Author: knjohn

The Internet Archive Just Backed Up an Entire Caribbean Island | WIRED

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Aruba has long been a special place for Stacy Argondizzo. For years, her family has vacationed on the tiny Caribbean Island every July. More recently it’s been more than just a place to take a break from her work as a digital archivist—becoming wholly a part of that work.

A project Argondizzo galvanized comes to full fruition this week. The Internet Archive is now home to the Aruba Collection, which hosts digitized versions of Aruba’s National Library, National Archives, and other institutions including an archaeology museum and the University of Aruba. The collection comprises 101,376 items so far—roughly one for each person who lives on the Island—including 40,000 documents, 60,000 images, and seven 3D objects.

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Elon Musk: Tesla Robotaxi Is Arriving in August | Entrepreneur

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Amid news of Tesla’s first year-over-year sales decline since 2020, the electric car company is setting the scene for a unique product launch.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted on X that the company will unveil its first robotaxi on August 8. However, the unveiling date does not mean that’s when deliveries will begin — the first deliveries of another Tesla product, the Cybertruck, arrived years after its unveiling.

Tesla’s first autonomous taxi will join a market that already features offerings from competitors such as Waymo, an independent company that started as Google’s self-driving car project, and Cruise, General Motors’ company.

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How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Trademark Infringement | Entrepreneur

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If you have developed a new product or service, the next step is to develop a memorable brand, or trademark and slogan. Before you begin displaying these on product packages or your website, take a few minutes to be sure each is available for use. If you don’t, you may run into an expensive problem in the future.

I’m talking about trademarks and the risk of infringing on someone else’s legal rights.

It takes only a few minutes to check whether the brand for your new product is already someone else’s trademark or confusingly similar to a trademark in use. Start by quickly searching Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo and both of the major mobile app stores — Apple App Store and Google Play.

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iPad 2024: 2 new models tipped to drop soon — and may come with this iPhone feature | Mashable

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Time to add more fuel to the “new iPads” fire.

As spotted by 91Mobiles, the Bureau of Indian Standards (or BIS) let slip that two new iPads are coming soon by putting their model numbers on the BIS website. Basically, that means the new iPads have passed India’s regulatory standards and can legally be sold there.

That’s not surprising, as there have been rumors about new iPads launching in the first half of 2024 for months. What is sort of unexpected, however, is that MacRumors spotted some text strings in iPadOS 17.5 beta 1 suggesting that the iPhone’s “battery health” menu is coming to iPads.

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Facebook mirrors TikTok’s vertical video format | Mashable

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According to Oscar Wilde, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s true, then TikTok must be the most flattered app out there. Everyone wants to be it or beat it or both — and Facebook just made another move to do just that.

On Wednesday, Facebook announced the newest TikTok-ification of its site by rolling out a new full-screen video player on its app, much like the vertical video format TikTok made so famous. All of the Reels you see on Facebook, along with longer videos and Live content, will all be shown to you via a full-screen, vertically-oriented video. The social media giant also purports to have “improved recommendations for videos of all lengths we think you’re most likely to enjoy based on your interests.”

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New York closes bridges for its marathon. Runners should pay for the unpaid tolls, the MTA demands | CNN Business

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The Metropolitan Transit Authority says it wants the organizers of New York City’s marathon to pay $750,000 a year, citing the steep loss of bridge toll revenues for closing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the Staten Island-Brooklyn connection that has served as the starting point for the race for decades.

“New Yorkers love Marathon Sunday, but taxpayers cannot be expected to subsidize a wealthy non-government organization like the New York Road Runners to the tune of $750,000,” MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan said in a statement. “The MTA is prepared to continue working towards a final agreement with the NYRR, provided it leads, over time, to full reimbursement for the lost revenue.”

With about 50,000 runners expected to participate in the marathon on the first Sunday in November, the $750,000 the MTA demands works out to $15 per runner. The Verrazano E-ZPass toll is $7.

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Amazon’s cashier-less technology was supposed to revolutionize grocery shopping. It’s been a flop | CNN Business

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When Amazon debuted cashier-less technology, it was hailed as the future of retail. But now, Amazon is walking back its “Just Walk Out” technology at its grocery stores, reining in grand promises of an automated, friction-less checkout.

Amazon said it is removing the technology at US Amazon Fresh grocery stores which allows customers to pay for their groceries without waiting in line for a cashier or using a self-checkout machine. Instead, Amazon said it’s replacing it with Dash Cart at its more than 40 locations, a “smart shopping cart” which allows shoppers to scan groceries, link to online shopping lists and check out their groceries. The company has been testing Dash Carts at some Fresh and Whole Foods locations in the past.

Customers just haven’t bought into cashier-less technology, especially in grocery stores where they purchase larger quantities and face extra tasks such as weighing produce. Amazon says the checkout technology may be more seamless in smaller stores – that could include the Amazon Go convenience stores.

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‘You probably didn’t inherit any DNA from Charlemagne’: What it means when your DNA ‘matches’ a historic person’s | Live Science

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In 2022, we reported the DNA sequences of 33 medieval people buried in a Jewish cemetery in Germany. Not long after we made the data publicly available, people started comparing their own DNA with that of the 14th-century German Jews, finding many “matches.” These medieval individuals had DNA fragments shared with thousands of people who have uploaded their DNA sequence to an online database, the same way you share DNA fragments with your relatives.

But what type of a relationship with a medieval person does a shared DNA fragment imply?

It turns out, not too much that will help with your family roots research.

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April 8 solar eclipse: What time does totality start in every state? | Live Science

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The solar eclipse on April 8 will bring eerie darkness to a long swath of the United States, Canada and Mexico during totality — the few moments when the moon covers the sun’s face completely, thereby blocking its light.

Totality is a completely different experience from 99% eclipse coverage. First and foremost, totality is the only safe time to look directly at the sun without solar eclipse glasses or other certified eye protection. But viewers within the path of totality will also have the chance to view a host of unique eclipse phenomena.

Only during totality do the skies turn twilight-dark, and only during totality is the sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, visible as wispy projections of light emanating from behind the moon. Being inside the path of totality is also the only way to see eclipse features such as Baily’s beads, which are the last rays of light sneaking past the mountains on the moon.

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What Is an Owner’s Draw and How Does It Affect Payroll? | businessnewsdaily.com

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Fear of failure and a lack of support or delegation can lead business owners to work more than their employees. Various surveys over the years have found that most business owners work more than 40 hours a week. When a traditional salary doesn’t match their ever-changing job responsibilities, many seek a more flexible option. Owner’s draws, also known as “personal draws” or “draws,” allow business owners to withdraw money as needed and as profit allows.

A draw may seem like a superior option over a salary. But is it always the best solution? What are the tax implications? Keep reading to determine if owner’s draws are the best fit for your business.

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