Grab a seat and be on time with new transit updates on Google Maps | Google Keyword Blog

For details, see Predicting Bus Delays with Machine Learning | Google AI Blog

"When you have an important meeting, a date with a friend, or a doctor’s appointment, often the first thing you’ll do is check the transit schedule to make sure you can make it on time. Unfortunately, transit schedules don’t always reflect real-time traffic conditions that impact your ride, which can cause a lot of unnecessary stress when you end up arriving later than you thought you would.

To solve for this, Google Maps is launching live traffic delays for buses in places where we don’t already have real-time information direct from local transit agencies. You’ll now be able to see if your bus will be late, how long the delay will be, and more accurate travel times based on live traffic conditions along your route. You’ll also see exactly where the delays are on the map so you know what to expect before you even hop on your bus."

Grab a seat and be on time with new transit updates on Google Maps | Google Keyword Blog

Jony Ive on Leaving Apple, in His Own Words | FT (via Medium)

Exit different

"“While I will not be an employee, I will still be very involved — I hope for many, many years to come. This just seems like a natural and gentle time to make this change.
I am so close to the design team . . . The last 30 years have seen a range of significant products, but I think the creation of an approach to creativity, to culture and the building of a team together has been a real labour of love. I really am extremely happy — this really I see as an evolution of our working relationship.
[...]
If you are doing something that is going to be truly innovative, it’s difficult, it’s hard and it takes time. It often requires enabling technology that takes years to develop . . . There are products that we’ve been working on for a number of years — I’m beyond excited that I get to continue working on those. And there are some new projects as well that I’ll get to develop and contribute to.”"

Jony Ive on Leaving Apple, in His Own Words | FT (via Medium)

Twitter adds labels for tweets that break its rules — a move with potentially stark implications for Trump’s account | Washington Post

Later in the article: "The White House declined to comment. But the president’s son Donald Trump Jr. tweeted later Thursday, “If they can do it to the Leader of the Free World imagine what they are doing to you and your voice!”"

"Twitter on Thursday said it would begin labeling tweets from national political figures, including President Trump, that the company could otherwise have taken down for breaking its rules, a move that could appease some longtime critics at the cost of opening a new political rift with the White House.

The new policy applies to political candidates and government officials who have more than 100,000 followers, Twitter said, and will be used in rare occasions. Before users can view tweets that the company has flagged as a violation of its guidelines, they will need to click on a screen that says: “The Twitter Rules about abusive behavior apply to this Tweet. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain available.”

Twitter said it would also de-prioritize the labeled tweets in the company’s algorithms and search bar so that they would circulate to fewer people. The company has set up a special team tasked with enforcing the new policy and they will determine whether to use the label based on a number of its existing rules."

Twitter adds labels for tweets that break its rules — a move with potentially stark implications for Trump’s account | Washington Post

Bitcoin's Price Takes a Wild Roundtrip Ride | Fortune

Also see I don’t care how high the price for bitcoin gets, it’s still too risky for the average investor | Washington Post

"Bitcoin’s rise was meteoric this week—and its decline has been just as swift.

It’s easy come, easy go in the crypto world, where a frenzy over Bitcoin pushed its price to nearly $14,000 on Wednesday, its highest level since January 2018. The largest digital asset then reversed course in a matter of minutes after a prominent cryptocurrency exchange reported an outage. The retreat accelerated Thursday and put the coin’s price back to nearly the same level as just five days ago.

The jump in prices brought back memories of the crypto bubble that burst at the end of 2017, when Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies—beset by regulatory setbacks and fraud-related issues—fell from grace. Bitcoin’s price, for instance, languished around $3,600 just six months ago, down from almost $20,500 in December 2017."

Bitcoin's Price Takes a Wild Roundtrip Ride | Fortune

Jony Ive Is Leaving Apple | Daring Fireball

Final paragraphs:

"But Apple doesn’t need a chief architect. They’re only going to build one Apple Park and it’s already been done.

It makes me queasy to see that Apple’s chief designers are now reporting to operations. This makes no more sense to me than having them report to the LLVM compiler team in the Xcode group. Again, nothing against Jeff Williams, nothing against the LLVM team, but someone needs to be in charge of design for Apple to be Apple and I can’t see how that comes from operations. I don’t think that “chief design officer” should have been a one-off title created just for Jony Ive. Not just for Apple, but especially at Apple, it should be a permanent C-level title. I don’t think Ive ever should have been put in control of software design, but at least he is a designer.

I don’t worry that Apple is in trouble because Jony Ive is leaving; I worry that Apple is in trouble because he’s not being replaced."

Jony Ive Is Leaving Apple | Daring Fireball

For First Time, Renewables Surpass Coal in U.S. Power Mix | Bloomberg

Later in the article: "The onslaught of clean power is coming largely at the expense of coal, which only a decade ago supplied more electricity in the U.S. than anything else. The mining industry is collapsing even as President Donald Trump works to restore coal to its former glory by gutting environmental rules."

"For the clearest sign yet that renewable energy has gone mainstream, consider this: Clean-energy resources supplied more of America’s electricity than coal for the first time ever in April.

Hydroelectric dams, solar panels and wind turbines generated almost 68.5 million megawatt-hours of power in April, eclipsing the 60 million that coal produced that month, Energy Information Administration data released late Tuesday show. That’s the most clean power the U.S. has ever made -- and the least coal it has burned for power in years."

For First Time, Renewables Surpass Coal in U.S. Power Mix | Bloomberg

Apple hires key ARM chip designer as it plots transition from Intel for the Mac | 9to5Mac

Looking forward to my first post-x86 Mac...

"As Apple continues its efforts to move towards using its own ARM processors on the Mac, it has hired a key designer from ARM. In May, Apple hired Mike Filippo to join its chip architecture team based out of Texas. ARM has confirmed the departure.

Filippo worked at ARM for 10 years, serving as its Lead CPU Architect and Lead System Architect, according to his LinkedIn. Prior to joining ARM, Filippo spent time at both AMD and Intel. He joined Apple in May, according to his LinkedIn profile."

Apple hires key ARM chip designer as it plots transition from Intel for the Mac | 9to5Mac

Mark Zuckerberg: We can’t stop Russian election interference by ourselves, US government must help | CNBC

From his comment: "We’ve ramped up massively on the security side, but there’s very little that we can do on our own to change the incentives for nation states to act. That’s something that is a little bit above our pay grade." On a related note, see Our next election is dangerously vulnerable, a top Democrat warns. Does Trump care? | Washington Post

"Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday said the U.S.’s weak response to the 2016 Russian election interference has resulted in similar activity from more nation states like Iran.

“The signal that was sent to the world was that ‘O.K. We’re open for business,’” Zuckerberg said at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado. “Countries can try to do this stuff and our companies will try their best to try to limit it, but fundamentally, there isn’t going to be a major recourse from the American government.”"

Mark Zuckerberg: We can’t stop Russian election interference by ourselves, US government must help | CNBC

Trump signals U.S. government ‘should be suing Google and Facebook’ | Washington Post

It's "very hard" to find Trump on Twitter? Actually far more difficult to avoid him, which is one of the primary reasons Twitter is increasingly worse than useless.

"Trump did not detail the exact basis for such lawsuits, which he raised after assailing European regulators for their investigations into U.S. tech companies. But the president’s comments during an interview on Fox Business came just weeks after federal competition regulators at the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission divvied up scrutiny of Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google, a move that could suggest the government is in the early stages of an investigation into those tech giants.

In doing so, Trump also swiped at Google, claiming the search and advertising giant is “trying to rig the election.” He then claimed that Twitter has made it “very hard” for users to find and follow him. But Trump did not provide new evidence for his latest allegation that the companies exhibit bias against conservatives, which Google and Twitter long have vehemently denied."

Trump signals U.S. government ‘should be suing Google and Facebook’ | Washington Post

Apple News launches candidate guide ahead of 2020 Democratic debates | Apple Newsroom

Start here to explore in Apple News (link is likely to only work in Safari, BTW...)

"Apple today introduced a new candidate guide in Apple News, providing a timely, trusted and comprehensive look at the 20 individuals participating in the first Democratic debates hosted by NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo in Miami, Florida, on June 26 and 27. The candidate guide offers readers one convenient place to find information on each candidate from a diverse set of news sources, including ABC News, Axios, CNN, Fox News, NBC News, Politico, The Hill, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, TIME, USA Today, Vox and others. Curated by the team of Apple News editors, the candidate guide is easily accessible within the News app on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

“The 2020 Democratic field is complex, and we want to offer Apple News readers a trusted place to learn more about candidates they’re familiar with and those they may be hearing about for the first time,” said Lauren Kern, editor-in-chief of Apple News. “The candidate guide in Apple News is a robust and reliable resource, connecting readers to valuable at-a-glance information and to great journalism from our partners.”"

Apple News launches candidate guide ahead of 2020 Democratic debates | Apple Newsroom

AT&T Shape Event Highlights 5G Promise and Perils | Tech.pinions

Bottom line: "There’s no question that 5G can and will make a large impact on many markets over time. But as these real-world experiences demonstrate, it’s a complicated story that’s going to take several years to really show off its full potential."

"The catch is, however, that the “right conditions” are rarely going to be available. At AT&T’s recent Shape Expo event on the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank CA, I did actually see just over 1.8 Gbps on a speed test using Samsung’s brand new S10 5G phone when I stood 75 feet away from a tiny cell tower installed as part of a new 5G network on the lot and pointed the phone directly at it. Impressive, to be sure.

However, when I turned away and walked another 50 feet from the tower and held the phone in my hand as you normally would (and not in direct sight of the special 5G antenna that was part of the network), the speed dropped to just under 150 Mbps because the connection switched over to LTE. Now, that’s still nothing to shake a stick at, but it’s more than 10x slower than the fastest connection. This succinctly highlights some of the challenges that 5G early adopters will likely face."

AT&T Shape Event Highlights 5G Promise and Perils | Tech.pinions

Apple’s Xbox and PS4 controller support turns an iPad into a portable game console | The Verge

For a broader gaming dynamics update, see Subscriptions Are About to Swallow Gaming | Wired

"Apple has also been aggressively improving its iPad and iPhone chips to better support games, and we’re at a turning point where we could start to see some interesting titles beyond popular games like Fortnite and PUBG emerge on Apple’s devices. Apple isn’t betting on game streaming itself just yet, but it is tempting game makers into its own Apple Arcade subscription that will offer up exclusive titles for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

We’re heading toward a future where you can just bring your phone or tablet with you to play AAA games on the go, whether those are streamed to the device or running natively. Performance is always going to be better in front of your TV with a real console or PC powering your games. But if you’re heading on vacation and don’t want to have to drag an Xbox or PS4 with you, the iPad is shaping up to be a good alternative."

Apple’s Xbox and PS4 controller support turns an iPad into a portable game console | The Verge

Regulators Have Doubts About Facebook Cryptocurrency. So Do Its Partners. | NYT

Hedge different

"One of the biggest selling points of Facebook’s ambitious plans for its new cryptocurrency, Libra, was that the social media company had 27 partners, including prominent outfits like Visa, Mastercard and Uber, helping out on the project.

But some of those partners are approaching Libra warily. They signed nonbinding agreements to join the effort partly because they knew they weren’t obliged to use or promote the digital token and could easily back out if they didn’t like where it was going, said executives at seven of those companies, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.

The doubts among Facebook’s partners add to a growing list of challenges for Libra, a new digital token that Facebook executives hope will one day become the foundation for a new kind of online financial industry."

Regulators Have Doubts About Facebook Cryptocurrency. So Do Its Partners. | NYT

Stephen Moore, after failed bid for Federal Reserve, looks to cryptocurrency | Washington Post

Later in the article: "Moore also has argued for the elimination of child labor laws, joked about AIDS and said women should be allowed to referee sports only if they are attractive."

"Moore may sign up with Decentral, a start-up that bills itself as a crypto central bank. It would regulate digital currency much as the Fed controls the U.S. monetary system, even as lawmakers are pushing for answers on how cryptocurrencies could affect global markets.

A crypto gig would be a significant pivot from Moore’s recent Fed aspirations, given that some economists contend cryptocurrencies undercut the Fed’s authority. But as a “pretty limited-government guy,” Moore told The Washington Post, he can get behind a private currency capable of competing with government-issued ones.

“I feel like cryptocurrency is like new Internet in terms of challenging the way we do business in America, and how we get information and how we do trades,” Moore said."

Stephen Moore, after failed bid for Federal Reserve, looks to cryptocurrency | Washington Post

The Mueller report hits the stage with star-studded Broadway cast | NBC News

Freely available for streaming here; on a related note, Mueller to testify to Congress in open session about his investigation | Washington Post

"“The Investigation: A Search For The Truth in Ten Acts” adapted and condensed portions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 448-page report on his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and President Donald Trump for the New York stage.

Annette Bening narrated, and John Lithgow and Kevin Kline took center stage as Trump and Mueller, respectively. The cast of 18 also included Jason Alexander, Kyra Sedgwick, Zachary Quinto, Piper Perabo and Joel Grey.

In 10 parts, the piece wove together passages inspired by Mueller’s report, excerpts from political news conferences and tweets from President Trump. It culminated with the cast reciting parts of the U.S. Constitution describing Impeachment."

The Mueller report hits the stage with star-studded Broadway cast | NBC News

The Trouble Starts If Facebook’s New Currency Succeeds | The Atlantic

Final paragraphs of a Libra perspective by Eric Posner

"But how the Libra Association will use its power is anyone’s guess. The white paper is long on happy talk and short on details. The point is that, along a plausible future path, it will gain immense power, and it’s not beholden to the public, unlike the central banks that manage national currencies. For all the glitzy futurism of cryptocurrencies, Libra is a step backwards in social and political terms, the way bitcoin tried to throw us back into the age of the gold standard. Until central banks were created in the 19th and early-20th centuries, dead-tree versions of the Libra Association were plentiful. They included family dynasties such as the Medicis and the Rothschilds, and massive private banks. Driven by profit and able to operate across national borders, they accumulated massive political power without feeling loyalty to any particular nation—until governments finally reined them in.

Of course, Libra could fail, or become nothing more than a niche product like Venmo. And it could certainly do some good by reducing the cost of transferring money. But government regulators need to approach Libra with a great deal of skepticism, given Facebook’s track record of moving fast and breaking things.

The company has already shown that a successful tech platform can scale up quickly to a once-unimaginable size. An international banklike organization with potentially trillions of dollars in assets and, through its members, ties to billions of users around the world will have a massive influence over people’s economic affairs and far too much political power to be effectively regulated by governments—just like Facebook’s social network."

The Trouble Starts If Facebook’s New Currency Succeeds | The Atlantic

Facebook, Libra, and the Long Game | Stratechery

From an extensive Libra reality check; bottom line: "Certainly Facebook’s audacity and ambition should not be underestimated, and the company’s network is the biggest reason to believe Libra will work; Facebook’s brand is the biggest reason to believe it will not."

"Libra’s success, if it comes, will likely proceed in stages, with different challenges and competitors at each stage:

• Initially the most obvious use case for Facebook’s Calibra wallet application will be peer-to-peer payments, which means the competitor will be applications like PayPal’s Venmo. Here Facebook’s biggest advantage will be leveraging its network and messaging applications.
• The second use case will be using Libra to transact with merchants, who stand to benefit both from reduced fees relative to credit cards as well as larger addressable markets (i.e. potential users who don’t have credit cards). Note that none of Libra’s Founding Members are banks, which impose the largest percentage of credit card fees; Visa and Mastercard, on the other hand, are, like PayPal, happy to sit on top of Libra.
• The largest leap will come last: Libra as a genuine currency, not simply a medium for transaction. This will be function of volume in the previous two use cases, and is understandably concerning to governments all over the world. This, though, is another advantage of Facebook giving up direct control of Libra: while regulators will be able to limit wallets like Calibra (which will fully abide by Know-Your-Customer and Anti-Money-Laundering regulations), Libra — particularly if it achieves a fully permission-less-model — would be much more difficult to control."

Facebook, Libra, and the Long Game | Stratechery

Bitcoin rallies above $11,000 through the weekend, nearing a 15-month high | CNBC

A strong candidate for the all-time irrational exuberance record; also see Facebook’s Libra helps power bitcoin to 15-month high and new interest in cryptocurrency | Washington Post

"Analysts largely attributed bitcoin’s price bump to more awareness of the digital asset class following Facebook’s ambitious cryptocurrency project announced last week.

“It’s clearly a positive for bitcoin, ” Bart Smith, head of Susquehanna’s digital asset group, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box ” on Monday. “If 2 billion users are on Facebook, some percentage of them start to kind of look at Libra and try to understand how it is different and similar to bitcoin — that is a positive.”"

Bitcoin rallies above $11,000 through the weekend, nearing a 15-month high | CNBC

Customers report Verizon, Cloudflare disruptions | Washington Post

More succinctly, in a Cloudflare CEO tweet: "The teams at @verizon and @noction should be incredibly embarrassed at their failings this morning which impacted @Cloudflare and other large chunks of the Internet. It’s absurd BGP is so fragile. It’s more absurd Verizon would blindly accept routes without basic filters." For more details, see How Verizon and a BGP Optimizer Knocked Large Parts of the Internet Offline Today | Cloudflare Blog

"Cloudflare Chief Technology Officer John Graham-Cumming told the Washington Post that Verizon failed to intercept the issue from a fiber-optic network services provider. This caused a routing leak that led to the widespread system outage.

“Normally a large network would do some kind of filtering,” Graham-Cumming said. “But in this case, [Verizon] passed it on.”

Because of this, Verizon customers lost large chunks of internet access and passed on the faulty information to other networks like Cloudflare, Graham-Cumming said. This affected 10 percent of Cloudflare’s traffic."

Customers report Verizon, Cloudflare disruptions | Washington Post

How Artificial Intelligence Can Save Your Life | NYT

Context-setting, earlier in the article: "One area where A.I. can most immediately improve our lives may be in the area of mental health. Unlike many illnesses, there’s no simple physical test you can give someone to tell if he or she is suffering from depression."

"The upshot is that we are entering a world in which people we don’t know will be able to understand the most intimate details of our emotional life by observing the ways we communicate. You can imagine how problematic this could be if the information gets used by employers or the state.

But if it’s a matter of life and death, I suspect we’re going to go there. At some level we’re all strangers to ourselves. We’re all about to know ourselves a lot more deeply. You tell me if that’s good or bad."

How Artificial Intelligence Can Save Your Life | NYT

Microsoft's next step toward embracing Android: Adding app support? | ZDNet

Microsoft may as well just license Chrome OS and make it an option to "Windows Lite," if the anticipated Courier-centric device is going to already run Chromium (as Edge++) and Android apps; tbd if the Microsoft hardware team is still subject to a heavy Windows strategy tax, if a significant percentage of Microsoft customers would prefer Chrome OS...

"As Google continues to come under fire over privacy and antitrust issues, Microsoft execs may think they have the opening they need to swoop in and be an Android steward. Old timers like me will remember the old "embrace,extend, extinguish" days at Microsoft. As much as Microsoft execs may believe they're in a good position to embrace and extend Android, hopefully they aren't of the deluded opinion that they also can extinguish the current Android platform by prying it from Google. But such a strategy might make Microsoft founder Bill Gates happy, given he recently said he considered Microsoft's loss to Android in the mobile space to be his worst mistake -- displacing his former stated worst product mistake (WinFS).

What do you think, readers? Will Microsoft go so far as to add support for Android apps to its next-generation Surface Centaurus devices? Will it try to go even further and create a separate Microsoft Android platform? These days, you can never say never. There's a Microsoft-built Linux kernel in Windows 10 now, so nothing's really off the table...."

Microsoft's next step toward embracing Android: Adding app support? | ZDNet

Facebook’s venture into cryptocurrency is a terrible idea | Washington Post

From another timely Libra reality check

"Facebook wants Libra’s users to be people in developing countries without ready access to banks. But a growing number of such countries already have cellphone-based digital payment systems, such as M-Pesa in Kenya, against which Libra will compete — and presumably destroy.

Beyond this, who might be tempted to exchange a dollar in the bank for an equivalent amount of Libra? Most obviously, individuals and organizations engaged in money laundering, tax evasion and terrorist financing who value the anonymity of crypto-based transactions.

To address these problems, Facebook will have to track the identity of all those holding Libra. To identify bad actors, it will have to scrutinize their transactions. Leave aside its dubious promise to shield this information from its own social media and advertising arms. Do we really believe, given Russian manipulation of such platforms, that Facebook and its partners are capable of recognizing money laundering when they see it and searching it out when they don’t?"

Facebook’s venture into cryptocurrency is a terrible idea | Washington Post

$35 Raspberry Pi 4 announced with 4K support and up to 4GB of RAM | The Verge

In other Raspberry news, see NASA hacked because of unauthorized Raspberry Pi connected to its network | ZDNet

"The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced the fourth version of its miniature budget computer. The Raspberry Pi 4 keeps the same form-factor and $35 starting price of its predecessor, but it has improved specs across the board. It now comes with up to 4GB of RAM (four times that of any previous Pi), a faster CPU and GPU, faster Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi, twice the amount of HDMI outputs, and two USB 3 ports.

These upgrades mean that the Raspberry Pi 4 is usable as a budget desktop PC replacement if you opt for its most expensive 4GB model. Tom’s Hardware’s review notes that the hardware is able to handle many everyday tasks such as web browsing with up to 15 Chromium tabs, light image editing using GIMP, and document and spreadsheet work using Libre Office. Unsurprisingly, the sub-$100 miniature PC has its limits. It reportedly struggles with full screen video playback from YouTube for example, even if you turn down the resolution to 480p."

$35 Raspberry Pi 4 announced with 4K support and up to 4GB of RAM | The Verge

ProfG Coin — Scorpio | No Mercy/No Malice

An excerpt from a wide-ranging Libra reality check by Scott Galloway:

"The Libra coin is simply brilliant. Other than education and healthcare, the industry most ripe for disruption is financial services. It’s figured out a way to avoid 1.7 billion people — a quarter of the planet — whom we refer to as "unbanked." Yet two-thirds of them own a mobile phone that could help them access financial services. Within financial services, the remittance industry (wires, sending money home) is a $500 billion industry where the unbanked (the poor) are molested with 7% fees.

A stablecoin that facilitates inexpensive transfers of funds across borders could be the largest tax cut for the poor since vaccinations. In addition, hundreds of millions of banked people are vulnerable to poor governance and unstable currencies that result in vaporization of their savings (Argentina) or eating trash to survive (Venezuela)."

ProfG Coin — Scorpio | No Mercy/No Malice

Slack shares surge 48% over reference price in market debut | CNBC

Also see Here’s who is getting rich from Slack’s stock market debut | CNBC and The Slack Public Listing’s Surprise Winners: Other Startup CEOs | Forbes

"The stock, under the symbol WORK, opened at $38.50, nearly 50% above the reference price of $26 set by the NYSE on Wednesday night.

The pop puts Slack’s market cap at $19.5 billion. As of April, Slack was valued at nearly $17 billion on the secondary market, according to Forge Global, which matches private companies and their employees with investors. In its last financing round in 2018, Slack said it raised $427 million, which brought its valuation to $7.1 billion."

Slack shares surge 48% over reference price in market debut | CNBC

Google says it’s done making tablets and cancels two unreleased products | The Verge

 For a recap of the full collector's item Google tablet series, see A history of Google tablets: The Nexus and Pixel slates that are no more | Pocket-lint

"Google will not be launching a sequel to last year’s Pixel Slate tablet, according to Business Insider and Computer World, and will instead focus its Chrome OS hardware efforts on traditional laptop devices like the Pixelbook. “For Google’s first-party hardware efforts, we’ll be focusing on Chrome OS laptops and will continue to support Pixel Slate,” a spokesperson told Business Insider.

Translation: you can expect the Slate to continue to receive software and security updates for several years to come — but there won’t be a Pixel Slate 2. Rick Osterloh, who leads Google’s hardware business, confirmed as much on Twitter on Thursday afternoon." 

Google says it’s done making tablets and cancels two unreleased products | The Verge

Accusing the New York Times of ‘Treason,’ Trump Crosses a Line | WSJ

Final paragraphs from an A.G. Sulzberger op-ed below; also see New York Times CEO Mark Thompson calls Trump’s attacks on the press ‘stupid’ and ‘dangerous’ | CNBC

"There are moments when the press and the government are legitimately at odds, never more so than when the press’s conviction about the public’s right to know collides with the government’s assessment of the importance of maintaining secrecy. Journalists take seriously the concern that their reporting may jeopardize national security, and at the Times we have withheld details or delayed publication when government officials convinced us there was a danger of loss of life or damage to intelligence operations.

The story that prompted the president’s attack was no exception. As the Times prepared the story for publication, our reporter contacted officials at the White House National Security Council, the National Security Agency and the U.S. Cyber Command and gave them the opportunity to raise any national-security concerns about the story. They told us they did not have any. Shortly after publication, the president accused the Times of treason.

Over 167 years, through 33 presidential administrations, the Times has sought to serve America and its citizens by seeking the truth and helping people understand the world. There is nothing we take more seriously than doing this work fairly and accurately, even when we are under attack. Mr. Trump’s campaign against journalists should concern every patriotic American. A free, fair and independent press is essential to our country’s strength and vitality and to every freedom that makes it great."

Accusing the New York Times of ‘Treason,’ Trump Crosses a Line | WSJ

Facebook’s Cryptocurrency: Stop It Before It Starts | Lawfare

For another Libra reality check, see Launching a Global Currency Is a Bold, Bad Move for Facebook | NYT; also see Facebook called before Senate panel over digital currency project | Reuters

"Fortunately for the rest of the world, Libra may well fail. People prefer assets that hold their value relative to either the local currency or, in an unstable situation, dollars or euros. Nobody wants to receive $10 from a friend only to have it turn into $9.80. But since Libra pegged is to a basket of currencies, it is not actually stable. Like other cryptocurrencies, every Libra transaction thus involves exchange rate risk, and the only way Libra can succeed is if Facebook makes a concerted effort to force its adoption.

Libra succeeding would be far worse. What currently limits how criminals can use cryptocurrencies is the cost of currency exchange and the inherent volatility of the currency’s value. Reduce or eliminate these constraints, and there’s likely to be an inundation of new ransomware, extortion and online drug trade. Libra intends to reduce (but doesn’t eliminate) volatility, and the only way Facebook can get widespread adoption is through making easy onramps and offramps. A Libra “success” would represent a huge policy failure. It is better to kill this now than let it even get a chance to succeed."

Facebook’s Cryptocurrency: Stop It Before It Starts | Lawfare

Slack prices IPO at $26 per share | TechCrunch

A big day ahead for Slack; also see Slack Wants to Replace Email. Is That What We Want? | NYT

"Slack’s  public debut is happening Thursday on the NYSE and the company has set a reference price of $26 per share for its direct listing, according to WSJ, which would value the company at around $15.7 billion.

The company’s stock is expected to pop at open, according to the WSJ’s sources. Slack is pursuing a direct listing, eschewing the typical IPO process in favor of putting its current stock on to the NYSE without doing an additional raise or bringing on underwriter banking partners."

Slack prices IPO at $26 per share | TechCrunch

Apple plans to move some manufacturing out of China, reports Nikkei | The Verge

Article subtitle: "No, these jobs are not coming to the USA"

"Shifting production out of China, which has built up a huge ecosystem of logistics and components suppliers around Apple, will be a “painful and difficult” process, according to one supplier quoted by Nikkei. The country has a huge workforce of skilled workers, and its infrastructure is more resilient and less prone to problems like power shortages, which can have serious consequences for large manufacturers. Moving production won’t be a quick process. It is expected to take 18 months at a minimum, with results expected to emerge in between two to three years.

Around five million Chinese jobs are thought to rely on Apple’s manufacturing in the country, and Apple employs around 10,000 people directly in China. It’s unclear how many of these jobs would be impacted by losing 15 to 30 percent of production."

Apple plans to move some manufacturing out of China, reports Nikkei | The Verge

Tesla Arcade hands-on: using a Model 3 steering wheel as a game controller | The Verge

For more details, see Tesla launches new ‘Arcade’ app, produces funny commercial with racing game | Electrek

"Personally, I don’t see myself ever really wanting to play mobile games on the screen in my car. But as someone who commutes via bike and hasn’t owned a vehicle since they graduated college, I can say that having a car even remotely capable of playing video games like this is certainly an appealing dream. I can certainly empathize with those who do own Teslas and want to use Tesla Arcade, or are just plain excited about a future where the modern car has as robust an app ecosystem as our smartphones do now.

A Tesla spokesperson tells The Verge that the idea is to do something fun and unique that can perhaps keep you busy while you’re waiting to pick someone up, or while you’re at a Supercharger station. It helps that the games are indeed fun to play, and that the Model 3 screen is a gorgeous display that rivals the iPad Pro. In that sense, Arcade is yet another feature Tesla owners can show off to their friends, like the litany of Easter eggs that have come before it and more visceral showoff features like the Model S’s Ludicrous Mode.

For now, let’s just hope Tesla daredevils don’t try to get their gaming sessions in at stop lights."

Tesla Arcade hands-on: using a Model 3 steering wheel as a game controller | The Verge

The Ambitious Plan Behind Facebook’s Cryptocurrency, Libra | Wired

Final paragraphs from an extensive Libra reality check

"Facebook named Libra for three reasons: its use as an ancient Roman unit of measure, the astrological symbol depicting the scales of justice, and its phonetic resemblance to the French “libre,” meaning free. “A combination of money, justice and freedom,” explains Facebook. For the initiative to live up to those lofty values, it will have to draw not only powerful partners but be open to the grassroots developers in every place that receives an internet signal. Serious rivals to Facebook’s own Calibra wallet (in theory all Libra wallets will be interoperable) must emerge. The promises of privacy and security must be fulfilled. And the association must prove it can act independently of its corporate creator. Otherwise, the entire effort will come to be viewed as another self-interested move by Mark Zuckerberg—even if billions of people wind up spending Libras in Facebook applications.

As tough as it is to develop a groundbreaking global cryptosystem, Marcus says convincing people of Facebook’s intentions makes the job much harder. “This is by far the most difficult, intellectually stimulating and challenging thing I have ever done in my life,” he says.

Those challenges are only beginning. You can bet your last Libra on it."

The Ambitious Plan Behind Facebook’s Cryptocurrency, Libra | Wired

Facebook may have too many users for its cryptocurrency to fail — even if you don’t trust it | Recode

On a related note, see Facebook’s digital currency would be great — if it didn’t come from Facebook | Boston Globe

"Those who are skeptical about Libra’s potential point to Facebook’s approach to data collection and its well-known privacy missteps, which are particularly troublesome in a crypto industry that prizes “decentralized” power. Some crypto investors and executives are deeply skeptical that a company as rapacious as Facebook could ever seriously commit itself to the value of decentralization that’s at the core of the crypto industry.

But most people I’ve spoken with in recent days believe Libra can be successful, largely because of Facebook’s enormous scale. They’ve posited that the platform’s unprecedented user base is the only global population that’s big enough to organize around a single currency. In addition, Libra’s initial list of backers is impressive. Some think it might be an on-ramp to widespread consumer adoption of other digital currencies like bitcoin."

Facebook may have too many users for its cryptocurrency to fail — even if you don’t trust it | Recode

Domino’s will start delivering pizzas via an autonomous robot this fall | Washington Post

Maybe time to revisit Snow Crash...

"For months now, the robotics company Nuro has been using electric, self-driving vehicles to deliver groceries to Kroger customers in Phoenix and Houston.

Now the Silicon Valley start-up’s autonomous, unmanned vehicles — which resemble a giant pill bug on wheels and can reach 25 mph as they operate on major roadways alongside cars — have announced plans for a new mission: delivering Domino’s pizzas to customers.

Nuro’s latest challenge will be limited to customers who place online orders in Houston, a sprawling metropolis crisscrossed by traffic-clogged highways. The company deployed its grocery delivery service in Houston in March. Nuro’s partnership with Domino’s initially will be limited to a single location and will begin in the fall."

Domino’s will start delivering pizzas via an autonomous robot this fall | Washington Post

Facebook Plans Global Financial System Based on Cryptocurrency | NYT

More Calibra and Libra details -- excerpt below; also see How Libra Would Work for You | NYT:

"While Libra is meant to be independent of Facebook, the social networking giant has clear plans for making money from the venture.

Initially, the Calibra subsidiary will offer little more than a wallet to hold and spend Libra. When Libra is released next year, the plan is to make the wallet available to the billions of people who have accounts with Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

If Libra catches on, company officials said, Facebook’s Calibra could offer financial services to customers, such as lending and investing."

Facebook Plans Global Financial System Based on Cryptocurrency | NYT

Mark Zuckerberg on Libra | Facebook

For more details, see the Libra.org site and this David Marcus thread

"We aspire to make it easy for everyone to send and receive money just like you use our apps to instantly share messages and photos. To enable this, Facebook is also launching an independent subsidiary called Calibra that will build services that let you send, spend and save Libra -- starting with a digital wallet that will be available in WhatsApp and Messenger and as a standalone app next year.

Calibra will be regulated like other payment service providers. Any information you share with Calibra will be kept separate from information you share on Facebook. From the beginning, Calibra will let you send Libra to almost anyone with a smartphone at low to no cost. Over time, we hope to offer more services for people and businesses -- like paying bills with the push of a button, buying coffee with the scan of a code, or riding local public transit without needing to carry cash or a metro pass."

Mark Zuckerberg on Libra | Facebook

U.S. Escalates Online Attacks on Russia’s Power Grid | NYT

Sign of the times: "Pentagon and intelligence officials described broad hesitation to go into detail with Mr. Trump about operations against Russia for concern over his reaction — and the possibility that he might countermand it or discuss it with foreign officials, as he did in 2017 when he mentioned a sensitive operation in Syria to the Russian foreign minister." Naturally, Trump tweeted the article is "a virtual act of Treason [sic]..." and ".....ALSO, NOT TRUE!"

"In interviews over the past three months, the officials described the previously unreported deployment of American computer code inside Russia’s grid and other targets as a classified companion to more publicly discussed action directed at Moscow’s disinformation and hacking units around the 2018 midterm elections.

Advocates of the more aggressive strategy said it was long overdue, after years of public warnings from the Department of Homeland Security and the F.B.I. that Russia has inserted malware that could sabotage American power plants, oil and gas pipelines, or water supplies in any future conflict with the United States."

U.S. Escalates Online Attacks on Russia’s Power Grid | NYT

Samsung’s security reminder makes the case for not owning a Samsung smart TV | The Verge

Final paragraph: "Samsung’s little PSA about scanning for “malware viruses” (eh hem) might be a sound security practice on a Samsung smart TV, but it’s also an excellent reminder for why you might not want to buy one in the first place."

"Samsung has reminded owners of its smart TVs that they should be regularly scanning for malware using its built-in virus scanning software. “Prevent malicious software attacks on your TV by scanning for viruses on your TV every few weeks,” a tweet from the company’s US support account reads with a video attachment that demonstrates the laborious process.

The obvious question here is why in the world doesn’t Samsung automate this process. When so many people don’t even know how to turn off motion smoothing, what are the chances that they’re going to be mindful of security practices? It also illustrates how dumb some smart TVs can be."

Samsung’s security reminder makes the case for not owning a Samsung smart TV | The Verge

Facebook’s cryptocurrency to debut next week backed by Visa, Mastercard, Uber, and others: WSJ | The Verge

Pay to play

"Facebook has secured the backing of over a dozen companies for its upcoming Libra cryptocurrency set to be announced next week, The Wall Street Journal reports. These companies include major financial organizations like Visa and Mastercard, and internet darlings like PayPal, Uber, Stripe, and Booking.com. Each will invest around $10 million to fund development of the currency, and will become part of the Libra Association, an independent consortium that will govern the digital coin independently of Facebook.

The involvement of major financial firms like Visa and Mastercard is interesting, because cryptocurrencies are typically seen as providing a cheaper alternative to these payment networks. The WSJ speculates that these companies want to get involved so they can monitor Facebook’s payment ambitions, as well as benefit from the popularity of the currency should it take off with Facebook’s 2.4 billion monthly active users."

Facebook’s cryptocurrency to debut next week backed by Visa, Mastercard, Uber, and others: WSJ | The Verge

Tesla wants everyone to drive an electric car. Now it risks becoming a niche brand. | Washington Post

From a Tesla competitive landscape reality check

"Tesla wants everyone on the road to be in an electric car. That futuristic vision may soon become reality — thanks to rivals.

The automaker based in Palo Alto, Calif., is facing a raft of financial and safety issues just as a flood of competitors are hitting the market with their own electric vehicle offerings, posing perhaps the first serious threat to the company’s dominance of the nascent electric vehicle industry."

Tesla wants everyone to drive an electric car. Now it risks becoming a niche brand. | Washington Post

Experts: Spy used AI-generated face to connect with targets | AP

FakedIn

"Katie Jones sure seemed plugged into Washington’s political scene. The 30-something redhead boasted a job at a top think tank and a who’s-who network of pundits and experts, from the centrist Brookings Institution to the right-wing Heritage Foundation. She was connected to a deputy assistant secretary of state, a senior aide to a senator and the economist Paul Winfree, who is being considered for a seat on the Federal Reserve.

But Katie Jones doesn’t exist, The Associated Press has determined. Instead, the persona was part of a vast army of phantom profiles lurking on the professional networking site LinkedIn.

Experts who reviewed the Jones profile’s LinkedIn activity say it’s typical of espionage efforts on the professional networking site, whose role as a global Rolodex has made it a powerful magnet for spies."

Experts: Spy used AI-generated face to connect with targets | AP

Tariffs are forcing Big Tech to move production out of China | Engadget

On a related note, see ‘My Peter’: Rising influence of controversial Trump trade adviser Navarro concerns his critics | Washington Post, which notes "Navarro’s ascension is frightening his critics, who have derided him as an ideologue who doesn’t let facts get in the way of his agenda, while cheering supporters of the president eager for Trump to emphasize his nationalist agenda ahead of his 2020 reelection campaign."

"In response to the Trump administration's trade war with China, major tech companies are preparing to relocate key manufacturing operations. According to Bloomberg, Google is moving production of its US-bound Nest thermostats and motherboards to Taiwan. The Wall Street Journal reports that Nintendo is shifting at least some production of its Switch console to Southeast Asia. At the same time, China has allegedly warned companies that they will face permanent consequences if they cooperate with Trump administration trade restrictions.
[...]
Some companies are better prepared than others to shift out of China if necessary. Apple Inc. partner Foxconn Technology Group said it would be able to manufacture all US-bound iPhones outside of China if it were forced to do so. Wistron Corp., a company that makes servers for Facebook and Microsoft, is reportedly looking to shift some production away from China, though it hasn't shared specifics."

Tariffs are forcing Big Tech to move production out of China | Engadget

Jet.com falls by wayside as Walmart focuses on its website, online grocery | Reuters

For the inevitable "mission accomplished" version, see Update on Our U.S. eCommerce Strategy and the Role of Jet | Walmart

"Walmart Inc on Wednesday announced a sweeping overhaul at Jet.com, an online start-up it acquired in 2016 for $3.3 billion, after it failed to live up to the world’s largest retailer’s e-commerce ambitions.

Walmart said it will integrate Jet.com’s retail, technology, marketing, analytics and product teams with its own online business. The current president of Jet.com, Simon Belsham, will leave in early August.

Walmart’s move reduces the scope and importance of Jet.com in its overall U.S. e-commerce business, which competes with Amazon.com Inc, according to interviews with six vendors, two consultants and three Walmart employees."

Jet.com falls by wayside as Walmart focuses on its website, online grocery | Reuters

Top AI researchers race to detect ‘deepfake’ videos: ‘We are outgunned’ | Washington Post

"... because of the reward structure of the modern web" and/or fundamental flaws in human cognition?

"Rachel Thomas, the co-founder of Fast.ai, a machine-learning lab in San Francisco, says a disinformation campaign using deepfake videos probably would catch fire because of the reward structure of the modern Web, in which shocking material drives bigger audiences — and can spread further and faster than the truth.

“Fakes often, particularly now, don’t have to be that compelling to still have an impact," Thomas said. “We are these social creatures that end up going with the crowd into seeing what the other people are seeing. It would not be that hard for a bad actor to have that kind of influence on public conversation.”"

Top AI researchers race to detect ‘deepfake’ videos: ‘We are outgunned’ | Washington Post

Mitch McConnell is Making the 2020 Election Open Season for Hackers | The New Yorker

Also see The U.S. still hasn’t done nearly enough to stop election interference | Washington Post

"“I want everyone to know that, in my view, what happened in 2016 will make what happens in 2020 look like small potatoes,” Senator Ron Wyden, the Oregon Democrat who sits on the Intelligence Committee, told me. “It’s not just the Russians. There are hostile foreign actors who are messing with two hundred years’ worth of really precious history.” Wyden recently reintroduced the pave Act, a wish list of election-security provisions that failed to get through the Senate last year. The measure includes the use of hand-marked paper ballots and a prohibition on wireless modems and other kinds of Internet connectivity, all of which have been advocated by computer scientists and other election experts for years.

But with the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, making it clear that he will not advance any election-security legislation, the pave Act, and also other election-security bills, many of which have bipartisan support, will languish. McConnell has made 2020 open season for hackers aiming to undermine our election system. The E.A.C. has made this easier, by displaying not only intransigence and institutional weaknesses but also a willful disregard of the threats facing our elections."

Mitch McConnell is Making the 2020 Election Open Season for Hackers | The New Yorker

Apple’s iCloud has been a poor experience in Windows, but a new update seeks to fix that | Ars Technica

See this Apple page for details

"Interestingly, Microsoft says the new iCloud app is "powered by the same Windows technology that also powers OneDrive's Files On-Demand feature"—an unexpected technical and corporate partnership. But it shouldn't be too surprising at this point; despite the storied history and rivalries of the 1980s and '90s (as well as competition in areas like, yes, cloud services), Microsoft and Apple have largely played together nicely in recent years.

Apple's iCloud is a full-featured service for storing files and photos, syncing contacts, and other things, as long as you're working solo and not looking to collaborate. (Dropbox, Google Drive, and other competitors offer much more robust features for teams by far.) But iCloud flies under the radar for a lot of people. Its cross-platform support has been mediocre, which doesn't help, so this new version is a welcome update for users who are dependent on the service, provided it actually addresses users' complaints."

Apple’s iCloud has been a poor experience in Windows, but a new update seeks to fix that | Ars Technica

Radiohead release hours of hacked MiniDiscs to benefit Extinction Rebellion | The Guardian

A classy way to respond to extortion

"Radiohead have released a vast collection of unreleased tracks made during the sessions for 1997 album OK Computer, after a MiniDisc archive owned by frontman Thom Yorke was hacked last week by an unnamed person, who reportedly asked for a $150,000 ransom to return the recordings.

The band have now made the 18 MiniDisc recordings, most of them around an hour in length, available on Bandcamp for £18. Proceeds will go to climate activists Extinction Rebellion."

Radiohead release hours of hacked MiniDiscs to benefit Extinction Rebellion | The Guardian

Mary Meeker’s most important trends on the internet | Recode

A discouraging trend from the Recode highlights: "The internet will become more of a cesspool: Getting rid of problematic content becomes more difficult on a large scale, and the very nature of internet communication allows that content to be amplified much more than before."

"The general partner at venture capital firm Bond Capital delivered a rapid-fire 333-page slideshow that looked back at every important internet trend in the last year and looked forward about what these trends tell us to expect in the year ahead. The “Queen of the Internet” and former Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner touched on everything from accelerating internet ad spend in the US to the growth of digital delivery services in Latin America.

But 333 pages is a lot of data to wade through. So Recode has pulled out some of the significant and most interesting trends in Meeker’s report. (You can find the full slide deck at the bottom of this story.)"

Mary Meeker’s most important trends on the internet | Recode

Instagram will leave up deepfake video of Mark Zuckerberg | The Verge

This probably made Nancy Pelosi's day; also see Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg reached out to Speaker Pelosi. She hasn’t called him back. | Washington Post

"The Zuckerberg deepfake isn’t that convincing; the voice is muddled and makes him sound even more robotic than normal as his likeness is manipulated into saying words he has never said. The original clip comes from a seven minute video of Zuckerberg from 2017 describing Russian interference on Facebook.

In the deepfaked video, his likeness says, “Imagine this for a second: One man, with total control of billions of people’s stolen data, all their secrets, their lives, their futures,” it continues,”I owe it all to Spectre. Spectre showed me that whoever controls the data, controls the future.”"

Instagram will leave up deepfake video of Mark Zuckerberg | The Verge

Slack Listing Likely to Value It at Up to $17 Billion | Bloomberg

Not bad for recycled Internet Relay Chat

"Slack Technologies Inc. is expected to be valued by investors at $16 billion to $17 billion when it lists its shares publicly next week, according to people familiar with the matter.

That valuation is roughly based on the workplace chat and collaboration software company’s projected revenue and current growth rate, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private talks.

The expected value is up from the $7.1 billion in its last private funding round in August. It’s similar to the company’s share sales on the private market, where in April investors were snapping up stock at prices that would give the company a valuation of about $16 billion."

Slack Listing Likely to Value It at Up to $17 Billion | Bloomberg

Salesforce Patches Up a ‘Flop’ With $15 Billion Bet on Tableau | ITPro [Bloomberg]

Wave bye-bye

"While Tableau will be a strategic asset for Salesforce in analytics, the acquisition provides a much-needed exit amid strong competition.

“Microsoft was eating their lunch and the standalone analytics market is going away,” Rebecca Wettemann, an analyst at Nucleus Research, said in an interview. “Everybody is going toward embedded analytics, so it’s good for them they got a home.”

For Salesforce, the deal helps Benioff keep promises to customers and investors.

“We’ve always seen Marc have ambitious plans and then take inorganic actions to fulfill them,” Wettemann said."

Salesforce Patches Up a ‘Flop’ With $15 Billion Bet on Tableau | ITPro [Bloomberg]

Amazon’s AI Drones Are Not a Technology We Need | FT

Final paragraphs from a drone delivery reality check

"Then there is the difficulty of navigating urban areas, where restrictions on drones are especially strict. Pity those living next door to compulsive e-shoppers, who can expect the whirr of little rotors throughout the day. Anti-drone warfare by air gun, paintball and slingshot is highly likely. Getting drones to figure out where to place their load in built-up environments will be a struggle, too. Their only saving grace is that robots may be marginally less tempted to toss fragile deliveries on to the doorstep than humans.

There might be one way to make delivery drones safer for urban environments. They could simply carry their packages along predefined and controlled flight paths to designated repositories, perhaps in the centre of towns and villages. If the load is light enough, it could be delivered by an employee, or customers themselves could pick it up. In many places, such repositories already exist. We call them post offices."

Amazon’s AI Drones Are Not a Technology We Need | FT

The war to free science | Vox

Probably not a great week for the PR departments at Elsevier and Springer Nature

"Imagine your tax dollars have gone to build a new road in your neighborhood.

Now imagine that the company overseeing the road work charged its workers a fee rather than paying them a salary.

The overseers in charge of making sure the road was up to standard also weren’t paid. And if you, the taxpayer, want to access the road today, you need to buy a seven-figure annual subscription or pay high fees for one-off trips.

We’re not talking about roads — this is the state of scientific research, and how it’s distributed today through academic publishing."

The war to free science | Vox

Slack sees FY 2020 revenue to rise by as much as 50% | Reuters

Tbd if Slack is losing enough for a successful IPO...

"Slack Technologies Inc, the owner of the workplace instant messaging app, on Monday said its expects $590 million to $600 million revenue in fiscal 2020, representing a growth of 47% to 50% over the previous year.

The company, which plans to go public on June 20, forecast full-year billings of $725 million to $745 million, up 40% to 44% from a year earlier.

For the full fiscal year 2020, Slack expects adjusted operating loss between $192 million and $182 million."

Slack sees FY 2020 revenue to rise by as much as 50% | Reuters

Apple's U.S. iPhones Can All Be Made Outside of China If Needed | Bloomberg

Tangentially, see China hints it will choke off U.S. ‘rare earths’ access. But it’s not that easy. | Washington Post

"Hon Hai, known also as Foxconn, is the American giant’s most important manufacturing partner. It will fully support Apple if it needs to adjust its production as the U.S.-Chinese trade spat gets grimmer and more unpredictable, board nominee and semiconductor division chief Young Liu told an investor briefing in Taipei on Tuesday.

“Twenty-five percent of our production capacity is outside of China and we can help Apple respond to its needs in the U.S. market,” said Liu, adding that investments are now being made in India for Apple. “We have enough capacity to meet Apple’s demand.”"

Apple's U.S. iPhones Can All Be Made Outside of China If Needed | Bloomberg

Salesforce is buying data visualization company Tableau for $15.7B in all-stock deal | TechCrunch

The week is off to a good start for Tableau shareholders

"On the heels of Google  buying analytics startup Looker last week for $2.6 billion, Salesforce today announced a huge piece of news in a bid to step up its own work in data visualization and (more generally) tools to help enterprises make sense of the sea of data that they use and amass: Salesforce is buying Tableau for $15.7 billion in an all-stock deal.

The latter is publicly traded and this deal will involve shares of Tableau Class A and Class B common stock getting exchanged for 1.103 shares of Salesforce  common stock, the company said, and so the $15.7 billion figure is the enterprise value of the transaction, based on the average price of Salesforce’s shares as of June 7, 2019.

This is a huge jump on Tableau’s last market cap: it was valued at $10.79 billion at close of trading Friday, according to figures on Google Finance. (Also: trading has halted on its stock in light of this news.)"

Salesforce is buying data visualization company Tableau for $15.7B in all-stock deal | TechCrunch

Why Hadoop Failed and Where We Go from Here | Teradata blog

A Teradata take on Hadoop vendor missteps

"Rather than creating a market around evolving big data types, and helping enterprises learn to derive value from this new data, the Hadoop distros took a more short-sighted approach and positioned themselves as a cheaper alternative to the data warehouse. There was already recognition of the value of a data warehouse with commensurate budget behind it, so it was easy to say, “Hadoop is a cheaper and more flexible alternative to MPP databases.” This led to many failed engagements.

But the final nail for Hadoop was object storage. I hear most people saying “the cloud” was the undoing of Hadoop, and I worry about what people really mean when they say that. The cloud is just a deployment option – servers and software. There are some cloud databases that are entirely inappropriate for managing an enterprise’s core data in a way that promotes reuse and the elimination of silos. But one undeniable engineering innovation born in the cloud (and now available across multiple deployment options) is object storage. Object storage is what was great about Hadoop: cheap storage and support for flexible data types. But even better than Hadoop, object storage is 3X cheaper and it supports the kinds of data types needed for the age of Artificial Intelligence, such as audio, video, and image files."

Why Hadoop Failed and Where We Go from Here | Teradata blog

Tesla, Facing Setbacks and Skeptics, Tries to Get Back on Course | NYT

From a Tesla reality check:

"Demand for the Model S luxury sedan and Model X sport utility vehicle is so sluggish that the automaker recently cut prices to lure buyers. New questions have arisen about Tesla’s self-driving technology. And some of the company’s staunchest backers have turned bearish. In the first three months of the year, the investment firm T. Rowe Price, once one of its biggest shareholders, sold off 80 percent of its shares in the company, according to regulatory filings.

By the start of last week, Tesla’s stock was at a three-year low. It rallied after reports in two online publications lifted hopes for a sales rebound in the second quarter, a prospect that Mr. Musk cited in an email to employees in May. Even so, the shares are down more than 40 percent in the last six months, wiping out almost $30 billion in value."

Tesla, Facing Setbacks and Skeptics, Tries to Get Back on Course | NYT

Sir Tim versus Black Mirror | Ethan Zuckerman

Check the full post for a review of Solid progress

"So why doesn’t blogosphere still work? Sir Tim blames the Facebook algorithms which determine what you read, breaking network effects and leading to a huge amount of consolidation. Zittrain wonders whether Facebook’s power is really all that new — didn’t Google’s search algorithm have similar effects? Sir Tim demurs — “Google just looks at all links and takes an eigenvector — it’s still using the web to search.” There’s a fascinating parenthetical where Sir Tim explains that he never thought search engines were possible. “Originally, we thought no one would be able to crawl the entire web — you would need so much storage, it wouldn’t be possible. We hadn’t realized that disk space would become ridiculously cheap.” Jonathan Zittrain likens the moment when Google comes into being as a science fiction moment, where our ability to comprehend the universe as limited by the speed of light suddenly allows us to transcend those barriers — prior to search, we might only know our local quadrant of the web, while search suddenly made it possible to encounter any content, anywhere.

Sir Tim brings us back to earth by discussing clickbait. “Blogging was driven by excitement around readership. But eventually ads come into play — if I am writing, I should have recompense.” What follows is content written specifically to generate money, like the fake news content written by Macedonian bloggers that might have influenced US elections. Zittrain generously references my “The Internet’s Original Sin” article, and Sir Tim notes that “some people argue that if you start off with advertising, you’re never going to have a successful web.”"

Sir Tim versus Black Mirror | Ethan Zuckerman

Apple is Reportedly in the Process of Acquiring an Autonomous Vehicle Startup for its Highly Skilled AI Engineering Team | Patently Apple

The Project Titan mystery continues...

"A new report by The Information is claiming that "Apple is in the process of acquiring a well-known but struggling self-driving shuttle firm, Drive.ai, for its engineering talent" in order to boost Project Titan, according to two people briefed about the situation.

The planned deal, described as an “acqui-hire” of the Silicon Valley firm by these people, could result in dozens of Drive.ai engineers ending up at Apple. Drive.ai, which has been running small pilot programs of its prototype shuttles. Below is one of their promotional videos.

The Information further noted that "Over the past year, Apple’s Titan project appears to have made what one peer in the field, Oliver Cameron, CEO of robotaxi developer Voyage, called 'rapid' progress. That is based on his reading of Apple’s report to California transportation officials regarding the company’s prototype testing in the state."

Apple is Reportedly in the Process of Acquiring an Autonomous Vehicle Startup for its Highly Skilled AI Engineering Team | Patently Apple

Russia and Iran Plan to Fundamentally Isolate the Internet | Wired

Internet different

"Governments looking to exert even greater control over their citizens online—for instance, by limiting the effectiveness of censorship bypass tools—may want to pursue this deeper form of internet fragmentation. Altering the architecture of the internet itself (while a heavier lift) could provide much deeper internet control than just leveraging content filtering tools. Governments looking to better protect their countries from cybersecurity threats, meanwhile, may also find reason to pursue the kind of deep internet fragmentation that Russia and Iran are spearheading; limiting the connection of your country to the globe, under the guise of stopping foreign cyberattacks, is arguably an attractive option for many policymakers around the world.
[...]
If Russia and Iran are any indication, the internet fragmen­tation we see today is nothing compared to what’s coming. There are great technical challenges ahead that may hamper such efforts, yes, but these pursuits will still have wide ramifications. For nations seeking to balance the economic benefits of the internet with regulation of online information flows, the Chinese model of filtering on top of the net is still perhaps a better approach. But for those looking to really suppress information or protect themselves from foreign cyber threats, these deeper, less reversible forms of internet fragmentation are a more powerful solution."

Russia and Iran Plan to Fundamentally Isolate the Internet | Wired

Maine governor signs bill banning internet providers from selling consumer data without consent | The Hill

Also see Privacy is the default: Maine digital privacy law is model legislation | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Some privacy activists have described the Maine law as even stronger than California's because it mandates that ISPs require explicit consent from customers to sell their personal data, while the California law requires consumers to request that their data not be sold by their own volition.

Mills described the new law as “common sense,” adding that “Maine people value their privacy, online and off.”

“The internet is a powerful tool, and as it becomes increasingly intertwined with our lives, it is appropriate to take steps to protect the personal information and privacy of Maine people,” she said in a statement. “With this common-sense law, Maine people can access the internet with the knowledge and comfort that their personal information cannot be bought or sold by their ISPs without their express approval.”"

Maine governor signs bill banning internet providers from selling consumer data without consent | The Hill

Google to Buy Data Analytics Company Despite New Antitrust Scrutiny | NYT

Also see Looker to Join Google Cloud | Looker Blog

"Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud’s chief executive, said the deal did not pose antitrust problems because many similar data-analytics competitors remained in the market, Google’s rivals Amazon and Microsoft had their own similar tools, and Google was not gaining any customer data in the transaction.

“We’re buying a software capability, meaning a business-intelligence tool, and we are not buying any data,” he said.

Google and Looker have a strong argument that they will not be too powerful: Together they would own about 1 percent of the roughly $12.7 billion market for so-called business-intelligence tools, according to IDC, a market research firm."

Google to Buy Data Analytics Company Despite New Antitrust Scrutiny | NYT

Russia is making its own 'correct' version of Chernobyl that will blame AMERICA and the CIA for the nuclear disaster following the unexpected success of the new HBO show | Daily Mail

On a related note, see Masha Gessen's What HBO's “Chernobyl” Got Right, and What It Got Terribly Wrong | The New Yorker

"Furious at the breakout success of the HBO series Chernobyl, Russia is planning to make its own series portraying the nuclear disaster as the work of an American CIA operative.

Russian television broadcaster NTV announced that it had commissioned the series, and principal photography has already begun in Belarus under director Alexei Muradov.

In response to the HBO series' depiction of Soviet bureaucrats bungling the response both during and after the 1986 nuclear accident in the Ukrainian SSR, the Russian version plans to tell the tale of a heroic KGB agent trying to thwart a supposed CIA sabotage plot."

Russia is making its own 'correct' version of Chernobyl that will blame AMERICA and the CIA for the nuclear disaster following the unexpected success of the new HBO show | Daily Mail

Americans think “made-up news” is a bigger problem than climate change | NiemanLab

The rest of the story: most Republicans think fake news is a critical problem (but not so much climate change); for full details, see Many Americans Say Made-Up News Is a Critical Problem That Needs To Be Fixed | Pew Research Center

"U.S. adults are more likely to say that “made-up news/info” is a big problem than they are to identify climate change, racism, terrorism, or sexism as such, according to a study out from the Pew Research Center Wednesday: Fifty percent of those surveyed said made-up news (the artist formerly known as “fake news”) is a “very big problem” in the United States. By comparison, 46 percent called climate change a “very big problem”; 40 percent said the same about racism; 34 percent said the same about terrorism."

Americans think “made-up news” is a bigger problem than climate change | NiemanLab

Average US Time Spent with Mobile in 2019 Has Increased | eMarketer

Percentage of time tweeting about TV shows tbd

"Consumers’ use of smartphones will continue to make up the majority of their media consumption, but we predict that use will plateau by 2020, as consumers become increasingly uneasy about overuse of mobile devices.

The average US adult will spend 3 hours, 43 minutes (referenced as 3:43) on mobile devices in 2019, just above the 3:35 spent on TV. Of time spent on mobile, US consumers will spend 2:55 on smartphones, a 9-minute increase from last year. In 2018, mobile time spent was 3:35, with TV time spent at 3:44.

Tablet use among US adults continues to lose ground, having peaked at 1:11 daily in 2017 and dipped to 1:08 this year. This trend will continue through 2021."

 Average US Time Spent with Mobile in 2019 Has Increased | eMarketer

Cloudera announces CEO departure, stock plunges | CNBC

Difficult days for Cloudera investors

"Cloudera stock fell as much as 32% on Wednesday after the company said CEO Tom Reilly is retiring and leaving the company’s board, effective July 31. The company also announced earnings.

Under Reilly, Cloudera went public in 2017 and completed a merger with competitor Hortonworks. Now Reilly is being replaced on a temporary basis by board member Martin Cole, a former Accenture executive, as Cloudera kicks off a search for a permanent CEO.
[...]
Co-founder Mike Olson, Cloudera’s chief strategy officer and former CEO, is also leaving the company, Reilly said.

Cloudera stock had fallen almost 49% in the past year prior to the announcement."

Cloudera announces CEO departure, stock plunges | CNBC

GameStop stock plunges nearly 40 percent as gamers brace for new era of consoles | Washington Post

Fun while it lasted

"But the gaming retailer also faces longer term challenges. Customers are increasingly opting to download video games over the Web rather than buy games as discs. That shift in consumer behavior is eating into GameStop’s sales of pre-owned games, since a greater share of consumers no longer have physical games to trade in and a smaller share of customers want to buy them. The company said its pre-owned sales declined by more than 20 percent this quarter.

Perhaps even more unsettling for GameStop is the explosion of online and mobile games that exists outside the traditional console world. Played on smartphones, tablets and Web browsers, these games don’t require the purchase of additional hardware. What’s more, an array of audacious gaming initiatives from the likes of Google, Amazon and Apple are vying to do away with consoles and develop a cloud-based gaming model that resembles the streaming powerhouse Netflix. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

In its 2018 annual report, GameStop warned shareholders that if the preference for downloading games increases and if technological advancements allow people to access games through other means at home, “customers may no longer choose to purchase video games in our stores.""

GameStop stock plunges nearly 40 percent as gamers brace for new era of consoles | Washington Post

The Clever Cryptography Behind Apple's 'Find My' Feature | Wired

Check the full article for implementation details

"WHEN APPLE EXECUTIVE Craig Federighi described a new location-tracking feature for Apple devices at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference keynote on Monday, it sounded—to the sufficiently paranoid, at least—like both a physical security innovation and a potential privacy disaster. But while security experts immediately wondered whether Find My would also offer a new opportunity to track unwitting users, Apple says it built the feature on a unique encryption system carefully designed to prevent exactly that sort of tracking—even by Apple itself.

In upcoming versions of iOS and macOS, the new Find My feature will broadcast Bluetooth signals from Apple devices even when they're offline, allowing nearby Apple devices to relay their location to the cloud. That should help you locate your stolen laptop even when it's sleeping in a thief's bag. And it turns out that Apple's elaborate encryption scheme is also designed not only to prevent interlopers from identifying or tracking an iDevice from its Bluetooth signal, but also to keep Apple itself from learning device locations, even as it allows you to pinpoint yours."

The Clever Cryptography Behind Apple's 'Find My' Feature | Wired

Teaching bots how the world works | Axios

Also see 5 of the smartest people in AI teamed up to make awesome robots | TNW

"The big picture: A wild debate has been raging in AI, and it's all about rules. One side says that machines should learn nearly everything from scratch; the other says that computers — like humans — must lean on some basic concepts about the world.

The team behind the new startup, Robust.AI, is firmly in the second camp.

• One co-founder is Gary Marcus, an NYU psychologist and AI expert who carries the banner for scientists who don't believe AI can learn how to navigate through the world without some level of prior knowledge about how it works.
• Another is Rodney Brooks, a legendary MIT roboticist who previously built Rethink Robotics, which sold factory robots meant to work alongside humans. Rethink folded last year."

Teaching bots how the world works | Axios

Apple Blurs Lines Across Devices | Tech.pinions

For more Sidecar details, see Here’s how Sidecar will extend your Mac’s display with iPad and which apps are compatible | 9to5Mac

"But Apple’s blurring of device lines wasn’t limited to iPads becoming more computer-like. There were also several introductions that highlighted how the iPad can become a more useful computer accessory. Most notable of these was the debut of the new Sidecar feature in MacOS Catalina that will let you use an iPad as a secondary monitor for your Mac. While there are certainly cheaper options for dedicated monitors, the ability to let you use your iPad as a secondary display on an occasional (or even regular) basis is something that many Mac users will undoubtedly find very useful. In an age of increased multitasking, there’s never enough screen real estate, so options to extend your desktop and apps across multiple screens make a great deal of sense.

Interestingly, because Sidecar also supports Apple Pencil on the connected iPad, it’s almost like bringing some level of touch-screen support to the Mac. To be clear, it only works with Mac apps that currently support stylus input (think graphics apps), but it can add a Touch Bar, even to Macs that currently don’t have them, and will likely lead to other touch-enabled features."

Apple Blurs Lines Across Devices | Tech.pinions

The Days of Getting a Cheaper Cable Bill by Threatening to Leave May Be Over | Bloomberg

Internet and TV service provider evolution

"“It used to be when customers would call and said, ‘I’m thinking of cutting the cord,’ they’d throw all sort of promotions to keep them from leaving,” said Craig Moffett, an industry analyst at MoffettNathanson LLC. “Now they’re saying, ‘Goodbye, it’s been fun, enjoy the broadband subscription.’”

Cable One Inc., a smaller cable company with about 305,000 residential video customers, even helps cord cutters choose between online alternatives like YouTube TV or Hulu’s live TV service, according to Moffett."

The Days of Getting a Cheaper Cable Bill by Threatening to Leave May Be Over | Bloomberg

Animation: U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales (2010-19) | Visual Capitalist

Check the source for the animated version

"Today’s animation uses data from InsideEVs to show almost nine years of U.S. sales in the electric vehicle market, sorted by model of car.

It paints a picture of a rapidly evolving market with many new competitors sweeping in to try and claim a stake. You can see the leads of early successes eroded away, the increasing value of scale, and consumer preferences, all rolled into one nifty animation."

Animation: U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales (2010-19) | Visual Capitalist