Innholdsfortegnelse for #522 i Techlife News

An embattled Facebook Inc. is changing its name to Meta Platforms Inc., or Meta for short, to reflect what CEO Mark Zuckerberg says is its commitment to developing the new surround-yourself technology known as the “metaverse.” But the social network itself will still be called Facebook. Skeptics immediately accused the company Thursday of trying to change the subject from the Facebook Papers, the trove of leaked documents that have plunged it into the biggest crisis since it was founded in Zuckerberg’s Harvard dorm room 17 years ago. The documents portray Facebook as putting profits ahead of ridding its platform of hate, political strife and misinformation around the world. Marketing consultant Laura Ries likened the move to BP rebranding itself to “Beyond Petroleum” to escape criticism that the oil giant harmed…

Energy prices are soaring in 2021 and oil and gas stocks are the clear winners, but the losers might just turn out to be businesses and consumers. The energy sector has far outpaced the broader market in 2021. The S&P 500’s energy stocks are up more than 50%, compared with a roughly 20% gain for the overall index. Devon Energy, Marathon Oil and Occidental Petroleum have all more than doubled in value this year. While energy stocks are reaping the benefits from high demand and lagging supplies, other areas of the economy are having a tougher time coping. Surging oil and gas prices are adding to broader inflation pressures that are squeezing businesses and driving up costs. A wide range of manufacturers are finding it more costly to ramp up…

Facebook the company is losing control of Facebook the product — not to mention the last shreds of its carefully crafted, decade-old image as a benevolent company just wanting to connect the world. Thousands of pages of internal documents provided to Congress by a former employee depict an internally conflicted company where data on the harms it causes is abundant, but solutions, much less the will to act on them, are halting at best. The crisis exposed by the documents shows how Facebook, despite its regularly avowed good intentions, appears to have slow-walked or sidelined efforts to address real harms the social network has magnified and sometimes created. They reveal numerous instances where researchers and rank-and-file workers uncovered deep-seated problems that the company then overlooked or ignored. Final responsibility for…

Toyota said it is testing hydrogen combustion engines in race cars as it works toward using the technology in commercial products. Such engines burn hydrogen as fuel instead of gasoline, much like rockets. The Japanese automaker said testing the technology in race cars will allow it to collect data and try to fix problems on-site. Toyota Motor Corp. announced earlier that it was developing a hydrogen combustion engine, which Ford Motor Co. and other automakers have also developed. Vehicles powered by such engines are different from fuel cell vehicles that use hydrogen to create electricity, and from electric or hybrid vehicles. “We want to propose multiple options to meet regional needs,” Naoyuki Sakamoto, chief engineer of the hydrogen-powered engine Corolla model, said in an online news conference. Sakamoto declined to…

Facebook’s semi-independent oversight board says the company has fallen short of full disclosure on its internal system that exempts high-profile users from some or all of its content rules. Facebook “has not been fully forthcoming” with the overseers about its “XCheck,” or cross-check, system the board said in a report. It also said it will review the system and recommend how the social network giant could change it. The board started looking into the XCheck system last month after The Wall Street Journal reported that many VIP users abuse it, posting material that would cause ordinary users to be sanctioned — including for harassment and incitement of violence. For certain elite users, Facebook’s rules reportedly don’t seem to apply. There were at least 5.8 million exempted users as of last…

Growth in Microsoft’s cloud computing business helped push its profit up 24% in the July-September quarter over the same time last year. The Redmond, Washington-based tech company reported quarterly profit of $17.2 billion, or $2.27 per share, beating Wall Street expectations of $2.08 per share. Microsoft profits have soared throughout the pandemic thanks to ongoing demand for its software and cloud computing services for remote work and study. Microsoft posted revenue of $45.3 billion in its fiscal first quarter, up 22% from last year. Analysts had been looking for revenue of $44 billion, according to FactSet Research. Sales from what Microsoft calls its “intelligent cloud” segment, which includes server products and its Azure cloud computing platform, were $17 billion, up 31% from a year ago. The company has been fiercely…

A cool wind sweeps through the sands of “Dune,” Denis Villeneuve’s chilly, majestic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 science-fiction novel. Hot as it may be on Arrakis, the desert planet that draws the universe’s most powerful interests to its mineral-rich but inhospitable sands, Villeneuve’s film is a solemn slow burn. This “Dune,” a cool-headed colossus, erects a massive, brutalist architecture of otherworldly science-fiction to craft a big-screen spectacle of thundering splendor. It is, to be sure, rather cool to the touch. Villeneuve does atmospheric exteriors more than he does emotional interiors. In muted monochrome shades, rich textures and deep sonic soundscapes, his specialty — already familiar in the deep shadows of “Sicario,” “Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2049” — is invoking a severe ominousness. So “Dune” is a more somber…

Whether out of choice or necessity, many people spent less money in the last year and a half on things like entertainment, clothes and furniture. For some, that meant holding on to more of their income. If you were able to save some cash, you’ve set yourself up to withstand future financial crises, especially if you can continue saving. Keep growing your bank balance with these four pandemic-driven saving habits. 1. REEVALUATE SPENDING Consider whether some of the purchases you may have gone months without are necessary going forward. Or rethink how often you want to make them compared to before. For example, if you started to work from home, you might have saved money by making your lunch instead of eating out. If you return to the office, you…

Conflicts over water are as old as history itself, but the massive Google data centers on the edge of this Oregon town on the Columbia River represent an emerging 21st century concern. Now a critical part of modern computing, data centers help people stream movies on Netflix, conduct transactions on PayPal, post updates on Facebook, store trillions of photos and more. But a single facility can also churn through millions of gallons of water per day to keep hot-running equipment cool. Google wants to build at least two more data centers in The Dalles, worrying some residents who fear there eventually won’t be enough water for everyone — including for area farms and fruit orchards, which are by far the biggest users. Across the United States, there has been some…

European Union regulators opened an investigation this week into graphics chipmaker Nvidia’s $40 billion purchase of chip designer Arm over concerns it would limit competition, adding to global scrutiny of the deal. The European Commission said it’s concerned the combined company would have the ability and incentive to restrict access to technology from United Kingdom-based Arm Ltd., whose chip designs power the vast majority of the world’s smartphones. The commission, which is the EU’s top antitrust authority, said it worried the deal would result in higher prices, less choice and reduced innovation in the semiconductor industry. Nvidia Corp., based in Santa Clara, California, said last year that it was buying Arm from Japanese technology giant Softbank. The deal raised concerns that Arm would abandon its neutral business model of licensing…

The small, four-seat pod glides above the sands of a test track in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, a futuristic transit solution promoted by a Belarusian firm that hopes to secure contracts here in the near future. Inviting journalists to see their test track Thursday, firm uSky showed off what they described as an energy-efficient, smart solution to fly above traffic across the Emirates, a country home to skyscraper-studded Dubai that long has embraced anything futuristic. However, uSky has ties back to a Belarusian investment firm called SkyWay that has seen multiple nations in Europe and elsewhere issue warnings to investors that they “may be involved in a scam.” Proposals to deploy the technology have been examined and abandoned in several nations as well. Creator Anatoli Unitsky brushed aside…

The term “metaverse” seems to be everywhere. Facebook is hiring thousands of engineers in Europe to work on it, while video game companies are outlining their long-term visions for what some consider the next big thing online. The metaverse, which could spring up again when Facebook, is the latest buzzword to capture the tech industry’s imagination. It could be the future, or it could be the latest grandiose vision by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg that doesn’t turn out as expected or isn’t widely adopted for years — if at all. Plus, many have concerns about a new online world tied to a social media giant that could get access to even more personal data and is accused of failing to stop harmful content. Here’s what this online world is all…

Television fare that reflects the nation’s increasing racial and ethnic diversity is finding favor with industry gatekeepers and viewers, according to a study of the 2019-20 TV season released this week. Despite the pandemic that stymied Hollywood production, there were varying measures of growth in the hiring of people of color — and women — in on- and off-camera jobs, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in the report. In return, audience enthusiasm for shows such as creator-star Issa Rae’s “Insecure” and the miniseries “Watchmen” with Emmy-winning actor Regina King proved that inclusion pays business as well as social dividends, said Darnell Hunt, dean of the school’s social sciences division. The report’s biggest takeaway is “the mounting evidence for how important diversity is to today’s audience,” Hunt…

A continued rebound in digital ad spending at Google drove its parent company’s profit up 68% in the third quarter. Mountain View, California-based Alphabet Inc. said this week that it earned $18.94 billion, or $27.99 per share, in the July-September period. Revenue rose 41% to $65.12 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expected earnings of $23.73 per share on revenue of $63.53 billion. Shares nonetheless slipped 1.7% to $2,740 in after-hours trading. Google is the world’s dominant search engine, owns the biggest mobile operating system in Android and runs the behemoth video site YouTube. It holds 29% of the global $455 billion digital ads market, according to eMarketer, followed closely by Facebook. Both tech giants are benefiting as companies that scaled back on advertising last year during the pandemic pump more…

Hertz announced Monday that it will buy 100,000 electric vehicles from Tesla, one of the largest purchases of battery-powered cars in history and the latest evidence of the nation’s increasing commitment to EV technology. The news of the deal triggered a rally in Tesla’s stock, driving the carmaker’s market value over the $1 trillion mark for the first time. The purchase by one of the world’s leading rental car companies reflects its confidence that electric vehicles are gaining acceptance with environmentally minded consumers as an alternative to vehicles powered by petroleum-burning internal combustion engines. In an interview with The Associated Press, Mark Fields, Hertz’ interim CEO, said that Teslas are already arriving at the company’s sites and should be available for rental starting in November. Hertz said in its announcement…

Profits at payments giant Visa Inc. jumped in its most-recent quarter, driven by consumers and businesses getting back to spending on their credit and debit cards after the pandemic. The San Francisco-based company said Tuesday that it earned $3.58 billion in its fiscal fourth quarter that ended Sept. 30, or $1.65 a share. That’s was up from a profit of $2.14 billion, or 97 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier. Excluding one-time adjustments, Visa earned $1.62 a share, up 42% from a year earlier. Analysts had been expected $1.55 a share, according to FactSet. Visa’s results last year were hampered the pandemic-induced global slowdown in travel and economic activity, which cut the amount of money traveling on Visa’s credit and debit card networks. As economies worldwide…

There are some things no one wants to think about until they have to, like caregiving for your parents as they age and figuring out what happens to your finances when you die. But planning for these events now can spare you and your loved ones a lot of hassle later on. The first step is to simply talk about the inevitable. “Think about the people you care about. Would your life be better if you never brought this subject up? Or would everyone’s lives improve if you did?” says Lauryn Williams, a certified financial planner and owner of Worth Winning, a Dallas-based financial planning firm. “Getting the conversation going is a gamechanger for being able to tackle these topics,” she says. OK, your death and your parents getting older…

Bustling construction sites, active drilling for energy and re-engagement in mines and other heavy industries doubled third quarter profits at Caterpillar and drove sales up 25% as the global economy emerges from a pandemic. Executives with the heavy machinery company said that sales, which were shy of Wall Street expectations, would have been stronger if not for global supply chains snarled by the reawakening of industries across the board, that have jammed major ports and driven prices higher. Revenue reached $12.4 billion, up from $9.88 billion last year and in the company’s construction industry unit, revenue rose to $5.26 billion, from $4.06 billion in the same period in 2020. “We experienced supply chain challenges like many other industrial companies,” Chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby said in a conference call Thursday.…

The U.N.’s top human rights official and U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate envoy called Thursday for countries to step up the fight against global warming, describing it as an issue of sheer survival for humankind. In a statement ahead of the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, the global body’s High Commissioner for Human Rights said “only urgent, priority action can mitigate or avert disasters that will have huge — and in some cases lethal — impacts on all of us, especially our children and grandchildren.” Michelle Bachelet urged governments taking part in the Oct. 31-Nov. 13 climate meeting to make good on pledges of financial aid to help poor countries that are most at risk to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of global warming. “This…

Though there’s no doubt that it was the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro models that were the stars of the show at Apple’s Unleashed event this October, an added benefit was the launch of the third-generation AirPods, bolstering the world’s most popular in-ear headphones and offering some Pro features we’ve come to love at a friendlier price tag. INTRODUCING AIRPODS 3 Speaking at this year’s Unleashed event, which saw Apple show off new MacBook Pro models and HomePod minis alongside the new AirPods, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said that the in-ears had “forever changed wireless headphones with their groundbreaking design, incredible sound, and magical experience. We are excited to introduce the next generation of AirPods,” he added, before introducing the new product, offering…

Two years ago, Apple threatened to pull Facebook and Instagram from its app store over concerns about the platform being used as a tool to trade and sell maids in the Mideast. After publicly promising to crack down, Facebook acknowledged in internal documents that it was “under-enforcing on confirmed abusive activity” that saw Filipina maids complaining on the social media site of being abused. Apple relented and Facebook and Instagram remained in the app store. But Facebook’s crackdown seems to have had a limited effect. Even today, a quick search for “khadima,”or“maids”in Arabic, will bring up accounts featuring posed photographs of Africans and South Asians with ages and prices listed next to their images. That’s even as the Philippines government has a team of workers that do nothing but scour…

Senators put executives from YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat on the defensive this week, questioning them about what they’re doing to ensure young users’ safety on their platforms. Citing the harm that can come to vulnerable young people from the sites — ranging from eating disorders to exposure to sexually explicit content and material promoting addictive drugs — the lawmakers also sought the executives’ support for legislation bolstering protection of children on social media. But they received little firm commitment. “The problem is clear: Big Tech preys on children and teens to make more money,” Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said at a hearing by the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection. The subcommittee recently took testimony from a former Facebook data scientist, who laid out internal company research showing that the…

There’s a line that Bill Murray’s Harold Ross-like character Arthur Howitzer Jr, the editor of The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun, says a few times in Wes Anderson’s new movie that I can’t stop thinking about.“Just try to make it sound like you wrote it that way on purpose,”he gently advises his staff. It’s clever, sure, and just familiar enough to make you wonder if it is some well-known writing advice. But what’s especially striking is that it’s somehow both confident and self-deprecating —- a beautiful quip that’s full of insight and contradictions, not unlike Anderson films themselves. And it’s easy to wonder whether it’s a kind of window into Anderson’s mind, something he tells himself or was once told to make sense of his idiosyncratic aesthetic,…

Boeing Co. lost $109 million in the third quarter as it struggled with production problems that have held up deliveries of the 787, a large plane popular on long international airline routes. Boeing said it is building about two 787s a months and expects to stay at that low rate until deliveries resume. Problems including fuselage flaws are expected to cause $1 billion in “abnormal costs,” the company said, including a $183 million charge recorded in the third quarter. CEO David Calhoun said on CNBC that the company will resume 787 deliveries by following the same process of working with regulators that it used to bring back the 737 Max after two deadly crashes and a worldwide grounding. It took 18 months for Boeing to win regulatory approval of fixes…

U.S. officials issued new warnings about China’s ambitions in artificial intelligence and a range of advanced technologies that could eventually give Beijing a decisive military edge and possible dominance over health care and other essential sectors in America. The warnings include a renewed effort to inform business executives, academics and local and state government officials about the risks of accepting Chinese investment or expertise in key industries, officials at the National Counterintelligence and Security Center said. While the center does not intend to tell officials to reject Chinese investment, it will encourage efforts to control intellectual property and implement security measures. National security agencies under President Joe Biden’s administration are making an aggressive public push against China, which some officials have called the greatest strategic threat to the United States.…