Equifax breach victims get $7 each. Lawyers get $77 million | Fast Company

December 24, 2019December 22, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

We were going to remind you of the January 22 deadline to file your claim for a $125 Equifax settlement, but your payout will now only be $6.80, CNBC reports—which is not worth the time it takes to fill out the application.

What changed? Equifax is paying out $700 million in the wake of its 2017 data breach, of which only $380 million is earmarked for consumer compensation. Of that fund, only $31 million was set aside for cash compensation to typical consumers, which is enough to pay $125 to 248,000 applicants. How many people applied? Four and a half million, which nets out to $6.80 per person. “Public response has been overwhelming,” says the FTC.

Christmas Day Sees The Third, Final And Most Dangerous Solar Eclipse Of 2019 | Forbes

December 23, 2019December 22, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In 2019, Christmas comes a little late in the day for nature lovers, sky-watchers and astronomers as the decade’s final solar eclipse rips across the globe.

Unlike the events of August 21, 2017’s “Great American Eclipse”, this one won’t be visible from North America, and nor will it be as impressive as that day’s total solar eclipse.

Apps Are Tracking Your Location 24/7 and It’s Totally Legal | Digital Trends

December 19, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A shocking new investigation reveals that companies can track you constantly, with your phone constantly broadcasting your exact location at all times.

The New York Times published the investigation on Thursday, using a leaked dataset from one of the many location data companies that collect data from your favorite mobile apps, and the results are unsettling. The investigation, part of the Times Privacy Project series, looked at data of more than 50 billion location “pings” from the phones of more than 12 million Americans from 2016-2017.

“You’ve probably never heard of most of the companies — and yet to anyone who has access to this data, your life is an open book. They can see the places you go every moment of the day, whom you meet with or spend the night with, where you pray, whether you visit a methadone clinic, a psychiatrist’s office or a massage parlor,” the article reads.

Boeing to temporarily halt 737 Max production in January | BBC News

December 17, 2019December 16, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Boeing will temporarily halt production of its troubled 737 Max airliner in January, the manufacturer said.

Production of the jet had continued despite the model being grounded for nine months after two deadly crashes.

More than 300 people died when two 737 Max aircraft crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia after reported problems with a new feature.

Fox News Is Now a Threat to National Security | WIRED

December 12, 2019December 11, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Monday’s split-screen drama, as the House Judiciary Committee weighed impeachment charges against President Trump and as the Justice Department’s inspector general released a 476-page report on the FBI’s handling of its 2016 investigation into Trump’s campaign, made one truth of the modern world inescapable: The lies and obfuscations forwarded ad infinitum on Fox News pose a dangerous threat to the national security of the United States.

The facts of both dramas were clear to objective viewers: In the one instance, there’s conclusive and surprisingly consistent evidence that President Trump pushed Ukraine to concoct dirt on a domestic political rival to affect the 2020 presidential election, and in the other, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz found that the FBI was proper to investigate Trump’s dealings with Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Tesla will start charging a monthly fee for ‘premium’ data usage | Mashable

December 9, 2019December 8, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The free ride is almost over, late-arriving Tesla drivers.

A new update on the auto maker’s website confirms that Tesla data access will divide into two tiers starting on Jan. 1, 2020. It doesn’t affect every customer (more on that below), but many of them will soon need to choose between the free “Standard Connectivity” tier and the $9.99/month “Premium Connectivity” tier.

If all you want from your car’s data access is basic maps and navigation, plus the ability to stream media over Bluetooth, then Standard is the way to go. You’ll still have access to the fancier features (if you want them) whenever your car is connected to Wi-Fi.

This is a crucial week for global trade | CNN

December 9, 2019December 8, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

There’s just one week to go before the United States is scheduled to impose a new round of tariffs on $156 billion of Chinese imports. Meanwhile, both sides are still working toward an elusive “phase one” trade deal that could bring some relief to battered global economies.

President Donald Trump said this week that it might be better to wait until after the 2020 US presidential election to strike a deal with China. That assessment came just a week after he said negotiations were in their “final throes.”

Investors should by now be wise to jawboning from the White House. Yet the consensus is that both countries are in fact moving toward a deal. Beijing offered a concession on Friday that may prove pivotal, pledging to reduce tariffs on US soybeans and pork.

Love It or Hate It, Tesla Cybertruck Is Revolutionary | Live Science

December 6, 2019December 5, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

With a collective gasp and puzzled looks, the world was recently introduced to Tesla’s newest vehicle. The so-called Cybertruck is an angular, stainless steel, all-electric pickup truck that quickly became polarizing.

The launch didn’t go very smoothly. The truck’s windows shattered when its lead designer smashed them with a metal ball, causing Tesla founder Elon Musk to curse under his breath. Some love its futuristic look. Others hate it. Even Lego made fun of it.

Hazel’s packets keep fruit from going bad| Fast Company

December 5, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

This tiny sachet the size of a sugar packet can be placed in a crate of fruit and it makes the produce last roughly three times longer than usual. The technology, from a startup called Hazel Technologies, was created as a simple way to tackle one piece of the world’s problem with food waste. In the U.S. alone, each year, $218 billion is spent growing, processing, delivering, and throwing out 52 million tons of uneaten food, often because it goes bad before someone can eat it. Another 10 million tons of food never makes it off farms.