The US Copyright Office says you can’t copyright Midjourney AI-generated images

The images in this comic book are “not of human authorship”
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/22/23611278/midjourney-ai-copyright-office-kristina-kashtanova?source=Snapzu

Capitalism Makes Everyone Bend to Its Will, Rich and Poor Alike

In his new book Mute Compulsion, Søren Mau argues that to understand and end capitalism, we need to analyze how it not only subordinates the poor to the rich but in fact exerts economic power over everyone — including capitalists themselves.
Read more: https://jacobin.com/2023/02/soren-mau-mute-compulsion-marx-capital-economic-power-domination/?source=Snapzu

From TV to TikTok, young people are exposed to gambling promotions everywhere

We interviewed 11- to 17-year-olds and they told us gambling advertising is so pervasive in their lives, it’s become normalised.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/from-tv-to-tiktok-young-people-are-exposed-to-gambling-promotions-everywhere-200067?source=Snapzu

Instagram users are being served gory videos of killing and torture

Kristoffer Reinman, a 32-year-old music producer and investor, was scrolling through Instagram last fall when he began to encounter violent videos — videos of people being shot and mutilated, posted by accounts he said he doesn’t follow.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/02/26/instageam-reels-violent-videos-memes/?source=Snapzu

China’s Pig High-Rises Are Horrifying. So Are America’s Factory Farms.

Every few months in recent years, Western news readers have been treated to a macabre tale: companies in China building massive multistory pig factory farms to feed the country’s appetite for pork. The agro-industrial phantasmagoria grows in scale with every iteration.
Read more: https://newrepublic.com/article/170594/pork-hubei-smithfield-factory-farming?source=Snapzu

Cleanup workers who became ill after Deepwater Horizon oil spill are suing BP for compensation

The oil washed ashore every day, globs of tarlike ooze blighting sugar-white sand beaches. Rodney Boblitt’s job was to report it. A special agent for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, he was assigned to patrol 14 miles of Panhandle beaches on an all-terrain vehicle, alerting cleanup crews to new slicks from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion.
Read more: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/cleanup-workers-who-became-ill-after-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-are-suing-bp-for-compensation?source=Snapzu

Google asks some employees to share desks amid office downsizing

is asking cloud employees and partners to share their desks and alternate days with their desk mates starting next quarter, citing “real estate efficiency,” CNBC has learned. The new desk-sharing model will apply to Google Cloud’s five largest U.S. locations — Kirkland, Washington; New York City; San Francisco; Seattle; and Sunnyvale, California — and is happening so the company “can continue to invest in Cloud’s growth,” according to an internal FAQ recently shared with cloud employees and viewed by CNBC. Some buildings will be vacated as a result, the document noted.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/22/google-asks-some-employees-to-share-desks-amid-office-downsizing.html?source=Snapzu

Amazon closes $3.9 billion deal to acquire One Medical

Amazon closed its acquisition of health care provider One Medical and its parent in a $3.9 billion deal on Wednesday, hours after the Federal Trade Commission said it would not challenge the purchase but that regulators were still investigating potential competitive and consumer harms of the transaction.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/tech/ftc-amazon-one-medical-deal/index.html?source=Snapzu

Gen Z is key to Apple's dominance, due to their fear of green bubbles

Gen Z is key to Apple’s dominance, according to a new report – which says that fear of being “the green bubble guy”‘ in group chats is a key motivation. The report also underlines the importance the iPhone plays in hooking people into the Apple ecosystem, spurring sales of AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches …
Read more: https://9to5mac.com/2023/02/21/gen-z-apple/?source=Snapzu

Rely on Microsoft Bing Search APIs? Price hike incoming

Microsoft is implementing massive price hikes for developers that use the Bing Search API, with some of the tiers scheduled to see rises up to nine times their current level. The overhauled price list is due to be introduced from the start of May and is applicable globally, Redmond said yesterday – potentially ruining the sabbath for employers of hard pressed software engineers.
Read more: https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/20/rely_on_microsoft_bing_search/?source=Snapzu

Amazon's corporate employees will be paid up to 50% less in 2023 because of its falling stock price, report says

Some Amazon corporate employees will be be paid as much as 50% less than previously expected in 2023 because of the company's falling stock price, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. Salaries this year are likely 15% to 50% lower than the estimations given to Amazon staff, people familiar with the matter told the Journal. Employees' annual salaries are generally made up of cash compensation and awards of restricted stock units, but because of the 35% decline in Amazon's stock this year, total compensation is set to drop sharply.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-corporate-staff-paid-less-2023-falling-stock-price-2023-2?source=Snapzu

The Age of Advertising Must Come to an End

Advertisements are a scourge upon society, the environment, and ultimately ourselves. They are among the worst that capitalism has to offer. Why not get rid of them?
Read more: https://antoniomelonio.substack.com/p/the-age-of-advertising-must-come?source=Snapzu

This Startup Is Making Ultra-Strong Building Panels Out of Grass

Construction is a major carbon emitter. The manufacture of cement alone accounts for eight percent of the world’s emissions. But humanity certainly isn’t about to stop building things—in fact, fixing the housing shortage should be near the top of our list of problems to solve. So we need to find more sustainable ways to build, and if they can be cheaper to boot, even better.
Read more: https://singularityhub.com/2023/02/15/this-startup-is-making-ultra-strong-building-panels-out-of-grass/?source=Snapzu

Tesla cofounder says he was 'basically unemployable' and out of money for 2 years after being ousted from the company

Martin Eberhard was forced to resign as CEO of the electric-car maker and left it in 2007. His history with Tesla is a sore subject for Elon Musk.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-cofounder-basically-unemployable-out-of-money-after-leaving-2023-2?source=Snapzu

CEOs need to be experts in social psychology and motivation

As a CEO, there are many things you need to be an expert in, but you can’t be an expert in everything. You must rely on the expertise in the organization to create the right strategy and make the right decisions. But one area where it pays for you to have greater expertise is social psychology – to understand just what it is that makes people tick.
Read more: https://www.theceomagazine.com/opinion/ceos-social-psychologists/?source=Snapzu

Can Akamai compete with AWS, Google and Microsoft in cloud?

Akamai wants it own slice of the cloud pie. | IDC VP of Research Dave McCarthy told Silverlinings, that Akamai's portfolio of cloud services is smaller than the major cloud providers, but it can win business by offering more flexibility in deployment locations and aggressive pricing.
Read more: https://www.silverliningsinfo.com/public/akamai-compete-AWS-Google-Microsoft-cloud?source=Snapzu

Is this the end of non-compete contracts?

The US Federal Trade Commission wants to ban non-compete agreements. That's a great idea in my book.
Read more: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3687737/is-this-the-end-of-non-compete-contracts.html?source=Snapzu

‘McDonald’s, I’m done’: Fast food chain’s new AI ordering system isn’t exactly going to plan according to bewildered TikTokers

Nine sweet teas. Two packs of butter. Four sides of ketchup. A caramel sundae. These are among the extra items baffled customers have had added to their orders as fast food chain McDonald’s continues to roll out its robot ordering system. The restaurant giant’s A.I. venture has been a long time in the making. In 2021, it announced a joint venture with IBM to “further accelerate the development of its Automated Order Taking (AOT) technology”.
Read more: https://fortune.com/2023/02/14/mcdonalds-done-fast-food-chains-new-ai-ordering-system-mistakes-tiktok/?source=Snapzu

Salesforce CEO says he took a 10-day 'digital detox' trip to French Polynesia in the wake of company layoffs

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff told NYT he went to French Polynesia for a device-free trip after layoffs, and said the "digital detox" was "freeing."
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-ceo-benioff-10-day-digital-detox-after-layoffs-report-2023-2?source=Snapzu

Blockbuster Video Will Run An Ad During The Super Bowl

Get out your membership cards. The last Blockbuster store in the US is planning to run an ad during the Super Bowl. No, a bunch of late fees didn’t suddenly appear in its bank account. The store, located in Bend, Oregon, won’t be buying a seven-milliion-dollar TV spot. Instead, it’s streaming on Instagram. It will also play it on a VHS tape at the store, then will make the tape available for rent at $2 per day.
Read more: https://deadline.com/2023/02/blockbuster-video-will-run-ad-during-the-super-bowl-1235256854/?source=Snapzu

Tech layoffs shrink ‘trust and safety’ teams, raising fears of backsliding efforts to curb online abuse

“Fewer people means less work is being done in a lot of different spaces,” said one of Twitter’s remaining content moderation staffers.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/tech-layoffs-hit-trust-safety-teams-raising-fears-backsliding-efforts-rcna69111?source=Snapzu

Netflix's Crackdown On Password Is A Mistake

Netflix recently announced plans to crack down on password sharing. However, many experts believe that this could be a mistake for several reasons, including the normalization of password sharing, the cost of implementation, potential loss of revenue, and user frustration. Read this in-depth post to understand why cracking down on password sharing may not be the best move for Netflix and its users.
Read more: https://geekkink.com/2023/02/09/why-netflixs-crackdown-on-password-sharing-is-a-big-mistake/?source=Snapzu

Uber is integrating its driver app with Apple CarPlay

Uber drivers who have an iPhone will soon be able to use the Uber app directly from their car’s dashboard while using Apple’s CarPlay, according to an email sent to drivers and viewed by TechCrunch. The integration has been rolling out to drivers across the U.S., and all drivers should have access to it by the end of the month.
Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/09/uber-driver-app-apple-carplay-integration/?source=Snapzu

Rumored iPhone Ultra strategy may work, but could easily backfire on Apple

Could Apple be planning a new iPhone Ultra, costing even more than the Pro Max? That’s the suggestion of a report over the weekend, and it may be backed by a hint dropped by CEO Tim Cook in last week’s earnings call.
Read more: https://9to5mac.com/2023/02/06/iphone-ultra-strategy/?source=Snapzu

Bank of America: It only Takes $93 million to Move the Bitcoin Price 1%

A 2021 report from US banking giant Bank of America (BofA) claimed that at a price-tag of $60,000, it only took $93 million in capital to move the Bitcoin price by one percent. Since then, the BTC exchange supply ratio dropped precipitously, per the latest data.
Read more: https://chrisoncrypto.com/blog/f/bank-of-america-it-only-takes-93-million-to-move-the-bitcoin-price-1/?source=Snapzu

Apple Pay to Launch in South Korea This Year Following Regulator Approval

After years of discussions with local authorities, Apple Pay in South Korea has been approved by the financial regulator, paving the way for the mobile payment system to launch in the first half of this year (via The Korea Herald). The FSC emphasized that credit card firms should not transfer fees arising from the use of ‌Apple Pay‌ to customers or shops, while calling for measures to ensure customer protection from such risks as the theft of personal information.
Read more: https://www.macrumors.com/2023/02/03/apple-pay-korea-launch-approved-2023/?source=Snapzu

Apple's retail staff is reportedly testing its 'buy now, pay later' service

Apple has expanded the internal testing for its Pay service's buy now, pay later feature to include its retail employees, according to Bloomberg. When the tech giant's experimental features make their way to its retail staff, that's typically a sign that it's going to be released in the near future. Apple Store workers started testing the company's credit card in 2019 a month before it became available, and staff at its HQ visitor center tested Tap to Pay shortly before the first partner companies like Square and PayPal launched support for the payment solution.
Read more: https://www.engadget.com/apple-retail-staff-testing-buy-now-pay-later-service-055037747.html?source=Snapzu

Warner Bros. Discovery May Not Combine HBO Max With Discovery Plus After All

Warner Bros. Discovery might be flip-flopping on a plan to combine its HBO Max and Discovery Plus streaming services into a single direct-to-consumer product. According to The Wall Street Journal, the debt-laden WBD now plans to keep Discovery Plus as a stand-alone service.
Read more: https://www.nexttv.com/news/warner-bros-discovery-may-not-combine-hbo-max-with-discovery-plus-after-all?source=Snapzu

Apple signs union agreement for Glasgow Apple Store staff

The Apple Glasgow store was the first in the UK to unionize, but it has now entered a formal agreement with Apple to have that status recognized. Following months of negotiations, Apple Glasgow became unionized in November, 2022. Initially workers had to individually join a union, the UK's GMB, then ask Apple to have union representation recognized.
Read more: https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/02/08/apple-signs-union-agreement-for-glasgow-apple-store-staff?source=Snapzu

Tech giants post disappointing results, facing gloomy outlook

Apple, Amazon and Alphabet all posted disappointing quarterly results this week, while Facebook parent Meta bucked the gloomy trend in technology with better-than-expected revenue. Apple reported its first revenue drop in nearly four years after COVID-19 restrictions on its factories in China curtailed iPhone sales during the crucial Christmas holiday season.
Read more: https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/02/03/apple-google-and-amazon-post-disappointing-results-as-tech-giants-face-gloomy-economic-out?source=Snapzu

Under-screen Face ID patent describes what could be a next-generation Dynamic Island

An Apple patent granted today appears to describe a new approach to under-screen Face ID, which could also allow the company to embed additional sensors into an iPhone display. The patent seemingly describes an evolution of the Dynamic Island approach, but applied in a more flexible way …
Read more: https://9to5mac.com/2023/02/07/under-screen-face-id/?source=Snapzu

The 8 devices I always take on work trips

When you travel for work like I do, second-best gadgets won't cut it. Here's my pick of the best of the best gadgets for 2023 road warriors.
Read more: https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-8-devices-i-always-take-on-work-trips/?source=Snapzu

Capitalism and Convenience are Making Us Lonely

As companies keep reducing the friction in our lives, are we happy trading convenience for human connection?
Read more: https://medium.com/@joncheung/capitalism-and-convenience-are-making-us-lonely-5f412f25b649?source=Snapzu

Netflix removes password crackdown rules from its site amid backlash

Netflix’s contentious bid to prevent users from sharing their passwords has hit a speed bump. Earlier this week, the streamer detailed plans to prevent people from accessing its service free through someone else’s account. The rules – which included a requirement that users must verify the devices they watch on at least once every 31 days – were trashed by some incensed customers who accused Netflix of being heavyhanded with subscribers.
Read more: https://www.standard.co.uk/tech/netflix-password-sharing-crackdown-cancel-device-verification-b1057290.html?source=Snapzu

COVID is 'pretty much out of the models' for pharma companies: Wells Fargo analyst

Some health companies' quarterly earnings were boosted by COVID-19 products in the past few years, and most are starting to see a shift away from pandemic profits for 2023. Wells Fargo analyst Mohit Bansal said as much about three companies reporting earnings this week: "COVID is pretty much out of the models. Pfizer (PFE) is probably the only one in our coverage where it is still a significant part of it because it was their biggest business last year."
Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/covid-is-pretty-much-out-of-the-models-for-pharma-companies-wells-fargo-analyst-232944434.html?source=Snapzu

Best restaurant in Montreal according to Tripadvisor does not exist

Le Nouveau Duluth enjoyed an incredible reputation on Tripadvisor – raising questions over online reviews
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/03/montreal-restaurant-that-never-was-online-reviews-canada?source=Snapzu

Nashville vs. TN Legislature: Councilmembers worry GOP proposed bills could hurt city

Nashville’s mayor promised that people who live in Music City won’t pay for a new Titans stadium, but some Metro councilmembers are concerned a bill filed by GOP lawmakers could make th…
Read more: https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-politics/nashville-vs-tn-legislature-councilmembers-worry-gop-proposed-bills-could-hurt-city/?source=Snapzu

Calls for bigger windfall tax after Shell makes ‘obscene’ $40bn profit

The government is under pressure to rethink its windfall tax on energy companies after Shell reported one of the largest profits in UK corporate history, with the surge in energy prices sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushing the oil company’s annual takings to $40bn (£32bn). Opposition parties and trade unions described Shell’s bonanza, the biggest in its 115 year history, as “outrageous” and accused Rishi Sunak of letting fossil fuel companies “off the hook”.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/feb/02/shell-profits-2022-surging-oil-prices-gas-ukraine?source=Snapzu

AI-powered investment fund beats the market by almost 100%

IBM's Watson supercomputer is working wonders in an area where OpenAI's ChatGPT does not have much to offer, the stock market. An exchange-traded fund (ETF) is using the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to balance its portfolio and has done pretty well for itself this year, ETF.com reported.
Read more: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/ibms-watson-trumps-where-chatgpt-fails?source=Snapzu

Medicare negotiating drug prices will likely save the U.S. billions, study says

A provision in the Inflation Reduction Act that allows Medicare to negotiate prices on the costliest prescription drugs each year will likely save the U.S. billions of dollars — as long as the drug industry doesn't interfere, according to a study published Friday in JAMA Health Forum. Beginning in 2026, Medicare will begin negotiating the price of 10 drugs that cost the federal government the most money, followed by 15 more drugs in 2027, another 15 drugs in 2028, and another 20 drugs in each subsequent year.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/medicare-negotiating-drug-prices-will-likely-us-billions-study-says-rcna67820?source=Snapzu

Tech layoffs: PayPal cuts 2,000 jobs as global economy weakens

PayPal is shedding around 2,000 jobs, or 7% of its workers, as it becomes the latest big tech firm to cut costs. The online payments company says it was forced to make the decision as it faces "the challenging macro-economic environment." PayPal's announcement follows tens of thousands of layoffs by technology giants in the last month alone.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64479649?source=Snapzu

Google exec fired after female boss groped him at drunken bash, suit says

A Google executive claims he was booted by the tech giant for rejecting a high-ranking female colleague’s grabby advances at a posh company dinner. Ryan Olohan, 48, accuses Google of firing him after one its top executives, Tiffany Miller, groped him at a Chelsea restaurant in December 2019 and told him she knew he liked Asian women — which Miller is, according to a blockbuster November federal lawsuit filed in Manhattan.
Read more: https://nypost.com/2023/01/28/google-exec-fired-after-female-boss-groped-him-at-drunken-bash/?source=Snapzu

You can now get Red Hat Enterprise Linux on the Oracle Cloud

Cats and dogs can live together and Red Hat can support RHEL on the Oracle cloud.
Read more: https://opensourcewatch.beehiiv.com/p/can-now-get-red-hat-enterprise-linux-oracle-cloud?source=Snapzu