Google Closes the Fitbit Acquisition, Pledges To Not Use Data For Ads

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Today Google’s senior VP of Hardware, Rick Osterloh, announced Google has closed its acquisition of Fitbit. The $2.1 billion deal was announced back in November 2019, which kicked off a regulatory review process from governments around the world concerned about Google’s influence over the Internet and the data it can collect on…

Elon Musk Cuts Price of Tesla Model S To $69,420

In a tweet, Elon Musk announced that Tesla will further cut the price of its Model S “Long Range” sedan to $69,420. “This pricing wasn’t done on a whim and a joint,” adds TechCrunch. “The price cut is likely in response to Lucid undercutting Tesla on pricing a few hours ago.” From the report: Elon Musk declares that “The gauntlet has…

Harvard Professor Challenges ‘The Meritocratic Hubris of Elites’

“Universities have been conscripted as the arbiters of opportunity, as the dispensers of the credentials, as the sorting machine,” warns a Harvard political philosopher, in a new interview in the Chronicle of Higher Education titled “The Insufferable Hubris of the Well-Credentialed.” The meritocratic hubris of elites is the conviction by those who land on top that their success is their own…

People Are Killing Puppy Clones That Don’t Come Out ‘Perfect’

An anonymous reader shares a months-old report, which is getting some attention this week: Many clones are born with defects and genetic disorders, and since those imperfections aren’t what their buyer is spending tens of thousands of dollars on, they end up discarded. That’s the price. Neonatal complications for cloned animals abound: Poor placenta and fetal development in the womb lead…

Will sea otters return to San Francisco Bay?

A new study shows that, if they can be returned to San Francisco Bay, California’s southern sea otter population can be tripled. There are now only about 3,000 of the otters left. But, first, they’ll need some help getting past the great white sharks. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/southern-sea-otters-reintroduction-san-francisco-bay…

New Eco-Friendly Game Packaging Could Save Tons of Plastic Each Year

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Sega and Sports Interactive have announced that Football Manager 2020 will be sold in new eco-friendly package that uses much less plastic, and they’re pushing for the rest of the entertainment industry to follow suit. The new packaging replaces the now-standard plastic DVD case used for most game discs with a folded,…

Can You Beat The World’s Worst User Interface?

Design firm Baggar writes:
A user assumes certain actions to be in a certain place or color because interface designers worldwide have been collaboratively educating users and feeding them these design-patterns. But what happens if we poke all good practice with a stick and stir it up? What if we don’t respect our self-created rules and expectations, and do everything the other…