Friday, March 24, 2023

WhatsApp gets its own WhatsApp account: Here's what it means for you

WhatsApp has rolled out some new features recently, which improved the user experience. Now WhatsApp has introduced a new feature which will further enhance the user experience on the app. The Meta-owned platform has launched an official chat where users can receive the latest information about the app, including updates and tips on how to use it. https://ift.tt/7LcuEJD

Current and former Twitch staff describe how the service lost its way: out-of-touch leaders, losing big creators, cost cutting, many irrelevant ads, and more (Nathan Grayson/Washington Post)

Nathan Grayson / Washington Post:
Current and former Twitch staff describe how the service lost its way: out-of-touch leaders, losing big creators, cost cutting, many irrelevant ads, and more  —  The platform's recent moves have confused and upset creators, fans and staff alike  —  For Twitch, the live-streaming platform watched …



Utah social media law means kids need approval from parents

Children and teens in Utah would lose access to social media apps such as TikTok if they don't have parental consent and face other restrictions under a first-in-the-nation law designed to shield young people from the addictive platforms. https://ift.tt/coPsuxZ

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Potential TikTok ban sends advertisers scrambling

When TikTok's Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew testifies before Congress for the first time on Thursday, advertisers will be closely watching his appearance for news as well as the reaction of lawmakers, several ad agencies told Reuters. https://ift.tt/GtZSiV3

Accenture plans to lay off 19,000 employees, or 2.5% of its workforce, and lowers its annual forecasts, as the global economic slowdown weighs on IT services (Chavi Mehta/Reuters)

Chavi Mehta / Reuters:
Accenture plans to lay off 19,000 employees, or 2.5% of its workforce, and lowers its annual forecasts, as the global economic slowdown weighs on IT services  —  Accenture Plc said on Thursday it would cut about 19,000 jobs and lowered its annual revenue and profit projections …



South Korea-based luxury goods resale platform Kream raised a ~$168M Series C led by Altos Ventures at a ~$742M valuation, up from ~$306M in October 2021 (Kate Park/TechCrunch)

Kate Park / TechCrunch:
South Korea-based luxury goods resale platform Kream raised a ~$168M Series C led by Altos Ventures at a ~$742M valuation, up from ~$306M in October 2021  —  The startup funding environment is more challenging right now, but some companies and industries still draw investors' attention and money.



Intel, IBM, Nvidia, and other chip companies have joined industrial materials businesses to fight proposed clampdowns on "forever chemicals" across the US (Patrick Temple-West/Financial Times)

Patrick Temple-West / Financial Times:
Intel, IBM, Nvidia, and other chip companies have joined industrial materials businesses to fight proposed clampdowns on “forever chemicals” across the US  —  Intel helped form lobbying group that has opposed state legislation on PFAS  —  Intel and other semiconductor companies …



Logitech lays off 300 employees as computer accessories sales drop

Swiss technology firm Logitech has laid off 300 employees amid the challenging global macro-economic environment, the media reported on Thursday. In a major global reorganisation, the maker of computer accessories has decided to cut about 300 jobs, reports People Matters. According to Logitech President and CEO Bracken Darrell, the slump in the business was due to challenging global broader macroeconomic environment and "lower enterprise and consumer spending". https://ift.tt/6xMg92h

VinFast rolls out long-awaited electric SUVs, eyes overseas deliveries

Vietnamese carmaker VinFast said on Thursday it will begin delivering its new electric sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to local customers this week and targets overseas deliveries in the coming months. VinFast, which began operations in 2019, is gearing up to expand in the United States, where it hopes to compete with legacy automakers with its two electric SUV models. https://ift.tt/RjT43wU

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

A look at San Francisco's Misalignment Museum, which displays art about AGI, including an apology to humans after a "misaligned" future AI wiped out humanity (Kif Leswing/CNBC)

Kif Leswing / CNBC:
A look at San Francisco's Misalignment Museum, which displays art about AGI, including an apology to humans after a “misaligned” future AI wiped out humanity  —  - Underlying all the recent hype about AI, industry participants engage in furious debates about how to prepare …



How to enable Enhanced Safe browsing for Google Account

Google's Enhanced Safe Browsing is a security feature that protects users against malware and phishing attacks. It cross-checks every visited website against a list of known dangerous sites and alerts if anything suspicious is detected. To enable Enhanced Safe Browsing, users need to have a Google account, sign in, access the Security option, and select Manage Enhanced Safe Browsing. Once enabled, it automatically upgrades Chrome linked to the same Google account. However, users must be prepared to share some browsing data with Google for the feature to work correctly. https://ift.tt/RDrgB13

German group sues Facebook owner Meta over death threats

A prominent German environmental group said that it's suing Facebook's parent company Meta over persistent death threats posted on the social network against its staff. https://ift.tt/DqSoUCz

A look at Balaji Srinivasan's proposed $1M bitcoin bet, predicting one BTC will be worth $1M+ in 90 days, which makes little sense besides attracting attention (Matt Levine/Bloomberg)

Matt Levine / Bloomberg:
A look at Balaji Srinivasan's proposed $1M bitcoin bet, predicting one BTC will be worth $1M+ in 90 days, which makes little sense besides attracting attention  —  Credit Suisse  —  It is sometimes useful to think that the shareholders of a bank are not its owners; they are just renting it from its creditors.



Inside TSMC's facilities in Taiwan, where Fab 18 makes a quintillion transistors for Apple every six months, and an interview with Chairman Mark Liu (Virginia Heffernan/Wired)

Virginia Heffernan / Wired:
Inside TSMC's facilities in Taiwan, where Fab 18 makes a quintillion transistors for Apple every six months, and an interview with Chairman Mark Liu  —  As the US boosts production of silicon chips, an American journalist goes inside TSMC, the mysterious Taiwanese company at the center of the global industry.



Okcoin suspended trading of NYCCoin and MiamiCoin, developed by CityCoins on the Stacks protocol, citing low liquidity; both coins received mayoral endorsements (Carly Wanna/Bloomberg)

Carly Wanna / Bloomberg:
Okcoin suspended trading of NYCCoin and MiamiCoin, developed by CityCoins on the Stacks protocol, citing low liquidity; both coins received mayoral endorsements  —  A crypto exchange has suspended trading of cryptocurrencies dedicated to New York City and Miami, citing limited liquidity for the tokens.



Arizona's Maricopa County is set to have the second largest concentration of US data centers by 2028, as the state races to increase electricity production (Pranshu Verma/Washington Post)

Pranshu Verma / Washington Post : Arizona's Maricopa County is set to have the second largest concentration of US data centers by 202...