Goodreads Is Retiring Its Current API, and Book-Loving Developers Aren’t Happy

Last week, some Goodreads users received a disappointing message: The popular book tracking website is disabling access to its API for users who haven’t used the product in more than 30 days. The company says it “plans to retire these tools” altogether and that, as of December 8, it will no longer issue new keys. It’s unclear when or if Goodreads…

Starbucks Worker Insisting Customers Wear Masks Rewarded With $70K On GoFundMe

“Masks are stupid and so are the people wearing them,” posted one San Diego woman on Facebook (who is also an anti-vaxxer). “She has also shared previous posts expressing her refusal to wear masks, and her belief that those who wear them are ‘not thinking clearly,'” reports the Washington Post. Here’s what happened next… Amber Lynn Gilles walked into a Starbucks…

Wowzer! Pluto spacecraft sees parallax for Proxima

New images from the fringes of our solar system. The fast-moving New Horizons spacecraft sees a parallax shift – a different apparent position against the background stars – for Proxima Centauri. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/new-horizons-parallax-for-proxima-centauri…

IBM Gets Out of Facial Recognition Business, Calls On Congress To Advanced Policies Tackling Racial Injustice

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna called on Congress Monday to enact reforms to advance racial justice and combat systemic racism while announcing the company was getting out of the facial recognition business. CNBC reports: “IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any technology, including facial recognition technology offered by other vendors, for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human…

Cognizant Expects To Lose Between $50 Million and $70 Million Following Ransomware Attack

IT services provider Cognizant said in an earnings call this week that a ransomware incident that took place last month in April 2020 will negatively impact its Q2 revenue. ZDNet reports: “While we anticipate that the revenue impact related to this issue will be largely resolved by the middle of the quarter, we do anticipate the revenue and corresponding margin impact…

Cognizant Expects To Lose Between $50M and $70M Following Ransomware Attack

IT services provider Cognizant said in an earnings call this week that a ransomware incident that took place last month in April 2020 will negatively impact its Q2 revenue. From a report: “While we anticipate that the revenue impact related to this issue will be largely resolved by the middle of the quarter, we do anticipate the revenue and corresponding margin…

Scientists Create Glowing Plants Using Mushroom Genes

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Emitting an eerie green glow, they look like foliage from a retro computer game, but in fact they are light-emitting plants produced in a laboratory. Researchers say the glowing greenery could not only add an unusual dimension to home decor but also open up a fresh way for scientists to explore the…

The Story of The Doctor Who Ordered America’s First Covid-19 Lockdown

Long-time Slashdot reader bsharma shared the story of doctor/public health officer who “went first,” ordering America’s very first coronavirus lockdown in six counties on March 16th after the identification of only the 7th known case of Covid-19 in the United States. The Bay Area Newsgroup reports that on January 31st, Cody’s cellphone rang at 6:49 a.m. “You’ve got your first positive,”…

The Most Popular YouTube Videos About The Coronavirus Are Being Made In India — And They’re Full Of Hoaxes

India is in the middle of a YouTube-powered coronavirus frenzy that could kill people. From a report: The most popular YouTube video in the world about the coronavirus was created by a channel called Wonderful Secrets of the World, which typically publishes Hindi-language videos about sports and cars, as well as roundups like “Top 5 Secret Places Hidden in Famous Locations”…

Den Automation Raised Millions To ‘Reinvent’ the Light Switch. Now It’s Lights Out For Startup

Den Automation, the once-promising UK smart home startup that raised nearly $5.8 million via equity crowdfunding and boasted former Amstrad chief Bob Watkins as CEO, has agreed to go into liquidation, The Register reported Tuesday. From the report: Documents seen by this publication show Wilkin Chapman Business Solutions Limited has been appointed as liquidators, with Ian Michael Rose and Karen Tracey…