Tag: amazons

Amazon’s Next CEO Says He’s Committed To Making Video Games

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: One day before he was named the next chief executive officer ofAmazon.com Inc., Andy Jassy reaffirmed his commitment to making video games while acknowledging the stark challenges the team has faced, according to an email to staff reviewed by Bloomberg. Jassy expressed support for Mike Frazzini, the head of Amazon Game Studios and…

Amazon’s Anti-Union Blitz Stalks Alabama Warehouse Workers Everywhere, Even the Bathroom

Some workers in Amazon’s Bessemer, Ala., warehouse complain that the company’s aggressive performance expectations leave them little time to take bathroom breaks. From a report: When they do get there, they face messaging from Amazon pressing its case against unionization, imploring them to vote against it when mail-in balloting begins Feb. 8. “Where will your dues go?” reads a flier posted…

Amazon’s Alexa Can Now Act On Its Own ‘Hunches’

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Amazon is enabling a new feature today that allows Alexa to proactively complete tasks around the house, such as turning off lights, based on your habits and frequent requests. Alexa has been able to sense these habits and ask about them since 2018 — the company calls them “hunches” — but before…

Parler Booted Off Amazon’s AWS Hosting Service, Suspended by Apple

“Apple has suspended Parler until the makers of the app solve its content moderation challenges,” reports Forbes, citing a statement from Apple saying “there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity. Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats…” Meanwhile, BuzzFeed News reports: Amazon notified Parler that it would be…

Dozens Sue Amazon’s Ring After Camera Hack Leads To Threats and Racial Slurs

Dozens of people who say they were subjected to death threats, racial slurs, and blackmail after their in-home Ring smart cameras were hacked are suing the company over “horrific” invasions of privacy. From a report: A new class action lawsuit, which combines a number of cases filed in recent years, alleges that lax security measures at Ring, which is owned by…

Microsoft, Unilever Join Amazon’s Pledge To Fight Climate Change

Amazon.com has added a competitor to its year-old coalition of companies pledging to reduce their contribution to climate change: Microsoft. From a report: The two technology giants, neighbors in the Seattle area and rivals in cloud computing and business software, have each spent much of the last two years announcing increasingly aggressive climate targets, including dueling umbrella organizations for companies willing…

Ancient rock art reveals life of the Amazon’s earliest inhabitants

A new collection of rock drawings, discovered by an international research team, appears to have been made by the Amazon’s earliest human residents 12,500 years ago, and gives us a glimpse of their lives Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2262013-ancient-rock-art-reveals-life-of-the-amazons-earliest-inhabitants/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Why Amazon’s Echo Shines an Ominous Red Light When Its Microphone is Muted

This year Amazon followed up its cylindrical Echo (and its hockey puck-shaped Echo Dot) with a cloth-wrapped sphere-shaped Echo device. And Fast Company reports that one significant change was to the light pipe, “that glowing ring on top of the Echo that signals it’s talking or thinking. “For the fourth generation, that light pipe has been moved to the bottom of…

Amazon’s Alexa Can Now Guess What You Want Before You Ask For It

“Amazon’s engineers are tweaking Alexa’s algorithm to help the virtual assistant guess users’ requests, and offer to resolve them, before the demand is even uttered,” reports ZDNet: After being asked, for example, how long a cup of tea should brew for, Alexa will be able to suggest setting a timer for the number of minutes that are recommended. Alexa engineers Anjishnu…