Tag: nightmare

AMC Offers Private Theater Rentals Starting at $99, As Cinemas Continue To Struggle

Mega-chain AMC has begun to offer the option through its site, with prices for renting out a theater starting at a surprisingly reasonable $99 (though not in New York, Alaska and Hawaii). Split among ten friends, and you’re already paying less than a normal movie ticket. From a report: Attendees can invite as many as 20 people to a screening, which…

Google Faces $3 Billion UK Suit Over Use of Children’s Data

Alphabet’s Google faces a multibillion-dollar lawsuit in the U.K. over claims that YouTube routinely breaks privacy laws by tracking children online. Bloomberg reports: The suit, filed on behalf of more than 5 million British children under 13 and their parents, is being brought by privacy campaigner Duncan McCann and being supported by Foxglove, a tech justice group. The claimants estimate that…

The Pringles Tube Is Being Redesigned Because It’s a ‘Recycling Nightmare’

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: The distinctive Pringles tube is being re-designed after criticism that it’s almost impossible to recycle. The current container for the potato-based snack was condemned as a recycler’s nightmare. It’s a complex construction with a metal base, plastic cap, metal tear-off lid, and foil-lined cardboard sleeve. The Recycling Association dubbed it the number…

The Pandemic Brings a New Surge in Popularity For Electric Bikes

Battery-powered bikes “have become a compelling alternative for commuters who are being discouraged from taking public transportation and Ubers,” according to the New York Times’ lead consumer tech writer. In March, sales of e-bikes jumped 85% from a year earlier, according to the NPD Group, a research firm. Amazon, Walmart and Specialized are sold out of most models. Even smaller brands…

ACLU Accuses Clearview AI of Privacy ‘Nightmare Scenario’

The American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday sued the facial recognition start-up Clearview AI (alternative source), which claims to have helped hundreds of law enforcement agencies use online photos to solve crimes, accusing the company of “unlawful, privacy-destroying surveillance activities.” The New York Times reports: In a suit filed in Illinois, the A.C.L.U. said that Clearview violated a state law that…

False Claims Spreading Across YouTube and Embraced By Chinese Communist Party Media Accuse US Army Reservist of Starting the Coronavirus

Donie O’Sullivan, reporting for CNN Business: Maatje Benassi, a US Army reservist and mother of two, has become the target of conspiracy theorists who falsely place her at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, saying she brought the disease to China. The false claims are spreading across YouTube every day, so far racking up hundreds of thousands of apparent views, and…

It’s a ‘Cold War Every Day’ Inside Apple’s IS&T Group

An anonymous reader shares an excerpt from a report via BuzzFeed News: A group inside Apple called Information Systems & Technology, or IS&T, builds much of the company’s internal technology tools — from servers and data infrastructure to retail and corporate sales software — and operates in a state of tumult. IS&T is made up largely of contractors hired by rival…

Google Tracked His Bike Ride Past a Burglary, and That Made Him a Suspect

JustAnotherOldGuy shares a tale for our time: “I was using an app to see how many miles I rode my bike and now it was putting me at the scene of the crime,” said Zachary McCoy. Yep, that’s all it took. Google’s legal investigations support team emailed him to let him know that local police had demanded information related to his…

E-scooters are a disaster for cities – but we must embrace them

Electric scooters are a nightmare. Rented by the minute, they clog up pavements and are an ungainly eyesore, but we still need them, says Donna Lu Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24532712-800-e-scooters-are-a-disaster-for-cities-but-we-must-embrace-them/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…