Interest rates have been negative in Europe for years. But it took the flood of savings unleashed in the pandemic for banks finally to charge depositors in earnest. From a report: Germany’s biggest lenders, Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, have told new customers since last year to pay a 0.5% annual rate to keep large sums of money with them. The banks…
Tag: negative
Full Snow Moon on February 26-27, 2021
These next few nights – February 26 and 27, 2021 – watch for the full Snow Moon to light up the nighttime form dusk till dawn. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/full-snow-moon-on-feb-26-27-2021…
Google Pledges Changes To Research Oversight After Internal Revolt
Alphabet’s Google will change procedures before July for reviewing its scientists’ work, according to a town hall recording heard by Reuters, part of an effort to quell internal tumult over the integrity of its artificial intelligence (AI) research. From a report: In remarks at a staff meeting last Friday, Google Research executives said they were working to regain trust after the…
Disney+ Added Content Disclaimers to 18 Episodes of ‘The Muppet Show’
118 episodes of Jim Henson’s classic TV series The Muppet Show are now streaming on Disney+, writes the AV Club — but 18 episodes now begin with a content disclaimer… The text of the disclaimers, which cannot be skipped past and include little 12-second timers so you know that you have to sit through them, explain that the episodes feature “negative…
Man To Pay $34,000 Damages Over Negative TrustPilot Review
A man who left a negative review of a legal firm on the TrustPilot website has been ordered to pay $34,000 in libel damages. The BBC reports: Philip James Waymouth engaged London law firm Summerfield Browne online to provide advice but was unsatisfied with the service he received. He then left a review accusing the firm of being “another scam solicitor,”…
Robinhood Sued By Family of 20-Year-Old Trader Who Committed Suicide
Robinhood was sued Monday for wrongful death by the family of Alex Kearns, a 20-year-old customer who took his life last summer after believing he had racked up big losses on the millennial-favored stock trading app. CNBC reports: “This case centers on Robinhood’s aggressive tactics and strategy to lure inexperienced and unsophisticated investors, including Alex, to take big risks with the…
Tomorrow is New Year’s Day on Mars
Mars Year 36 begins on February 7, 2021. If you’re looking for a reason to celebrate, here’s to a Happy New Year … on Mars. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/mars-calendar-years-began-in-earth-year-1955…
Russian Campaign Promotes Homegrown Vaccine and Undercuts Rivals
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: Russian news outlets connected to election disinformation campaigns in the United States have set their sights on a new target: convincing Spanish-speaking countries that the Russian coronavirus vaccine works better than its American competitors, according to researchers and State Department officials. The Russian campaign has focused on Latin American nations,…
New Study: A Zero-Emissions America is Now Pretty Cheap
“Until recently, it was unclear whether variable renewable energy, nuclear, or fossil fuel with carbon capture and storage would become the main form of generation in a decarbonized electricity system,” argues a recently-published analysis titled Carbon-Neutral Pathways for the United States. “The cost decline of variable renewable energy over the last few years, however, has definitively changed the situation.” Ars Technica…
Amazon Can Make Just About Anything — Except a Good Video Game
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg, which is “based on interviews with more than 30 current and former Amazon employees, most of whom spoke under the condition of anonymity citing fears of litigation or career repercussions.” From the report: Mike Frazzini had never made a video game when he helped start Amazon Game Studios. Eight years later, he has…