Category: News and Views

What the First Driverless Car Fatality Means for Self-Driving Tech | Live Science

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A crash that killed a driver in a Tesla Model S electric car in self-driving mode has called into question the safety of driverless vehicle technology. This week, federal officials announced the launch of a formal investigation into the accident.

The crash occurred on May 7 in Williston, Florida, when a tractor-trailer made a left turn in front of the Tesla, and the car failed to apply the brakes, the New York Times reported. It is the first known fatal accident involving a self-driving vehicle.

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Impossible Foods previews meatless burger that cooks, smells, and bleeds like beef | Inhabitat

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Impossible Foods has perfected a juicy, bleeding, meatless hamburger that mimics beef down to its distinct aroma – and they just debuted the revolutionary vegan patty in San Francisco. Engineered to evoke the taste, smell, and cooking reactions of beef, this food innovation could change family cookouts forever. Impossible Foods founder Patrick Brown told The Wall Street Journal, “The whole mission of this company is to make eating animals unnecessary. So, we don’t want our product to just be delicious, we want it to be as delicious as meat.”

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Windows 10 Anniversary Update set to launch August 2 | Mashable

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Windows 10 Anniversary Update, the no-brainer update for most Windows 10 adoptees, now has a ship date: Aug. 2.

Microsoft announced the delivery schedule on Wednesday in a blog post by Microsoft Corp. VP for the Windows and Devices Group Yusuf Mehdi.

Windows 10 Anniversary Update is, compared to the original Windows 10 launch, a relatively minor set of feature enhancements. That said, there is some significant interface house cleaning, like a reorganizing of the Start Menu and Apps list and Action and Notifications Center shift to a more logical position on the right side of the screen.

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So How Will Drone Deliveries Work Exactly? | Co.Exist

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Ukraine has joined a number of postal services that are testing drones. But these tests are doing more than hooking up a parcel to a quadcopter, flying it, and then discussing the implications. The Ukrainian postal service, UkrPoshta, is working with the Israeli drone company Flytrex to bring regular drone deliveries to the country.

The chief advantage of drone deliveries is that they are cheap. Each drone delivery costs just $0.15, even though it runs point-to-point, heading out from the depot to the delivery destination and back again for each package. Three drones are expected to be able to ferry the same amount of cargo as one van—without the expense of a driver. “It never needs to take a lunch break,” says Flytrap CEO Yariv Bash.

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EU referendum fallout: Markets and political analysis, Brexit legality | Business Insider

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Britain is getting exactly what it voted for when it pipped for an exit from the European Union.

It is hurtling toward a recession and a fractured political landscape that now seems irreparable.

This is not fearmongering. The warnings were laid out repeatedly across a seemingly endless raft of reports from the Treasury, bank analysts, and independent research firms and think tanks.

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VW Said to Pay Diesel Owners Up to $7,000, Fund Clean-Air Grants | Bloomberg

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Volkswagen AG will pay owners of its polluting diesel cars up to $7,000, and agree to fund a grant program to offset air pollution, under a $10 billion settlement being negotiated for submission to a federal judge next week, people familiar with the talks said.

VW will provide cash payments worth between $1,000 and $7,000, depending on the vehicle’s age and other factors, to compensate consumers, the people said. All spoke on the condition they not be identified because U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, who is supervising the settlement discussions, has imposed a gag order.

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YouTube Is Introducing New Ways to Help Small Businesses Make Better Video Ads | Adweek

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YouTube wants to turn video ads on its platform into a DIY possibility for small- and medium-sized businesses.

Today, Google is launching three ways for SMBs to create video ads for YouTube that are—at least for the most part—free. With a new app called YouTube Director, the video juggernaut is helping businesses with little or no marketing budget create commercials on their own. The app includes a number of templates, music and editing tools and is free to use.

According to Diya Jolly, Google’s director of product management, the biggest struggle smaller businesses face on YouTube is the lack of quality of their videos.

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Santa Barbara-Area Homeowners Forced to Flee Growing Sherpa Wildfire | NBC News

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A wind-whipped wildfire was advancing near the coast of Santa Barbara, California, Friday as it ripped through some 4,000 acres — more than doubling overnight — and forced homeowners to flee, fire officials said.

About 140 homes and ranches were at risk in the coastal canyons of an area that hasn’t seen such a dramatic burn in 60 years.

An estimated 1,200 firefighters were battling the blaze Friday morning, and were able to contain about 5 percent of it, according to Cal Fire.

Hundreds of homeowners were being called to evacuate late Thursday in the communities of El Capitan, Refugio, Venadito and Las Flores canyons, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said.

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