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Rabu, 17 Juli 2019

The Morning After: Elon Musk's plan to plug a computer into your brain - Engadget

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Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Feel the need to work on your body? We have some expert advice on training gear that can help, with input from elite athletes who don't have time to waste. Of course, all that effort could be for naught once our brains meld with computers and we're living in a(nother) virtual world full-time -- and that's where Neuralink comes in.

What does it mean to be better, faster, stronger when money is no object?The tech elite athletes use

We asked five elite runners, all of whom are flush with sponsorship deals and prize money, on what they use to train, and how they protect their most important piece of equipment: their bodies.

It's like a sewing machine. Sort of.Elon Musk's Neuralink plans to install brain-computer interfaces in humans next year

Two years ago, we heard about Elon Musk investing heavily in Neuralink, a company dedicated to building a device that links human brains to computers. Now, it has unveiled the "threads" and other hardware that it says can actually do the job. So far it has been done in rats, and according to Musk, "a monkey has been able to control the computer with its brain."

Thanks to a robot carefully inserting the wires near groups of neurons, the hope is that not only will it assist patients in restoring things like movement or sight, but possibly help humanity keep pace with AI.

In other Elon Musk news.Tesla workers claim tape quick fixes during Model 3 production

A handful of employees who work in Tesla's open-air GA4 production tent told CNBC that they used electrical tape to quickly repair cracks on plastic brackets and housings and worked through extreme heat, cold and wild-fire smoke. A Tesla spokesperson said that the employees' reports were "misleading and do not reflect our manufacturing practices or what it's like to work at Tesla."

Evija.Lotus' all-electric hypercar fully charges in nine minutes

This Evija is the first Lotus with an electrified powertrain, capable of 1,973 HP. It's inspired by race cars inside and out, but one distinguishing feature has to do with a different kind of speed. If plugged into an 800kW charger (none exist, but you don't have $2.1 million to buy the car, anyway), it's theoretically capable of fully charging the battery in under ten minutes. Using the 350kW chargers you can actually find in some places, it would take 18 minutes and offer up to 270 miles of range.

Something for casual runners, marathoners and everyone in between.The best GPS running watches for 2019

Engadget editor-in-chief and volunteer running coach Dana Wollman: "I often get asked which GPS watch to buy. (People also ask what I'm wearing and the answer is: All of them. I am testing all of them.) Without further ado, I bring you capsule reviews of four running watches, each of which I ultimately recommend; none of which is perfect. There are at least two watches on this list I like so much I switch back and forth between them in my own training."

Uh-oh.Is the Netflix business model bad news for indie games?

A lot of details are up in the air when it comes to subscription deals in the coming gaming generation. Indie developers are at the forefront, negotiating their games away and hopefully getting plenty in return.

The show premiered two years ago.Netflix edits '13 Reasons Why' suicide scene

If you decide to rewatch the first season of 13 Reasons Why, don't expect to see the controversial three-minute-long scene showing Hanna taking her own life in graphic detail. Netflix and the team behind the show have decided to tone down that part of the episode ahead of the third season's debut, following advice from medical experts.

Ready for photographers and videographers.A closer look at Sony's A7R IV full-frame, 61-megapixel mirrorless camera

At an event in New York City, the company introduced its A7R IV, a full-frame mirrorless camera that comes with a whopping 61-megapixel Exmor R sensor. Sony says this new shooter is all about offering "medium-format-level" image quality in a package that's both compact and lightweight. The A7R IV is set to arrive in September for $3,500 (body only), while the ECM-B1M digital shotgun mic will be available at the same time for $350.

But wait, there's more...

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't Subscribe.

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https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/17/the-morning-after-neuralink/

2019-07-17 11:02:26Z
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EU opens Amazon antitrust investigation - The Verge

The EU’s Competition Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation into Amazon to investigate whether the company is using sales data to gain an unfair advantage over smaller sellers on the Marketplace platform. The Commission says it will look into Amazon’s agreements with marketplace sellers, as well as how Amazon uses data to choose which retailer to link to using the “Buy Box” on its site. The announcement comes on the same day that Amazon announced changes to its third-party seller service agreement in response to a separate antitrust investigation by German regulators.

“E-commerce has boosted retail competition and brought more choice and better prices,” said the EU’s Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager. “We need to ensure that large online platforms don’t eliminate these benefits through anti-competitive behavior. I have therefore decided to take a very close look at Amazon’s business practices and its dual role as marketplace and retailer, to assess its compliance with EU competition rules.”

Responding to the news, Amazon told The Verge that it “will cooperate fully with the European Commission and continue working hard to support businesses of all sizes and help them grow.”

It’s unclear how Amazon’s changes to its service agreement, also announced today, will affect the EU’s investigation. As part of the wide-ranging changes, Amazon agreed to give 30 days notice and a reason before removing sellers from its platform, and merchants will be able to take Amazon to court in their home countries, rather than being forced to do so in Luxembourg. After Amazon announced the changes, which are due to take effect in 30 days, German regulators agreed to drop their investigation.

Last September, European regulators announced that they were taking a preliminary look at Amazon’s data collection practices. “If you, as Amazon, get the data from the smaller merchants that you host, which can be of course completely legitimate because you can improve your service to these smaller merchants, do you then also use this data to do your own calculations?” Vestager said at the time.

The investigation is the latest, and potentially the last, antitrust action to have been opened by Vestager, who has served as the Competition Commissioner on the European Commission for the past five years. During her tenure, which is due to end in October, Vestager has fined almost all of the major tech giants, including Google, Qualcomm, and Facebook. Apple was also forced to pay back $15.4 billion in taxes, thanks to a ruling by Vestager. So far, Amazon has managed to avoid being fined by EU regulators, but that could all change as a result of this investigation.

Update July 17th, 7:45AM ET: Updated with statement from Amazon and details of its contract changes in response to German investigation.

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https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/17/20696214/amazon-european-union-antitrust-investigation-third-party-seller-marketplace

2019-07-17 11:00:58Z
CAIiEGT6RQAqc0SsTgrplc25q0AqFwgEKg4IACoGCAow3O8nMMqOBjCkztQD

EU says it will investigate Amazon over possible anti-competitive business practices - CNBC

EU Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager addresses a press conference on two state aid cases at the European Commission in Brussels on October 4, 2017.

Emmanuel Dunand | AFP | Getty Images

EU antitrust regulators will investigate Amazon to determine if the e-commerce giant's use of merchant data breaches competition rules, the European Commission said on Wednesday.

Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the EU opened a formal investigation to see if Amazon uses data from independent retailers who sell on the company's marketplace to its own advantage. The investigation centers on Amazon's "dual role" as both a retailer and a marketplace, Vestager said.

"Based on the Commission's preliminary fact-finding, Amazon appears to use competitively sensitive information – about marketplace sellers, their products and transactions on the marketplace," the regulator said in a statement.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, began questioning merchants about how Amazon collects their data last year. If the EU determines Amazon breached competition rules, it could fine the company up to 10% of global annual revenues.

In a statement, Amazon said: "We will cooperate fully with the European Commission and continue working hard to support businesses of all sizes and help them grow."

Amazon is facing increased regulatory scrutiny around the world. Earlier on Wednesday, Germany's antitrust watchdog said it had reached a deal with the e-commerce giant to overhaul its terms of service for third-party merchants. In a hearing of the House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust Tuesday, an Amazon executive said the company does not use data from third-party sellers to determine what new products to create.

The European Commission has previously conducted antitrust investigations into Alphabet's Google, imposing a total of $9.5 billion in fines since 2017.

Amazon shares traded flat in extended hours following the announcement of the EU investigation.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/17/eu-to-investigate-amazon-over-possible-anti-competitive-practices.html

2019-07-17 10:56:53Z
CAIiENW6z5_aPOXhAMTwRaDJDJ8qGQgEKhAIACoHCAow2Nb3CjDivdcCMIrzngY

EU says it will investigate Amazon over possible anti-competitive business practices - CNBC

EU Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager addresses a press conference on two state aid cases at the European Commission in Brussels on October 4, 2017.

Emmanuel Dunand | AFP | Getty Images

EU antitrust regulators will investigate Amazon to determine if the e-commerce giant's use of merchant data breaches competition rules, the European Commission said on Wednesday.

Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the EU opened a formal investigation to determine how Amazon uses data from independent retailers who sell on the company's marketplace. The investigation centers on Amazon's "dual role" as both a retailer and a marketplace, Vestager said.

In a statement, Amazon said: "We will cooperate fully with the European Commission and continue working hard to support businesses of all sizes and help them grow."

The European Commission has previously conducted antitrust investigations into Alphabet's Google, imposing a total of $9.5 billion in fines since 2017.

Amazon shares traded flat in extended hours following the announcement of the EU investigation.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/17/eu-to-investigate-amazon-over-possible-anti-competitive-practices.html

2019-07-17 09:53:18Z
CAIiENW6z5_aPOXhAMTwRaDJDJ8qGQgEKhAIACoHCAow2Nb3CjDivdcCMIrzngY

EU says it will investigate Amazon over possible anti-competitive business practices - CNBC

EU Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager addresses a press conference on two state aid cases at the European Commission in Brussels on October 4, 2017.

Emmanuel Dunand | AFP | Getty Images

EU antitrust regulators will investigate Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, to see if its use of other merchants' data breaches competition rules, the European Commission said on Wednesday.

In a statement, Amazon said: "We will cooperate fully with the European Commission and continue working hard to support businesses of all sizes and help them grow."

This is a breaking news story, please check back later for more.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/17/eu-to-investigate-amazon-over-possible-anti-competitive-practices.html

2019-07-17 09:50:05Z
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Facebook Grilled By Senators Over 'Crazy' Cryptocurrency Plans. It Did Not Go Well. - HuffPost

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https://www.huffpost.com/entry/facebook-cryptocurrency-libra-senators-crazy_n_5d2e8485e4b085eda5a396a7

2019-07-17 04:41:00Z
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Selasa, 16 Juli 2019

Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency attacked at Senate hearing - BBC News

Facebook's plan for a cryptocurrency has come under further attack at a US hearing, with politicians calling the company "delusional" and not trusted.

The Senate Banking Committee is quizzing Facebook executive David Marcus over the tech giant's intention to launch its Libra digital currency.

The company had showed "through scandal after scandal that it doesn't deserve our trust", said senator Sherrod Brown.

Facebook was told to clean up its house before launching a new business model.

The company announced last month plans to launch a digital currency, possibly next year, but first needs to get Washington lawmakers on its side.

But since it unveiled the plan, critics have lined up to voice scepticism, including US president Donald Trump.

Mr Brown, a Democrat, told the hearing: "We'd be crazy to give them a chance to let them experiment with people's bank accounts." He thought it was "delusional" to think individuals would trust the social media company with their "hard-earned" money.

Other senators shared her concerns. "I don't trust you guys," said Republican senator Martha McSally. "Instead of cleaning up your house you are launching into a new business model."

Mr Marcus, who was president of PayPal from 2012 to 2014, tried to assuage concerns in his opening remarks by promising that Facebook will not begin offering Libra until regulatory issues are addressed.

"We know we need to take the time to get this right," said Mr Marcus, who is also due to testify before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday.

On Monday, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he was "uncomfortable" with Libra, while last week the head of the US Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, also voiced concerns.

The senators at Tuesday's hearing raised issues such as how Facebook planned to prevent money laundering through the new payment system and how consumers' data and funds will be protected.

"I know we have to earn people's trust for a very long period of time," Mr Marcus said.

The social media company has pledged that the Libra Association - the supposedly independent body tasked with managing the currency - will only share customer data with Facebook and external third parties if it has consent, or in "limited cases", where it is necessary.

Mr Marcus told the hearing: "The way we've built this is to separate social and financial data because we've heard loud and clear that they don't want those two types of data streams connected, so this is the way the system is designed.

"Facebook will only have one vote and will not be in a position to control the association, nor will Facebook or the Libra Association position themselves to compete with sovereign currencies or interfere with monetary policy," he said.

One of the complex issues at hand here is the difference between Libra - the cryptocurrency platform, which is open source - and Calibra, Facebook's specific service, known as a wallet, that it is building onto the Libra infrastructure. David Marcus can honestly tell Senators that Libra is a democratic, open system over which Facebook does not have control.

But that's not the full picture: Calibra very much is Facebook's product, and by virtue of the fact it will be backed by the world's biggest and most powerful social network, it will become the dominant force in global cryptocurrency. As one Senator put it, "you're not doing this for fun". Expect more scrutiny on how Facebook will leverage its power to push Calibra to come soon.

All of the hearings this week are broadly focusing on whether the tech giants have too much power over competitors, freedom of speech and, maybe in future, the global banking system.

One warning put forth by Facebook's Mr Marcus, and one we will likely hear repeated often in the other hearings, is that if these Silicon Valley giants aren't allowed to innovate, others will. By that, he of course means China, where tech companies are said to be eyeing their own cryptocurrency projects.

It may prove to be a good one - Facebook and its Silicon Valley peers may not be held in particularly high esteem by Washington right now, but it could be the lesser of two evils.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49008298

2019-07-16 18:37:09Z
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