ISPs Need to Just Kill Data Caps Already

Internet usage has peaked as more folks stay at home to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus—and in the UK, all major telecom companies this weekend struck a deal with the government to lift all data caps on fixed broadband services. That’s in addition to the companies introducing generous mobile and landline packages, on top of offering alternative forms of communication for vulnerable customers who may be self-isolating if repairs can’t be carried out.
Read more: https://gizmodo.com/isps-need-to-just-kill-data-caps-already-1842557581?source=Snapzu

LA’s Sugarfish vows to retain all 600 workers for the entirety of the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has been disastrous to the local, federal, and global restaurant industry. In Los Angeles alone, untold thousands of restaurant workers have been laid off from their jobs in recent weeks, as those restaurants that remain open struggle to shore up lost business by offering takeout or delivery only. Remarkably one restaurant group, Sugarfish, is managing to push hard in the other direction, with a staggering plan to retain more than 600 workers across the entire company.
Read more: https://la.eater.com/2020/3/26/21195716/sugarfish-company-sushi-keeps-600-employees-layoffs-coronavirus-los-angeles?source=Snapzu

General Electric Workers Launch Protest, Demand to Make Ventilators

On Monday, General Electric factory workers launched two separate protests demanding that the company convert its jet engine factories to make ventilators. At GE's Lynn, Massachusetts aviation facility, workers held a silent protest, standing six feet apart. Union members at the company’s Boston headquarters also marched six feet apart, calling on the company to use its factories to help the country close its ventilator shortage amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Read more: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/y3mjxg/general-electric-workers-walk-off-the-job-demand-to-make-ventilators?source=Snapzu

Oil drops more than 6% to 18-year low as global demand evaporates

U.S. oil dropped to an 18-year low on Monday as demand continues to evaporate, and as Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ nations prepare to ramp up production. With much of the world in lockdown as the coronavirus pandemic rages on, demand for oil has fallen off a cliff. People aren’t travelling and business has slowed, reducing the need for jet fuel and gasoline.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/30/oil-falls-to-back-to-18-year-lows-below-20-as-global-demand-evaporates.html?source=Snapzu

Wordpress can rescue your local business from coronavirus epidemic crisis

The coronavirus situation is severely hitting local businesses. Rescue seems to be moving to a virus-free Internet. The global situation related to the epidemic is well known to everyone, so we will focus on adapting our activities to new habits, requirements, and economic situation. Aiming not only to save your business but to develop it. I hope this article will help you survive the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly get back on business feet in a new reality.
Read more: https://codenest.co/knowledge-center/wordpress-local-business-coronavirus-epidemic/?source=Snapzu

Banking Collapse of 2008: Three weeks that changed the world

It was the year the neo-liberal economic orthodoxy that ran the world for 30 years suffered a heart attack of epic proportions. Not since 1929 has the financial community witnessed 12 months like it. Lehman Brothers went bankrupt. Merrill Lynch, AIG, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, HBOS, Royal Bank of Scotland, Bradford & Bingley, Fortis, Hypo and Alliance & Leicester all came within a whisker of doing so and had to be rescued.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/dec/28/markets-credit-crunch-banking-2008?source=Snapzu

Each month of lockdown in major economies to shave two percentage points off growth: OECD

Each month major economies spend in lockdown will knock 2 percentage points off annual growth, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said on Friday. “Our latest estimates show the lockdown will directly affect sectors amounting to up to one third of GDP in the major economies,” OECD Angel Gurria said in remarks to G20 leaders on Thursday but which were made public on Friday.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-oecd-economy/each-month-of-lockdown-in-major-economies-to-shave-two-percentage-points-off-growth-oecd-idUSKBN21E1GZ?source=Snapzu

StubHub said they’d refund canceled tickets, but now they’re taking that back

StubHub is here for you. Unless you want a refund.
Read more: https://www.sbnation.com/2020/3/28/21198101/stubhub-refunds-canceled-event-ticket-nhl-nba-concerts??source=Snapzu

Internet Archive offers 1.4 million copyrighted books for free online

Massive online library project is venturing into uncharted legal waters.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/03/internet-archive-offers-thousands-of-copyrighted-books-for-free-online/?source=Snapzu

'Some may even die, I don't know': Former Wells Fargo CEO wants people to go back to work and 'see what happens'

The coronavirus crisis in the United States is only just beginning. But it's not too early for some Americans to flout social distancing and isolation guidelines and return to work, according to some executives. Dick Kovacevich, the former CEO and chairman of Wells Fargo, told Bloomberg News that healthy workers under the age of 55 should return to work in April if the outbreak is controlled, saying that "some may even die" with his plan.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/richard-kovacevich-former-wells-fargo-ceo-work-die-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-3?source=Snapzu

Johnny Depp Allowed to Pursue Defamation Suit Against Amber Heard

A Virginia judge on Friday refused to dismiss Johnny Depp’s lawsuit against Amber Heard, allowing him to proceed with a claim that she defamed him in a Washington Post opinion piece. In the piece, published in December 2018, Heard alluded to her previous claims that Depp had assaulted her during their marriage, though she did not identify him by name.
Read more: https://variety.com/2020/biz/news/johnny-depp-allowed-to-pursue-defamation-suit-amber-heard-1203547471/amp/?__twitter_impression=true?source=Snapzu

96% of small business owners are already feeling coronavirus impact

More than half say their business won't be able to last more than three months.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/small-business-owners-coronavirus-survey-06e04322-7788-4de4-8216-42b875a39e53.html/???source=Snapzu

Fed’s “infinite amount of cash” is biggest argument for Bitcoin yet

The United States Federal Reserve has suggested it could print unlimited money. Here’s what that means for Bitcoin. President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Neel Kashkari, said that the Federal Reserve has an “infinite amount of cash” — in response to worries over the stock market collapse.
Read more: https://medium.com/@decryptmedia/feds-infinite-amount-of-cash-is-biggest-argument-for-bitcoin-yet-d2d8e58b32f0?sk=cd15e0c8b07ebe9933fc383d96d6caa4?source=Snapzu

Employees At GameStop Competitor Say Their Company Isn't Protecting Them From Covid-19 Either

Last week, Kotaku reported several times on GameStop’s ass-dragging procedure for operating during the coronavirus outbreak. But GameStop isn’t the only physical game store whose employees are feeling forced to choose between their jobs and their safety. Employees of the regional chain Game X Change are also unhappy with how their employer is handling the situation, several of whom spoke with Kotaku about their concerns.
Read more: https://kotaku.com/employees-at-gamestop-competitor-say-their-company-isnt-1842492506?source=Snapzu

Facebook and Google see surge in online activity, still expected to see combined ad revenue hit of $44 billion

Facebook and Google generate around $200 billion per year in advertising revenue, so you'd think that this period of self-isolation and working from home is driving more use of their services and thus, more revenue. However, brands are in a difficult position and advertising budgets are among the first things on the list of costs to cut in order to keep things afloat.
Read more: https://www.techspot.com/news/84566-facebook-google-see-surge-online-activity-expected-see.html?source=Snapzu

How to Use Real Estate Data Analytics for Home Buying and Renting

Real estate data analytics is having a big impact on the property market and playing an important role for buyers, sellers, property owners and investors.
Read more: https://newsideology.com/how-to-use-real-estate-data-analytics-for-home-buying-and-renting/?source=Snapzu

Bauer offers to make protective medical gear instead of hockey equipment

Hockey equipment manufacturer Bauer is offering to modify its production line to make protective visors for doctors, nurses and first responders. The protective equipment to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic would be produced at the company's innovation centre in Blainville, Que., as well as its facility in Liverpool, N.Y.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/bauer-equipment-visors-masks-1.5509778?source=Snapzu

Corporate Socialism: The Government is Bailing Out Investors & Managers Not You

The U.S. government is enacting measures to save the airlines, Boeing, and similarly affected corporations. While we clearly insist that these companies must be saved, there may be ethical, economic, and structural problems associated with the details of the execution. As a matter of fact, if you study the history of bailouts, there will be.
Read more: https://medium.com/incerto/corporate-socialism-the-government-is-bailing-out-investors-managers-not-you-3b31a67bff4a?source=Snapzu

Apple investigating reinforced plastic as case material for future Apple Watch

While the device's chief components would remain the same, future Apple Watches may come with a housing that is made in part from plastic and ceramic fibres.
Read more: https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/03/26/apple-investigating-reinforced-plastic-as-case-material-for-future-apple-watch?source=Snapzu

Why a Plague of Locusts is Threatening Crops in Africa and Beyond

Over the past few months, massive swarms of locusts, one of which occupied an area more than three times the size of New York City, have devoured crops across the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, leaving an estimated 20 million people at risk of famine. The first generation’s eggs are starting to hatch, and now even bigger swarms are forming, threatening countries from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Yemen, Iran, Pakistan and India, “representing an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods,” says the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Read more: https://time.com/5810485/locusts-africa-crops/?source=Snapzu

Apple planning Face ID for MacBook Pro and iMac -- plus a notch

Just as Touch ID began on its iPhone before spreading to iPad, and then both the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, so Face ID is coming to Apple's range of Macs. It's been rumored before, and Apple has said that Face ID will come to more devices, but a new patent application is the first to specify that it will be brought to some form of MacBook.
Read more: https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/03/26/apple-planning-face-id-for-macbook-pro-and-imac----plus-a-notch?source=Snapzu

Tito’s vodka will make hand sanitizer during coronavirus pandemic

Given the reliance this industry has on bars, it’s in their best interests to help the coronavirus threat pass quickly.
Read more: https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-titos-vodka-will-make-hand-sanitizer-during-pandemic-20200323-aahr3splpff5vc7j4gpzj4c44a-story.html?source=Snapzu

China to Rerelease 'Avengers' Franchise, 'Avatar' to Boost Reopening Cinemas (Exclusive)

With the coronavirus epidemic essentially contained in the country, approximately 600 to 700 cinemas have reopened, and regulators are turning to past blockbusters to help fill seats. As China works to reopen its movie theaters and rebuild its local film industry, the country is turning to some superheroes for help.
Read more: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-rerelease-avengers-franchise-avatar-inception-boost-reopening-cinemas-1286421?source=Snapzu

Don’t let the coronavirus make you a home office security risk

Congratulations. You're now the chief security officer of your company’s newest branch office: Your home. Here's how to manage your new job.
Read more: https://www.idginsiderpro.com/article/3534231/don-t-let-the-coronavirus-make-you-a-home-office-security-risk.html?source=Snapzu

The fight to save Europe's olive trees from disease

A plant disease spread by sap-sucking insects has been devastating olive and fruit orchards across southern Europe, but scientists are inching closer to halting its spread with the help of insect repelling clays, vegetative barriers and genetic analysis.
Read more: https://phys.org/news/2020-03-europe-olive-trees-disease.html?source=Snapzu

Costco is refusing returns on high-demand items like toilet paper, water

As millions of people rush to stock up on goods amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Costco is starting to take hoarding seriously. Signs seen at various Costco locations have indicated that many stores will not be accepting returns for high-demand items like toilet paper, bottled water and sanitizing wipes, which have all recently flown off store shelves cross the country.
Read more: https://www.today.com/food/costco-not-allowing-returns-high-demand-items-toilet-paper-t176417?source=Snapzu

Ford partners with 3M, GE to make respirators, ventilators and face shields

Ford Motor Co. is teaming with major medical equipment manufacturers, including the 3M Co. and GE Healthcare, to boost their production and to make face shields and 3-D print respirators.
Read more: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/ford/2020/03/24/ford-partners-3-m-ge-healthcare-respirators-ventilators-face-shields/2905986001/?source=Snapzu

Much of global commerce has ground to a halt

Some companies will never restart
Read more: https://www.economist.com/business/2020/03/21/much-of-global-commerce-has-ground-to-a-halt?source=Snapzu

Amazon Prime delivery delays are now as long as a month

The e-commerce giant is prioritizing household staples and other high-demand items during the coronavirus outbreak.
Read more: https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/3/22/21190372/amazon-prime-delivery-delays-april-21-coronavirus-covid-19?source=Snapzu

This was the fastest 30% sell-off ever, exceeding the pace of declines during the Great Depression

The second, third and fourth quickest 30% pullbacks all occurred during the Great Depression era in 1934, 1931 and 1929, respectively, according to data from Bank of America Securities. “This is not good company for 2020,” Stephen Suttmeier, a technical research strategist at the bank, said in a note Monday. “The 2020 correction continues to make history, having already claimed the title as the third fastest end to a bull market going back to 1928.”
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/23/this-was-the-fastest-30percent-stock-market-decline-ever.html?source=Snapzu

How big corporations are poisoning our farms

How did farmers who had shunned deadly dicamba for decades end up buying it even as the herbicide poisoned their neighbors' farms? The answer is money. Bayer AG and BASF, makers of dicamba, have spent more than $40 million in federal lobbying since 2017 says the Center for Responsive Politics. Bayer, which bought Monsanto, spent about $35.2 million.
Read more: https://www.salon.com/2020/03/21/how-big-corporations-are-poisoning-our-farms_partner/?source=Snapzu

J.K. Rowling relaxes license so teachers can read ‘Harry Potter’ to kids

Teachers are taking to Twitter to express their gratitude for support during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read more: https://www.today.com/parents/j-k-rowling-opens-license-harry-potter-during-covid-19-t176527?source=Snapzu

Businesses are sheltering in place. How long can the economy survive that?

The stock market is in turmoil. Workers are being sent home. A recession could already be here. How long can this continue before the economy crashes?
Read more: https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-03-19/coronovirus-economic-fallout-crash?source=Snapzu

The Big Banks Are Getting a Real-Life Stress Test. Here’s Why They Will Persevere.

This is crunch time for the big U.S. banks. They have steadily taken market share from their smaller brethren over the past decade and built large capital cushions with record earnings. Now, they must navigate an unprecedented period of economic stress while servicing—and showing leniency toward—hard-hit businesses and consumers.
Read more: https://www.barrons.com/articles/big-banks-have-their-real-life-stress-test-why-they-will-persevere-51584743591?mod=hp_LEAD_1?source=Snapzu

Why We Buy Weird Things in Times of Crisis

With COVID-19 making its way around the United States, people are emptying stores of toilet paper. Archaeology throws a light on other bouts of odd consumer behavior.
Read more: https://www.sapiens.org/column/curiosities/panic-buying-coronavirus?source=Snapzu

As Dow wipes out over 3 years of stock-market gains, here’s a warning about calling the bottom

How much worse can it get? That’s a question many investors are undoubtedly asking themselves after a week of historic volatility that saw stocks suffer another pummeling and drove the Dow Jones Industrial Average to its lowest close since December 2016 as the global COVID-19 pandemic promises to push the world into recession. After all that, some investors might feel a strong temptation once the market finally shows some stability to declare that the lows are in. But some Wall Street veterans have a word of advice: Don’t!
Read more: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/as-dow-wipes-out-over-3-years-of-stock-market-gains-heres-a-warning-about-calling-the-bottom-2020-03-21?source=Snapzu

The software that’s being made available free to help with home working during the COVID-19 crisis

Last week we reported that Zoho was making its Remotely suite free until July to help people and businesses cope with the current COVID-19 unpleasantness.
Read more: https://betanews.com/2020/03/20/covid-19-free-remote-work-software/?source=Snapzu

Tech's big five lost $1.3 trillion in value since market peak one month ago

Since the stock market peaked on Feb. 19, one month ago, the leading U.S. tech companies have lost over $1 trillion in value, even after Thursday's rally.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/19/techs-big-five-lost-1-trillion-in-market-value-in-past-month.html?source=Snapzu

People Who Left Devices at Apple Stores for Repair Can't Get Them Until Stores Reopen

Apple closed all of its stores on Saturday, March 14, but stayed open for a few extra days to allow customers to pick up devices ordered for in-store pickup or that were at the store for repair. There were, however, some people who weren't able to make it into stores to get their devices.
Read more: https://www.macrumors.com/2020/03/20/repaired-devices-locked-in-apple-stores/?source=Snapzu

Playboy Magazine Is Closing Down, Probably for Good

The Philosophy comes to an end.
Read more: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/playboy-magazine-is-closing-down-probably-for-good.html?source=Snapzu

Coronavirus has shattered the myth that the economy must come first

The coronavirus shutdown of 2020 is perhaps the most remarkable interruption to ordinary life in modern history. It has been spoken about as a war. And one is reminded of the stories told of the interruption of normality in 1914 and 1939. But unlike a war, the present moment involves demobilisation not mobilisation. While the hospitals are on full alert, the majority of us are confined to quarters. We are deliberately inducing one of the most severe recessions ever seen. In so doing we are driving another nail into the coffin of one of the great platitudes of the late 20th century: it’s the economy stupid.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/20/coronavirus-myth-economy-uk-business-life-death?source=Snapzu

Elon Musk says Tesla will make ventilators for hospitals if needed

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the company will make ventilators for hospitals "if there is a shortage." The comment came as a reply to one Twitter user's suggestion for Tesla to repurpose its Fremont factory to make ventilators in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
Read more: https://mashable.com/article/elon-musk-ventilators-coronavirus/?source=Snapzu

GameStop Instructs Employees to Ignore Law Enforcement And Not Shut Down

A memo sent to workers says GameStop views themselves as "essential retail."
Read more: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pkew4g/gamestop-instructs-employees-ignore-law-enforcement-not-shut-down-coronavirus?source=Snapzu

Jack Dorsey's Square Bank Will Open 2021

Bitcoin advocate and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey just had his application to launch Square Financial Services Inc. approved by the FDIC.
Read more: https://bitcoinist.com/jack-dorseys-square-bank-will-open-2021/?source=Snapzu

Major Book Publisher Abandons Terrible Plan to Keep New Ebooks Out of Libraries

Trying to maintain social distance while not losing your mind from boredom? Your public library’s collection of ebooks is an excellent resource, and now you have an even larger selection: One of the Big Five U.S. publishers walked back its 8-week delay on licensing new ebook releases to libraries.
Read more: https://gizmodo.com/major-book-publisher-abandons-terrible-plan-to-keep-new-1842385496?source=Snapzu

How to avoid the time-suck of social networks while working at home

Stuck at home thanks to the coronavirus and can't keep away from Facebook, Twitter, Slack, and the like? Here's how to run them so they don't ruin your life.
Read more: https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-avoid-the-time-suck-of-social-networks-while-working-at-home/?source=Snapzu

France could nationalize big companies if necessary: finance minister

The French government is prepared to use all means to support big companies suff...
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-france-nationalist/france-could-nationalize-big-companies-if-necessary-finance-minister-idUSKBN2141AO?source=Snapzu

What If Andrew Yang Was Right?

Mitt Romney has joined the chorus of voices calling for all Americans to receive free money directly from the government.
Read more: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/03/coronavirus-romney-yang-money/608134/?source=Snapzu

Treasury and IRS to delay tax payment deadline by 90 days

Taxpayers are about to get a three-month reprieve to pay income taxes owed, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said at a news conference Tuesday.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/17/treasury-and-irs-to-delay-tax-deadline-by-90-days.html?source=Snapzu

Apple isn't planning on limiting CarPlay just to a car's head unit

While CarPlay saw its first major overhaul with iOS 13 in 2019, future versions may look radically different. A new patent application shows Apple looking to integrate CarPlay much more deeply into cars. To present its navigation information, especially, to drivers in the most useful, and least distracting way, future CarPlay may display its information in the car's regular dashboard controls.
Read more: https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/03/17/apple-isnt-planning-on-limiting-carplay-to-a-cars-head-unit?source=Snapzu