tuesday in favor of the bill that supporters say is aimed at making roadways safer by combating distracted driving. House members endorsed last month a similar version of the bill that would permits cellphone use only with hands-free or voice-operated technology, except in emergencies. The measure would broaden the state’s current ban on texting while driving that officials say is unenforceable and doesn’t include actions such as emailing and using Snapchat or other apps. Republican Sen. Michael Crider of Greenfield, the bill sponsor, said 21 other states with similar laws have seen reductions in the number of crashes. “This is the right thing to do,”…

You expect your car insurance rates to increase after you buy a new vehicle, cause a crash or add a young driver to your policy. But some insurers jack up prices based on seemingly unrelated data — like your magazine subscriptions or what groceries you buy. Even if you have a clean driving record and have stayed loyal to your insurance company for the past 10 years, you could be paying higher premiums than someone with the same driving history, car and background. Why? Price optimization. WHAT IS PRICE OPTIMIZATION? Price optimization is the practice of charging higher rates based on the likelihood that a person will not shop around for a lower price. Insurers create algorithms based on all kinds of personal data, including loyalty to other service providers…

Truth-telling journalist or reckless criminal: A British judge was given two conflicting portraits of Julian Assange as the WikiLeaks founder’s long-awaited extradition hearing began Monday in a London court. A lawyer for the U.S. authorities, who want to try Assange on espionage charges, said the Australian computer expert was an “ordinary” criminal whose publication of hundreds of thousands of secret military documents a decade ago put many people at risk of torture and death. “Reporting or journalism is not an excuse for criminal activities or a license to break ordinary criminal laws,” said James Lewis, a British lawyer representing the U.S. government. Assange’s lawyer countered that the WikiLeaks publisher was being victimized by a “lawless” American government that wanted to make an example of him. Attorney Edward Fitzgerald also said…

Facebook said Wednesday that it is banning ads that make false claims about products tied to the new coronavirus. The social network said it is removing ads that feature a product and imply a limited supply, seeking create a “sense of urgency” in their mention of coronavirus. Ads that guarantee a cure or prevention are also banned, it said. For instance, ads for face masks that claim the products are 100% guaranteed to prevent the spread of the virus are not allowed, the company said. The ban went into effect this week. Facebook had previously banned ads, along with regular unpaid posts, that peddle fake cures such as drinking bleach, spread conspiracy theories about the virus, or discourage people from seeking medical treatment. The ban went into effect as the…

Developers are quietly working on iOS 14 and its Mac and Watch counterparts, and many are wondering what the next-generation operating system will look like. A Bloomberg report has shed some light, and Apple looks set to loosen its grip on its privacy-focused ecosystem. APPLE MEANS PRIVACY Ever since the introduction of iOS back in 2007 (formally iPhoneOS with the launch of the original iPhone), Apple’s stance on privacy has been clear. Though third parties are actively encouraged to build apps and experiences for Apple’s ecosystems, they must play carefully by the Cupertino company’s rules or be kicked out . Each piece of software designed for macOS, iOS, and watchOS is compartmentalized, existing in a bubble to ensure data isn’t transferred between apps to resell to advertising and e-commerce giants,…

Taking advice from Wall Street on deals is a bit like asking “the barber whether you need a haircut,” according to billionaire Warren Buffett. Buffett said in his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders last weekend that the current system of reviewing deals doesn’t always work well for investors because it almost always favors the deal that corporate CEOs propose. Companies should consider hiring two sets of advisers to argue for and against a deal before moving forward instead of just hiring a Wall Street firm that favors the deal, he wrote. “Don’t hold your breath awaiting this reform: The current system, whatever its shortcomings for shareholders, works magnificently for CEOs and the many advisors and other professionals who feast on deals,” he wrote. Buffett compared corporate deals to marriages…

A Peter Pan story told from Wendy’s perspective sounds either too precious to be true or ripe for a skewering. But in the hands of the filmmakers behind “Beasts of the Southern Wild,”“Wendy” resides — ever so delicately — in the space between. It is an achingly earnest, feral, transporting and (very) loose reimagining of the classic J.M. Barrie tale about not wanting to grow up. Gone are the outdated mores and fancy window dressings of Barrie’s story, however. Here, the Darlings are a raggedy American family living in the Deep South and surviving by slinging eggs and coffee in a diner full of characters with weathered faces and hearty laughs. In the opening scene, Wendy, a rosy cheeked toddler who is already getting a taste of labor helping her…

The Transportation Security Administration said it has stopped allowing employees to use the China-owned video app TikTok to create social media posts for the agency after the Senate’s top Democrat raised concerns about potential national security issues. New York Sen. Chuck Schumer sent a letter letter to TSA Administrator David Pekoske, months after news reports that the U.S. government launched a national security review of the app, which is popular with millions of U.S. teens and young adults. Schumer also cited a Department of Homeland Security policy prohibiting TikTok on agency devices. The TSA said in a statement that a “small number of TSA employees have previously used TikTok on their personal devices to create videos for use in TSA’s social media outreach, but that practice has since been discontinued.”…

A major Alaska public employees union has filed a grievance, saying the state is improperly seeking to outsource information technology jobs. The Alaska State Employees Association/ AFSCME Local 52 said a feasibility study should have been conducted under terms of a collective bargaining agreement. Earlier this month, the Department of Administration announced what it called a digital alliance with Microsoft and plans to work together on various initiatives, including efforts to modernize state information technology. The department also said Microsoft would support efforts to move data to the cloud, saying this would allow for greater data security and cost savings. The union said such a move could cost money and disrupt services. A message seeking comment was left for the department. The union said the grievance was filed Feb. 14.…

Nicolas Vandenberghe’s company has 42 staffers scattered among 36 cities in 15 countries. As technology makes it possible for people to be in constant touch while working remotely, businesses like Chili Piper are becoming the norm. “We have Zoom, Slack, and a myriad of other collaborative tools — do we really need the in-person water cooler meetings?” asks Vandenberghe, whose business makes software to help companies manage meetings. Vandenberghe himself is continually remote, splitting his time between Brooklyn, New York; Los Angeles and France. Whether it means a parent working from home while caring for a sick child, a staffer who logs into a company computer daily from a coffee shop or an entire law firm that operates online, remote working is gaining momentum at small businesses. Technology that makes…

Honey isn’t just honey anymore. At farmers markets, grocery stores and restaurants, there’s a wide assortment of honeys in various colors and tastes, from far-away places and ones next door. Why is a food that’s been part of the human diet for millennia suddenly so trendy? First, of course, honey is delicious and versatile. It can be used in baking, dressings, marinades, sauces, cocktails — in all sorts of dishes both savory and sweet. It is sweeter than straight sugar, so you can use less. Honey is produced all over the world, so as we explore new cuisines, we’re seeing the many ways honey can be utilized. Increased awareness of the importance of bees and pollination also has a lot to do with why people are seeking out honey, says…

Britain published its opening demands for trade talks with the European Union, delivering a blunt threat to walk away from the table if there is no progress within four months. The two sides appear headed for a rocky first round of negotiations as they try to forge a new relationship following the U.K.’s departure from the now 27-nation bloc. Britain and the EU both say they want to reach a free trade agreement, but have starkly divergent views on how it should be overseen and what constitutes fair competition between their two economies. The EU says Britain must agree to follow the bloc’s rules in areas ranging from state aid to environmental protections, and give European boats access to U.K. fishing waters, if the two sides are to strike a…

Virgin Galactic has received nearly 8,000 online reservations of interest since its first successful test flight into space 14 months ago, the company said Tuesday as it nears commercial operation and prepares to reopen ticket sales. Virgin Galactic already had more than 600 firm reservations that were taken from customers in 60 countries until the December 2018 flight, when it closed down ticket sales. The company said that on Wednesday it will begin a process called “One Small Step” that will allow those online registrants who are serious about becoming passenger astronauts to register online for a firm reservation by paying a fully refundable deposit of $1,000. Confirming a spaceflight reservation will be a process called ”One Giant Leap,” echoing the words of Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong when he…

China’s Huawei unveiled its latest folding smartphone and its first such device to be available internationally, competing in a niche category with new models from Samsung and Motorola. The company took the wraps off the new Mate Xs by video instead of a press launch, as the tech show in Spain where it had planned to hold the unveiling was cancelled over worries about the new coronavirus outbreak. Like its predecessor, the Mate X, which only saw limited release in China last year, the display wraps around the phone’s outside when closed and unfolds to a tablet-size eight-inch screen. The company says there are improvements under the hood, including a redesigned four-layer screen and upgraded “falcon wing” hinge. It also gets Huawei’s latest homegrown Kirin 990 chipset, a four-lens camera…

Wells Fargo agreed to pay $3 billion to settle criminal and civil investigations into a long-running practice whereby company employees opened millions of unauthorized bank accounts in order to meet unrealistic sales goals. Since the fake-accounts scandal came to light in 2016, Wells has paid out billions in fines to state and federal regulators, reshuffled its board of directors and seen two CEOs and other top-level executives leave the company. Wells Fargo’s reputation has never fully recovered from the sales scandal, even four years later. The $3 billion payment includes a $500 million civil payment to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which will distribute those funds to investors who were impacted by Wells’ behavior. “Wells Fargo traded its hard-earned reputation for short-term profits” said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna for the…

Disney CEO Bob Iger, who steered the company’s absorption of Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel and Fox’s entertainment businesses and the launch of a Netflix challenger, is stepping down immediately, the company said in a surprise announcement Tuesday. The Walt Disney Co. named as his replacement Bob Chapek, most recently chairman of Disney’s parks, experiences and products business. “Did not see this coming -- Wowza,” tweeted LightShed media analyst Rich Greenfield. Iger will remain executive chairman through the end of his contract on Dec. 31, 2021. Besides leading the board, Iger said he will spend more time on Disney’s creative endeavors, including the ESPN sports network, the newly acquired Fox studios and the Hulu and Disney Plus streaming services. He said he could not do that while running Disney on a…

The Pentagon is adopting new ethical principles as it prepares to accelerate its use of artificial intelligence technology on the battlefield. The new principles call for people to “exercise appropriate levels of judgment and care” when deploying and using AI systems, such as those that scan aerial imagery to look for targets. They also say decisions made by automated systems should be “traceable” and “governable,” which means “there has to be a way to disengage or deactivate” them if they are demonstrating unintended behavior, said Air Force Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan, director of the Pentagon’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. The Pentagon’s push to speed up its AI capabilities has fueled a fight between tech companies over a $10 billion cloud computing contract known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or…

NASA’s newest Mars lander has confirmed that quakes and even aftershocks are regularly jolting the red planet. Scientists reported that the seismometer from the InSight spacecraft has detected scores of marsquakes. A series of research papers focus on the 174 marsquakes noted through last September. Twenty-four were relatively strong — magnitude 3 to 4 — and apparently stemmed from distant underground triggers. The rest were smaller, with uncertain magnitude and origin. Even the stronger quakes would not have posed a hazard to anybody on the planet’s surface, researchers said in a press conference. The overall tally has since jumped to more than 450 marsquakes, most of them small, InSight’s lead scientist, Bruce Banerdt of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in an email. The basic cause of Martian quakes is a…

Japanese carrier ANA is ordering 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets, bringing its fleet of the planes to 103 by 2025. The latest order will consist of 11 787-10 aircraft, set to go into service for Japan routes sometime between 2022 and 2024, ANA Holdings Inc. said. That jet seats more than 330 passengers. Nine 787-9 models, for international services, seating about 300 passengers, will begin services fiscal 2024 and 2025, it said. A price for the deal was not given. “Boeing’s 787s have served ANA with distinction, and we are proud to expand our fleet by adding more of these technologically advanced aircraft,” ANA Executive Vice President Yutaka Ito said. Seventy-one of the aircraft is already in service with the airline, said ANA, or All Nippon Airways. The ordered planes…