theverge--2020-08-19--Houses are influencers now, and this one burned to the ground

Share All sharing options for : Houses are influencers now , and this one burned to the ground Use your imagination when you look at Louise .
Yes , the 170-year-old Georgia home has peeled paint , shattered windows , missing shingles , and termites in its walls .
But if you can picture it , Louise could be glorious .
Laine and Kevin Berry knew Louise ’ s grand potential when they bought the house in March for $ 15,000 after years of eyeing the property .
This isn ’ t a dilapidated home destined to be torn down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ historical anomaly .
A preserved Gothic Victorian house that shines precisely because it hasn ’ t been remodeled .
“ Everything was there , ” Laine tells me .
“ It was all there .
It just needed to be saved , and so that made it really , really special.
” The Berrys have seen this potential before .
Louise is their sixth “ baby , ” as Laine calls the homes , and their most recent restoration project .
In only four months , they solidified the house ’ s foundation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the roof , all in an effort to restore Louise to its original state .
They were just about to start working on wiring in the home , in fact , when disaster struck : a lightning bolt hit an oak tree behind Louise and set fire to both the tree and the house .
The result looked like something out of a horror movie , a raging inferno that consumed the entire home .
Louise is now a husk of its former self .
“ It ’ s unimaginable that that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I think it ’ s everybody ’ s nightmare to lose their house to a fire .
But I don ’ t think anybody , even if we think about losing our houses to fire , we don ’ t even consider lightning as a possibility.
” Even more unbelievable , she adds , is that the last owner of the home , who refused to sell for years , died only a week before the fire .
“ It almost felt like , cosmically , she was not going to let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ save Louise now , although a community of old home appreciators who ’ ve been following the house ’ s restoration on Instagram wishes it could .
They ’ ve rallied around Louise , sharing the house ’ s story across social media , supporting the Berrys ’ GoFundMe , and leaving encouraging comments about how much they enjoyed watching the house ’ s journey .
Some of the more than 66,000 followers have asked how much it ’ d cost to rebuild Louise ( $ 1.3 million ) and wondered if they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If all of your followers donated 25 dollars we could raise 1.6 million , ” one commenter noted .
But Laine and her husband don ’ t specialize in new builds .
Their interest is in saving existing but neglected properties from ruin .
The Berrys had already spent over $ 100K on Louise The online restoration community has been growing for years , fueled by accounts that share homes in need of saving .
( “ Saving ” a home is the community ’ s preferred term for buying and fixing an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never tear down a worthy place and , really , not to flip them , either . )
Among the most popular are @ savingoldhouses , which has 90,000 followers , and @ cheapoldhouses , an account with more than a million followers .
Elizabeth Finkelstein started Cheap Old Houses in 2016 after launching a popular column on her website , Circa , that listed 10 homes under $ 50,000 .
She eventually needed a place to put all of the extra listings , so came the Instagram account .
The posts are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through restoration tips or processes but instead focus more on real estate listings .
Each post depicts a home with its location and price written on the first slide .
Finkelstein doesn ’ t profit off the home ’ s listings , but she does offer specialized newsletter subscriptions , sells space on Circa to list homes , and operates a merch store to make money .
Most listings cost less than $ 100,000 on Cheap Old Houses , and for Finkelstein , the more preserved it is , the better .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more alluring if they ’ re not in great condition but they ’ re original , ” she says .
“ People love time warp , time capsule , houses that you open up and it looks like it hasn ’ t been touched.
” During the pandemic , she says the account has , at times , grown by 25,000 people a week , demonstrating everyone ’ s collective desire to get outside their homes , find a project , or at least imagine themselves somewhere other than wherever they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Finkelstein posts another image , but this time with the words “ I ’ VE BEEN SAVED ” across it .
The home ’ s buyer will often launch their own Instagram account so that fans can follow along with the renovations .
Louise was one of those homes , and Finkelstein says after she posted about the “ fairytale ” house , the Berrys gained around 30,000 Instagram followers .
“ They ’ re Insta stars because I think people love to kind of follow along , ” she says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ made up mostly of dreamers and people who are like , ‘ Wow , I would love to do that.
’ And to see someone actually take it on and do it , it ’ s so fun just to feel like you know the whole story.
” The end goal for many property owners is to either live in their home or turn it into a bed and breakfast or rental .
The Berrys , for instance , live in one of their homes and operate the others as Airbnbs .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far away to manage .
Louise was supposed to become a bed and breakfast .
Whatever they turn into , the goal is to maintain these homes and keep them as historically accurate as possible .
“ We ’ re losing these properties at incredible rates , so our objective has been to come into areas and restore properties that , for whatever purpose , have been neglected for several years , ” says Laine , who ’ s working on getting a certification in historic preservation from the Boston College of Architecture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whathavewedunoon from Cal Hunter and Claire Segeren , is supposed to end up as both a permanent home and an Airbnb .
Hunter went to an auction in 2018 to buy an apartment in Glasgow , Scotland , and accidentally bid on the wrong unit .
Instead of a place in a major city that needed manageable work , they ended up with an apartment in a town called Dunoon , an hour and a half away from Glasgow .
The building was in extreme disrepair — when it rained , it rained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like a colander with holes along the ceiling , and , critically , it needed serious structural work .
A structural engineer told the couple to give up and start fresh .
The building had been abandoned for 30 years already .
“ Cal was excited from the very start , and he just kept saying , ‘ Oh , it ’ s just sticks and stones ; we can deal with any of the problems that the building has for us , ’ ” Segeren says .
Hunter , who ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the project at first .
“ The first couple months were overwhelming for me , ” she says .
“ It was like a roller coaster back then .
There ’ d be one minute where you ’ d be excited and thought , ‘ You know , this is a great thing for us to be doing , ’ and then the next minute I ’ d be crying and asking myself what the hell we had gotten ourselves into.
” The couple ended up buying four other apartments within the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ultimately costing them a total of £40,000 .
They only have £60,000 for the rest of the project , £20,000 of which already went toward reconstructing the roof .
With funds limited , their in-person and virtual community stepped in to help .
People in the area donated extra material , Segeren says , and their Instagram fans , of which they have more than 150,000 , donated more than £8,000 through GoFundMe .
“ It ’ s such a great little niche in the Instagram world and in the online world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t have to pose and make things up to please [ the restoration ] Instagram followers .
People are just happy to see you as you , and your house as it is , and see the hard work that you ’ re putting into it.
” The homes ’ stories and gritty details are part of the appeal , as opposed to other parts of Instagram that are highly curated and finished .
This isn ’ t about interior design but rather the journey and rough edges .
One photo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raincoat and rain boots up to his knees in mud .
Others detail water damage and steps to restore the home ’ s stone walls .
Their followers , like many other restoration fans , have consistently ponied up for causes and homes they support .
Finkelstein sold pins , for example , to raise money for Nina Simone ’ s childhood home , through a campaign on the National Trust for Historic Preservation ’ s website .
She raised $ 5,000 in donations within only a couple of days .
The Berrys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , most of which came after the house burned down , which they ’ ll use to raze the property .
Eventually , they hope to move another historic property , which would otherwise be destroyed , onto the lot .
Their window restorer , Andrew Wing , lost his tools in the fire and raised nearly $ 7,000 to replace them .
“ I have enjoyed following you since the very beginning , ” one donator wrote on the Berrys ’ fundraiser .
“ I can ’ t believe how sad I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve never been to and people I have never met .
I think you two are amazing and you should be very proud of the community you have created in this virtual world.
” Louise ’ s demise shook the community .
“ It literally felt like a person had died , ” Finkelstein says .
“ It was a moment where time just seemed to stop , ” Scott Reed , of @ savingoldhouses , says about when he heard Louise was burning .
Louise stood for 170 years and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Instagram .
Although a freak event took it down , the home ’ s fans invigorate the Berrys to keep restoring .
“ I could very easily get to a point where I ’ m like , ‘ I just can ’ t do this again .
It ’ s too painful to lose , so why even try it again , ’ ” Laine says .
“ But because of these people , because of this amazing community , I feel a responsibility to continue the work that they have become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to imagine Louise ’ s future ; they know what it is .
Instead , they can picture a future for the lot in Louisville , Georgia , where Louise once stood and a new , old home will be soon .
The community , as always , is imagining that , too .

Use your imagination when you look at Louise. Yes, the 170-year-old Georgia home has peeled paint, shattered windows, missing shingles, and termites in its walls. But if you can picture it, Louise could be glorious. Laine and Kevin Berry knew Louise’s grand potential when they bought the house in March for $15,000 after years of eyeing the property. This isn’t a dilapidated home destined to be torn down, they say, but rather a historical anomaly. A preserved Gothic Victorian house that shines precisely because it hasn’t been remodeled.
“Everything was there,” Laine tells me. “It was all there. It just needed to be saved, and so that made it really, really special.”
The Berrys have seen this potential before. Louise is their sixth “baby,” as Laine calls the homes, and their most recent restoration project. In only four months, they solidified the house’s foundation, refilled the brickwork, and replaced the roof, all in an effort to restore Louise to its original state. They were just about to start working on wiring in the home, in fact, when disaster struck: a lightning bolt hit an oak tree behind Louise and set fire to both the tree and the house. The result looked like something out of a horror movie, a raging inferno that consumed the entire home. Louise is now a husk of its former self.
“It’s unimaginable that that is what happened,” Laine says. “I think it’s everybody’s nightmare to lose their house to a fire. But I don’t think anybody, even if we think about losing our houses to fire, we don’t even consider lightning as a possibility.” Even more unbelievable, she adds, is that the last owner of the home, who refused to sell for years, died only a week before the fire.
“It almost felt like, cosmically, she was not going to let it go.”
Imagination can’t save Louise now, although a community of old home appreciators who’ve been following the house’s restoration on Instagram wishes it could. They’ve rallied around Louise, sharing the house’s story across social media, supporting the Berrys’ GoFundMe, and leaving encouraging comments about how much they enjoyed watching the house’s journey. Some of the more than 66,000 followers have asked how much it’d cost to rebuild Louise ($1.3 million) and wondered if they could raise that much cash.
“If all of your followers donated 25 dollars we could raise 1.6 million,” one commenter noted. But Laine and her husband don’t specialize in new builds. Their interest is in saving existing but neglected properties from ruin.
The Berrys had already spent over $100K on Louise
The online restoration community has been growing for years, fueled by accounts that share homes in need of saving. (“Saving” a home is the community’s preferred term for buying and fixing an old building. The idea is to never tear down a worthy place and, really, not to flip them, either.) Among the most popular are @savingoldhouses, which has 90,000 followers, and @cheapoldhouses, an account with more than a million followers. Elizabeth Finkelstein started Cheap Old Houses in 2016 after launching a popular column on her website, Circa, that listed 10 homes under $50,000. She eventually needed a place to put all of the extra listings, so came the Instagram account.
The posts are simple. They don’t go through restoration tips or processes but instead focus more on real estate listings. Each post depicts a home with its location and price written on the first slide. Finkelstein doesn’t profit off the home’s listings, but she does offer specialized newsletter subscriptions, sells space on Circa to list homes, and operates a merch store to make money. Most listings cost less than $100,000 on Cheap Old Houses, and for Finkelstein, the more preserved it is, the better.
“I almost find [the homes] more alluring if they’re not in great condition but they’re original,” she says. “People love time warp, time capsule, houses that you open up and it looks like it hasn’t been touched.”
During the pandemic, she says the account has, at times, grown by 25,000 people a week, demonstrating everyone’s collective desire to get outside their homes, find a project, or at least imagine themselves somewhere other than wherever they’re hunkered down.
Once a home sells, Finkelstein posts another image, but this time with the words “I’VE BEEN SAVED” across it. The home’s buyer will often launch their own Instagram account so that fans can follow along with the renovations. Louise was one of those homes, and Finkelstein says after she posted about the “fairytale” house, the Berrys gained around 30,000 Instagram followers.
“They’re Insta stars because I think people love to kind of follow along,” she says. “I do think my feed is made up mostly of dreamers and people who are like, ‘Wow, I would love to do that.’ And to see someone actually take it on and do it, it’s so fun just to feel like you know the whole story.”
The end goal for many property owners is to either live in their home or turn it into a bed and breakfast or rental. The Berrys, for instance, live in one of their homes and operate the others as Airbnbs. They only sold one property that was too far away to manage. Louise was supposed to become a bed and breakfast.
Whatever they turn into, the goal is to maintain these homes and keep them as historically accurate as possible.
“We’re losing these properties at incredible rates, so our objective has been to come into areas and restore properties that, for whatever purpose, have been neglected for several years,” says Laine, who’s working on getting a certification in historic preservation from the Boston College of Architecture.
Another popular restoration journey, @whathavewedunoon from Cal Hunter and Claire Segeren, is supposed to end up as both a permanent home and an Airbnb. Hunter went to an auction in 2018 to buy an apartment in Glasgow, Scotland, and accidentally bid on the wrong unit. Instead of a place in a major city that needed manageable work, they ended up with an apartment in a town called Dunoon, an hour and a half away from Glasgow. The building was in extreme disrepair — when it rained, it rained inside the house. The roof looked like a colander with holes along the ceiling, and, critically, it needed serious structural work. A structural engineer told the couple to give up and start fresh. The building had been abandoned for 30 years already.
“Cal was excited from the very start, and he just kept saying, ‘Oh, it’s just sticks and stones; we can deal with any of the problems that the building has for us,’” Segeren says. Hunter, who’s a carpenter, felt more optimistic about the project at first.
“The first couple months were overwhelming for me,” she says. “It was like a roller coaster back then. There’d be one minute where you’d be excited and thought, ‘You know, this is a great thing for us to be doing,’ and then the next minute I’d be crying and asking myself what the hell we had gotten ourselves into.”
The couple ended up buying four other apartments within the same building so they could take complete ownership, ultimately costing them a total of £40,000. They only have £60,000 for the rest of the project, £20,000 of which already went toward reconstructing the roof. With funds limited, their in-person and virtual community stepped in to help. People in the area donated extra material, Segeren says, and their Instagram fans, of which they have more than 150,000, donated more than £8,000 through GoFundMe.
“It’s such a great little niche in the Instagram world and in the online world,” she says. “You don’t have to pose and make things up to please [the restoration] Instagram followers. People are just happy to see you as you, and your house as it is, and see the hard work that you’re putting into it.”
The homes’ stories and gritty details are part of the appeal, as opposed to other parts of Instagram that are highly curated and finished. This isn’t about interior design but rather the journey and rough edges. One photo on their account shows Hunter in a raincoat and rain boots up to his knees in mud. Others detail water damage and steps to restore the home’s stone walls.
Their followers, like many other restoration fans, have consistently ponied up for causes and homes they support.
Finkelstein sold pins, for example, to raise money for Nina Simone’s childhood home, through a campaign on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s website. She raised $5,000 in donations within only a couple of days. The Berrys’ GoFundMe sits at over $33,000, most of which came after the house burned down, which they’ll use to raze the property. Eventually, they hope to move another historic property, which would otherwise be destroyed, onto the lot. Their window restorer, Andrew Wing, lost his tools in the fire and raised nearly $7,000 to replace them.
“I have enjoyed following you since the very beginning,” one donator wrote on the Berrys’ fundraiser. “I can’t believe how sad I was and still am over a house I’ve never been to and people I have never met. I think you two are amazing and you should be very proud of the community you have created in this virtual world.”
Louise’s demise shook the community. “It literally felt like a person had died,” Finkelstein says. “It was a moment where time just seemed to stop,” Scott Reed, of @savingoldhouses, says about when he heard Louise was burning.
Louise stood for 170 years and lived a second life as an influencer on Instagram. Although a freak event took it down, the home’s fans invigorate the Berrys to keep restoring.
“I could very easily get to a point where I’m like, ‘I just can’t do this again. It’s too painful to lose, so why even try it again,’” Laine says. “But because of these people, because of this amazing community, I feel a responsibility to continue the work that they have become so invested in.”


theverge--2020-08-19--How Fortnite’s epic battle with Apple could reshape the antitrust fight

When Tim Cook finished up his appearance in front of the House Judiciary panel in July , the conventional wisdom was that the Apple CEO had gotten off easy .
He was joined by Sundar Pichai , Mark Zuckerberg , and Jeff Bezos , and each one seemed to have more to worry about .
In the face of Google ’ s looming indictment and Facebook ’ s terrifying history of election interference , who could really care about App Store policies ?
But after Epic ’ s dramatic attack on those same App Store policies , the questions directed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — with one exchange , in particular , standing out .
About an hour into the hearing , Rep. Hank Johnson ( D-GA ) started questioning Cook about App Store policies , specifically the decision in April to let Amazon Prime video rentals skirt the commission .
“ Is that reduced commission , such as the one Amazon Prime gets , available to other app developers ?
” Johnson asked .
“ It ’ s available to anyone meeting the conditions , yes , ” Cook replied , an elegant dodge .
Johnson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focusing specifically on the company ’ s payment processing requirements — a point that was raised in Epic Games ’ antitrust lawsuit .
Johnson finished with a question that now seems almost prophetic : “ Has Apple ever retaliated against or disadvantaged a developer who went public with their frustrations with the App Store ?
” “ Sir , we do not retaliate or bully people , ” Cook said flatly .
“ It ’ s strongly against our company culture.
” The last week has put that culture to the test .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Thursday , Apple has threatened to cut off Epic ’ s ability to distribute developer tools , according to a recent court motion .
The fight has escalated far beyond the question of in-app purchase fees , and it ’ s hard to see it as anything other than retaliation for the lawsuit .
It ’ s a sign of how heated the App Store fight has become in just a few short days and how fiercely Apple is willing to defend its commission system .
That 30 percent commission is baked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business .
Epic ’ s project of unwinding it is a major antitrust undertaking , one that Cook will fight at every step .
But Epic won ’ t be fighting alone .
The tech antitrust hearing covered many of the same points as Epic ’ s lawsuit — some in the same exact language .
That ’ s not proof of collusion , exactly .
( These ideas have been circulating for years in tech critic circles . )
But it ’ s a sign of how much support those ideas have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that regulators will intervene on Epic ’ s side .
It ’ s a major test of the ideas we heard in the tech antitrust hearing — and there are plenty of other challenges waiting if Epic finds success .
Yelp has been trying to stage a similar moment with Google for a solid decade , and there are plenty of companies that would like to take on Amazon in a similar way .
Apple was the first target , and the easiest , but it won ’ t be the last .

When Tim Cook finished up his appearance in front of the House Judiciary panel in July, the conventional wisdom was that the Apple CEO had gotten off easy. He was joined by Sundar Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos, and each one seemed to have more to worry about. In the face of Google’s looming indictment and Facebook’s terrifying history of election interference, who could really care about App Store policies?
But after Epic’s dramatic attack on those same App Store policies, the questions directed at Cook feel a little more pointed — with one exchange, in particular, standing out. About an hour into the hearing, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) started questioning Cook about App Store policies, specifically the decision in April to let Amazon Prime video rentals skirt the commission.
“Is that reduced commission, such as the one Amazon Prime gets, available to other app developers?” Johnson asked.
“It’s available to anyone meeting the conditions, yes,” Cook replied, an elegant dodge.
Johnson went back and forth with Cook, focusing specifically on the company’s payment processing requirements — a point that was raised in Epic Games’ antitrust lawsuit.
Johnson finished with a question that now seems almost prophetic: “Has Apple ever retaliated against or disadvantaged a developer who went public with their frustrations with the App Store?”
“Sir, we do not retaliate or bully people,” Cook said flatly. “It’s strongly against our company culture.”
The last week has put that culture to the test. Since Epic’s lawsuit was filed on Thursday, Apple has threatened to cut off Epic’s ability to distribute developer tools, according to a recent court motion. The fight has escalated far beyond the question of in-app purchase fees, and it’s hard to see it as anything other than retaliation for the lawsuit.
It’s a sign of how heated the App Store fight has become in just a few short days and how fiercely Apple is willing to defend its commission system. That 30 percent commission is baked into the core of Apple’s business. Epic’s project of unwinding it is a major antitrust undertaking, one that Cook will fight at every step.
(Update: After publication of this video, Apple contacted The Verge to point out the full extent of the work the company does to support App Store developers, including significant marketing work after an app has published. It also emphasized again that free apps pay no percentage to Apple.)
But Epic won’t be fighting alone. The tech antitrust hearing covered many of the same points as Epic’s lawsuit — some in the same exact language. That’s not proof of collusion, exactly. (These ideas have been circulating for years in tech critic circles.) But it’s a sign of how much support those ideas have in Washington and how likely it is that regulators will intervene on Epic’s side.
It’s a major test of the ideas we heard in the tech antitrust hearing — and there are plenty of other challenges waiting if Epic finds success. Yelp has been trying to stage a similar moment with Google for a solid decade, and there are plenty of companies that would like to take on Amazon in a similar way. Apple was the first target, and the easiest, but it won’t be the last.
Correction: This video refers to an App Store case headed to the Supreme Court — in fact, the Supreme Court ruled on Apple v. Pepper in 2019, finding narrowly that App Store customers have standing to sue Apple over App Store prices. The case was sent to lower courts, which have not yet ruled on the merits of the underlying antitrust claim. The Verge regrets the error.


theverge--2020-08-19--Going remote makes it harder for colleges to reach first-generation students

Their patient was flatlining , so Elizabeth Padilla Ortiz and her colleagues needed to act fast .
She began chest compressions , but much of what happened afterward was a blur .
“ It was just an adrenaline rush , ” she says .
Face-to-face support systems that can level the playing field The patient was a dummy in a simulation lab at the University of California , San Francisco ( UCSF ) .
Padilla Ortiz and her companions were high schoolers , part of a UCSF program called Health Pathways aimed at getting Oakland students from low-income families into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with hands-on experience .
In Padilla Ortiz ’ s case , it succeeded .
Two years later , Padilla Ortiz is an incoming sophomore studying nursing at the University of California , Los Angeles .
She credits UCSF ’ s program and others like it with motivating her to serve low-income communities as a nurse practitioner , a career she didn ’ t know existed until then .
Programs like this have been a springboard for first-generation college students like Padilla Ortiz .
They offer face-to-face support systems that can level the playing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students , and they have been a big part of the push to diversify college campuses .
Now , these programs , and the students they serve , are struggling to adapt as the pandemic upends life both at school and at home .
They ’ re supposed to be able to step in to help students when their families aren ’ t familiar with the education system .
But with everything topsy-turvy , these programs aren ’ t sure how to navigate the upcoming school year either .
There are more roadblocks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And if these students fall through the cracks , universities and the fields in which those students would have entered , like health care , lose out on the talent and diverse perspectives first-generation students have to offer .
“ With all the technology we have in the world , I don ’ t think it ’ s a replacement for one-on-one engagement in the academic environment .
And I ’ d be worried about how that shapes the sense of belonging for first-gen students in a lot of ways , ” says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center for First-generation Student Success .
“ Fundamentally , we know in higher education that face-to-face matters.
” In the summers , UCSF hosts a federally funded eight-week program called Upward Bound , for high school students from communities where tech industry-fueled gentrification has contributed to disparities in educational attainment .
The program prepares students for college and is typically held on different university campuses in California ’ s Bay Area .
Last year , they even took a trip to New Orleans to visit Historically Black Universities and Colleges ( HBCUs ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focus on health science , the program also brings students to the same learning lab that Padilla Ortiz visited for an immersive , hands-on simulation of patient care .
This summer , the program was held virtually for the first time .
Much of the curriculum is still the same — like how to prepare for the SATs and write strong essays for college applications — but field trips have been replaced with guest speakers who join their meetings remotely to talk about different careers in health care .
The Antioch Unified School @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
There ’ s another core piece missing when programs like this go virtual .
It ’ s not the same ticket out the door for students with difficult situations at home .
Some of the students they serve are homeless .
UCSF is working with social workers and high school counselors to find safe spaces for them to hop online , but it ’ s not the same .
“ Upward Bound sometimes is that safe haven that they get to go to , ” says Don Woodson , director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Outreach at UCSF .
“ They ’ re getting the grades and have worked themselves to the bone educationally because they see that as a way to remove themselves from their home situation , to go to a school or university .
And now , they can ’ t do that.
” The COVID-19 pandemic can make the feeling of “ imposter syndrome ” worse Even once students manage to become the first in their families to go to college , staying there sometimes requires some extra support .
The COVID-19 pandemic can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” worse for first-generation students , Whitley says .
“ It ’ s the notion that you are not a part of a community , that you are an outsider , and it often manifests in the college environment because in a classroom you ’ re able to compare yourself to other people and so you make assumptions that no one else there is like you , ” says Whitley , who was also a first-generation college student .
There ’ s also a digital divide to deal with .
First-generation students might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connections or to all of the devices students will need as academia reinvents itself online .
For nursing students , more of their required clinical hours , which are usually spent with real human beings in the field , are now being held online with simulated patients .
Padilla Ortiz moved back home to Oakland after UCLA shut down its campus earlier this year and started taking classes from her bedroom .
Finding space to work and a good internet connection was a nightmare at times .
Her four siblings in the house @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , also needed to be online for classes .
“ Internet was super slow , there were so many times I got kicked out of my class and I just found it so hard to actually be motivated to even join again because I just kept on getting kicked out , ” she says .
She also sometimes lends her computer to her younger siblings in elementary and middle school since it works faster than the Chromebooks provided by their schools .
At Occidental College in Los Angeles , teachers and staff — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — have banded together over the past couple of months to create what they ’ re calling a “ first-gen coalition.
” “ We ’ re trying to eliminate as many obstacles as possible that our first-gen students might encounter in a virtual world at Occidental , ” says Erik Quezada , one of the founders of the coalition .
He ’ s also the director of a program at the college that normally brings undergrads to high schools in nearby low-income neighborhoods to provide tutoring .
That was put on pause in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waiting for final word from the Los Angeles Unified School District on how it will be able to move forward during the pandemic .
In the meantime , his new coalition is looking into how they can get electronic textbooks to first-generation undergrads free of charge and connect them with the school ’ s IT department to get them more familiar with the school ’ s tech resources .
Students might not come back While undergraduates who just finished high school might be somewhat more comfortable reaching out for help and making connections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a world with smartphones and social media — “ The iPhone and Androids have been in their hands since they were practically born , ” Whitley says — the transition might not come as smoothly for the large number of first-generation students who are 30 or older .
For them , responsibilities like work and child care , could increasingly pull them away from extracurricular programs — and from universities — altogether .
Whitley says she ’ s noticing an uptick in first-generation students deciding to take a year off or attend community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the way , those students might not come back to four-year schools .
Even before the pandemic , 54 percent of first-generation students said they dropped out of college because they could no longer afford it .
For other students , the rate was 45 percent .
“ Everybody has their own unique and invisible experience because you can ’ t look at someone and say they ’ re first generation , ” says Laura Wagner , who founded FirstGenRN , a UCSF program aimed at providing career development for undergraduates studying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how they can be most helpful to first-generation students .
It ’ s been important lately for them to be flexible and extend deadlines , she says , as many of her first-generation students who work have had to pick up extra shifts .
Some need to supplement household earnings when family members lose jobs , while others who work in health care saw a bump in workload because of the pandemic .
One of Wagner ’ s students in FirstGenRN , Meghan Canlas , a senior at California State University , East @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in nursing , missed the first Zoom meeting for FirstGenRN .
The program normally meets in person each month to talk about topics like financial literacy , time management , and self-care .
It shifted to Zoom in the spring semester as the pandemic unfolded .
“ I just wasn ’ t used to everything being done via Zoom .
And so that was kind of hard to adapt , ” Canlas says .
And in addition to staying on top of her schoolwork and extracurricular activities , she has to navigate how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too .
Canlas is 32 , a Marine Corps veteran , and a mom of three balancing her own education with her kids ’ needs .
“ I kind of feel like I have to choose between my child ’ s education or my education , ” she says .
“ There [ aren ’ t ] enough hours in the day.
” She ’ s worried about one of her fall semester classes that will be held over Zoom .
The class , Leadership in Nursing , starts at 8AM .
Two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8 .
It ’ s going to be a learning curve figuring out how to balance it all , she says .
In the long run , though , she sees that her own success as a student sets an example for her kids .
“ The trajectory of my children is different .
The expectations are higher , ” she says .
“ We will lose the progress that we ’ ve made.
” First-generation students — who made up 56 percent of undergrads in the US during the 2015-2016 school year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be female , to be veterans , to be over the age of 30 , to have kids or dependents , and to attend school part-time compared to students with at least one parent who graduated from college , according to Whitley ’ s center .
While white students made up a higher share of first-generation students , Black and Latino students were more likely to be first-generation than to have parents with a bachelor ’ s degree .
“ Certainly my greatest worry about the impact of COVID-19 is that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve made over the last 25 years in diversifying college .
And so far , the numbers don ’ t look great , ” says Ted Mitchell , president of the American Council on Education .
Black and Latino students were more likely than white students to change or cancel their plans this year , according to a recent survey of 10,000 people from March to May .
“ It ’ s going to be a blow to all institutions to suffer those losses , ” Mitchell says .
“ The quality of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But I think the real worry is the aggregate cost to society of a generation of students for whom higher education may not be part of their life journey.
” “ That ’ s not the way it looks.
” Even though UCSF is a graduate school focused on health science , it sees its efforts to get more high school and undergraduate students into health careers as crucial to the future of their field .
To close gaps in health care for communities of color , people with low incomes , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of reach , people need to be able to walk into a doctor ’ s office and see someone they can identify with , says Woodson .
“ Currently in health care , that ’ s not the way it looks , ” he says .
“ I don ’ t want to be a part of an institution that only provides privileges to people of the upper class , ” Padilla Ortiz says .
“ I want to provide equal resources to everyone and I also feel like it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ student to be aware of these things and to actually address them as a future health care professional.
” The pandemic has thrown more hurdles at Padilla Ortiz , but she says it ’ s motivated her more to pursue her career in nursing .
She ’ s still looking for ways to get plugged into programs that can help her grow professionally , but it ’ s been harder lately to find those things on her own .
She scours the internet for internships and wishes she got more emails from her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there .
“ I see [ other people ] joining these internship programs and I ’ m just like , ‘ Where have they heard about these things ?
I haven ’ t seen anything .
’ ”

Part of / The Verge’s Back to School Special
Their patient was flatlining, so Elizabeth Padilla Ortiz and her colleagues needed to act fast. She began chest compressions, but much of what happened afterward was a blur. “It was just an adrenaline rush,” she says.
Face-to-face support systems that can level the playing field
The patient was a dummy in a simulation lab at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Padilla Ortiz and her companions were high schoolers, part of a UCSF program called Health Pathways aimed at getting Oakland students from low-income families into careers in health care by providing them with hands-on experience. In Padilla Ortiz’s case, it succeeded.
Two years later, Padilla Ortiz is an incoming sophomore studying nursing at the University of California, Los Angeles. She credits UCSF’s program and others like it with motivating her to serve low-income communities as a nurse practitioner, a career she didn’t know existed until then. Programs like this have been a springboard for first-generation college students like Padilla Ortiz. They offer face-to-face support systems that can level the playing field for students of color and low-income students, and they have been a big part of the push to diversify college campuses.
Now, these programs, and the students they serve, are struggling to adapt as the pandemic upends life both at school and at home. They’re supposed to be able to step in to help students when their families aren’t familiar with the education system. But with everything topsy-turvy, these programs aren’t sure how to navigate the upcoming school year either. There are more roadblocks than ever for students to overcome. And if these students fall through the cracks, universities and the fields in which those students would have entered, like health care, lose out on the talent and diverse perspectives first-generation students have to offer.
“With all the technology we have in the world, I don’t think it’s a replacement for one-on-one engagement in the academic environment. And I’d be worried about how that shapes the sense of belonging for first-gen students in a lot of ways,” says Sarah Whitley, senior director at the Center for First-generation Student Success. “Fundamentally, we know in higher education that face-to-face matters.”
Elizabeth Padilla Ortiz is an incoming sophomore studying nursing at UCLA. Photo: Elizabeth Padilla Ortiz
In the summers, UCSF hosts a federally funded eight-week program called Upward Bound, for high school students from communities where tech industry-fueled gentrification has contributed to disparities in educational attainment. The program prepares students for college and is typically held on different university campuses in California’s Bay Area. Last year, they even took a trip to New Orleans to visit Historically Black Universities and Colleges (HBCUs). And because of UCSF’s focus on health science, the program also brings students to the same learning lab that Padilla Ortiz visited for an immersive, hands-on simulation of patient care.
A newsletter highlighting the COVID-19 research, developments, and stories that matter. Subscribe here!
This summer, the program was held virtually for the first time. Much of the curriculum is still the same — like how to prepare for the SATs and write strong essays for college applications — but field trips have been replaced with guest speakers who join their meetings remotely to talk about different careers in health care. The Antioch Unified School District provided laptops to students who needed them.
There’s another core piece missing when programs like this go virtual. It’s not the same ticket out the door for students with difficult situations at home. Some of the students they serve are homeless. UCSF is working with social workers and high school counselors to find safe spaces for them to hop online, but it’s not the same.
“Upward Bound sometimes is that safe haven that they get to go to,” says Don Woodson, director of the Center for Science, Education & Outreach at UCSF. “They’re getting the grades and have worked themselves to the bone educationally because they see that as a way to remove themselves from their home situation, to go to a school or university. And now, they can’t do that.”
The COVID-19 pandemic can make the feeling of “imposter syndrome” worse
Even once students manage to become the first in their families to go to college, staying there sometimes requires some extra support. The COVID-19 pandemic can make the feeling of “imposter syndrome” worse for first-generation students, Whitley says. “It’s the notion that you are not a part of a community, that you are an outsider, and it often manifests in the college environment because in a classroom you’re able to compare yourself to other people and so you make assumptions that no one else there is like you,” says Whitley, who was also a first-generation college student.
There’s also a digital divide to deal with. First-generation students might also have less access to fast internet connections or to all of the devices students will need as academia reinvents itself online. For nursing students, more of their required clinical hours, which are usually spent with real human beings in the field, are now being held online with simulated patients.
Padilla Ortiz moved back home to Oakland after UCLA shut down its campus earlier this year and started taking classes from her bedroom. Finding space to work and a good internet connection was a nightmare at times. Her four siblings in the house, including an older brother in college, also needed to be online for classes. “Internet was super slow, there were so many times I got kicked out of my class and I just found it so hard to actually be motivated to even join again because I just kept on getting kicked out,” she says. She also sometimes lends her computer to her younger siblings in elementary and middle school since it works faster than the Chromebooks provided by their schools.
At Occidental College in Los Angeles, teachers and staff — most of whom were also first-generation students — have banded together over the past couple of months to create what they’re calling a “first-gen coalition.”
“We’re trying to eliminate as many obstacles as possible that our first-gen students might encounter in a virtual world at Occidental,” says Erik Quezada, one of the founders of the coalition. He’s also the director of a program at the college that normally brings undergrads to high schools in nearby low-income neighborhoods to provide tutoring. That was put on pause in March, and he’s still waiting for final word from the Los Angeles Unified School District on how it will be able to move forward during the pandemic. In the meantime, his new coalition is looking into how they can get electronic textbooks to first-generation undergrads free of charge and connect them with the school’s IT department to get them more familiar with the school’s tech resources.
Students might not come back
While undergraduates who just finished high school might be somewhat more comfortable reaching out for help and making connections online, thanks to growing up in a world with smartphones and social media — “The iPhone and Androids have been in their hands since they were practically born,” Whitley says — the transition might not come as smoothly for the large number of first-generation students who are 30 or older.
For them, responsibilities like work and child care, could increasingly pull them away from extracurricular programs — and from universities — altogether. Whitley says she’s noticing an uptick in first-generation students deciding to take a year off or attend community colleges instead. If life keeps getting in the way, those students might not come back to four-year schools. Even before the pandemic, 54 percent of first-generation students said they dropped out of college because they could no longer afford it. For other students, the rate was 45 percent.
“Everybody has their own unique and invisible experience because you can’t look at someone and say they’re first generation,” says Laura Wagner, who founded FirstGenRN, a UCSF program aimed at providing career development for undergraduates studying nursing. She also trains faculty on how they can be most helpful to first-generation students. It’s been important lately for them to be flexible and extend deadlines, she says, as many of her first-generation students who work have had to pick up extra shifts. Some need to supplement household earnings when family members lose jobs, while others who work in health care saw a bump in workload because of the pandemic.
Laura Wagner during a meeting of UCSF’s FirstGenRN program, which she founded to support nursing students who will become the first in their families to graduate from college. Photo by Elisabeth Fall
One of Wagner’s students in FirstGenRN, Meghan Canlas, a senior at California State University, East Bay working toward her bachelor’s in nursing, missed the first Zoom meeting for FirstGenRN. The program normally meets in person each month to talk about topics like financial literacy, time management, and self-care. It shifted to Zoom in the spring semester as the pandemic unfolded. “I just wasn’t used to everything being done via Zoom. And so that was kind of hard to adapt,” Canlas says. And in addition to staying on top of her schoolwork and extracurricular activities, she has to navigate how remote learning works for her kids, too.
Canlas is 32, a Marine Corps veteran, and a mom of three balancing her own education with her kids’ needs. “I kind of feel like I have to choose between my child’s education or my education,” she says. “There [aren’t] enough hours in the day.” She’s worried about one of her fall semester classes that will be held over Zoom. The class, Leadership in Nursing, starts at 8AM. Two of her kids also start classes at 8. It’s going to be a learning curve figuring out how to balance it all, she says. In the long run, though, she sees that her own success as a student sets an example for her kids. “The trajectory of my children is different. The expectations are higher,” she says.
“We will lose the progress that we’ve made.”
First-generation students — who made up 56 percent of undergrads in the US during the 2015-2016 school year — are more likely than other students to be female, to be veterans, to be over the age of 30, to have kids or dependents, and to attend school part-time compared to students with at least one parent who graduated from college, according to Whitley’s center. While white students made up a higher share of first-generation students, Black and Latino students were more likely to be first-generation than to have parents with a bachelor’s degree.
“Certainly my greatest worry about the impact of COVID-19 is that we will lose the progress that we’ve made over the last 25 years in diversifying college. And so far, the numbers don’t look great,” says Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education. Black and Latino students were more likely than white students to change or cancel their plans this year, according to a recent survey of 10,000 people from March to May.
“It’s going to be a blow to all institutions to suffer those losses,” Mitchell says. “The quality of the educational experience will be impaired. But I think the real worry is the aggregate cost to society of a generation of students for whom higher education may not be part of their life journey.”
“That’s not the way it looks.”
Even though UCSF is a graduate school focused on health science, it sees its efforts to get more high school and undergraduate students into health careers as crucial to the future of their field. To close gaps in health care for communities of color, people with low incomes, and families for whom higher education has been out of reach, people need to be able to walk into a doctor’s office and see someone they can identify with, says Woodson. “Currently in health care, that’s not the way it looks,” he says.
“I don’t want to be a part of an institution that only provides privileges to people of the upper class,” Padilla Ortiz says. “I want to provide equal resources to everyone and I also feel like it’s my job as a first-generation, low-income student to be aware of these things and to actually address them as a future health care professional.”


theverge--2020-08-19--Spotify is down with songs only playing for a few seconds

Spotify is currently experiencing an outage affecting song playback .
The problems first started around 8AM ET and are currently @ @ @ @ @ Spotify users from playing songs properly .
Songs will play only for a few seconds @ @ @ @ @ Spotify client displays the error “ can ’ t play the current song.
” Spotify @ @ @ @ @ aware of some issues right now and are checking them out.
” If you ’ @ @ @ @ @ Android or iOS device , these offline playlists and albums will still work fine .
@ @ @ @ @ also play back as they could be cached within the Spotify mobile and desktop clients @ @ @ @ @ for Spotify to suffer from outages .
The music streaming service last experienced issues during @ @ @ @ @ problem in July that meant the app crashed upon startup .
We ’ ve reached @ @ @ @ @ further on today ’ s outage , and we ’ ll update you accordingly .
@ @ @ @ @ ET : Updated with comment from Spotify .

Spotify experienced a widespread outage affecting song playback today. The problems first started around 8AM ET and prevented a large number of Spotify users from playing songs properly for more than an hour. Songs only played only for a few seconds before they paused and the Spotify client displayed the error “can’t play the current song.” Spotify said it was “aware of some issues right now and are checking them out.”
Spotify has not explained the outage, but it appears to be related to the company forgetting to renew its TLS certificate. A Cloudflare engineer noticed that an important Spotify certificate expired, and the service returned minutes after this certificate had been renewed again.
It’s unusual for Spotify to suffer from outages. The music streaming service last experienced issues during a broader Facebook iOS SDK problem in July that meant the app crashed upon startup. We’ve reached out to Spotify to comment further on today’s outage, and we’ll update you accordingly.


theverge--2020-08-19--Where to sit on the school bus just got a lot more complicated

Share All sharing options for : Where to sit on the school bus just got a lot more complicated During a normal year , an estimated 15 million students ride the bus to school every weekday in the US — about a third of all K–12 students .
But health and safety precautions as a result of COVID-19 mean far fewer kids will find a seat on the bus as the new school year begins .
Transporting kids to school in a bus is suddenly fraught with peril .
School districts are scrambling to answer a series of vital questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do you socially distance on a bus ?
Where should temperatures be screened ?
If masks are mandatory , what about kids with disabilities ?
But most of all , how do you transport millions of kids to and from school every day in the safest way possible while accepting the least amount of risk ?
The Verge interviewed school bus drivers , union leaders , district transportation directors , and national experts to get a sense of how schools are responding to this enormous challenge .
How kids get to school will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choose As districts scramble to finalize their reopening ( or not-reopening ) plans , how kids get to school will depend entirely on which scheduling model they choose .
States that are keeping schools closed and sticking with distance learning for the fall semester can punt the transportation question until later in the year .
But federal law requires transportation for certain groups of students , namely those with disabilities and homeless children .
And many districts are redirecting transportation staff to essential tasks like meal deliveries in the interim period .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which represents over 18,000 students in some of Denver ’ s suburbs and is starting with a hybrid model of remote learning and in-person classes , the transportation question needs to be answered right now .
Wayne Scott , who runs the local union that represents bus drivers , said that plans remain in flux .
But initially , it will mean fewer kids per bus .
“ We ’ re going to bus one kid per seat , ” Scott told The Verge .
“ Typically , you ’ d have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now we ’ ll have 20.
” Out of the six districts that Scott represents , 27J is the only one opening its doors to students for some in-person classes .
He is still trying to figure out what this means for his drivers and their routes .
Will they need more buses to accommodate social distancing mandates ?
Fewer buses because more parents will be opting for remote-learning only ?
It ’ s very likely that the district ’ s high school students will be left to find their own transportation so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school students exclusively .
But ultimately , Scott doesn ’ t know yet .
And school starts on September 1st .
“ Typically , you ’ d have 65 passengers in a bus .
And now we ’ ll have 20.
” “ Right now , it ’ s difficult to try to quite understand it all , ” Scott said .
Bus drivers are among those workers with the highest risk of getting sick , according to an analysis of labor data by The New York Times .
The Times ’ analysis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease exposure , but it was also published in March when we knew less about how the virus spreads .
Still , school bus drivers are shown to have a higher risk of exposure than other transportation workers like transit workers and ride-hail drivers , according to the Times .
Finding enough bus drivers is a perennial headache for many school districts .
And it could get even harder with COVID-19 .
Most drivers are at an age that puts them at a higher risk of infection .
While the federal government does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drivers or other support staff in schools , data from the AARP suggests that , nationally , about 3 in 4 part-time school bus drivers are over age 55 .
Will they want to return ?
Evalyn Parks , transportation director for Colorado ’ s Salida School District , is already dealing with a shortage of buses and drivers as well as a dearth of available cash for cleaning equipment .
Electrostatic spray guns , which shoot electrostatically charged mist onto surfaces and objects for high-powered cleaning , have soared in price recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upwards of $ 10,000 , Parks said .
( The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not specifically recommend the use of electrostatic sprayers to clean surfaces , but one study suggests it could be an effective decontamination tool .
It has been known to be used in school cleanings , according to School Transportation News . )
The choices she faces are likely to be costly at a time when school budgets across the country are shrinking .
She isn ’ t sure about her ability to enforce social distancing or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school buses every day .
“ We ’ re a tin box on six wheels , ” Parks said .
“ It ’ s kind of hard to social distance.
” These are the kinds of conundrums facing school leaders , bus drivers , and transportation planners across the country .
Bob Wagner , director of transportation for the Montour School District west of Pittsburgh , is so pressed for time trying to finalize a plan that he didn ’ t have time to be interviewed .
“ Extremely busy with the constant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he apologized in an email .
Other districts are less frantic .
Rather , they find themselves in a state of limbo based on the decisions made by state leaders .
Take California , for instance .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced in July that the state ’ s schools would not reopen in the fall .
That left school officials like Mike Sawyer , who oversees transportation for the San Marcos Unified School District outside of San Diego , wondering when he ’ ll have to finalize his district ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at this time , ” he told The Verge .
It ’ s a challenge that extends beyond the confines of the school bus itself It ’ s a challenge that extends beyond the confines of the school bus itself .
Michael Cordiello , president of the school bus driver union in New York City , said the city needs to develop plans to enforce social distancing not just on its buses , but at its depots as well .
“ Usually , you get crowded day rooms [ at the bus depot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cards for the day , ” Cordiello said .
“ It can get very crowded.
” Right now , New York City is experiencing a particularly fierce debate over school reopenings .
It is the largest school district in the nation to announce it was going to be conducting some in-person classes in the fall .
But teachers and school administrators are pushing Mayor Bill de Blasio to delay the reopening , seeking more time to develop plans that address their myriad concerns .
The city was once the epicenter for the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now has an infection rate that is among the lowest in the nation .
New York City is also unique because of its robust public transportation system , which many parents across the city use to take their kids to school .
The city also has a large number of students who walk or bike to school .
But transit ridership has cratered recently due to fears of viral transmission on the subway , and the city has done little to accommodate the incredible spike in cycling .
Installing protected bike lanes could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for parents who are weighing whether to take their kids to school on a bike .
At a recent press conference , de Blasio said the city ’ s school buses would be carrying 25 percent fewer children to allow for social distancing , and he advised those parents whose kids won ’ t be able to find a seat to drive them to school .
Asked what happens when this increase in car traffic inevitably leads to a rise in fatal traffic crashes , the mayor said the city has no choice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buses .
“ When you get more kids outside walking around , you ’ re going to have a recipe for disaster , ” said Nick Sifuentes , executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign .
“ If you have more traffic and more cars on the street , and people aren ’ t paying attention , especially to a child who ’ s too short to be seen from the vehicle , there are these ripple effects in any system that you look at.
” “ When you get more kids outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have a recipe for disaster.
” Even as the pandemic is making planning difficult and uncertain , all of the school and transportation leaders who spoke to The Verge said the safety and well-being of the children was the paramount concern .
The pandemic is still raging across the country , and the debate over how to reopen schools safely has reached new heights in recent weeks , mostly thanks to President Trump ’ s insistence that schools open before Election Day .
The move was directed at places where pro-Trump governors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID rates .
Teachers unions are threatening “ safety strikes ” if schools are reopened under unsafe conditions .
Amid all of the yelling and posturing , transportation remains a crucial link in the chain .
Perhaps the most crucial .
“ The challenge is a very big chicken and a very big egg , ” said Tim Ammon , co-manager of a task force of three major student transportation organizations focused on safe reopenings .
“ And nobody ’ s really sure which is first because schools are dependent on transportation to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dependent on knowing what the school is supposed to do to be able to figure out when to get them there.
” Ammon added , “ And that is just a huge , huge challenge .
”

Part of / The Verge’s Back to School Special
During a normal year, an estimated 15 million students ride the bus to school every weekday in the US — about a third of all K–12 students. But health and safety precautions as a result of COVID-19 mean far fewer kids will find a seat on the bus as the new school year begins.
Transporting kids to school in a bus is suddenly fraught with peril. School districts are scrambling to answer a series of vital questions as they open their doors: how do you socially distance on a bus? Where should temperatures be screened? If masks are mandatory, what about kids with disabilities? But most of all, how do you transport millions of kids to and from school every day in the safest way possible while accepting the least amount of risk?
The Verge interviewed school bus drivers, union leaders, district transportation directors, and national experts to get a sense of how schools are responding to this enormous challenge.
How kids get to school will depend entirely on which scheduling model districts choose
As districts scramble to finalize their reopening (or not-reopening) plans, how kids get to school will depend entirely on which scheduling model they choose. States that are keeping schools closed and sticking with distance learning for the fall semester can punt the transportation question until later in the year. But federal law requires transportation for certain groups of students, namely those with disabilities and homeless children. And many districts are redirecting transportation staff to essential tasks like meal deliveries in the interim period.
But for districts like Colorado’s 27J, which represents over 18,000 students in some of Denver’s suburbs and is starting with a hybrid model of remote learning and in-person classes, the transportation question needs to be answered right now. Wayne Scott, who runs the local union that represents bus drivers, said that plans remain in flux. But initially, it will mean fewer kids per bus.
“We’re going to bus one kid per seat,” Scott told The Verge. “Typically, you’d have 65 passengers in a bus. And now we’ll have 20.”
Out of the six districts that Scott represents, 27J is the only one opening its doors to students for some in-person classes. He is still trying to figure out what this means for his drivers and their routes. Will they need more buses to accommodate social distancing mandates? Fewer buses because more parents will be opting for remote-learning only? It’s very likely that the district’s high school students will be left to find their own transportation so the buses can serve elementary and middle school students exclusively. But ultimately, Scott doesn’t know yet. And school starts on September 1st.
“Typically, you’d have 65 passengers in a bus. And now we’ll have 20.”
“Right now, it’s difficult to try to quite understand it all,” Scott said.
Bus drivers are among those workers with the highest risk of getting sick, according to an analysis of labor data by The New York Times. The Times’ analysis was based on measures of proximity and disease exposure, but it was also published in March when we knew less about how the virus spreads. Still, school bus drivers are shown to have a higher risk of exposure than other transportation workers like transit workers and ride-hail drivers, according to the Times.
Finding enough bus drivers is a perennial headache for many school districts. And it could get even harder with COVID-19. Most drivers are at an age that puts them at a higher risk of infection. While the federal government does not track the average age of bus drivers or other support staff in schools, data from the AARP suggests that, nationally, about 3 in 4 part-time school bus drivers are over age 55. Will they want to return?
Evalyn Parks, transportation director for Colorado’s Salida School District, is already dealing with a shortage of buses and drivers as well as a dearth of available cash for cleaning equipment. Electrostatic spray guns, which shoot electrostatically charged mist onto surfaces and objects for high-powered cleaning, have soared in price recently, from $700 per device to upwards of $10,000, Parks said. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not specifically recommend the use of electrostatic sprayers to clean surfaces, but one study suggests it could be an effective decontamination tool. It has been known to be used in school cleanings, according to School Transportation News.) The choices she faces are likely to be costly at a time when school budgets across the country are shrinking. She isn’t sure about her ability to enforce social distancing or to adequately clean each of her six school buses every day.
“We’re a tin box on six wheels,” Parks said. “It’s kind of hard to social distance.”
Photo by Alejandra Villa Loarca / Newsday RM via Getty Images
These are the kinds of conundrums facing school leaders, bus drivers, and transportation planners across the country. Bob Wagner, director of transportation for the Montour School District west of Pittsburgh, is so pressed for time trying to finalize a plan that he didn’t have time to be interviewed. “Extremely busy with the constant changes in plans by various schools,” he apologized in an email.
Other districts are less frantic. Rather, they find themselves in a state of limbo based on the decisions made by state leaders. Take California, for instance. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in July that the state’s schools would not reopen in the fall. That left school officials like Mike Sawyer, who oversees transportation for the San Marcos Unified School District outside of San Diego, wondering when he’ll have to finalize his district’s transportation plan. “It is unknown at this time,” he told The Verge.
It’s a challenge that extends beyond the confines of the school bus itself
It’s a challenge that extends beyond the confines of the school bus itself. Michael Cordiello, president of the school bus driver union in New York City, said the city needs to develop plans to enforce social distancing not just on its buses, but at its depots as well.
“Usually, you get crowded day rooms [at the bus depot] with people pulling out their work cards for the day,” Cordiello said. “It can get very crowded.”
Right now, New York City is experiencing a particularly fierce debate over school reopenings. It is the largest school district in the nation to announce it was going to be conducting some in-person classes in the fall. But teachers and school administrators are pushing Mayor Bill de Blasio to delay the reopening, seeking more time to develop plans that address their myriad concerns. The city was once the epicenter for the coronavirus outbreak in the US, but it now has an infection rate that is among the lowest in the nation.
New York City is also unique because of its robust public transportation system, which many parents across the city use to take their kids to school. The city also has a large number of students who walk or bike to school. But transit ridership has cratered recently due to fears of viral transmission on the subway, and the city has done little to accommodate the incredible spike in cycling. Installing protected bike lanes could make it an easier and safer decision for parents who are weighing whether to take their kids to school on a bike.
A newsletter highlighting the COVID-19 research, developments, and stories that matter. Subscribe here!
At a recent press conference, de Blasio said the city’s school buses would be carrying 25 percent fewer children to allow for social distancing, and he advised those parents whose kids won’t be able to find a seat to drive them to school. Asked what happens when this increase in car traffic inevitably leads to a rise in fatal traffic crashes, the mayor said the city has no choice but to reduce capacity on its school buses.
“When you get more kids outside walking around, you’re going to have a recipe for disaster,” said Nick Sifuentes, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. “If you have more traffic and more cars on the street, and people aren’t paying attention, especially to a child who’s too short to be seen from the vehicle, there are these ripple effects in any system that you look at.”
“When you get more kids outside walking around, you’re going to have a recipe for disaster.”
Even as the pandemic is making planning difficult and uncertain, all of the school and transportation leaders who spoke to The Verge said the safety and well-being of the children was the paramount concern. The pandemic is still raging across the country, and the debate over how to reopen schools safely has reached new heights in recent weeks, mostly thanks to President Trump’s insistence that schools open before Election Day. The move was directed at places where pro-Trump governors might try to open schools despite soaring COVID rates. Teachers unions are threatening “safety strikes” if schools are reopened under unsafe conditions. Amid all of the yelling and posturing, transportation remains a crucial link in the chain. Perhaps the most crucial.
“The challenge is a very big chicken and a very big egg,” said Tim Ammon, co-manager of a task force of three major student transportation organizations focused on safe reopenings. “And nobody’s really sure which is first because schools are dependent on transportation to get kids there, and transportation is dependent on knowing what the school is supposed to do to be able to figure out when to get them there.”


theverge--2020-08-19--The Nubia Watch is a decadent OLED smart bracelet

Some of the first credible reporting about the “ Apple iWatch ” I remember reading described it as being “ made of curved glass.
” The eventual Apple Watch did use curved glass to an extent , of course , but it wasn ’ t really a defining feature of the product .
After all , in 2013 The New York Times said Apple ’ s watch was expected to “ stand apart from competitors based on the company ’ s understanding of how such glass can curve around the human body.
” I was imagining something a little more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that looked more or less like the Nubia Watch , as it happens .
Nubia ’ s new smartwatch is essentially a bracelet dominated by a large flexible OLED screen that curves halfway around your wrist , which is technically pretty impressive .
After wearing it for a couple of weeks , I think it ’ s probably for the best that the Apple Watch turned out the way it did .
But if you want your wearable technology to signify engineering ambition above all else , it could be worth a look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kickstarter with prices starting at $ 199 , and its campaign has already been funded .
The Chinese version of the device , which I ’ ve been testing , is already available at retail and runs different software , so don ’ t take this as a review — these are just my impressions of the hardware in case you ’ re thinking about backing .
The first thing to note is that it ’ s pretty chunky at 14.2mm thick , though it does at least feel solid with its largely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for IP54 water and dust resistance , and it ’ s reasonably comfortable to wear , though I wouldn ’ t say I love the way it looks .
This is an unabashedly techy device , but it ’ s at least a little sleeker than Nubia ’ s previous take on the concept , the Alpha .
The screen is 4 inches diagonal and has a resolution of 960x192 ; you can see the pixels if you look closely , but it ’ s sharp enough at regular watch viewing distances .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ see outside , and there ’ s no automatic brightness adjustment , but otherwise it ’ s as punchy and contrasty as you ’ d expect from a good OLED panel .
The display is covered in flexible glass from Schott , which is the company that worked with Samsung on its ultra-thin glass for foldable phones .
It bends easily around your wrist , and I haven ’ t seen any scratches or other damage appear yet .
The rest of the Nubia Watch ’ s spec sheet is somewhat less ambitious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wear 2100 processor , which isn ’ t a great sign , and a 425mAh battery .
( Nubia says it should last around 36 hours on a charge ; I can ’ t speak for the global model yet , but based on my experience I ’ d say you ’ ll definitely need to charge it every day. )
.
It also carries the usual array of sensors for heart rate , motion , and location , and the Watch has typical basic fitness tracking capabilities .
In China , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LTE eSIM support .
The custom software is pretty basic , at least on this Chinese model .
There ’ s no way to act on notifications or customize the included watch faces , though you can edit text for a “ marquee ” mode that continuously scrolls across the screen .
While there ’ s a lot of functionality here on paper , it doesn ’ t always work the way you might expect .
The music app , for example , only supports tracks that have been loaded onto the watch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t use it to control playback on your phone .
The overall UI is very simple — swipe up on the watch face for notifications , down for quick settings , and left or right to access the built-in apps .
As you ’ d expect , it ’ s designed to maximize the extreme verticality of the screen , so there tends to be information displayed around half of your wrist .
But in practice , this doesn ’ t make much difference to usability .
For instance , while the weather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s forecast at once , you still have to bend your wrist to see more than the central part of the screen .
Is that really more convenient than swiping on a normal watch ?
Watches are personal devices that allow their wearers to express themselves .
In the case of the Nubia Watch , it communicates that you are interested enough in flexible OLED screens that you want to be one of the first people in the world to wrap one around your wrist and are willing to back the project on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I salute you , but you probably shouldn ’ t expect a sleek product .
We ’ ll check out the global version in more detail when it ’ s available .

Some of the first credible reporting about the “Apple iWatch” I remember reading described it as being “made of curved glass.” The eventual Apple Watch did use curved glass to an extent, of course, but it wasn’t really a defining feature of the product. After all, in 2013 The New York Times said Apple’s watch was expected to “stand apart from competitors based on the company’s understanding of how such glass can curve around the human body.” I was imagining something a little more futuristic than what we got.
Something that looked more or less like the Nubia Watch, as it happens. Nubia’s new smartwatch is essentially a bracelet dominated by a large flexible OLED screen that curves halfway around your wrist, which is technically pretty impressive. After wearing it for a couple of weeks, I think it’s probably for the best that the Apple Watch turned out the way it did. But if you want your wearable technology to signify engineering ambition above all else, it could be worth a look.
The Nubia Watch just launched on Kickstarter with prices starting at $199, and its campaign has already been funded. The Chinese version of the device, which I’ve been testing, is already available at retail and runs different software, so don’t take this as a review — these are just my impressions of the hardware in case you’re thinking about backing.
The first thing to note is that it’s pretty chunky at 14.2mm thick, though it does at least feel solid with its largely metal build. It’s rated for IP54 water and dust resistance, and it’s reasonably comfortable to wear, though I wouldn’t say I love the way it looks. This is an unabashedly techy device, but it’s at least a little sleeker than Nubia’s previous take on the concept, the Alpha.
The screen is 4 inches diagonal and has a resolution of 960x192; you can see the pixels if you look closely, but it’s sharp enough at regular watch viewing distances. It can be a little difficult to see outside, and there’s no automatic brightness adjustment, but otherwise it’s as punchy and contrasty as you’d expect from a good OLED panel. The display is covered in flexible glass from Schott, which is the company that worked with Samsung on its ultra-thin glass for foldable phones. It bends easily around your wrist, and I haven’t seen any scratches or other damage appear yet.
The rest of the Nubia Watch’s spec sheet is somewhat less ambitious. There’s an aging Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, which isn’t a great sign, and a 425mAh battery. (Nubia says it should last around 36 hours on a charge; I can’t speak for the global model yet, but based on my experience I’d say you’ll definitely need to charge it every day.). It also carries the usual array of sensors for heart rate, motion, and location, and the Watch has typical basic fitness tracking capabilities. In China, it can work as a standalone phone with LTE eSIM support.
The custom software is pretty basic, at least on this Chinese model. There’s no way to act on notifications or customize the included watch faces, though you can edit text for a “marquee” mode that continuously scrolls across the screen. While there’s a lot of functionality here on paper, it doesn’t always work the way you might expect. The music app, for example, only supports tracks that have been loaded onto the watch’s storage — you can’t use it to control playback on your phone.
The overall UI is very simple — swipe up on the watch face for notifications, down for quick settings, and left or right to access the built-in apps. As you’d expect, it’s designed to maximize the extreme verticality of the screen, so there tends to be information displayed around half of your wrist. But in practice, this doesn’t make much difference to usability. For instance, while the weather app does show a full week’s forecast at once, you still have to bend your wrist to see more than the central part of the screen. Is that really more convenient than swiping on a normal watch?
Watches are personal devices that allow their wearers to express themselves. In the case of the Nubia Watch, it communicates that you are interested enough in flexible OLED screens that you want to be one of the first people in the world to wrap one around your wrist and are willing to back the project on Kickstarter. If that sounds like you, I salute you, but you probably shouldn’t expect a sleek product. We’ll check out the global version in more detail when it’s available.


theverge--2020-08-19--How can you get out of this alive if you don’t know today’s number?

Yesterday was a three and I felt that .
The day before was an eight and unmistakably so .
It just had that eight feeling , you know ?
Where you ’ re looking out the window , and everything pauses , just for a second , and you ’ ve got a mug of coffee in one hand and a glazed donut in the other , and you stand there and you think to yourself ... eight .
Right ?
Knowing the numbers is half the battle these days , and if you ’ re anything like me you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up .
There are just a ton around right now .
Uncountable !
I see them all the time : on the news , on my phone , in rainclouds , and stamped on the faces of strangers in the street .
Fifty !
63 !
Seven hundred and seventy seven thousand , seven hundred and seventy seven !
Two and a half !
... -365 .
[ Ed ’ s note : Keep it clean , buddy ! ]
That ’ s why I ’ m thankful ( damn thankful ) for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where you can find out today ’ s number without hassle or fanfare and the bare minimum of psychic terror .
It ’ s a fantastic help in these trying times .
Something of a # lifehack .
I ’ m subbed and have turned on notifications , and you should too !
Lynch ’ s YouTube output has been brilliant during These Times .
Cultural consensus tells us so .
He ’ s previously been doing the weather while sprinkling in the odd dream report and story about bugs he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But I for one am glad he ’ s stopped with the frivolities and is giving us the the important stuff : the numbers .
So what are we hoping for today , friends ?
What does your gut tell you ?
I close my eyes and I see a five , bobbing into view like a drowned body in a canal .
But I ’ ve been wrong before .
Very wrong .
But once I know today ’ s number I ’ m sure everything will turn out for the best @

Yesterday was a three and I felt that. The day before was an eight and unmistakably so. It just had that eight feeling, you know? Where you’re looking out the window, and everything pauses, just for a second, and you’ve got a mug of coffee in one hand and a glazed donut in the other, and you stand there and you think to yourself ... eight. Right?
Knowing the numbers is half the battle these days, and if you’re anything like me you’ve found it hard to keep up. There are just a ton around right now. Uncountable! I see them all the time: on the news, on my phone, in rainclouds, and stamped on the faces of strangers in the street. Fifty! 63! Seven hundred and seventy seven thousand, seven hundred and seventy seven! Two and a half! ... -365. [Ed’s note: Keep it clean, buddy!]
That’s why I’m thankful (damn thankful) for David Lynch’s YouTube channel, where you can find out today’s number without hassle or fanfare and the bare minimum of psychic terror. It’s a fantastic help in these trying times. Something of a #lifehack. I’m subbed and have turned on notifications, and you should too!
Lynch’s YouTube output has been brilliant during These Times. Cultural consensus tells us so. He’s previously been doing the weather while sprinkling in the odd dream report and story about bugs he’s seen recently to keep things interesting. But I for one am glad he’s stopped with the frivolities and is giving us the the important stuff: the numbers.
So what are we hoping for today, friends? What does your gut tell you? I close my eyes and I see a five, bobbing into view like a drowned body in a canal. But I’ve been wrong before. Very wrong. Once I know today’s number I’m sure everything will turn out for the best.


theverge--2020-08-19--Tim Wu makes the case that it’s only fair to ban TikTok in the US

In a new opinion piece for the New York Times , Tim Wu , Columbia University law professor and outspoken promoter of the free and open internet , writes an interesting defense of President Trump ’ s ban on the Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat in the US .
Despite calling Trump “ the wrong figure to be fighting this fight , ” Wu argues that the threatened bans are “ an overdue response , a tit for tat , in a long battle for the soul of the internet.
” It ’ s an interesting counterpoint to the myriad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the ban , and it ’ s well worth a read .
Core to Wu ’ s argument is that China has banned TikTok and WeChat competitors like YouTube and WhatsApp for years .
Foreign companies are effectively blocked from fully and independently competing in the Chinese market , while Chinese services like TikTok have been freely able to exploit Western markets .
As Wu argues : Until now , the US has broadly favored a neutral internet , in the hope that taking this open approach would eventually encourage China to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead managed “ to use the internet to suppress any nascent political opposition and ceaselessly promote its ruling party.
” Wu argues that the US ’ s attempt to maintain the moral high ground and give Chinese companies free access to Western online markets has made it a “ sucker.
” Some think that it is a tragic mistake for the United States to violate the principles of internet openness that were pioneered in this country .
But there is also such a thing as being a sucker .
If China refuses to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , why continue to give it access to internet markets around the world ?
There are valid criticisms to be leveled at the US TikTok ban .
Just last week my colleague Russell Brandom called it a “ gross abuse of power , ” pointing to the lack of public evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of TikTok , or the way the ban seems to have sidestepped the normal political processes .
And that ’ s without mentioning the frankly bizarre calls for money to be allocated to the US treasury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purchasing the company ’ s US operations .
Wu doesn ’ t support Trump ’ s methods or motives , but instead argues that the West needs to take a more active role in pushing for its version of the internet to succeed , rather than sitting back and hoping the rest of the world comes around .
We need to wake up to the game we are playing when it comes to the future of the global internet .
The idealists of the 1990s and early ’ 00s believed that building a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cosmopolitanism , would lead to world peace and harmony .
No one buys that fantasy any longer .
Wu ’ s counter-argument is an interesting one , and it ’ s well worth reading .

In a new opinion piece for the New York Times, Tim Wu, Columbia University law professor and outspoken promoter of the free and open internet, writes an interesting defense of President Trump’s ban on the Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat in the US. Despite calling Trump “the wrong figure to be fighting this fight,” Wu argues that the threatened bans are “an overdue response, a tit for tat, in a long battle for the soul of the internet.” It’s an interesting counterpoint to the myriad, valid issues that have been raised about the ban, and it’s well worth a read.
Core to Wu’s argument is that China has banned TikTok and WeChat competitors like YouTube and WhatsApp for years. Foreign companies are effectively blocked from fully and independently competing in the Chinese market, while Chinese services like TikTok have been freely able to exploit Western markets. As Wu argues:
The asymmetry is unfair and ought no longer be tolerated. The privilege of full internet access — the open internet — should be extended only to companies from countries that respect that openness themselves.
Until now, the US has broadly favored a neutral internet, in the hope that taking this open approach would eventually encourage China to do the same. But China has instead managed “to use the internet to suppress any nascent political opposition and ceaselessly promote its ruling party.” Wu argues that the US’s attempt to maintain the moral high ground and give Chinese companies free access to Western online markets has made it a “sucker.”
Some think that it is a tragic mistake for the United States to violate the principles of internet openness that were pioneered in this country. But there is also such a thing as being a sucker. If China refuses to follow the rules of the open internet, why continue to give it access to internet markets around the world?
There are valid criticisms to be leveled at the US TikTok ban. Just last week my colleague Russell Brandom called it a “gross abuse of power,” pointing to the lack of public evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of TikTok, or the way the ban seems to have sidestepped the normal political processes. And that’s without mentioning the frankly bizarre calls for money to be allocated to the US treasury in the event that Microsoft ends up purchasing the company’s US operations.
Wu doesn’t support Trump’s methods or motives, but instead argues that the West needs to take a more active role in pushing for its version of the internet to succeed, rather than sitting back and hoping the rest of the world comes around.
We need to wake up to the game we are playing when it comes to the future of the global internet. The idealists of the 1990s and early ’00s believed that building a universal network, a kind of digital cosmopolitanism, would lead to world peace and harmony. No one buys that fantasy any longer.


theverge--2020-08-19--Here’s your best look yet at ZTE’s first smartphone with an under-display camera

ZTE has already announced that it plans to launch the first mass-produced 5G-enabled smartphone with an under-display camera in China next month , and now the company has shared new images that give us a better understanding of what that phone ’ s screen might actually look like ( via Dutch website Tweakers ) .
In the render at the top of this post , you can see that the phone , which will be called the ZTE Axon 20 5G , has no visible camera up top — no hole punch , no notch .
The render was shared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devices Ni Fei on Chinese social media network Weibo .
And in this next render , also shared by Fei on Weibo , you can get an idea of what that no-camera screen might look like while it ’ s powered on .
It looks pretty clean , if you ask me , even with that hint of bottom bezel .
( There ’ s always the chance that one of the black dots representing other types of cameras could be an actual visible camera on the Axon 20 5G , but that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed about the upcoming phone . )
ZTE isn ’ t the first to talk about an under-display camera — a number of phone manufacturers have been pursuing the technology , including Oppo and Xiaomi .
But it ’ s still unclear if these cameras will work as well as what you might be used to on your iPhone or Pixel .
Engadget said the under-screen selfie camera in an Oppo prototype had “ room for improvement in terms of clarity and color accuracy ” back in June 2019 , and we don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s new camera will have similar issues .
ZTE also hasn ’ t said if the Axon 20 5G will launch anywhere outside China , so if an under-screen selfie camera is something you ’ ve been waiting for and you don ’ t live there , you might have to wait a bit longer to try one out .

ZTE has already announced that it plans to launch the first mass-produced 5G-enabled smartphone with an under-display camera in China next month, and now the company has shared new images that give us a better understanding of what that phone’s screen might actually look like (via Dutch website Tweakers).
In the render at the top of this post, you can see that the phone, which will be called the ZTE Axon 20 5G, has no visible camera up top — no hole punch, no notch. The render was shared by ZTE’s president of mobile devices Ni Fei on Chinese social media network Weibo.
And in this next render, also shared by Fei on Weibo, you can get an idea of what that no-camera screen might look like while it’s powered on. It looks pretty clean, if you ask me, even with that hint of bottom bezel. (There’s always the chance that one of the black dots representing other types of cameras could be an actual visible camera on the Axon 20 5G, but that seems unlikely given what ZTE has already claimed about the upcoming phone.)
Image: ZTE
ZTE isn’t the first to talk about an under-display camera — a number of phone manufacturers have been pursuing the technology, including Oppo and Xiaomi. But it’s still unclear if these cameras will work as well as what you might be used to on your iPhone or Pixel. Engadget said the under-screen selfie camera in an Oppo prototype had “room for improvement in terms of clarity and color accuracy” back in June 2019, and we don’t know yet if ZTE’s new camera will have similar issues.


theverge--2020-08-19--Thundercats is coming to Hulu tomorrow and I am on a major nostalgia trip

Thundercats ho !
Hulu has locked down the rights to stream Thundercats on its service starting tomorrow .
This includes both the iconic original series from the 1980s , plus the 2011 reboot .
The kid within me is screaming with pure joy .
I was born in 1995 , so , unfortunately , I did not have the pleasure of watching the original Thundercats cartoon when it aired between 1985 and 1989 .
Fortunately , in 2002 , Cartoon Network ’ s programming block Toonami did air it , and I remember watching as a seven-year-old kid , stumbling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and thinking to myself “ wow , this show looks cool.
” The next time it aired , I made sure to tune in .
The intro grabbed me right away : it was catchy , colorful , and hearing Lion-O screaming , “ Thunder !
Thunder !
Thunder !
Thundercats HO !
!
!
” I thought it was like the coolest thing ever .
Seriously , for the longest time , I would grab a toy sword and replicate that quote as if I was a member of the Thundercats .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of dorky , but I thought it was really cool .
Thundercats was one of those shows that let me live in a power fantasy and helped boost my self-confidence .
I haven ’ t yet seen the 2011 reboot series , not because I wasn ’ t interested ( though I am scared it won ’ t live up to the original ) , but also simply because I don ’ t watch a ton of television these days outside of paid streaming services and YouTube .
Now that both Thundercats TV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe I will be watching these shows in my spare time .

Thundercats ho! Hulu has locked down the rights to stream Thundercats on its service starting tomorrow. This includes both the iconic original series from the 1980s, plus the 2011 reboot. The kid within me is screaming with pure joy.
I was born in 1995, so, unfortunately, I did not have the pleasure of watching the original Thundercats cartoon when it aired between 1985 and 1989. Fortunately, in 2002, Cartoon Network’s programming block Toonami did air it, and I remember watching as a seven-year-old kid, stumbling upon the cartoon after viewing a promo and thinking to myself “wow, this show looks cool.” The next time it aired, I made sure to tune in.
The intro grabbed me right away: it was catchy, colorful, and hearing Lion-O screaming, “Thunder! Thunder! Thunder! Thundercats HO!!!” I thought it was like the coolest thing ever. Seriously, for the longest time, I would grab a toy sword and replicate that quote as if I was a member of the Thundercats. My twin brother thought it was kind of dorky, but I thought it was really cool. Thundercats was one of those shows that let me live in a power fantasy and helped boost my self-confidence.