Category: Big Tech Companies

Amazon Big Tech Companies Tech warehouses

Try your hand at working in an Amazon warehouse with this game

sudshr47 February 27, 2019

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It’s no secret that working in Amazon fulfillment is hardly what you’d call a dream job.

The dismal working conditions in its warehouses have long been criticised by the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and its own workers, despite Amazon’s efforts to portray the opposite.

To mimic what it’s like to work in fulfillment, Australia’s ABC News has created a news game called The Amazon Race, which is based on the experiences of people who’ve worked in the company’s Melbourne warehouse.

The game is based on the accounts of eight current and former workers, who told the news outlet they’re at the behest of difficult pick targets and casual employment, meaning their shifts are determined on their performance. Read more…

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Big Tech Companies Google Google-Maps Tech

Google Maps’ Satellite view is a lie — and it was almost called ‘Bird Mode’

sudshr47 February 23, 2019

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There’s more evidence that just ignoring your eccentric boss’ bad ideas is the best way to deal with them.

The co-creator of Google Maps and current Salesforce president Bret Taylor decided that Feb. 23, 2019 was a perfectly good time to blow all our damn minds.

On Saturday morning, Taylor dropped what he innocently described as a “silly Google Maps origin story” in a Twitter thread. It included the tale of how one popular feature was almost called… Bird Mode?!

Here’s a silly Google Maps origin story about how “Satellite” was almost named “Bird Mode” pic.twitter.com/wj7CRJUEyx

— Bret Taylor (@btaylor) February 23, 2019 Read more…

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Big Tech Companies Culture Google Google Doodle Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin gets his own Google Doodle to commemorate his birthday

sudshr47 February 21, 2019

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On Friday, the late Steve Irwin would’ve turned 49.

To commemorate the late animal conservationist and TV personality, who passed away in 2006, Google will unveil a Doodle in his honour.

The main Doodle features Steve holding on to a crocodile, as he was remembered for. It’s animated, so when users click through, there’s more images with the family and other animals.

“Today’s Google Doodle acknowledges the life and achievements of my husband Steve Irwin, whose efforts to protect wildlife and wild places have been recognised as the most extensive of any conservationist,” Terri Irwin, the wife of Steve, wrote in a blog post. Read more…

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Big Tech Companies Consumer Tech Facebook Privacy Tech

Facebook just made it a little easier to keep location data private

sudshr47 February 20, 2019

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It’s been a tough week for Facebook — especially after UK lawmakers likened Mark Zuckerberg and other execs to “digital gangsters.”

Conveniently, days after that damning report dropped, Facebook released a new security feature. Now, Android users will be able to limit location sharing in the Facebook app. 

Apple already gives iPhone users three options to choose from: refusing to share location information, always sharing it, and only sharing only when the app is in use.

Android, sadly, does not give users all of those options. You’re either sharing all of the time or not sharing at all.  Read more…

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Big Tech Companies Cybersecurity Google Assistant Nest Tech

Google accidentally didn’t tell anyone about the microphone in its Nest Secure device

sudshr47 February 20, 2019

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It’s not every day you get a straight up “our bad” from a tech giant.

Google announced in early February that its Nest Guard device — the hub for managing a Nest Secure home security system— would get an over-the-air update to make it compatible with Google Assistant, essentially giving it the abilities of a smart speaker. 

Neat? Handy? Sure. But how this was even possible could be a cause for concern.

It turns out that Google built a microphone into the Nest Guard without disclosing this spec to users. According to a report from Business Insider, the lack of communication about the microphone was, apparently, an oversight.  Read more…

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Big Tech Companies Tech Youtube

YouTube is ‘actively enabling’ the spread of exploitative content, report finds

sudshr47 February 20, 2019

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Videos featuring exposed genitals and other body parts of children as young as five are pervasive on YouTube and watched and commented on in huge numbers, a Wired report has found.

The videos, some of which generate millions of views, are often accompanied by predatory comments from people sharing the timestamps of when genitals are exposed or when a child does the splits.

Per Wired, some of the videos in question are exploitative in nature, while others are videos of children — sometimes uploaded by the children themselves — doing regular activities such as yoga and gymnastics. Read more…

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Big Tech Companies Samsung Samsung Galaxy S10 Smartphones Tech

Samsung Galaxy S10 leaks in official TV ad

sudshr47 February 19, 2019

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Samsung really hasn’t been very good at keeping its upcoming flagship, the Galaxy S10, under wraps. The phone leaked time and time again — we’ve seen photos from all sides and all of the specs — but the latest leak takes the biscuit: It’s an official TV advertisement for the Galaxy S10. 

The ad was apparently aired by mistake on Norway’s TV 2, and was first reported by The Verge.  

It feels odd to type this about an unreleased phone, but the ad doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t already know. It does, however, gives us the best idea yet of what the phone will look like.  Read more…

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Big Tech Companies Chrome Google incognito mode Tech

Google will stop websites from blocking Incognito mode

sudshr47 February 18, 2019

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Google is about to close a loophole that many companies used to track how people were browsing their website in Chrome.

According to 9to5Google, Google is aware of a trick that web developers have been exploiting which enables them to detect if a user is visiting a website in Chrome’s Incognito mode. This loophole allows websites to block visitors from accessing the site’s content, forcing them to switch out of Incognito mode if they want to view the page. 

The workaround is fairly simple. Chrome disables the FileSystem API, which stores application files, when Incognito mode is being used. Websites looking to block private browsing in Chrome can just check for this API when a browser loads the page. Read more…

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5g Big Tech Companies Huawei Tech Uk

UK cybersecurity center isn’t too afraid of Huawei, report says

sudshr47 February 18, 2019

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The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has assessed the dangers of using Huawei’s 5G equipment, and it found that it’s not such a big deal, Financial Times reported Sunday. 

The cybersecurity centre’s findings have not yet been made public, but FT claims that it found “ways to limit the risks” from using Huawei’s equipment in 5G networks. 

The report doesn’t offer any further details, and an official review from the UK government — which will likely be strongly influenced by the NCSC’s findings — is expected in March or April. But if the UK government okays the use of Huawei’s 5G equipment in the country, it would be a blow to U.Sefforts to convince its allies to avoid doing so. Read more…

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