theverge--2020-02-07--The straight line from Google Maps to Clearview AI

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Few apps made by a Big Tech company have improved more over the years than Google Maps .
When it launched in 2005 , it was a moderately better alternative to AOL ’ s MapQuest .
With the rise of smartphones , it became truly essential to the lives of millions — upending incumbents whose entire business had been selling expensive , subscription-based in-car navigation systems .
And with each passing year it improves : offering advice about when to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traffic , and even telling you which exit to take when climbing out of the New York subway .
Today is its 15th birthday .
It ’ s a happy story in a relatively dark time for consumer tech , so it makes sense that Google would want to celebrate .
The company marked the occasion with a lightly refreshed design , including a good-looking new pin-shaped logo .
It also sat for a portrait in Wired , where Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai took a victory lap with Lauren Goode and Boone Ashworth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should work in a way where it ’ s much more intuitive to the way people live and not the other way around , ” Pichai says .
“ AR and Maps is really in the sweet spot of that , because as humans we ’ re walking around the world , perceiving a lot , trying to understand a lot.
” Pichai says he sees a future in which Maps users are walking around and an AR layer of information is popping up in Maps , showing them vegetarian menu options at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean AR in Google Maps works like magic now—or will in the near future .
“ We talk about the double-edge sword of AR , ” says Alex Komoroske , director of product management at Maps .
“ If you get it exactly right , it ’ s extremely intuitive .
But if we get it wrong , it is actively confusing .
It ’ s worse than showing nothing.
” People walking around and finding themselves subject to ubiquitous computing — whether they like it or not — is a subject that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late , as we debate the rise of for-profit facial recognition and tools like Clearview AI .
It ’ s a story that , to my mind , starts with the rise of Google Maps .
But first , a bit of history .
“ Worse than showing nothing ” is what Google Maps was accused of a decade ago in Germany , where in the aftermath of the Nazi regime , privacy-conscious Germans objected to the latest feature added to the app in the name of progress : Street View , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and allows anyone to browse them at their leisure .
In response to criticism , then-Google CEO Eric Schmidt famously suggested that people angry about the loss of privacy should simply move .
( To where ?
! )
Angry Germans sued , but ultimately lost .
The courts ruled that , because the photos had been taken from a public road , and people could opt out of having their homes shown , their privacy had not been violated .
Of course , one reason that people object to these massive data-collection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more data than even their creators intend .
Street View cars , for example , connected to unsecured Wi-Fi networks as they made their rounds between 2008 and 2010 — and when they did , slurped up “ snippets of e-mails , photographs , passwords , chat messages , [ and ] postings on websites and social networks , ” according to a 2012 story in the New York Times .
Google said it had all been a mistake and apologized , and Germany fined just shy of the maximum for a data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hilarious 145,000 euros .
( I am not leaving out any zeroes on accident there . )
In the intervening years , like most data privacy scandals , it has been more or less forgotten .
Still , the case feels freshly relevant in light of the past month ’ s news about Clearview AI .
Like Google in 2008 , Clearview slurps up public data — in this case , photos of people posted publicly on the internet — to build a for-profit tool without the permission of anyone involved .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past week has been companies ( including Google ! )
leaping up to insist that Clearview does not have permission to build its Google-for-faces tool , which the company says it sells only to law enforcement .
Twitter , Facebook , LinkedIn , and Venmo have sent similar cease-and-desist letters .
No one seems terribly confident those letters will be effective , though .
Last year , another for-profit company that LinkedIn sued for scraping its public content won its case .
There are arguably some good reasons about that — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for journalists and academics , for example .
Still , for all the reasons Kashmir Hill laid out in her initial profile of Clearview , the implications of a tool that immediately associates any face with a name are chilling to contemplate : stalking , blackmail , targeting protesters and dissidents , and so on .
On Wednesday , BuzzFeed reported that the company is selling the technology to authoritarian regimes .
( Even Schmidt , who had suggested that people move to avoid his fleet of Street View cars , said Google @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . )
The uses and potential misuses of Clearview ’ s technology strike me as plainly dangerous in a way that Street View never did .
Google offered you a view of an address you could have visited yourself , and — critically — allowed homeowners to opt out of the program , blurring the view of their houses .
Like other Google Maps features , it was conceived as a tool for helping people get around — not to empower the prison-industrial complex .
Still , for everything Google Maps did right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ customer — it also heralded a new era in networked photography .
You can not make a previously unseen world visible without making it , at least in some ways , less secure .
Look at the once-sleepy neighborhoods transformed into clogged wrecks the moment that Google Maps ( through its acquisition of Waze ) gained visibility into traffic patterns , and began rerouting the world in the name of efficiency .
Once again , making something easier to see made a large group of people feel less safe .
On the whole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d say it has been a good bargain .
But as Maps turns 15 , it seems worth noting that there ’ s a straight line from Street View to Clearview .
We ’ re beginning to understand in America what Germans knew a decade ago — that whatever miracles technology can provide must always be weighed against the value of simply being left alone .
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms .
Trending up : Google has quietly been conducting a five-year study on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and so far , it appears to be working .
The strategies include making plates slightly smaller , putting vegetables first in the buffet line , and funding a new curriculum at the Culinary Institute of America focused on making vegetables taste better .
⭐ Trump ’ s re-election campaign plans to spend more than $ 1 billion to ensure he gets a second term .
Helping to spread his message is a vast array of partisan media , outside political groups , and enterprising freelance operatives .
These pro-Trump forces are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most extensive disinformation campaign in US history .
Here ’ s McKay Coppins at The Atlantic : Trump is the third president to be impeached , but he ’ s the first to go through the process in the social media era .
This shift changed everything about how Americans understood the developments in the trial .
( Cat Zakrzewski / The Washington Post ) Nevada ’ s Democratic Party is scrambling to figure out a better way to report results , after ditching plans to use an app like the cursed one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Nevada caucus is just about two weeks away .
( Emily Glazer and Dustin Volz / The Wall Street Journal ) Vice ’ s Motherboard published the APK for The App that ruined the Iowa caucus .
“ Trust and transparency are core to the U.S. electoral process .
That ’ s why Motherboard is publishing the app that malfunctioned in Iowa , ” they said .
( Jason Koebler / Vice ) Internet trolls deliberately disrupted the Iowa caucus hotline with numerous prank calls while officials were trying to report results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Trump supporters .
( Ben Collins , Maura Barrett and Vaughn Hillyard / NBC ) The Congressional investigation into Big Tech is putting pressure on the country ’ s top two antitrust enforcement agencies — the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice — which have historically been slow to act .
Last summer , after Congress announced its probe , both agencies made similar announcements .
( Jason Del Rey / Recode ) Child welfare advocates attacked Facebook ’ s plans to encrypt its messaging apps , saying it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the company ’ s platforms .
So far , the tech giant isn ’ t backing down .
( Katie Benner and Mike Isaac / The New York Times ) The announcement of a second proposed California privacy law , the California Privacy Rights Act , set off a fresh wave of lobbying efforts from privacy advocates and executives at Google and Facebook .
Many provisions within the new law are a direct result of these efforts .
( Issie Lapowsky / Protocol ) European Union antitrust investigators are ramping up the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They ’ re now looking for documents related to how the company allegedly leveraged access to user data to stifle competition .
( Sam Schechner , Emily Glazer and Valentina Pop / The Wall Street Journal ) ⭐ Two more content moderators — these ones working for Facebook through Cognizant — filed a class-action suit against the company on Wednesday .
They worked at the Tampa site I profiled for The Verge last year .
( Found out today that my piece on the Tampa site is a finalist for a National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Here ’ s Kavitha Surana in the Tampa Bay Times : ⭐ A leaked document shows TikTok waited to report a livestreamed suicide on its app in order to get its PR strategy in place .
The company ’ s goal was to make sure the video didn ’ t go viral .
That ’ s ... not terrible .
But waiting three hours to call the police sure is .
Paulo Victor Ribeiro at The Intercept reports : Twitter reported $ 1.01 billion in revenue for last quarter , thanks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first time the company ’ s revenue has broken the billion-dollar mark .
Daily users were up , too , likely because of how good your tweets are .
( Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch ) Shoddy coronavirus studies keep going viral on social media .
Some are coming from scientists who are rapidly posting findings about the outbreak without properly vetting the claims .
Boo !
( Stephanie M. Lee / BuzzFeed ) Pornhub hosts hundreds of explicit videos featuring footage of women who were not aware how the content will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stop these videos from spreading is to fingerprint the videos after someone requests that they be taken down .
This investigation shows how often this system fails .
( Samantha Cole and Emanuel Maiberg / Vice ) ‘ Emoji jacket ’ can help cyclists communicate their never-ending rage to drivers Cycling is dangerous , but emoji are cute .
So naturally : I want one and I don ’ t even bike !
Send us tips , comments , questions , and Google Maps directions : casey @ theverge.com and zoe @ @ @

Few apps made by a Big Tech company have improved more over the years than Google Maps. When it launched in 2005, it was a moderately better alternative to AOL’s MapQuest. With the rise of smartphones, it became truly essential to the lives of millions — upending incumbents whose entire business had been selling expensive, subscription-based in-car navigation systems. And with each passing year it improves: offering advice about when to change lanes, rerouting you to avoid traffic, and even telling you which exit to take when climbing out of the New York subway. Today is its 15th birthday.
It’s a happy story in a relatively dark time for consumer tech, so it makes sense that Google would want to celebrate. The company marked the occasion with a lightly refreshed design, including a good-looking new pin-shaped logo. It also sat for a portrait in Wired, where Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai took a victory lap with Lauren Goode and Boone Ashworth:
“Overall, I think computing should work in a way where it’s much more intuitive to the way people live and not the other way around,” Pichai says. “AR and Maps is really in the sweet spot of that, because as humans we’re walking around the world, perceiving a lot, trying to understand a lot.” Pichai says he sees a future in which Maps users are walking around and an AR layer of information is popping up in Maps, showing them vegetarian menu options at nearby restaurants. That doesn’t mean AR in Google Maps works like magic now—or will in the near future. “We talk about the double-edge sword of AR,” says Alex Komoroske, director of product management at Maps. “If you get it exactly right, it’s extremely intuitive. But if we get it wrong, it is actively confusing. It’s worse than showing nothing.”
People walking around and finding themselves subject to ubiquitous computing — whether they like it or not — is a subject that has been in the news constantly of late, as we debate the rise of for-profit facial recognition and tools like Clearview AI. It’s a story that, to my mind, starts with the rise of Google Maps.
But first, a bit of history.
“Worse than showing nothing” is what Google Maps was accused of a decade ago in Germany, where in the aftermath of the Stasi secret police, privacy-conscious Germans objected to the latest feature added to the app in the name of progress: Street View, which took photos of everyone’s homes and allows anyone to browse them at their leisure. In response to criticism, then-Google CEO Eric Schmidt famously suggested that people angry about the loss of privacy should simply move. (To where?!) Angry Germans sued, but ultimately lost. The courts ruled that, because the photos had been taken from a public road, and people could opt out of having their homes shown, their privacy had not been violated.
Of course, one reason that people object to these massive data-collection schemes is that they almost always gather more data than even their creators intend. Street View cars, for example, connected to unsecured Wi-Fi networks as they made their rounds between 2008 and 2010 — and when they did, slurped up “snippets of e-mails, photographs, passwords, chat messages, [and] postings on websites and social networks,” according to a 2012 story in the New York Times.
Google said it had all been a mistake and apologized, and Germany fined just shy of the maximum for a data privacy breach on that scale: a hilarious 145,000 euros. (I am not leaving out any zeroes on accident there.) In the intervening years, like most data privacy scandals, it has been more or less forgotten.
Still, the case feels freshly relevant in light of the past month’s news about Clearview AI. Like Google in 2008, Clearview slurps up public data — in this case, photos of people posted publicly on the internet — to build a for-profit tool without the permission of anyone involved.
In fact, much of the news in the past week has been companies (including Google!) leaping up to insist that Clearview does not have permission to build its Google-for-faces tool, which the company says it sells only to law enforcement. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Venmo have sent similar cease-and-desist letters.
No one seems terribly confident those letters will be effective, though. Last year, another for-profit company that LinkedIn sued for scraping its public content won its case. There are arguably some good reasons about that — the ability to scrape public sites is good for journalists and academics, for example.
Still, for all the reasons Kashmir Hill laid out in her initial profile of Clearview, the implications of a tool that immediately associates any face with a name are chilling to contemplate: stalking, blackmail, targeting protesters and dissidents, and so on. On Wednesday, BuzzFeed reported that the company is selling the technology to authoritarian regimes. (Even Schmidt, who had suggested that people move to avoid his fleet of Street View cars, said Google would never build a facial recognition database.)
The uses and potential misuses of Clearview’s technology strike me as plainly dangerous in a way that Street View never did. Google offered you a view of an address you could have visited yourself, and — critically — allowed homeowners to opt out of the program, blurring the view of their houses. Like other Google Maps features, it was conceived as a tool for helping people get around — not to empower the prison-industrial complex.
Still, for everything Google Maps did right — and I am a highly satisfied customer — it also heralded a new era in networked photography. You cannot make a previously unseen world visible without making it, at least in some ways, less secure. Look at the once-sleepy neighborhoods transformed into clogged wrecks the moment that Google Maps (through its acquisition of Waze) gained visibility into traffic patterns, and began rerouting the world in the name of efficiency. Once again, making something easier to see made a large group of people feel less safe.
On the whole, at least for me, I’d say it has been a good bargain. But as Maps turns 15, it seems worth noting that there’s a straight line from Street View to Clearview. We’re beginning to understand in America what Germans knew a decade ago — that whatever miracles technology can provide must always be weighed against the value of simply being left alone.
Clarification, 1/11: This article originally referred to Germany’s privacy sensitivity following the aftermath of the Nazi regime. It has been updated to refer more specifically to the Stasi secret police.
The Ratio
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms.
🔼 Trending up: Google has quietly been conducting a five-year study on how to get employees to eat healthier — and so far, it appears to be working. The strategies include making plates slightly smaller, putting vegetables first in the buffet line, and funding a new curriculum at the Culinary Institute of America focused on making vegetables taste better.
Governing
⭐ Trump’s re-election campaign plans to spend more than $1 billion to ensure he gets a second term. Helping to spread his message is a vast array of partisan media, outside political groups, and enterprising freelance operatives. These pro-Trump forces are poised to wage what could be the most extensive disinformation campaign in US history. Here’s McKay Coppins at The Atlantic:
After the 2016 election, much was made of the threats posed to American democracy by foreign disinformation. Stories of Russian troll farms and Macedonian fake-news mills loomed in the national imagination. But while these shadowy outside forces preoccupied politicians and journalists, Trump and his domestic allies were beginning to adopt the same tactics of information warfare that have kept the world’s demagogues and strongmen in power. Every presidential campaign sees its share of spin and misdirection, but this year’s contest promises to be different. In conversations with political strategists and other experts, a dystopian picture of the general election comes into view—one shaped by coordinated bot attacks, Potemkin local-news sites, micro-targeted fearmongering, and anonymous mass texting. Both parties will have these tools at their disposal. But in the hands of a president who lies constantly, who traffics in conspiracy theories, and who readily manipulates the levers of government for his own gain, their potential to wreak havoc is enormous.
Trump is the third president to be impeached, but he’s the first to go through the process in the social media era. This shift changed everything about how Americans understood the developments in the trial. (Cat Zakrzewski / The Washington Post)
Nevada’s Democratic Party is scrambling to figure out a better way to report results, after ditching plans to use an app like the cursed one that upended Iowa’s contest. The Nevada caucus is just about two weeks away. (Emily Glazer and Dustin Volz / The Wall Street Journal)
Vice’s Motherboard published the APK for The App that ruined the Iowa caucus. “Trust and transparency are core to the U.S. electoral process. That’s why Motherboard is publishing the app that malfunctioned in Iowa,” they said. (Jason Koebler / Vice)
Internet trolls deliberately disrupted the Iowa caucus hotline with numerous prank calls while officials were trying to report results. The prank callers included a number of Trump supporters. (Ben Collins, Maura Barrett and Vaughn Hillyard / NBC)
The Congressional investigation into Big Tech is putting pressure on the country’s top two antitrust enforcement agencies — the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice — which have historically been slow to act. Last summer, after Congress announced its probe, both agencies made similar announcements. (Jason Del Rey / Recode)
Child welfare advocates attacked Facebook’s plans to encrypt its messaging apps, saying it would allow child predators to operate with impunity on the company’s platforms. So far, the tech giant isn’t backing down. (Katie Benner and Mike Isaac / The New York Times)
The announcement of a second proposed California privacy law, the California Privacy Rights Act, set off a fresh wave of lobbying efforts from privacy advocates and executives at Google and Facebook. Many provisions within the new law are a direct result of these efforts. (Issie Lapowsky / Protocol)
European Union antitrust investigators are ramping up the investigation into Facebook’s data practices. They’re now looking for documents related to how the company allegedly leveraged access to user data to stifle competition. (Sam Schechner, Emily Glazer and Valentina Pop / The Wall Street Journal)
Industry
The two filed a class-action lawsuit against Facebook and Cognizant on Wednesday, alleging the companies made content moderators work under dangerous conditions that caused debilitating physical and psychological harm and did little to help them cope with the traumas they suffered as a result. Jeudy also has filed a discrimination charge against Cognizant with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The lawsuit says the two companies ignored the very safety standards they helped create. It also alleges that Facebook’s outsourcing relationship with Cognizant is a way for the social media giant to avoid accountability for the mental health issues that result from moderating graphic content on the platform.
⭐ A leaked document shows TikTok waited to report a livestreamed suicide on its app in order to get its PR strategy in place. The company’s goal was to make sure the video didn’t go viral. That’s ... not terrible. But waiting three hours to call the police sure is. Paulo Victor Ribeiro at The Intercept reports:
In the statement for users, TikTok said that it was “extremely sad about this tragedy” and guaranteed that its top priority was to “foster a secure and positive environment on the application.” The company wrote, “We have measures in place to protect users from misusing the app, including simple mechanisms that allow you to report content that violates our terms of use.” Insofar as these mechanisms exist, however, they had clearly not worked as well as advertised. [...] According to the ByteDance source, TikTok’s chief of operations in Brazil and Latin America advised employees of the Brazilian office not to say anything about what had occurred. “Her orders were clear: ‘Don’t let it go viral,’” the source told me.
Twitter reported $1.01 billion in revenue for last quarter, thanks to strong advertising sales. It’s the first time the company’s revenue has broken the billion-dollar mark. Daily users were up, too, likely because of how good your tweets are. (Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch)
Shoddy coronavirus studies keep going viral on social media. Some are coming from scientists who are rapidly posting findings about the outbreak without properly vetting the claims. Boo! (Stephanie M. Lee / BuzzFeed)
Pornhub hosts hundreds of explicit videos featuring footage of women who were not aware how the content will be used. The website’s solution to stop these videos from spreading is to fingerprint the videos after someone requests that they be taken down. This investigation shows how often this system fails. (Samantha Cole and Emanuel Maiberg / Vice)
And finally...
Cycling is dangerous, but emoji are cute. So naturally:
Here comes Ford with a novel solution: an emoji jacket. As part of its “Share the Road” campaign to improve cycling safety, the automaker’s European division designed a cycling jacket with an LED display on the back that lights up with various emoji to convey the cyclist’s mood. A smiley face indicates a happy cyclist, a frowny face a less happy one, and so on. There are also directional symbols for when a cyclist intends to make a turn and a hazard symbol when they may be experiencing a flat tire.
I want one and I don’t even bike!
Talk to us


theverge--2020-02-07--Motorola Razr fold test shows it could fail in less than 12 months of use

Motorola ’ s new Razr stopped being able to fully fold after just over 27,000 folds and around three-and-a-half hours in CNET ’ s “ FoldBot ” folding machine .
Problems were discovered after the team took the phone out of the machine to check it for the third time , after which they realized it was struggling to fold .
When they finally did manage to close it , the hinge appeared to have fallen out of alignment .
However , despite the folding problems , the phone ’ s screen was still fully functional .
If we make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phone between 80 and 150 times a day , then this particular Razr would have failed after between six and 12 months of use .
Motorola hasn ’ t said how many folds it expects the Razr to be able to survive , but noted that it should survive two years .
It also offers a one-year warranty for “ defects incurred during normal use.
” There are a few caveats about CNET ’ s test that are worth mentioning .
First is that the “ FoldBot ” machine they used was having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before they officially ended the experiment .
From the stream , it appeared to only be partially closing the phone at some points , which may have been a sign that the hinge was already having problems prior to the 27,000 fold mark .
CNET host Chris Parker also noted that the machine may have not been properly calibrated to fold the Razr , as the company setting it up didn ’ t have a phone to test it with .
This is the second folding torture test that CNET has performed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Galaxy Fold through its paces in October last year .
That time , Samsung ’ s phone survived around 120,000 folds before its screen broke .
That ’ s a lot longer than the Razr , although it still fell short of the 200,000 folds promised by Samsung .
CNET only tested a single device , making its result far from conclusive .
But others have also raised issues with the Razr build quality .
Multiple reviewers have been posting videos of the way Motorola ’ s handset creaks and groans as it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News showed how it ’ s possible to lift the plastic screen off the handset , which could have implications for dust and dirt getting into the device .
Either way , it ’ s not a good look for a premium $ 1,499 device , and suggests that manufacturers still have a long way to go to before foldables can become anything other than an early-adopter curiosity .

Motorola’s new Razr stopped being able to fully fold after just over 27,000 folds and around three-and-a-half hours in CNET’s “FoldBot” folding machine. Problems were discovered after the team took the phone out of the machine to check it for the third time, after which they realized it was struggling to fold. When they finally did manage to close it, the hinge appeared to have fallen out of alignment. However, despite the folding problems, the phone’s screen was still fully functional.
There are a few caveats about CNET’s test that are worth mentioning. First is that the “FoldBot” machine they used was having problems with the phone for a while before they officially ended the experiment. From the stream, it appeared to only be partially closing the phone at some points, which may have been a sign that the hinge was already having problems prior to the 27,000 fold mark. CNET host Chris Parker also noted that the machine may have not been properly calibrated to fold the Razr, as the company setting it up didn’t have a phone to test it with.
If we make the assumption that a person checks their phone between 80 and 150 times a day, and we assume CNET’s test wasn’t flawed, this particular Razr would have failed after between six and 12 months of use. Motorola hasn’t said how many folds it expects the Razr to be able to survive, but noted that it should survive two years. It also offers a one-year warranty for “defects incurred during normal use.”
As you’d imagine, Motorola isn’t too happy with the results, and sent us a statement late Friday challenging CNET’s methodology:
SquareTrade’s FoldBot is simply not designed to test our device. Therefore, any tests run utilizing this machine will put undue stress on the hinge and not allow the phone to open and close as intended, making the test inaccurate. The important thing to remember is that razr underwent extensive cycle endurance testing during product development, and CNET’s test is not indicative of what consumers will experience when using razr in the real-world. We have every confidence in the durability of razr.
Motorola also shared this video that it’s calling “the real razr flip test”:
This is the second folding torture test that CNET has performed on a foldable, after it put the Galaxy Fold through its paces in October last year. That time, Samsung’s phone survived around 120,000 folds before its screen broke. That’s a lot longer than the Razr, although it still fell short of the 200,000 folds promised by Samsung.
CNET only tested a single device, making its result far from conclusive. But others have also raised issues with the Razr build quality. Multiple reviewers have been posting videos of the way Motorola’s handset creaks and groans as it folds, and a video from BBC News showed how it’s possible to lift the plastic screen off the handset, which could have implications for dust and dirt getting into the device.
Either way, it’s not a good look for a premium $1,499 device, and suggests that manufacturers still have a long way to go to before foldables can become anything other than an early-adopter curiosity.


theverge--2020-02-07--Uber is making it easier for suburban commuters to schedule rides to the train station

Uber noticed an interesting thing lately : customers were opening the app late at night and entering a nearby train station as a destination to see if they could game out how long it would take them to get there in the morning .
It sounds stressful , so the company ’ s product team got together and designed a new feature to automate much of this planning .
The result is “ Make My Train , ” which Uber rolls out today to two of the largest commuter rail systems in the country : the Long Island Rail Road @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Caltrain in the San Francisco Bay Area .
It ’ s the latest example of Uber trying to play nice with public transportation It ’ s the latest example of Uber trying to play nice with public transportation after years of directly competing with and poaching riders from subways , trains , and buses .
Declining bus and subway ridership has been pegged to the rise of app-based ride-hailing in dozens of cities across the US .
And Uber is hoping that by giving transit equal footing in its app it can blunt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like this : when riders enter a train station as their destination , they will automatically see train schedules at that station and be prompted to select the train they want to make based on Uber ’ s real-time transit data .
Riders then choose when they ’ d like to arrive at the station , and Uber ’ s algorithm spits out a suggested time to schedule their ride .
In some ways , this could be seen as an extension of Uber ’ s efforts to get cities , towns , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for commuters .
Uber went to towns like Summit , New Jersey , 30 miles from Manhattan , and pitched them on subsidizing ride-hail trips rather than spending public money on new parking lots .
The program has since expanded to dozens of cities and towns across the country .
Recently , the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York put out a request for proposals on how to better connect riders outside Manhattan to the subway late at night .
Uber is sure to respond .
Transportation experts see Uber as a crucial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mile ” challenge .
Using ride-hailing to connect commuters to transit “ would not only improve first- and last-mile portions of trips but would also allow towns to redevelop parking lots near commuter train stations , ” says Tom Wright , president and CEO of Regional Plan Association , in a statement provided by Uber .
Make My Train is just the latest piece of the rapidly evolving Uber Transit project .
Last year , Uber announced it would begin selling train and bus tickets through its app for customers in Denver , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ride-hailing giant ’ s high-stakes quest to become the de facto smartphone app for all modes of transportation .
Since then , the company has integrated public transportation schedules and directions into its app for over a dozen other cities .
Less than a year later , Uber says that “ over 2 million riders ” have tried Uber Transit .

Uber noticed an interesting thing lately: customers were opening the app late at night and entering a nearby train station as a destination to see if they could game out how long it would take them to get there in the morning. It sounds stressful, so the company’s product team got together and designed a new feature to automate much of this planning.
The result is “Make My Train,” which Uber rolls out today to two of the largest commuter rail systems in the country: the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in New York and Caltrain in the San Francisco Bay Area.
It’s the latest example of Uber trying to play nice with public transportation
It’s the latest example of Uber trying to play nice with public transportation after years of directly competing with and poaching riders from subways, trains, and buses. Declining bus and subway ridership has been pegged to the rise of app-based ride-hailing in dozens of cities across the US. And Uber is hoping that by giving transit equal footing in its app it can blunt that criticism.
Make My Train works like this: when riders enter a train station as their destination, they will automatically see train schedules at that station and be prompted to select the train they want to make based on Uber’s real-time transit data. Riders then choose when they’d like to arrive at the station, and Uber’s algorithm spits out a suggested time to schedule their ride.
In some ways, this could be seen as an extension of Uber’s efforts to get cities, towns, and transit agencies to subsidize cheaper rides for commuters. Uber went to towns like Summit, New Jersey, 30 miles from Manhattan, and pitched them on subsidizing ride-hail trips rather than spending public money on new parking lots. The program has since expanded to dozens of cities and towns across the country. Recently, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York put out a request for proposals on how to better connect riders outside Manhattan to the subway late at night. Uber is sure to respond.
Transportation experts see Uber as a crucial piece in solving the so-called “last mile” challenge. Using ride-hailing to connect commuters to transit “would not only improve first- and last-mile portions of trips but would also allow towns to redevelop parking lots near commuter train stations,” says Tom Wright, president and CEO of Regional Plan Association, in a statement provided by Uber.


theverge--2020-02-06--ViacomCBS wants to compete with itself in the streaming wars

The parent company of the $ 10-per-month CBS All Access streaming platform is reportedly about to launch ... another $ 10-per-month streaming platform .
For some reason , the newly merged ViacomCBS is planning a separate service that will “ build on ” CBS All Access by adding content from Paramount Pictures , Nickelodeon , BET , MTV , Comedy Central , and streaming service PlutoTV — as well as Showtime for those willing to pay extra , CNBC reports .
The question remains : why launch a new channel when the company has an existing service that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The merger that created ViacomCBS was announced in August .
Originally , execs suggested they ’ d bring the new Viacom content to the existing CBS All Access and Showtime platforms : “ Just think about adding content from Nickelodeon , BET , MTV , Comedy Central to CBS All Access , and Paramount movies to Showtime , ” said Joe Ianniello , now-chairman of ViacomCBS ’ s entertainment arm .
CBS All Access ’ subscriber numbers are well below its streaming competitors ’ CBS All Access had some modest early success with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new show Star Trek : Picard helped it set a new record for subscriber sign-ups in January .
But it ’ s also lagged its streaming competitors , if its self-reported 10 million subscriber figure ( which also includes Showtime ) is accurate .
Netflix reported 61 million US subscribers in its fourth quarter of 2019 ; Hulu had 29 million US subscribers in its fourth quarter , and even the newer Disney Plus already has more than 28 million subscribers .
If the $ 10 monthly price point is correct , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All Access , maybe ? )
on the higher end among streaming competitors , closer to Netflix ( $ 8.99 to $ 15.99 ) and HBO Now ( $ 14.99 ) than Hulu ( $ 5.99 with ads ) or Disney Plus ( $ 6.99 ) .
Nickelodeon ’ s biggest star might be unavailable for the new platform ’ s launch : Nick has a multi-year deal with Netflix believed to be worth around $ 200 million , including a new SpongeBob SquarePants project , and we ’ ve recently seen similar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platforms ( like Disney Plus ) at least temporarily .
ViacomCBS executives are expected to discuss the new streaming platform when the company announces fourth-quarter earnings on February 20th , CNBC reports .
And during that earnings report , the company is expected to reveal subscriber numbers and revenue figures for its existing streaming platforms for the first time .

The parent company of the $10-per-month CBS All Access streaming platform is reportedly about to launch... another $10-per-month streaming platform. For some reason, the newly merged ViacomCBS is planning a separate service that will “build on” CBS All Access by adding content from Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, BET, MTV, Comedy Central, and streaming service PlutoTV — as well as Showtime for those willing to pay extra, CNBC reports.
The question remains: why launch a new channel when the company has an existing service that’s just starting to gain some traction?
The merger that created ViacomCBS was announced in August. Originally, execs suggested they’d bring the new Viacom content to the existing CBS All Access and Showtime platforms: “Just think about adding content from Nickelodeon, BET, MTV, Comedy Central to CBS All Access, and Paramount movies to Showtime,” said Joe Ianniello, now-chairman of ViacomCBS’s entertainment arm.
CBS All Access’ subscriber numbers are well below its streaming competitors’
If the $10 monthly price point is correct, that would put the still-unnamed service (ViacomCBS All Access, maybe?) on the higher end among streaming competitors, closer to Netflix ($8.99 to $15.99) and HBO Now ($14.99) than Hulu ($5.99 with ads) or Disney Plus ($6.99).
Nickelodeon’s biggest star might be unavailable for the new platform’s launch: Nick has a multi-year deal with Netflix believed to be worth around $200 million, including a new SpongeBob SquarePants project, and we’ve recently seen similar pre-existing content deals keep shows off new platforms (like Disney Plus) at least temporarily.


theverge--2020-02-06--Tesla remotely disables Autopilot on used Model S after it was sold

Tesla has remotely disabled driver assistance features on a used Model S after it was sold to a customer , Jalopnik reports .
The company now claims that the owner of the car , who purchased it from a third-party dealer — a dealer who bought it at an auction held by Tesla itself — “ did not pay ” for the features and therefore is not eligible to use them .
The features were enabled when the dealer bought the car , and they were advertised as part of the package when the car was sold to its owner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that raises hard questions about the nature of over-the-air software updates as they relate to vehicles .
Tesla is claiming it can yank access to software features using OTA updates Cars sold with hardware-based upgrades , such as four-wheel drive versus all-wheel drive , or advanced adaptive cruise control , do not lose those features when they are resold on the used car market .
But because Tesla can update its vehicles remotely , the Model S and other Tesla vehicles can apparently lose key features .
Tesla did not immediately respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in question , who Jalopnik refers to as Alec , purchased the car last December .
The dealer bought the car a month earlier from a Tesla auction , with both “ Enhanced Autopilot ” and “ Full Self Driving Mode ” features intact , according to Jalopnik , which reviewed documents related to the car ’ s ownership and sale .
The dealer then listed the Model S , advertising both features .
However , unbeknownst to the dealer , Tesla had independently conducted a software “ audit ” of the car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ features in a December update .
The end result : when Alec picked up the car on December 20th , he did not have access to all its advertised features .
After contacting Tesla customer support , Alec was given the bad news : Tesla has recent identified instances of customers being incorrectly configured for Autopilot versions that they did not pay for .
Since , there was an audit done to correct these instances .
Your vehicle is one of the vehicles that was incorrectly configured for Autopilot .
We looked back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Driving was not a feature that you had paid for .
We apologize for the confusion .
If you are still interested in having those additional features we can begin the process to purchase the upgrade .
The value of the self-driving features that were supposed to remain active in the Model S comes out to about $ 8,000 .
Alec paid for the car under the assumption that the features were bundled into the car ’ s price .
Tesla now says Alec has to pay the company for the features to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ car ’ s built-in features , even ones that may depend on software , it ’ s reasonable to think a technician or mechanic would need to physically access the car to remove it .
Even with a technology product like a laptop or smartphone , updates generally can ’ t be forcibly rolled back without the consent of the owner — unless the device has special IT software installed .
In those cases , the company generally owns the device or has the owner sign a legal agreement anyhow .
Tesla ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This kind of control by a carmaker wasn ’ t possible until recently , and Alec ’ s situation raises questions about what used car owners can expect in the future .

Tesla has remotely disabled driver assistance features on a used Model S after it was sold to a customer, Jalopnik reports. The company now claims that the owner of the car, who purchased it from a third-party dealer — a dealer who bought it at an auction held by Tesla itself — “did not pay” for the features and therefore is not eligible to use them.
The features were enabled when the dealer bought the car, and they were advertised as part of the package when the car was sold to its owner. It’s a peculiar situation that raises hard questions about the nature of over-the-air software updates as they relate to vehicles.
Tesla is claiming it can yank access to software features using OTA updates
Cars sold with hardware-based upgrades, such as four-wheel drive versus all-wheel drive, or advanced adaptive cruise control, do not lose those features when they are resold on the used car market. But because Tesla can update its vehicles remotely, the Model S and other Tesla vehicles can apparently lose key features. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The owner in question, who Jalopnik refers to as Alec, purchased the car last December. The dealer bought the car a month earlier from a Tesla auction, with both “Enhanced Autopilot” and “Full Self Driving Mode” features intact, according to Jalopnik, which reviewed documents related to the car’s ownership and sale.
The dealer then listed the Model S, advertising both features. However, unbeknownst to the dealer, Tesla had independently conducted a software “audit” of the car after selling it, and disabled those features in a December update. The end result: when Alec picked up the car on December 20th, he did not have access to all its advertised features.
After contacting Tesla customer support, Alec was given the bad news:
Tesla has recent identified instances of customers being incorrectly configured for Autopilot versions that they did not pay for. Since, there was an audit done to correct these instances. Your vehicle is one of the vehicles that was incorrectly configured for Autopilot. We looked back at your purchase history and unfortunately Full-Self Driving was not a feature that you had paid for. We apologize for the confusion. If you are still interested in having those additional features we can begin the process to purchase the upgrade.
The value of the self-driving features that were supposed to remain active in the Model S comes out to about $8,000. Alec paid for the car under the assumption that the features were bundled into the car’s price. Tesla now says Alec has to pay the company for the features to get them re-enabled.
With a normal car’s built-in features, even ones that may depend on software, it’s reasonable to think a technician or mechanic would need to physically access the car to remove it. Even with a technology product like a laptop or smartphone, updates generally can’t be forcibly rolled back without the consent of the owner — unless the device has special IT software installed. In those cases, the company generally owns the device or has the owner sign a legal agreement anyhow.


theverge--2020-02-07--The NFL account hijackers just compromised Facebook’s Twitter and Instagram accounts

Several of Facebook ’ s Twitter and Instagram accounts were hijacked this evening , and the group taking credit is the same one that said it hacked NFL and ESPN social media accounts last week .
The hijacked accounts had returned to normal in less than 30 minutes .
A group calling itself OurMine made multiple posts on Facebook ’ s Twitter account , as well as on its separate Messenger account .
The Verge has observed the same tweet posted multiple times before being quickly deleted .
Here is what the tweet looked like on the official Facebook Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posted to the official Messenger handle on Twitter : You can see how quickly the hijackers ’ tweets were being deleted and posted again in this video by Jane Manchun Wong : In a statement , Twitter said that the hacking happened through a third-party platform : OurMine also appeared to hijack the official Facebook and Messenger Instagram accounts : To be clear , what OurMine claimed in its posts is a little misleading .
Facebook itself is not being hacked here , and it doesn ’ t appear that Twitter is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been sent by a third-party service called Khoros , which is what was also used to send the hijacked tweets from the NFL accounts .
Khoros can also publish posts on Instagram .
Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
OurMine has also taken credit for hacking social media accounts owned by Mark Zuckerberg , Jack Dorsey , Sundar Pichai , and HBO in the past , though until it took credit for the NFL and ESPN hacks in January , there hadn ’ t been a reported hack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person who appeared to be connected to OurMine told NBC News in January that OurMine stopped work in 2017 “ due to some issues ” but that the group is now back .

Several of Facebook’s Twitter and Instagram accounts were hijacked this evening, and the group taking credit is the same one that said it hacked NFL and ESPN social media accounts last week. The hijacked accounts had returned to normal in less than 30 minutes.
A group calling itself OurMine made multiple posts on Facebook’s Twitter account, as well as on its separate Messenger account. The Verge has observed the same tweet posted multiple times before being quickly deleted. Here is what the tweet looked like on the official Facebook Twitter account:
The same message was also posted to the official Messenger handle on Twitter:
You can see how quickly the hijackers’ tweets were being deleted and posted again in this video by Jane Manchun Wong:
In a statement, Twitter said that the hacking happened through a third-party platform:
Confirming the account was hacked through a third-party platform. As soon as we were made aware of the issue, we locked the compromised account and are working closely with our partners at Facebook to restore them.
OurMine also appeared to hijack the official Facebook and Messenger Instagram accounts:
To be clear, what OurMine claimed in its posts is a little misleading. Facebook itself is not being hacked here, and it doesn’t appear that Twitter is, either. The tweets seem to have been sent by a third-party service called Khoros, which is what was also used to send the hijacked tweets from the NFL accounts. Khoros can also publish posts on Instagram.
Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


theverge--2020-02-07--DOJ drops antitrust probe into automakers that want cleaner cars

The Department of Justice has closed an antitrust investigation into Ford , Volkswagen , Honda , and BMW over a vehicle emissions deal with California that reportedly “ enraged ” President Trump , The New York Times reports .
The DOJ ultimately came to the conclusion that no laws were violated , the report states .
Trump has spent almost his entire presidency unsuccessfully trying to roll back Obama-era standards meant to increase the average fuel economy of automakers ’ fleets , thereby making them better for the environment .
He has since reportedly capitulated , and is now aiming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a full rollback .
The DOJ opened the probe last September a few months after the four automakers struck a deal with California to develop cars that are cleaner than what Trump wants , a move that was viewed as a rebuke to the president ’ s rollback attempt .
“ These trumped up charges were always a sham – a blatant attempt by the Trump administration to prevent more automakers from joining California and agreeing to stronger emissions standards , ” California governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loss for the President and his weaponization of federal agencies – and a victory for anyone who cares about the rule of law and clean air.
” “ These trumped up charges were always a sham.
” The Department of Justice and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment .
Major automaker executives lobbied Trump to relax the Obama-era rule during his earliest days in office , but Trump wound up taking things farther than they reportedly wanted .
Instead of easing the rule , Trump initially wanted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 onward ( before he agreed to modest gains ) .
Rolling back the Obama-era rule in any capacity would likely mean California — which has a waiver under the Clean Air Act to set its own emissions standards — would wind up with higher targets than the ones at the federal level , possibly causing chaos in the market .
The automakers spent the first two years of Trump ’ s presidency largely not taking sides while the administration drafted a replacement rule .
They said they believed one federal standard was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not want a full rollback of the Obama-era rule .
It never seemed to matter to them that these desires didn ’ t square ; after all , the Obama-era rule is still in place , meaning one national standard for emissions currently exists and is only threatened by Trump himself .
Ultimately , California convinced Ford , VW , Honda , and BMW last July to commit to standards that are similar to the ones laid out by Obama .
This helped bolster against Trump ’ s rollback , as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s lead when it comes to clean air standards .
The state did not try to court other automakers that have more closely aligned with the Trump administration , according to a recent Wall Street Journal report , out of fear that they would expose the deal .
One month after the DOJ opened its investigation , General Motors , Toyota , and Fiat Chrysler backed Trump ’ s attempted rollback .

The Department of Justice has closed an antitrust investigation into Ford, Volkswagen, Honda, and BMW over a vehicle emissions deal with California that reportedly “enraged” President Trump, The New York Times reports. The DOJ ultimately came to the conclusion that no laws were violated, the report states.
Trump has spent almost his entire presidency unsuccessfully trying to roll back Obama-era standards meant to increase the average fuel economy of automakers’ fleets, thereby making them better for the environment. He has since reportedly capitulated, and is now aiming for modest increases in fuel economy instead of a full rollback. The DOJ opened the probe last September a few months after the four automakers struck a deal with California to develop cars that are cleaner than what Trump wants, a move that was viewed as a rebuke to the president’s rollback attempt.
“These trumped up charges were always a sham – a blatant attempt by the Trump administration to prevent more automakers from joining California and agreeing to stronger emissions standards,” California governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement about the news. “This is a big loss for the President and his weaponization of federal agencies – and a victory for anyone who cares about the rule of law and clean air.”
“These trumped up charges were always a sham.”
The Department of Justice and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Major automaker executives lobbied Trump to relax the Obama-era rule during his earliest days in office, but Trump wound up taking things farther than they reportedly wanted. Instead of easing the rule, Trump initially wanted to freeze the gains in fuel economy from 2020 onward (before he agreed to modest gains). Rolling back the Obama-era rule in any capacity would likely mean California — which has a waiver under the Clean Air Act to set its own emissions standards — would wind up with higher targets than the ones at the federal level, possibly causing chaos in the market.
The automakers spent the first two years of Trump’s presidency largely not taking sides while the administration drafted a replacement rule. They said they believed one federal standard was the best solution, but that they did not want a full rollback of the Obama-era rule. It never seemed to matter to them that these desires didn’t square; after all, the Obama-era rule is still in place, meaning one national standard for emissions currently exists and is only threatened by Trump himself.


theverge--2020-02-07--As platforms get better at detecting child abuse videos, they’re finding more of them

More than 41 million videos of child sexual abuse were reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2019 , partly because the videos have become easier for technology platforms like Facebook and Snapchat to detect , The New York Times reports .
Just five years ago , the number of videos reported was less than 350,000 .
A record-breaking 70 million total images and videos were reported to the center last year ; many of them were reported more than once across multiple platforms as users shared the illegal content .
Facebook reported almost 60 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states , based on some 15.9 million reports .
Facebook tells The Verge that not all of that content is considered “ violating ” and that only about 29.2 million met that criteria .
Google reported 3.5 million total videos and photos in about 449,000 reports , and Imgur reported 260,000 photos and videos based on about 74,000 reports .
It ’ s worth noting that the number of reports and the number of actual images discovered weren ’ t always proportional .
For instance , Dropbox only made about 5,000 reports in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photos and videos , according to the Times .
Apple was apparently one of the lower-reporting big companies , tipping 3,000 images and no videos .
And Amazon was almost entirely absent from the list .
It makes sense that Facebook would have the highest number of reports ; it ’ s the largest social media platform with more than 2.3 billion users .
And last August , Facebook open-sourced the algorithms it uses to identify child sexual exploitation and other graphic content on its platform , so it could remove such content @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a role in its much higher number .
So even though it ’ s number one on this list , that may be because it ’ s actively doing more to find this content .
“ The size and expertise of our team , together with our sophisticated technology , have made us industry leaders in detecting , removing and reporting these images , and thwarting people from sharing them , ” Antigone Davis , Facebook global head of safety said in a emailed statement to The Verge , adding that the company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solutions to keep more children safe.
” But even with better detection of video content , it ’ s still not possible to fully map the problem of online videos of child sexual abuse .
As the Times notes , some cloud storage services , including Amazon , don ’ t scan for illegal content .
And content on Apple ’ s messaging app is encrypted , so Apple can ’ t scan it to find illegal material .
Privacy is at the heart of a debate over how to detect and remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ users .
Facebook is considering moving toward encryption , but taking a lot of flak for it for it .
And a draft bill to create a National Commission on Online Child Exploitation Prevention would reduce legal protections for websites while establishing rules for detecting and removing content that exploits children — potentially including limits on encryption .

More than 41 million videos of child sexual abuse were reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2019, partly because the videos have become easier for technology platforms like Facebook and Snapchat to detect, The New York Times reports. Just five years ago, the number of videos reported was less than 350,000. A record-breaking 70 million total images and videos were reported to the center last year; many of them were reported more than once across multiple platforms as users shared the illegal content.
Facebook reported almost 60 million photos and videos, the Times report states, based on some 15.9 million reports. Facebook tells The Verge that not all of that content is considered “violating” and that only about 29.2 million met that criteria.
Google reported 3.5 million total videos and photos in about 449,000 reports, and Imgur reported 260,000 photos and videos based on about 74,000 reports. It’s worth noting that the number of reports and the number of actual images discovered weren’t always proportional. For instance, Dropbox only made about 5,000 reports in 2019, but found more than 250,000 photos and videos, according to the Times. Apple was apparently one of the lower-reporting big companies, tipping 3,000 images and no videos. And Amazon was almost entirely absent from the list.
It makes sense that Facebook would have the highest number of reports; it’s the largest social media platform with more than 2.3 billion users. And last August, Facebook open-sourced the algorithms it uses to identify child sexual exploitation and other graphic content on its platform, so it could remove such content more quickly, which may have played a role in its much higher number. So even though it’s number one on this list, that may be because it’s actively doing more to find this content.
“The size and expertise of our team, together with our sophisticated technology, have made us industry leaders in detecting, removing and reporting these images, and thwarting people from sharing them,” Antigone Davis, Facebook global head of safety said in a emailed statement to The Verge, adding that the company “would continue to develop the best solutions to keep more children safe.”
But even with better detection of video content, it’s still not possible to fully map the problem of online videos of child sexual abuse. As the Times notes, some cloud storage services, including Amazon, don’t scan for illegal content. And content on Apple’s messaging app is encrypted, so Apple can’t scan it to find illegal material.
Privacy is at the heart of a debate over how to detect and remove this content without introducing unnecessary friction for users. Facebook is considering moving toward encryption, but taking a lot of flak for it for it. And a draft bill to create a National Commission on Online Child Exploitation Prevention would reduce legal protections for websites while establishing rules for detecting and removing content that exploits children — potentially including limits on encryption.


theverge--2020-02-07--Tesla Cybertruck replaces DeLorean in ‘Back to the Future’ mashup

I expected to hate this video — it recreates a key Back to the Future scene , replacing the iconic DeLorean with a Tesla Cybertruck .
Then I watched it .
It ’ s actually sort of cute and really well done .
A team from Toronto-based Fort York VFX created the 52-second video , which reimagines the scene where Doc Brown first tests the time machine he has built .
In the original , of course , Doc uses a DeLorean — but instead , we see Elon Musk ’ s blocky truck as the vehicle that will whisk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per hour while being chased by Libyan terrorists in a mall parking lot .
Yes , I saw this movie in a theater .
What ’ s appealing about this mashup is that it doesn ’ t make fun of the original .
Rather , it feels like an homage , with a few winks at the audience : it lives on a YouTube channel whose username is Elon McFly , and the spinning license plate at the end reads “ LOL GAS ” ( the Cybertruck is electric ) .
And the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cybertruck would look like if Doc Brown got his hands on one .
The replacement video is pretty seamless , even in a shot that has Marty and Doc in the foreground with the car speeding toward them .
While my allegiance remains with the original , I can appreciate the narrative symmetry of having a vehicle built with “ the future ” in mind — one without an internal combustion engine — represented in this classic film about finding your way home .

I expected to hate this video — it recreates a key Back to the Future scene, replacing the iconic DeLorean with a Tesla Cybertruck. Then I watched it. It’s actually sort of cute and really well done.
A team from Toronto-based Fort York VFX created the 52-second video, which reimagines the scene where Doc Brown first tests the time machine he has built. In the original, of course, Doc uses a DeLorean — but instead, we see Elon Musk’s blocky truck as the vehicle that will whisk Marty back to 1955 at 88 miles per hour while being chased by Libyan terrorists in a mall parking lot. Yes, I saw this movie in a theater.
What’s appealing about this mashup is that it doesn’t make fun of the original. Rather, it feels like an homage, with a few winks at the audience: it lives on a YouTube channel whose username is Elon McFly, and the spinning license plate at the end reads “LOL GAS” (the Cybertruck is electric). And the new time machine looks like what a Cybertruck would look like if Doc Brown got his hands on one.


theverge--2020-02-07--Cruise lines ban Chinese passport holders over coronavirus fears

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines are banning passengers from their cruise ships who hold passports from China , Hong Kong , or Macao “ until further notice ” because of the coronavirus outbreak , the companies announced Friday .
Norwegian tells The Verge it is also banning crew members who hold any of those passports .
In addition , Royal Caribbean says it won ’ t allow any guest or crew member on board one of its ships if they ’ ve traveled “ from , to , or through ” China , Hong Kong , or Macao in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nationality — or anyone who ’ s come in contact with someone who ’ s been to those places in the same time frame .
Carnival is reportedly following a similar guideline set out by the cruise industry ’ s trade group , but did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
Norwegian Cruise Lines is taking it even further , saying it won ’ t allow guests or crew members to board if they ’ ve traveled to those places in the last 30 days .
The news comes after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into coronavirus outbreaks or scares over the last few days , two of which were quarantined .
Multiple cruise ships have had coronavirus outbreaks or scares this week Early Friday , 27 Chinese nationals were screened for the virus on one of Royal Caribbean ’ s ships , the Anthem of the Seas , following docking in New Jersey .
Four of those passengers were sent to a local hospital for closer observation , though no cases of the coronavirus were confirmed .
The Anthem of the Seas was supposed to set off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but that has now been delayed ; Royal Caribbean is offering passengers on that trip “ a 1-day refund in the form of an onboard credit ” plus “ a pro-rated credit ” if passengers “ pre-purchased any packages such as , beverage , internet , or dining.
” Both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line did not immediately respond to questions about what they are doing for customers who ’ ve been banned but had previously scheduled travel .
Anthem of the Seas passengers have so far fared better than those on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is currently quarantined until February 19th off the coast of Yokohama , Japan after 61 cases of the new coronavirus were confirmed .
A third ship , owned by the tourism arm of Malaysian conglomerate Genting , is currently quarantined outside Hong Kong after at least eight coronavirus cases were confirmed .
There have been over 30,000 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus since the outbreak began in late January , with the majority in China .
At least 638 of those people have died , while over 1,700 people have recovered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began , the US government has tried to both limit travel to China and set up screenings and quarantines to reduce the chance of admitting any more contagious people into the country .
The US State Department initially warned Americans not to travel to China , and told citizens who are already there to “ consider departing using commercial means.
” US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar has since declared a public health emergency , and the government started diverting flights from China to the US to seven airports for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move with a proclamation that any foreign national who tries to enter the US within 14 days of having traveled to China will be turned away .
In turn , all of the major US airlines that operate routes to and from China have suspended those flights , as have a number of international airlines like Lufthansa and Air Canada .
None of those airlines went as far as denying travel to China , Hong Kong , or Macao passport holders before suspending their flights .
But airlines also operate in a far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines , meanwhile , collectively make up more than 30 percent of the overall global cruise ship market , behind only Carnival , and are therefore in a far more powerful position to take such drastic steps .

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines are banning passengers from their cruise ships who hold passports from China, Hong Kong, or Macao “until further notice” because of the coronavirus outbreak, the companies announced Friday. Norwegian tells The Verge it is also banning crew members who hold any of those passports.
In addition, Royal Caribbean says it won’t allow any guest or crew member on board one of its ships if they’ve traveled “from, to, or through” China, Hong Kong, or Macao in the last 15 days, regardless of nationality — or anyone who’s come in contact with someone who’s been to those places in the same time frame. Carnival is reportedly following a similar guideline set out by the cruise industry’s trade group, but said after this article was published that it is not banning the passport holders.
Norwegian Cruise Lines is taking it even further, saying it won’t allow guests or crew members to board if they’ve traveled to those places in the last 30 days. Only Carnival said that it is offering a full refund to affected passengers who have already booked travel; Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean did not respond to questions about whether they are offering customers any sort of restitution.
The news comes after at least three cruise ships have run into coronavirus outbreaks or scares over the last few days, two of which were quarantined.
Multiple cruise ships have had coronavirus outbreaks or scares this week
Early Friday, 27 Chinese nationals were screened for the virus on one of Royal Caribbean’s ships, the Anthem of the Seas, following docking in New Jersey. Four of those passengers were sent to a local hospital for closer observation, though no cases of the coronavirus were confirmed.
The Anthem of the Seas was supposed to set off on a new trip on Saturday, but that has now been delayed; Royal Caribbean is offering passengers on that trip “a 1-day refund in the form of an onboard credit” plus “a pro-rated credit” if passengers “pre-purchased any packages such as, beverage, internet, or dining.” Both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line did not immediately respond to questions about what they are doing for customers who’ve been banned but had previously scheduled travel.
Related Everything you need to know about the coronavirus from China
Anthem of the Seas passengers have so far fared better than those on Carnival’s Diamond Princess ship, which is currently quarantined until February 19th off the coast of Yokohama, Japan after 61 cases of the new coronavirus were confirmed. A third ship, owned by the tourism arm of Malaysian conglomerate Genting, is currently quarantined outside Hong Kong after at least eight coronavirus cases were confirmed.
There have been over 30,000 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus since the outbreak began in late January, with the majority in China. At least 638 of those people have died, while over 1,700 people have recovered.
In the weeks since the outbreak began, the US government has tried to both limit travel to China and set up screenings and quarantines to reduce the chance of admitting any more contagious people into the country. The US State Department initially warned Americans not to travel to China, and told citizens who are already there to “consider departing using commercial means.”
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US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar has since declared a public health emergency, and the government started diverting flights from China to the US to seven airports for advanced screening. President Trump followed that move with a proclamation that any foreign national who tries to enter the US within 14 days of having traveled to China will be turned away.
In turn, all of the major US airlines that operate routes to and from China have suspended those flights, as have a number of international airlines like Lufthansa and Air Canada.
None of those airlines went as far as denying travel to China, Hong Kong, or Macao passport holders before suspending their flights. But airlines also operate in a far more diverse and competitive global market. Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines, meanwhile, collectively make up more than 30 percent of the overall global cruise ship market, behind only Carnival, and are therefore in a far more powerful position to take such drastic steps.


theverge--2020-02-07--All the ways China’s coronavirus outbreak is affecting tech

The tech sector is currently feeling the impact of the coronavirus , with companies closing offices , stores , and factories in China as well as restricting employees from nonessential travels to the country .
The closures , which were initially expected to last through the Lunar New Year holiday week in late January , have now extended to February 10th , though it is still unclear whether most companies will be back up and running by Monday .
Multitudes of short and long-term effects are anticipated , from postponed events to companies potentially missing a holiday launch target due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a look at how the coronavirus has already affected the industry .
Earlier this month , major tech companies announced they would temporarily shut down all corporate offices , manufacturing factories , and retail stores across China .
These companies include Apple , Samsung , Microsoft , Tesla , and Google .
( Google has also closed offices in nearby Hong Kong and Taiwan . )
Most of the closures were expected to last until Sunday February 9th , though some companies did not specify when exactly the offices would reopen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Deirdre O ’ Brien , wrote in an internal email that offices and contact centers are expected to open “ next week , ” while retail stores ’ reopenings are still being determined .
“ Additional cleaning , health protocols and local restrictions around public spaces will factor into this decision , ” she wrote .
But it sounds like “ next week ” might mean as late as February 15th for many stores , according to Bloomberg .
Amazon has not yet announced office closures in Beijing , Shenzhen , Shanghai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have an office in Wuhan , where the virus is believed to have originated ) , but is requiring employees to get approval for any essential travels to China .
Employees who are traveling in and out of China are also advised to work from home for a period of 14 days before returning to the office .
While Facebook does not have offices in China , it also warned employees against nonessential travels to the country .
LG and Razer have also advised similarly .
Whether travelers can even get to China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 50 airlines worldwide have now suspended flights in and out of the country .
As many products are manufactured in China ( or use parts from Chinese vendors ) , experts are also warning customers to expect shortages for various smartphones , VR headsets , cars , and other tech accessories .
The Foxconn and Pegatron closures in China , for example , are expected to potentially delay iPhones and AirPods production as factory workers are unable to resume work .
( The two manufacturing plants are responsible for nearly all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Facebook has also stopped taking new orders for its latest Oculus Quest VR headset , citing the outbreak for the delay .
“ [ Like ] other companies we ’ re expecting some additional impact to our hardware production due to the Coronavirus .
We ’ re taking precautions to ensure the safety of our employees , manufacturing partners and customers , and are monitoring the situation closely .
We are working to restore availability as soon as possible , ” the company said in a statement to Android Central .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the holiday season ; retailers had initially said the headset would be available again in early February , but the date has been pushed back to as late as March 10th for the 64GB version .
For fans of the niche gaming ROG Phone II , Asus has also warned customers that the device won ’ t be available again until further notice due to the coronavirus .
Due to factory closures , Tesla is also citing the coronavirus for postponed Model 3 deliveries , though the company said it only anticipates a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Other Chinese brands that expect to see production delays include Oppo , Xiaomi , Lenovo , and Huawei , according to the South China Morning Post .
“ Companies which rely on components from Hubei will be the most impacted , such as Lenovo , ” Nicole Peng , mobile analyst at Canalys , said .
“ For companies like Huawei , whose operations are in Guangdong , the situation is less severe , although no company right now will be able to resume factory operations at 100 percent capacity.
” Similarly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were expected to ship in early February have now been delayed due to the virus .
These include the Nintendo Switch console , games , and accessories , including the much-adored Animal Crossing edition ( that one is specifically delayed in Japan ) , Ring Fit Adventure , and The Outer Worlds .
Multiple tech companies have also withdrawn their attendances for the upcoming Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona .
LG Electronics , ZTE , and Ericsson have all pulled out of the event citing potential risks for further disease outbreaks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus ’ status to a global health emergency , it hasn ’ t necessarily recommended canceling global conferences like MWC .
“ There is no evidence at present to suggest that there is community spread in Europe , so WHO / Europe is not currently requesting that large gatherings are cancelled , ” a WHO spokesperson said .
Huawei , which was expected to host a developers ’ conference next week , has also postponed its event until the end of March .
Week two of a major League of Legends tournament @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 26th , with no updates from the pro league ’ s Twitter account since .
Similarly , Blizzard has announced that Overwatch League matches in February and March have been canceled , while the FIA has scrapped plans for an upcoming Formula E race that was slated to take place in late March .
As of Thursday evening , the coronavirus death toll has risen to 638 while more than 31,000 people have been infected worldwide .
As the situation appears to worsen , it ’ s unclear just what Monday will look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period lifts — and how long it will take for the country to recover from the impact of these closures .

The tech sector is currently feeling the impact of the coronavirus, with companies closing offices, stores, and factories in China as well as restricting employees from nonessential travels to the country. The closures, which were initially expected to last through the Lunar New Year holiday week in late January, were soon extended to February 10th. Officials in some provinces and districts are now telling companies not to reopen until March 1st.
Multitudes of short- and long-term effects are anticipated, from postponed events to companies potentially missing a holiday launch target due to the nationwide office closures. Here’s a look at how the coronavirus has already affected the industry.
Related Everything you need to know about the coronavirus from China
Store closures
Earlier this month, major tech companies announced they would temporarily shut down all corporate offices, manufacturing factories, and retail stores across China. These companies include Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, Tesla, and Google. (Google has also closed offices in nearby Hong Kong and Taiwan.) Most of the closures were expected to last until Sunday, February 9th, though some companies did not specify when exactly the offices would reopen.
Apple’s head of people, Deirdre O’Brien, wrote in an internal email on February 7th that offices and contact centers were expected to open the week of February 10th, while retail stores’ reopenings were still being determined. “Additional cleaning, health protocols and local restrictions around public spaces will factor into this decision,” she wrote. At the time, it was thought that could have been as late as February 15th for many stores, according to Bloomberg. We’re past that date, and Apple is still being cautious about store reopenings; in a rare investor update published on February 17th, Apple said it is “gradually reopening our retail stores and will continue to do so as steadily and safely as we can.” The company did say that its corporate offices and contact centers in China are open.
Amazon has not yet announced office closures in Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, or Guangzhou (it does not have an office in Wuhan where the virus originated), but it is requiring employees to get approval for any essential travels to China. Employees who are traveling in and out of China are also advised to work from home for a period of 14 days before returning to the office.
While Facebook does not have offices in China, it also warned employees against nonessential travels to the country. LG and Razer have also advised similarly. Whether travelers can even get to China is a whole other issue, as more than 50 airlines worldwide have now suspended flights in and out of the country.
Production shortages and launch delays
As many products are manufactured in China (or use parts from Chinese vendors), experts are also warning customers to expect shortages for various smartphones, VR headsets, cars, and other tech accessories. The Foxconn and Pegatron closures in China, for example, are expected to potentially delay iPhones and AirPods production as factory workers are unable to resume work.
On Saturday, February 8th, the Nikkei Asian Review reported that China is blocking Foxconn from reopening its Shenzhen plant given the working and living conditions at that factory and that Foxconn had independently decided to keep its Zhengzhou plant closed pending government review. The Zhengzhou factory, aka, “iPhone city,” is where the bulk of the world’s iPhones are assembled. Bloomberg says that Zhengzhou might resume limited production the week of February 10th, but with a small number of workers who didn’t travel home for the New Year.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Facebook has also stopped taking new orders for its latest Oculus Quest VR headset, citing the outbreak for the delay. “[Like] other companies we’re expecting some additional impact to our hardware production due to the Coronavirus. We’re taking precautions to ensure the safety of our employees, manufacturing partners and customers, and are monitoring the situation closely. We are working to restore availability as soon as possible,” the company said in a statement to Android Central.
The Quest had been on backorder since around the holiday season; retailers had initially said the headset would be available again in early February, but the date has been pushed back to as late as March 10th for the 64GB version.
For fans of the niche gaming ROG Phone II, Asus has also warned customers that the device won’t be available again until further notice due to the coronavirus.
Due to factory closures, Tesla is also citing the coronavirus for postponed Model 3 deliveries, though the company said it only anticipates a “one to one-and-a-half week” delay. It planned to resume production at its Shanghai factory on Monday, February 10th.
Other Chinese brands that expect to see production delays include Oppo, Xiaomi, Lenovo, and Huawei, according to the South China Morning Post. “Companies which rely on components from Hubei will be the most impacted, such as Lenovo,” Nicole Peng, mobile analyst at Canalys, said. “For companies like Huawei, whose operations are in Guangdong, the situation is less severe, although no company right now will be able to resume factory operations at 100 percent capacity.”
Image: Nintendo
Similarly, products across the tech sector that were expected to ship in early February have now been delayed due to the virus. These include the Nintendo Switch console, games, and accessories, including the much-adored Animal Crossing edition (that one is specifically delayed in Japan), Ring Fit Adventure, and The Outer Worlds.
In its February 17th investor update, Apple also warned that revenue will be lower than expected because of coronavirus’ impact on iPhone supply and reduced retail traffic in China. The company did say that its iPhone manufacturing sites have reopened but that they are “ramping up more slowly than we had anticipated.”
Event shake-ups
After multiple tech companies either partially or fully pulled out of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) conference in Barcelona due to coronavirus concerns — including Sony, Amazon, Nvidia, LG Electronics, ZTE, and Ericsson — the GSM Association, which organizes MWC, canceled the show.
Some game developers are limiting their event travel as well. PlayStation, Oculus, and Facebook Gaming have pulled out of the Game Developers Conference, and Sony also announced it would be skipping Pax East.
While the World Health Organization has upgraded the coronavirus’ status to a global health emergency, it hasn’t necessarily recommended canceling global conferences like MWC. “There is no evidence at present to suggest that there is community spread in Europe, so WHO / Europe is not currently requesting that large gatherings are cancelled,” a WHO spokesperson said.
Huawei, which was expected to host a developer conference in February, has also postponed its event until the end of March. Week two of a major League of Legends tournament has also been indefinitely delayed since January 26th, but the league said it would be hosting online scrimmages starting on February 26th.
Similarly, Blizzard has announced that Overwatch League matches in February and March have been canceled, while the FIA has scrapped plans for an upcoming Formula E race that was slated to take place in late March. PUBG’s April global qualifier event set in Berlin has also been postponed until further notice.
The coronavirus death toll has risen to more than 2,200 while more than 76,700 people have been infected worldwide, as reported on this WHO map.
Update February 9th, 2:55AM ET: Added a report that Foxconn will be keeping two major plants in China closed for the time being, and that Nvidia will also no longer be attending MWC 2020.
Update February 10th, 10:50AM ET: Added additional details of MWC event withdrawals, resumption of Tesla production, and PUGB event cancellation.


theverge--2020-02-07--Twitter was broken, and it was great

Twitter was broken, and it was great

For a brief moment of bliss on Friday , you couldn ’ t tweet on Twitter .
On DownDetector , the service showed a spike in problems over the last hour or so .
Tweets sent bounced right back ; retweets were also limited .
But there was still a secret way to tweet : members of The Verge , as well as other news organizations and avid Twitter users , discovered that scheduling tweets let you successfully get your message out there .
( You likely needed to use Twitter ’ s web app — hit the three little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TweetDeck . )
It ’ s unclear what the cause was , but a Twitter PM said the company was working on it : Twitter ’ s status page said it ’ s “ a possible system irregularity currently affecting all data products and real time APIs.
” Twitter tells The Verge , “ We made a change and some mistakes were in the code .
To fix it , we undid the change.
” The company also pointed us to a Twitter Support announcement about the fix , which appears to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While my co-workers complain about not being able to tweet , it ’ s worth asking if anyone truly needs to .
A Twitter without retweets or hot takes ?
Sounds kind of nice , actually .

For a brief moment of bliss on Friday, you couldn’t tweet on Twitter. On DownDetector, the service showed a spike in problems over the last hour or so. Tweets sent bounced right back; retweets were also limited.
But there was still a secret way to tweet: members of The Verge, as well as other news organizations and avid Twitter users, discovered that scheduling tweets let you successfully get your message out there. (You likely needed to use Twitter’s web app — hit the three little dots underneath the tweet box — or TweetDeck.)
It’s unclear what the cause was, but a Twitter PM said the company was working on it:
Twitter’s status page said it’s “a possible system irregularity currently affecting all data products and real time APIs.”
Twitter tells The Verge, “We made a change and some mistakes were in the code. To fix it, we undid the change.” The company also pointed us to a Twitter Support announcement about the fix, which appears to have gone out shortly after 5PM ET:
While my co-workers complain about not being able to tweet, it’s worth asking if anyone truly needs to. A Twitter without retweets or hot takes? Sounds kind of nice, actually.
Update February 7th, 4:54 PM ET: Added info from Twitter’s status page.


theverge--2020-02-07--Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet is a comedy surprise you can’t miss

Video games are a hard thing to love .
The medium rarely translates well outside of its own little island — think of all the bad video game adaptations we ’ ve seen , or how “ video game ” is usually used as a shorthand for “ shallow ” when used to describe stories in other media .
Games culture does not advocate for itself terribly well .
So it ’ s natural , then , to cringe when you hear of a show like Mythic Quest : Raven ’ s Banquet , an Apple TV comedy about a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ World of Warcraft-esque online game .
Will it work out ?
Will people who know about games like it ?
Will people who don ’ t ?
Is it even funny ?
You get jaded .
But instead of another painful serving of Grandma ’ s Boy-style nonsense , Mythic Quest is legitimately good on its own merits , and one of the first big TV surprises of the year .
The nine-episode first season , now streaming on Apple TV Plus , follows Ian Grimm ( Rob McElhenney ) , creative director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mythic Quest , and his fellow developers as they prepare to release their first big expansion , Raven ’ s Banquet .
There ’ s Poppi ( Charlotte Nicdao ) , the lead developer ; Brad ( Danny Pudi ) , the sociopathic money guy ; C.W .
Longbottom ( F. Murray Abraham ) , the washed-up fantasy writer ; and David ( David Hornsby ) , the co-founder who tries to corral them all — which can be difficult because they all hate each other .
This is why Mythic Quest works @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know the first thing about video games .
It ’ s about a bunch of misanthropes working together , with comedy derived from the dark ways their toxic relationships push and pull each other around .
You don ’ t need to know how a studio works to recognize an office hierarchy when you see one , or an egomaniac boss , or a shitty coworker that skates on your hard work .
But it ’ s also very interested in video games , and it ’ s not overly concerned with making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them seriously .
In fact , the show is pretty unsparing .
The game studio is beholden to the opinions of a dirtbag teen streamer who rates video games on a five-butthole scale , labor is casually exploited , players are gleefully taken advantage of , and in one of the best episodes , it turns out Nazis really love the game they make .
What makes Mythic Quest so satisfying is how all of its comedy is steeped in character , not in how video games are inherently goofy or ridiculous ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , you can trace lines to the sort of comedies from which it ’ s descended .
It ’ s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the easiest connection , as co-creators Rob McElhenney , Charlie Day , and Megan Ganz all come from that show .
But there ’ s also a little bit of Community in how the small decisions characters make — adding a shovel to their game , opening up an in-game casino , introducing a big mystery to fans without having any idea what the answer is — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result in a farce on corporate sensitivity panels or the formation of a labor union .
A video game studio makes for a good workplace comedy in 2020 , and not because of the widespread industry sentiment about how it deserves its cultural due after years of economic dominance ( Don Draper has a response to that ) .
Instead , it ’ s the perfect place to get a clear look at what work is increasingly starting to look like now that the robber barons of tech have built their empires : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filthy rich , all feeding a digital beast that only exists to further its own existence .
Video game employees are the lucky ones .
They get to be exploited while contributing to something they ostensibly like .
Everyone else gets all the dysfunction and none of the snacks .

Video games are a hard thing to love. The medium rarely translates well outside of its own little island — think of all the bad video game adaptations we’ve seen, or how “video game” is usually used as a shorthand for “shallow” when used to describe stories in other media. Games culture does not advocate for itself terribly well. So it’s natural, then, to cringe when you hear of a show like Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, an Apple TV comedy about a fictional video game studio that produces a World of Warcraft-esque online game. Will it work out? Will people who know about games like it? Will people who don’t? Is it even funny? You get jaded. But instead of another painful serving of Grandma’s Boy-style nonsense, Mythic Quest is legitimately good on its own merits, and one of the first big TV surprises of the year.
The nine-episode first season, now streaming on Apple TV Plus, follows Ian Grimm (Rob McElhenney), creative director of the wildly popular online role-playing game Mythic Quest, and his fellow developers as they prepare to release their first big expansion, Raven’s Banquet. There’s Poppi (Charlotte Nicdao), the lead developer; Brad (Danny Pudi), the sociopathic money guy; C.W. Longbottom (F. Murray Abraham), the washed-up fantasy writer; and David (David Hornsby), the co-founder who tries to corral them all — which can be difficult because they all hate each other.
This is why Mythic Quest works, even if you don’t know the first thing about video games. It’s about a bunch of misanthropes working together, with comedy derived from the dark ways their toxic relationships push and pull each other around. You don’t need to know how a studio works to recognize an office hierarchy when you see one, or an egomaniac boss, or a shitty coworker that skates on your hard work.
But it’s also very interested in video games, and it’s not overly concerned with making them look good or demanding anyone take them seriously. In fact, the show is pretty unsparing. The game studio is beholden to the opinions of a dirtbag teen streamer who rates video games on a five-butthole scale, labor is casually exploited, players are gleefully taken advantage of, and in one of the best episodes, it turns out Nazis really love the game they make.
What makes Mythic Quest so satisfying is how all of its comedy is steeped in character, not in how video games are inherently goofy or ridiculous (though they often are). Watching it, you can trace lines to the sort of comedies from which it’s descended. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the easiest connection, as co-creators Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Megan Ganz all come from that show. But there’s also a little bit of Community in how the small decisions characters make — adding a shovel to their game, opening up an in-game casino, introducing a big mystery to fans without having any idea what the answer is — spiral out into small hurricanes that can result in a farce on corporate sensitivity panels or the formation of a labor union.
A video game studio makes for a good workplace comedy in 2020, and not because of the widespread industry sentiment about how it deserves its cultural due after years of economic dominance (Don Draper has a response to that). Instead, it’s the perfect place to get a clear look at what work is increasingly starting to look like now that the robber barons of tech have built their empires: largely behind screens, mostly for the filthy rich, all feeding a digital beast that only exists to further its own existence.