Innholdsfortegnelse for #439 i Techlife News

The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed as it continues to spread across the world. Here is a look at some of the latest developments Wednesday related to the global economy, particular economic sectors, and the workplace: HOUSING: Economists have been waiting for the first signs of virus-related disruptions in housing with the expectation that they will be seismic. Federal housing data looks further back for trends, meaning there is a lag in real world activity. But details have begun to emerge in private surveys. On Wednesday, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported that mortgage applications plunged 29.4% last week. People trying to sell homes have cancelled showings during the outbreak and because closings are done in person, economists expect sales will…

Steve LaTart in Minnesota is thinking of installing a space heater in his basement to recreate the atmosphere of his hot yoga classes now that his gym has closed due to coronavirus fears. LaTart’s says it’s part of the “new, weird, strange workout plan” he has devised during a nationwide trend of self-isolation and social distancing as the government recommends limiting gatherings to 10 or fewer people. Gyms, yoga studios and CrossFit centers around the country are fueling the drive to stay active by offering online classes, some free of charge, or extending trial periods for at-home workouts. Studio owners and fitness instructors are having to adjust too as they make the shift to teaching online. The Coalition of Health and Fitness Leaders, a group of fitness, nutrition and wellness…

Sitting cross-legged in her living room, Donna Borak rested her palm on her heart as she guided a small group of virtual participants in meditation and deep breathing. Notice where you might be holding tension, she instructed. “Send your attention to your head ... maybe acknowledging it’s OK if you’ve been worried and scared,” she told them “Maybe finding comfort that we are all in this together.” From her Washington, D.C., home, Borak has been hosting a free virtual meditation class daily for anyone who wants “a respite during such a moment of uncertainty.” Attendees are encouraged to bring children, loved ones or pets. “Even your plants.” “Inhale, maybe even a little bit more deeply this time, slowly letting the air out of your mouth.” As social distancing has emerged…

Sports are on hold, theaters are closed and so are amusement parks, a disaster-movie scenario that has stunned Hollywood. But Americans held captive at home by the coronavirus can turn to Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and other streaming services, outliers in an entertainment industry brought to an unprecedented standstill. The recent launch of Disney and Apple services and the upcoming arrival of NBCUniversal’s Peacock and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max unleashed speculation about winners and losers in an increasingly crowded field. With self-imposed or required isolation the abrupt reality, emerging and niche streamers could draw new subscribers — gains that may even outlast the coronavirus crisis. The viral outbreak “has caused so much pain across industries globally,” said Dan Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities. “Yet on the streaming side, the demand for…

The coronavirus shutdowns have launched an unplanned, unprecedented experiment with online education at schools across the U.S., and the nation’s largest school system plunged in Monday as New York City asked over 1.1 million students to log in and learn. After a whirlwind week of planning, students — those who could — signed in to Google classrooms and Zoom video conferences for virtual versions of everything from high-school English discussions to kindergarten gym classes. City officials were still trying to get laptops to hundreds of thousands of students in need. Parents grappled with how much to expect of their schools, their kids and themselves. Emily James was pleased to see the vast majority of her ninth-grade English students showed up for class by video, some using smartphones or borrowed laptops.…

Madam C.J. Walker may be one of America’s most successful “pull yourself up by your own bootstrap” stories, but many have never heard of her. However, that’s changing, thanks to the recent release of a Netflix limited series starring Octavia Spencer. “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker,” which also stars Blair Underwood, Tiffany Haddish, Bill Bellamy and Carmen Ejogo, tells the story of America’s first female millionaire, who was also black, at the turn of the 20th century. Her path to riches would be noteworthy in any era, but it’s particularly impressive given the discrimination and roadblocks women and blacks had to endure at the time. “I knew about her since I was a little girl because my mother taught us about her. We were from…

With iPhones and Skype, Conan O’Brien is going back on the air. The late-night host said he will resume putting out new episodes of TBS’“Conan” on March 30. His staff will remain at home, and the show will be cobbled together with O’Brien on an iPhone and guests via Skype. “This will not be pretty, but feel free to laugh at our attempt,” said O’Brien on Twitter. The late-night shows have all shut down production due to the coronavirus pandemic to avoid congregating live audiences and large TV crews. Some hosts have pumped out web videos. Jimmy Fallon has produced 10-minute “At Home” shows for NBC’s “Tonight.” In one episode, he did a video chat with Lin-Manuel Miranda. Jimmy Kimmel and David Spade have given monologues from their homes. Last…

Airline service in the United States is teetering on the brink of collapse, with near-empty planes and coronavirus outbreaks that have left some air traffic control towers empty. Even with sharply reduced schedules, airlines are consolidating some of the remaining flights because passengers aren’t showing up. An official of one major U.S. airline, who asked that they and their airline not be identified, ticked off more than a dozen flights that departed on Tuesday morning with fewer than 10 passengers on board. In a few cases, pilots and flight attendants outnumbered passengers. The official said the average flight was just over 20% full and that figure is expected to drop into the teens by the weekend. The Transportation Security Administration said it screened 331,000 people at airport checkpoints on Monday,…

While other industries struggle, Liu Zhiyong says China’s virus outbreak is boosting demand for his knee-high, bright yellow robots to deliver groceries and patrol malls looking for shoppers who fail to wear masks. Liu, CEO of ZhenRobotics Corp., is among millions of entrepreneurs who are gradually getting back to work after China declared victory over the coronavirus that shut down the world’s second-largest economy. ZhenRobotics’ flagship model is the six-wheeled, 68-centimeter-tall (27-inch-tall) RoboPony. The self-driving cart is sold to retailers, hospitals, malls and apartment complexes. Unlike airlines, hotels and other industries that face a long and uncertain struggle to recover, Liu said his orders have tripled since the outbreak began. “The epidemic made people aware of the fragility of human beings,” Liu said. “Robots can make up for this vulnerability…

Nearly 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week — more than quadruple the previous record set in 1982 — amid a widespread economic shutdown caused by the coronavirus. The surge in weekly applications was a stunning reflection of the damage the viral outbreak is doing to the economy. Filings for unemployment aid generally reflect the pace of layoffs. The pace of layoffs is sure to accelerate as the U.S. economy sinks into a recession. Revenue has collapsed at restaurants, hotels, movie theaters, gyms, and airlines. Auto sales are plummeting, and car makers have close factories. Most such employers face loan payments and other fixed costs, so they’re cutting jobs to save money. As job losses mount, some economists say the nation’s unemployment rate could approach 13% by May.…

Last Tuesday night in Tennessee, bluegrass musicians David and Virginia Blood were busy making sandwiches. In Pittsburgh, real estate agent Michelle Bushee was stirring a pot of homemade black-bean chili in her kitchen instead of shepherding curious buyers through potential dream homes. Marty Prudenti, whose nights are usually spent working backstage at New York City’s Lincoln Center, was in his Long Island backyard grilling burgers for his twins. And in Texas, Babette Maxwell — who would otherwise have been running at least one of her three teenage sons to sports practices or school events — was Googling recipes to engineer homemade versions of her boys’ favorite Taco Bell items. Throughout the U.S., lives have been radically upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is worry and washing of hands. But one…

Facing public criticism, the maker of a promising coronavirus drug said Wednesday it will waive a special regulatory designation that could have allowed it to block competition and boost profits for its treatment. Gilead Sciences said it will ask U.S. regulators to revoke the so-called “orphan drug” status it received for its experimental drug remdesivir. The status would have entitled the company to financial incentives and exclusive marketing intended for rare disease treatments. The Food and Drug Administration granted the company’s request for the designation on Monday, noting that COVID-19 qualified as a rare disease under U.S. rules, since fewer than 200,000 Americans are infected. But experts and public advocates blasted Gilead for seeking the status. “COVID-19 is anything but a rare disease,” stated a letter sent to the company…

With Apple pulling the plug on its March Special Event over coronavirus fears, where it planned to show off new iPads and MacBooks, the company decided to launch its biggest update to the iPad in a press release. But don’t be fooled by the lack of fanfare: the launch puts the “Pro” back into the tablet, creating a next-level experience ideal for professionals. ENHANCING THE 2018 MODEL When Apple overhauled the iPad Pro in 2018, the company made it clear that it was placing a new focus on its professional users. For too long, Apple had been targeting its everyday consumer market with iPads, iPhones, and MacBooks, and though innovations did allow the company to stay one step ahead of the competition, professionals had to choose between a Mac or…

If the coronavirus has you self-isolating, you’re likely more concerned about staying in touch with loved ones and carefully planning your grocery excursions than about changing your money routine. But if you’re concerned about how to do your everyday financial tasks from home, consider starting to bank online — especially if your bank has temporarily closed its locations. Handling your finances remotely can be convenient even after you feel safe returning to a branch. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” says Richard Crone, a payments expert and CEO of Crone Consulting, LLC. “For the safety of consumers, the bank staff, all our families and the community, nobody should be walking into a branch. Financial services can all be obtained digitally. It’s a risk we don’t have to…

“The Banker ” is an odd title for this film. It has the effect of underselling a fascinating story about a black business savant that was inspired by real events. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Bernard Garrett (Anthony Mackie) became a real estate mogul in Los Angeles and (eventually) the owner of a bank in his Texas hometown at a time when all the cards were stacked against him. At the very least, “The Banker” doesn’t seem like the best way to describe Bernard, his accomplishments or even reflect what it’s is about: the de facto and legal ways that African American were excluded from fairly participating in real estate and business. That’s all to say, don’t let it dissuade you from giving this solid film a chance when…

A NASA astronaut who’s about to leave the planet for six months will blast off without any family or fanfare because of the coronavirus. Chris Cassidy said Thursday that he won’t have any guests at his April 9 launch from Kazakhstan. He expects to say goodbye in Russia to his wife on Friday, three weeks earlier than planned. Because of the coronavirus outbreak, she’s going back home to Houston. One of his three children, meanwhile, is trying to get back to the U.S. from New Zealand. There will be a smaller team than usual at the launch pad, too. “It really is going to be strange,” Cassidy told The Associated Press from cosmonaut headquarters in Star City, Russia. He said he’s already in quarantine ahead of his launch to the…

Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods rose by a solid amount in February, but the gain came before the coronavirus had shut down much of the country. The Commerce Department said durable goods orders rose 1.2% last month, rebounding from January when orders had shown a tiny 0.1% gain. However, with all the shutdowns that have occurred as authorities try to deal with the coronavirus, economists are looking for weak reports in coming months. The durable goods report showed that the 1.2% February gain which pushed total orders to a seasonally adjusted $249.4 billion, was the best performance since a 2.8% advance in December. A key category that serves as a proxy for businesses plans on investment fell by 0.8% in February after a 1% rise in January.…

Trains carrying factory employees back to work after two months in locked-down cities rolled out of Hubei province, the center of China’s virus outbreak, as the government on Wednesday began lifting the last of the controls that confined tens of millions of people to their homes. Roadblocks on bridges and at expressway gates opened, allowing trucks and cars through for the first time in two months. Residents of Wuhan, the provincial capital where the coronavirus emerged in December, are allowed out of the city but cannot leave Hubei until April 8. Restrictions that barred tens of millions of people from leaving other cities in Hubei since late February as China fought to contain the outbreak were lifted Wednesday. As the United States and European countries tighten their own controls, China’s…

In the early days of working from home to prevent spread of the COVID-19 disease, some Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers talking strategy on a video chat couldn’t help but get distracted by their team leader’s kitchen cabinets. “There was absolutely nothing special about them except for the fact that they were in the private home of someone senior to us,” said researcher Kate Darling, who started gossiping about the cabinetry in an online back channel. It was a minor and welcome disruption, an early sign of bigger hiccups that office workers, educators and others around the world are dealing with on the fly as the coronavirus pandemic shuts people out of offices, schools, coffee shops and co-working spaces. Integrating work life into the home has rarely been easy, but…

In France, the fight against COVID-19 is being waged one baguette at a time. No longer just a mere staple, the iconic loaf and the French daily ritual of buying it have become loaded with moral, civic and public health considerations that could never have been imagined before the new coronavirus turned life upside down. In a nation in lockdown, popping out for a fresh baguette is proving a handy excuse for people to get out of the house. There is one notable exception: a town on the Mediterranean coast where the mayor has banned people from doing just that, to keep them indoors. But eschewing the crusty comfort of a fresh-baked baguette has become significant, too — a small sacrifice in this new era where sacrifices are being asked…

Hospitals are gearing up to test if a century-old treatment used to fight off flu and measles outbreaks in the days before vaccines, and tried more recently against SARS and Ebola, just might work for COVID-19, too: using blood donated from patients who’ve recovered. Doctors in China attempted the first COVID-19 treatments using what the history books call “convalescent serum” -- today, known as donated plasma -- from survivors of the new virus. Now a network of U.S. hospitals is waiting on permission from the Food and Drug Administration to begin large studies of the infusions both as a possible treatment for the sick and as vaccine-like temporary protection for people at high risk of infection. There’s no guarantee it will work. “We won’t know until we do it, but…

With so much of the U.S. workforce — and their families — now cooped up at home to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, it’s not a huge surprise that home internet is showing the strain. If you’ve had a business videoconference stutter while your teenagers play Call of Duty online, or found yourself unable to stream the news while your spouse uploads huge data files for work, you’ll have a good idea of the problem. IS THERE A BANDWIDTH PROBLEM? The internet’s core is managing the spike in traffic just fine, experts say. It has massive capacity to handle Netflix, YouTube, Zoom and other streaming services. True, Netflix has just throttled down its video quality in Europe at the request of authorities there. But the company already stores…

President Donald Trump said he is hoping the United States will be reopened by Easter as he weighs how to relax nationwide social-distancing guidelines to put some workers back on the job during the coronavirus outbreak. Trump’s optimism contradicted the warnings of some public health officials who called for stricter — not looser — restrictions on public interactions. But federal officials suggested that advisories could be loosened in areas not experiencing widespread infection. With lives and the economy hanging in the balance, Trump said he was already looking toward easing the advisories that have sidelined workers, shuttered schools and led to a widespread economic slowdown. “I would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter,” he said during a Fox News virtual town hall.…

Warner Bros. delayed the summer release of “Wonder Woman 1984” and removed the adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights” from its schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic. With much of Hollywood’s spring release calendar already vacated due to the virus, major summer movies are also increasingly reshuffling. “Wonder Woman 1984,” the sequel to 2017’s “Wonder Woman,” will now hit theaters on Aug. 14 instead of June 5. “In the Heights,” directed by “Crazy Rich Asians” filmmaker Jon M. Chu, had been slated for June 26 but now isn’t dated for release. Miranda, in a recent livestream interview with Rosie O’Donnell, said the score was being recorded when post-production work slowed due to the outbreak. “There’s a lot that remains to be done on that movie,” said Miranda. “We were…

The European Space Agency said that it is putting eight of its spacecraft into hibernation as it scales down operations during the coronavirus outbreak. The agency said it is further reducing the already limited number of staff working on site at its mission control in Darmstadt, Germany. As a result, the instruments and data collection on some space probes are being temporarily stopped. They include the Cluster mission, consisting of four probes launched in 2000 to investigate Earth’s magnetic environment and how it is affected by solar wind; the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter launched in 2016 to investigate the red planet’s atmosphere; Mars Express, launched in 2003 and which has been capturing images of the surface of Mars; and the Solar Orbiter mission launched last month to observe the sun.…

Netflix said it is establishing a $100 million relief fund for workers in the worldwide creative community affected by the coronavirus-caused halt of most film and television production. “This community has supported Netflix through the good times, and we want to help them through these hard times, especially while governments are still figuring out what economic support they will provide,”Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief creative officer, said in a statement. The majority of the fund will support hard-hit crews on Netflix’s own productions around the world, Sarandos said, and will supplement the two weeks of pay the company already agreed to pay the cast and crew on suspended productions. Electricians, carpenters and drivers, who largely are paid hourly wages and work on a project-to-project basis, are among the hundreds of thousands…

The Japanese technology and telecoms company SoftBank said it plans to buy back up to 4.5 trillion yen ($41 billion) of its assets as it seeks to trim its gigantic debt burden. The company’s founder, Masayoshi Son, said the move reflected “the firm and unwavering confidence we have in our business.” Tokyo-based SoftBank will buy up to 2 trillion yen ($18.1 billion) of its shares, Son said in a statement. Earlier, SoftBank announced a 500 billion yen ($4.5 billion) share repurchase. Acting at a time when the coronavirus outbreak has ramped up uncertainty for many industries, the company said it will spend the remaining 2.5 trillion yen on debt redemptions, bond buybacks and increasing its cash reserves. The company said it believes its shares are undervalued by 73% to their…