Uber sees path to profit despite $1.1bn loss | BBC News

February 7, 2020February 6, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Uber’s business continues to grow, but so do its losses.

The firm lost $1.1bn (£851m) in the last three months of 2019, even as revenue jumped 37% to $4bn and the number of trips made on its platform rose by 28%.

Spending to expand its Uber Eats food delivery business hurt the firm’s bottom line.

Uber boss Dara Khosrowshahi said he was “gratified” with the progress the firm is making toward profitability.

Adjusted for items such as taxes, the core “ride” part of the business turned a profit in the last three months of last year.

Disney+ already has 26.5M subscribers | TechCrunch

February 5, 2020February 4, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Walt Disney Company just announced that its streaming service Disney+ has 26.5 million paying subscribers — ahead of the already impressive 25 million predicted by Wall Street analysts.

Disney+ launched on November 12 and is not yet available globally. The day after the launch, the company said the service already had more than 10 million subscribers.

Iowa Misinformation Spreads Online, Despite New Policies | WIRED

February 5, 2020February 4, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Since 2016, social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have vowed to crack down on misinformation related to elections. Monday, they faced their first big test, when delayed results from the Iowa Democratic caucus gave rise to partisan infighting, rampant misinformation, and conspiracy theories. Unsurprisingly, things didn’t exactly go according to plan. Twitter struggled to contain viral electoral misinformation and unfounded accusations of vote rigging from Trump allies, while Facebook grappled with disinformation.

Amazon’s Ring doorbell update allows opt out of all video requests | Mashable

February 3, 2020February 2, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

After a wave of bad press involving police partnerships, hacking, and other privacy violations, Amazon’s Ring doorbell has released an update.

On Friday, the smart device’s mobile app rolled out a new control center that grants users more authority over their privacy and security settings. You’ll now be able to add and remove shared users on an account, restrict third-party access, view two-factor authentication settings, and (perhaps, most importantly) opt out of all video request notifications from law enforcement.

Uncovered in reporting by Motherboard and Gizmodo in 2019, the scale of Amazon’s Neighbor Portal program is much larger than originally believed — and its various affiliations with law enforcement has raised alarming ethical questions.

Major U.S. airlines expand flight cancellations to China and Hong Kong | CNN

February 3, 2020February 2, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines announced more flight cancellations to China on Saturday as coronavirus cases rise rapidly.

Delta said it will suspend flights between the United States and China starting on Sunday until at least April 30, according to a press release.

That’s four days earlier than it had initially planned. Delta’s last China-bound flight leaves on Saturday, February 1 and its last returning flight from China to the United States leaves on Sunday.

Delta moved the date up after the US State Department warned this week that people should not travel to China due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus, which was first discovered in Wuhan, China, in December.

Coronavirus outbreak is ‘public health emergency of international concern,’ WHO declares | Live Science

January 31, 2020January 30, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that the new coronavirus outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern, officials announced today (Jan. 30).

The news comes as the case count and death toll from the virus have soared in recent days. As of Thursday (Jan. 30), there were 7,736 cases and 170 deaths in China, as well as 98 cases in 18 other countries, the WHO said.

What is AB5 and why are small businesses opposed to it? | Small Business Trends

January 28, 2020January 27, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The gig economy has upended the way people work, and policymakers are grappling on how to address this change. California is tackling the issue with Assembly Bill 5 or as it is commonly known AB5.

However, not all is going according to plan because US District Judge Roger Benitez in San Diego has temporarily blocked AB5. Why, because the law would impact around 70,000 independent truckers resulting in irreparable harm if their employers have to claim them as salaried employees.

The request comes from the California Trucking Association, but it is not the only organization. Two national groups representing photographers and freelancers also filed a suit. The American Society of Journalists and Authors and the National Press Photographers Association say the law affects free speech and media.

Google Will Charge Law Enforcement to Access User Data | Digital Trends

January 27, 2020January 26, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Google has begun charging law enforcement for access to user data, according to a report by the New York Times. The company is levying fees of $45 for a subpoena, $60 for a wiretap, and $245 for a search warrant, according to documents reviewed by the NYT.

The company receives a high volume of requests from law enforcement agencies to hand over data about its users and has therefore decided to bring in charges to “offset the costs” of compiling this data. According to the report, Google is legally allowed to levy these charges but traditionally big technology companies have handed over data without any charges.

How Windows 7 Twice Saved Microsoft From Driving Over a Cliff | Digital Trends

January 27, 2020January 26, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Windows 7 is dead. And yet, at the time of support ending for Windows 7, 26% of PCs worldwide were still running the nearly 10-year-old operating system. It was a beloved piece of software that people have been clinging to for years.

But Windows 7 also plays an important role in Microsoft’s recent history. In two dire times of recent Microsoft history, Windows 7 was the stalwart operating system that kept the legacy of Windows alive and well.

This Hawaii Entrepreneur Has Dedicated His Post-Army Career to Helping His Fellow Veterans–And It All Started With Great Barbecue | Inc.com

January 22, 2020January 21, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It was the Fourth of July, so of course there would be fireworks. Des Cortes was dreading it. After five and a half years in the Navy that included deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Djibouti, Cortes knew the sound of explosions would trigger her. As the light display crackled across the sky that night in 2017 she stood in a Tin Hut BBQ truck on an air force base in Honolulu, struggling to count out the night’s receipts. “I couldn’t focus on what I was doing,” Cortes says. “I completely shut down.”

Fortunately her boss, Frank Diaz, was by her side–as he had been since she’d texted him about a job. PTSD had forced Cortes, at age 24, into early retirement from the military. Unable to find work, she’d been couch surfing with friends or living out of her car. Diaz, the founder of Tin Hut, hired her by text five minutes after she reached out and trained her one-on-one. Over the next two years he helped Cortes sign up for benefits and therapy through the Veteran’s Administration, found her temporary housing, and taught her to budget her money so she could move into her own apartment.