Innholdsfortegnelse for #288 i Techlife News

San Francisco and Airbnb reached a deal this week that aims to prevent the short-term rental website from listing housing units that are not following city rules that limit the duration of stays and the number of nights units can be rented. The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by Airbnb over a city law that fines the company for booking rentals not registered with the city. Under the deal, residents looking to list a rental will be able apply for a city registration number through Airbnb’s website and will have to list their registration number to post a listing. The company will provide a monthly list of all San Francisco listings to the city, so officials can verify that units are registered. Airbnb will deactivate listings that the city says…

Harvesting Washington state’s vast fruit orchards each year requires thousands of farmworkers, and many of them work illegally in the United States. That system eventually could change dramatically as at least two companies are rushing to get robotic fruit-picking machines to market. The robotic pickers don’t get tired and can work 24 hours a day. “Human pickers are getting scarce,” said Gad Kober, a co-founder of Israel-based FFRobotics. “Young people do not want to work in farms, and elderly pickers are slowly retiring.” FFRobotics and Abundant Robotics, of Hayward, California, are racing to get their mechanical pickers to market within the next couple of years. Harvest has been mechanized for large portions of the agriculture industry such as wheat, corn, green beans and tomatoes for some time. But for more…

Google is warning users to beware of a phishing scam spread by a fraudulent invitation to share a Google Doc. According to online reports - in particular, a detailed user thread on Reddit - clicking on the share link was taking users to a site that asked permission for a fake app calling itself “Google Docs” to access their accounts. If they agreed, the app would then send additional phishing emails to the users’ contacts. Google says it has disabled offending accounts, removed fake pages and updated its Safe Browsing feature, which issues warnings when users visit dangerous sites. It encourages affected users to run its security check feature. One telltale sign: The attack email appears to be directed to the address hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh@mailinator.com, and only blind copied to the recipient.…

Media and internet company IAC/ InterActiveCorp on Monday (01) said it is buying Angie’s List Inc. with the aim of melding the consumer reviews company with its HomeAdvisor business and creating a new publicly traded enterprise. The combined company will be called ANGI Homeservices Inc. and will keep both the Angie’s List and HomeAdvisor brands. Founded by Angie Hicks in 1995, Angie’s List lets users research, shop for and rate local plumbers, home cleaners and other service providers. HomeAdvisor.com offers resources for home repair and improvement projects, such as helping find the average project cost across the country and finding professionals for the work. It’s a merger IAC first proposed in 2015, which Angie’s List rejected, saying the per-share offer of $8.75 was too low. But sales at Angie’s List…

Just a week after its premiere, “The Handmaid’s Tale” has won a second season from Hulu , which is bringing aboard Alec Baldwin for an upcoming drama series about events that led to the 9/11 attacks. The subscription service also on Wednesday announced the launch of an optional upgrade that delivers multiple channels of live programming along with streaming content. This live-TV option provides live and on-demand programming from more than 50 sports, news, entertainment and kids’ channels, including shows from the four major broadcast networks, along with Hulu’s existing streaming library. The monthly plan costs $39.99, which includes Hulu’s standard $7.99 commercial service. The no-commercials plan costs an additional $4 per month. “Hulu can now be your primary source of television - live or on demand,” said Hulu CEO…

Before the arrival of “Guardians and the Galaxy Vol. 2,”‘’The Fate of the Furious” took one more victory lap at the North American box office, leading all movies in ticket sales for the third straight week. The film, which has passed $1 billion globally, grossed $19.9 million domestically over the weekend, according to final box office figures from comScore on Monday. The reign of the “Furious” sequel, however, is sure to end this weekend when “Guardians” kicks off the summer season. In the lull between blockbusters, several smaller films did relatively strong business. The Eugenio Derbez comedy “How to Be a Latin Lover,” opened in second with $12.2 million. It drew an 89 percent Latino audience. And the South Indian film “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” came in third with $10.4…

A Texas state agency has withdrawn its ownership claim to 10 microfilm Bibles that Apollo astronauts took into space, ceding them to an author who says they were left to her by a NASA chaplain who helped send the tiny books into the heavens, court records show. The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services dropped its claim to the so-called first lunar Bibles last week, ahead of a Wednesday hearing that would have decided who got to keep the valuable books. Judge Linda G. Morrissey ordered the artifacts turned over to Tulsa author and businesswoman Carol Mersch in a court document filed Friday. The postage stamp-sized Bibles, including eight that made it onto the surface of the moon inside a pouch carried by astronaut Edgar Mitchell during NASA’s 1971…

A Malaysian man whose wife’s death is one of at least 16 blamed on air bag defects has sued Japanese automaker Honda and the Takata Corp. in a U.S. court, saying he wants the companies to disclose more about the dangers. Nida Fatin Mat Asis, a 29-year-old doctor, died almost instantly after the Honda City she was driving hit a pole and skidded into a ditch in Malaysia’s eastern Sabah state on April 16 last year. An autopsy found shrapnel from a Takata air bag inflator in the base of her skull. The lawsuit was filed by her husband in a U.S. District court in Michigan on Monday. Her father, Mat Asis Mahnoon, said Wednesday the family decided to sue after Takata pleaded guilty to fraud in February and agreed…

Is the online giant of retail also looking to conquer physical stores? Amazon has been dabbling in physical retail since 2015, during which time it’s opened a half-dozen bookstores that double as gadget emporia, a score of campus bookstores that don’t sell books and a convenience store without cashiers. For now, its efforts seem largely experimental, though that may not be true for long. Although the company already dominates e-commerce, 90 percent of worldwide retail spending is still in brick-and-mortar stores, according to eMarketer. Amazon has the chance to change retail with automation and data-mining technologies borrowed from e-commerce. “It seems counterintuitive they are investing in any physical stores when they are blamed for the demise of so many of them, but no cow is sacred,” says Sucharita Mulpuru, a…

Apple is getting more aggressive about emphasizing its role in the U.S. economy, apparently hoping to counter recurring criticism over its reliance on overseas factories. On Wednesday, Apple for the first time released a state-by-state breakdown of where its 80,000 U.S. employees work, showing that more than half of them are located outside Silicon Valley. It also announced a $1 billion fund aimed at creating more U.S. manufacturing jobs, although it provided few details. The strategy appears aimed at complicating efforts by President Donald Trump and other politicians to vilify Apple for using companies in China and elsewhere to assemble most of its products. Apple had no comment on political ramifications of its announcements. CEO Tim Cook first described the manufacturing fund an interview on CNBC, but didn’t say how…

Have you seen the... actually, we’re probably asking far too late. We were about to ask whether you had seen The Fate of the Furious, the latest theatrical installment in the Fast and the Furious franchise; however, judging from the box-office takings so far, you probably saw it a while ago. The film has already clocked a world-record opening, capturing an estimated $532.5 million during its first weekend. With familiar favorites Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and others returning and Charlize Theron joining the fold, the movie easily excites - and also reminds us of that Apple Car... A FAST HISTORY OF A FURIOUS FRANCHISE The series’ first film, simply titled The Fast and the Furious, sped into theaters with the ferocity of one of its illegally-driven cars way back in 2001. However,…

The European Union’s competition watchdog says it accepts commitments made by online giant Amazon to change part of its e-book contracts to avoid fines for anti-competitive behavior. Amazon has promised not to enforce any contract clause that might oblige other publishers to offer it similar terms and conditions as those offered to competitors. The EU Commission said Thursday that it has made the commitments legally binding. Amazon could be fined 10 percent of annual turnover if it reneges over the next five years. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the “decision will open the way for publishers and competitors to develop innovative services for e-books, increasing choice and competition to the benefit of European consumers.” The Commission says Europe’s e-books market is worth more than 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion).…

Fifty Shades Darker In the second installment of the Fifty Shades series, a wounded Christian Grey tries to entice Ana back into his life. Demanding a new arrangement, Ana lets him back into her life, but as they begin to build trust and stability in their relationship, shadowy figures from Christian’s past come back to haunt him and destroy their hopes for the future. FIVE FACTS: 1. When Ana says the line “I expect you to call me Ana. I don’t expect you to fetch me coffee unless you’re getting some for yourself, and um, the rest we’ll just make up as we go along” is the same line said by Melanie Griffith (Dakota Johnson’s mother) in Working Girl (1988) 2. Niall Leonard, the movie’s screenwriter, is the husband of…

“Guardians of the Galaxy” was just the warm-up. Two years ago, writer and director James Gunn and his cranky, lovable band of multihued misfits in space seemed like a sort of gamble for the Earth-bound Marvel Studios and its ever-growing plans for total multiplex domination. Star Lord wasn’t exactly a household name, and neither was Chris Pratt. Now as “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” prepares for launch in North American theaters today, the story is quite different. “Guardians of the Galaxy” was a huge critical and financial success, grossing over $773 million worldwide, Pratt became an international star, and Gunn was given the greenlight to do what he wanted once more - making “Vol. 2” as weird and wild and idiosyncratic as his imagination would allow. Many reviewers have…

The European Union’s law enforcement agency says it has coordinated a two-day meeting that identified more than 2,000 examples of online propaganda for extremist groups including a network apparently set up by extremists to spread their message and raise funds. Europol said in a statement Tuesday that extremist groups are using more social platforms simultaneously to spread their propaganda and are making increased use of platforms that don’t require users to identify themselves. Europol said that last week’s operation also identified “a new platform that appears to be set up by terrorist networks themselves for not only spreading propaganda, but also financing their activities.”The Hague-based organization didn’t elaborate. It is up to internet service providers to take down the material identified last week.…

In a move that social media users called censorship, a Turkish court blocked access to Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, enforcing an earlier restriction by Turkey’s telecommunications watchdog. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) said an Ankara court ordered last weekend that a “protection measure” related to suspected internet crimes be applied to Wikipedia. Such measures are used to block access to pages or entire websites to protect “national security and public order.” In response, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales tweeted his support for those who labeled the decision censorship: “Access to information is a fundamental human right. Turkish people I will always stand with you to fight for this right.” Turkey Blocks, an internet censorship monitor, said users in Turkey have been unable to access all language editions of…

Facebook is stepping up its efforts to keep inappropriate and often violent material - including recent high-profile videos of murders and suicides, hate speech and extremist propaganda - off of its site. On Wednesday, the world’s biggest social network said it plans to hire 3,000 more people to review videos and other posts after getting criticized for not responding quickly enough to murders shown on its service. The hires over the next year will be on top of the 4,500 people Facebook already tasks with identifying criminal and other questionable material for removal. CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote Wednesday that the company is “working to make these videos easier to report so we can take the right action sooner - whether that’s responding quickly when someone needs help or taking a…

As Apple’s stash of cash grows, so does the possibility that the world’s most valuable company will use some of the money for a huge acquisition that would expand its empire beyond iPhones and other gadgets. The company currently holds more than a quarter-trillion dollars it could use to go shopping. So far, the guessing game has primarily focused on possible targets such as Netflix and Tesla Motors. Either deal could make sense, given Apple’s long-running interest in providing a TV service to consumers and its more recent work on self-driving cars. But in recent months the takeover talk has swirled around whether Apple might do something even more dramatic by making a bid for Walt Disney Co. THE MOUSE AND THE APPLE Such a combination would create the world’s…

Self-driving software company nuTonomy is teaming up with French automaker Groupe PSA. Boston-based nuTonomy says it plans to install its software and specialized sensors into two Peugeot 3008 SUVs this summer. It will begin testing them on public roads in Singapore in September. The companies plan to expand that test fleet to about a dozen vehicles by the beginning of 2018. Eventually, nuTonomy and Groupe PSA say they could expand testing to other cities worldwide. NuTonomy has been testing self-driving taxis in Singapore since last August. The Peugeot SUVs won’t be part of that taxi fleet. Groupe PSA is the parent company of the Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands. It is the fifth automaker nuTonomy has partnered with. Renault, Mitsubishi, Lincoln and Land Rover are also testing the company’s software.…

Microsoft is taking aim at Google as it introduced a Surface device for students and slimmed down Windows for the classroom. The new Surface Laptop is the first Surface device without a detachable keyboard. Microsoft says the new laptop will have up to 14.5 hours of battery life, compared with 12 hours for the MacBook Air. The Surface Laptop will come out on June 15. The laptop runs Windows 10 S, a streamlined version of the ubiquitous operating system. It will run only software downloaded from the Windows Store, a limitation that Microsoft touts as a security benefit. Microsoft’s previous effort at a slimmed-down Windows, Windows RT, wasn’t popular because it wouldn’t run older programs unavailable in the Windows Store. The laptop comes at a rough time for the Surface…

Madness All That Remains Madness is the eighth studio album by Massachusetts metallers All That Remains. As a band associated as being some of the pioneers of metalcore, once again, they push the boundaries of the genre. Starting with the heavy track ‘Safe House’ and showcasing their musical capabilities in the title-track ‘Madness,’ the album explores provocative themes and the current political climate. FIVE FACTS: 1. The band has cited their influences as In Flames, Metallica, Megadeath, Slayer and Iron Maiden amongst many others. § 2. They are considered a notable act within the New Wave of American Heavy Metal. 3. Before joining the band, Aaron Patrick played for Bury Your Dead, In Flames and Lamb of God. 4. The band’s song ‘Six’ was featured on Guitar Hero. 5. Phil…

Deborah Braswell, a university administrator in Alabama, is a member of a dwindling group - people with a landline phone at home. According to a U.S. government study released Thursday, 50.8 percent of homes and apartments had only cellphone service in the latter half of 2016, the first time such households attained a majority in the survey. Braswell and her family are part of the 45.9 percent that still have landline phones. The remaining households have no phone service at all. More than 39 percent of U.S. households - including Braswell’s - have both landline and cellphone service. The landline comes in handy when someone misplaces one of the seven cellphones kicking around her three-story house in a Birmingham suburb. “You walk around your house calling yourself to find it,”…

A hacker claims to have followed through on a threat to release several episodes from the upcoming season of Netflix’s hit series “Orange Is The New Black.” The hacker, who goes by the name The Dark Overlord, announced the move on Twitter early Saturday (29). The post included a link to an illegal file-sharing service where purportedly 10 episodes from the series’ upcoming fifth season were available for download. The Associated Press could not legally confirm the authenticity of the uploaded files. New episodes of “Orange” are scheduled for official release on June 9. Pirated copies of the series’ episodes could dent Netflix’s subscriber growth and the company’s stock price. A spokeswoman for the video streaming service declined to comment on the release of the episodes Saturday. Earlier, Netflix said…

It’ll be free. It’ll be uniquely Chinese. It’ll be an online encyclopedia to rival Wikipedia - but without the participation of the public. And don’t expect entries on “Tiananmen Square 1989” or “Falun Gong spiritual group” to come up in your searches, either. Scholars and experts hand-picked by Beijing to work on the project say only they will be able to make entries - the latest example of the Chinese government’s efforts to control information available on the internet. The scholars say truth is their guiding light, and their editing and review process is a rigorous one. If there is a difference of opinion, a committee should figure it out, said Zhang Baichun, chief editor of the history of science and technology section. “Of course, science does not come from…