Robert Cringley Predicted ‘The Death of IT’ in 2020. Was He Right?

Yesterday long-time tech pundit Robert Cringley reviewed the predictions he’d made at the beginning of last year. “Having done this for over 20 years, historically I’m correct abut 70 percent of the time, but this year could be a disappointment given that I’m pretty sure I didn’t predict 370,000 deaths and an economy in free-fall. “We’ll just have to see whether…

A Stranger Crowdsourced $1,700 For a Mistreated Fast-Food Worker

Slashdot reader DevNull127 writes: At a McDonald’s restaurant in Georgia, an angry customer in the drive-through lane threw his drink at the pregnant fast-food worker who had served him. “She was crying and covered in ice and soda and syrup…” remembers another driver in the next car parked in the line. “[C]overed in syrup all over her shoes, pants, and shirt.”…

Amazon Wants To Scan Your Body To Make Perfectly Fitting Shirts

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Fast Company: For just $25, Amazon wants to make you a custom T-shirt. And a virtual body double. This week, the company unveiled a brand called “Made for You” that creates made-to-measure clothes. The initial product, a T-shirt, can be personalized to your taste and measurements, and more products are coming. This is Amazon’s…

Streaming TV Advertisers Want Better Targeting — Minus the Privacy Backlash

Advertisers entering the burgeoning medium of streaming TV say they want better measurement and targeting capabilities than they are finding there. But a shadow looms over any efforts to give them what they want: the privacy backlash that has recently put other digital media on the defensive. From a report: That means obtaining viewers’ consent to use information on what they…