Tulsi Gabbard sues Google over suspended ads

Tulsi Now Inc., the campaign committee for Tulsi Gabbard, filed a lawsuit this week accusing Google of infringing her free speech. The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate took the online giant to task over the suspension of a campaign advertising account for a total of six hours following the first presidential debate.

“Google’s discriminatory actions against my campaign are reflective of how dangerous their complete dominance over internet search is, and how the increasing dominance of big tech companies over our public discourse threatens our core American values,” Rep. Gabbard said in a statement offered to The New York Times, which was the first to report the story. “This is a threat to free speech, fair elections, and to our democracy, and I intend to fight back on behalf of all Americans.”

TULSI2020: In the hours following the 1st debate, while millions of Americans searched for info about Tulsi, Google suspended her search ad account w/o explanation. It is vital to our democracy that big tech companies can’t affect the outcome of elections https://t.co/n7Y7y2dQZ9

— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) July 25, 2019

According to Google, the congresswoman’s account was flagged for “unusual activity,” when “large spending changes” triggered an automatic fraud prevention system. The campaign was suspend for around six hours overnight between June 27 and 28 — a relatively short amount of time, but a key one, in the wake of two large debates housting the massive Democratic field.

Gabbard’s campaign chalks the bump in spending up to a large increase in searches following national appearance. “To this day, Google has not provided a straight answer — let alone a credible one — as to why Tulsi’s political speech was silenced when millions of people wanted to hear from her,” the campaign writes in the suit.

As a private company, Google is not capable of violating the free speech enabled by the first amendment. But Gabbard joins a growing number of politicians taking on tech companies over similar issues. Thus far, however, the complaints have largely come from Republican circles calling out sites like Twitter and Facebook for perceived liberal biases.

The campaign, meanwhile, has turned the move into a push for fundraising. “Please join Tulsi in her fight for our core American values of free speech and fair elections,” it writes. “The Big Tech companies need to be held accountable for their actions, and that’s why we need Tulsi in the White House!”

We have reached out to Rep. Gabbard’s campaign for further comment.

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The 10 Best BBC Shows on Netflix Americans Will Enjoy

The BBC isn’t just news and sports. Since the turn of the century, we’ve seen countless high-quality dramas and comedies air on BBC One as well as BBC Two and BBC Four. These BBC shows are excellent and easily rival what you’d find on AMC and HBO.

And the good news is that many of the best BBC shows are on Netflix US, providing Americans with even more reasons to subscribe to Netflix.

British programming has a different feel to what you may be used to, but if you’re willing to cross that bridge and try something new, you may fall in love with what the best BBC shows have to offer.

1. Sherlock (2010)

Sherlock is a modernized take on the renowned detective story series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are perfectly cast as Holmes and Watson, and the entire show is so stylish and entertaining that one can’t help but be drawn in and enthralled.

Each season only has three episodes, but each episode is basically a 90-minute feature film that covers the material in one or two of Doyle’s stories. There’s a lot to love about this show, including the surprising-but-inevitable twists and turns that made Sherlock Holmes such a hit in the first place.

2. Peaky Blinders (2013)

Peaky Blinders stars Cillian Murphy, also known as “that guy from the Christopher Nolan films,” who plays leader of the Peaky Blinders gang in post-WWI Birmingham (England) and attempts to avoid the investigations of a ruthless detective played by Sam Neill.

But that premise doesn’t do the show justice. It presents a richly interwoven narrative with lived-in characters who span multiple storylines. If you’re looking for a gritty and grounded period drama, it doesn’t get better than Peaky Blinders.

Peaky Blinders is a strong contender for best BBC series on Netflix.

3. The Last Kingdom (2015)

The Last Kingdom is an historical fantasy show like you’ve never seen. It’s like Game of Thrones with its political intrigue in a medieval setting, but grounded in reality and not as stylized or embellished as other historical fantasy shows like Rome or The Tudors.

This show takes place in the 800s when England wasn’t yet England and when the Saxons were at war with the Danes. The story follows Uhtred, a Saxon by birth but raised by Danes, who wants to reclaim his homeland but is often caught in the conflicts of both sides and is never quite sure to whom his allegiance should belong.

It’s one of my favorites and easily one of the best BBC shows on Netflix.

4. North & South (2004)

North & South is a four-part miniseries (more like a mega-movie, if you ask me) that tells the story of a woman who moves from southern England to a factory town in northern England during the 1850s and falls in love, but struggles to assimilate.

While there’s nothing particularly original about an “outsider meets hostility and resistance” story, North & South is a winner due to how much attention it pays to production design, atmosphere, and most importantly, its characters. Execution is everything with TV shows, and North & South nails it.

5. Happy Valley (2014)

Happy Valley is anything but happy. This small-town crime drama centers on a police sergeant who’s depressed and grieving the suicide of her teenage daughter. When the man responsible for it is let out of prison, she grows obsessed with tracking him down and demanding justice.

This is drama in the truest sense, and it’s elevated by the intricate web of characters and relationships that drive the central conflict in Happy Valley. A wonderfully written show, though a bit hard to get into if you aren’t in the right frame of mind to enjoy it.

6. Call the Midwife (2012)

Call the Midwife follows a group of midwives in poverty-stricken London during the 1950s and uses the setting to explore various hard-hitting social and economic issues like miscarriages, abortions, prostitution, birth defects and disabilities, prejudice, and more.

Despite the weight of its themes, Call the Midwife has enough levity to avoid being a depressing mess of a show. In fact, it’s surprisingly hopeful and optimistic on the whole, which just makes it that much more of a must-watch!

7. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (2015)

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell takes place in an alternate 1800s England where magic has been dead for hundreds of years and only two magicians—the titular characters—are able to tap into that power. It’s an entertaining miniseries that builds to a satisfying conclusion, and makes you wonder why miniseries aren’t more popular.

If nothing else, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is a fun journey to a not-so-long-ago England propped up by strong performances. Definitely worth a watch as it’s one of the best BBC miniseries on Netflix.

8. The Fall (2013)

Tired of murder mystery shows where criminals are dumb, cops are dumber, and impossible cases are solved and tied off with a neat bow in one episode? Then this is the show for you. The Fall is a slow-burning, methodical crime drama that shows what might actually happen if a smart detective pursued a clever serial killer.

Gillian Anderson delivers one of her best performances as Stella Gibson opposite Jamie Dornan’s murderous Paul Spector. This is a must-watch if you prefer your criminal justice television shows to be more than just mindless entertainment.

9. Bodyguard (2018)

Bodyguard is a crime drama and political thriller that isn’t afraid to take its time when exploring story beats. It centers on a police sergeant, who suffers from PTSD from his time as a war veteran and finds himself assigned as bodyguard—“principal protection officer”—to a politician whose politics don’t align with his own.

The show has its share of political and social commentary, but its main draw is its expertise at being a grounded but intense psychological thriller. Performances are great all around, especially by Richard Madden, who you may recognize as Robb Stark from Game of Thrones.

10. Doctor Foster (2015)

Doctor Foster is a thrilling family drama about Dr. Gemma Foster, a practicing physician who begins to suspect that her husband is having an affair. All of the signs are there, but they’re just vague enough to make her wonder if her gut instinct is right—and as the obsession grows, her life begins to unravel.

It teeters into melodrama at points, but it’s engaging and gripping all the same. Suranne Jones’ performance is enough reason on its own to give this series a try.

More Brilliant Shows to Watch on Netflix

If you’re looking for the best BBC shows because you’ve grown bored of American TV, we’d also point you to the best nordic dramas to watch on Netflix and the best foreign language films on Netflix.

Read the full article: The 10 Best BBC Shows on Netflix Americans Will Enjoy

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How to Use Apple Maps Right in Your Browser

Apple Maps has come a long way since it launched in 2012, but its biggest problem is that it’s still only available on Apple devices. What if you use both an iPhone and Windows? Can you use Apple Maps on a PC? Actually, you can.

As it turns out, the popular privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo offers Apple Maps as its default mapping software. And despite a few limitations, it’s pretty good.

Read on to find out how to use Apple Maps online, no matter what platform you use.

Use Apple Maps Online With DuckDuckGo

With DuckDuckGo you can use Apple Maps in Chrome, Edge, or any other browser you choose. It works in Windows, Chrome OS, and even in the DuckDuckGo app on Android.

Apple Maps in a browser works in the same way as Google Maps does. Whenever you search for anything, you’ll see a Maps tab above the results. A quick click on that shows any relevant places plotted on the map.

When you search for a specific place, be it a city or an exact address, you’re given the chance to refine your search to show particular points of interest. The standard ones offered are:

• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Bars
• Groceries
• Banks
• Parking
• Coffee
• Parks

You can find whatever else you need as well, such as train stations and ATMs. To keep the results relevant, add the phrase “near me” to your search. So “ATM near me” will restrict the search to results in your immediate vicinity.

All the results are shown in the sidebar. Click through to see the location’s address, phone number, pricing info, and reviews.

You can browse the map by clicking and dragging, or by zooming in and out. When you do this, click the Search this area button to quickly refine your search.

More Apple Maps Tips

A few other tricks can help you better navigate Apple Maps on the web. Type “my location” to see where you are on the map. Click the Satellite button to switch the map view, or the compass icon to rotate it.

To use Apple Maps in dark mode, hit the Back button to return to the main DuckDuckGo main search page. Then go to Settings and select Dark Mode under Appearance. This new theme will still be in place when you switch back to the Maps tab.

DuckDuckGo has more to offer than maps. Read our guide to the DuckDuckGo bangs feature that lets you search hundreds of websites in one step.

Limitations When Using Apple Maps on a PC

Is Apple Maps on a desktop the perfect alternative to Google Maps? No. While it does a great job for basic mapping, it has some limitations that you need to know about. If you’re used to Google’s product, you might struggle to overcome them.

First, there’s no built-in support for route planning. There’s a Directions button within the interface, but when you click this, it throws you out into Bing Maps on Windows 10, by default. You can choose a different service if you want to. On macOS you’ll go to the Apple Maps app, and other platforms this sends you to Google Maps.

It’s true that you’re more likely to use your phone for directions. But if you like to plot a course in advance to share or print, you can’t really do that here.

On top of that, the app lacks the general layer of interactivity you get on other map services. For instance, you can’t click any random point of interest to see details about it, or even just drop a pin to mark a particular spot.

You also won’t find any of the useful extras like public transportation or traffic information. For this, you’ll need the dedicated Apple Maps app on iOS or macOS.

Is Apple Maps Better Than Google Maps?

DuckDuckGo gives you an easy way to use Apple Maps online. And unlike other solutions that have offered the same functionality in the past, this one’s official. It’s not going to simply disappear without warning.

With the platform limitations removed, there’s nothing to stop you from using Apple Maps today. But should you? Check out our Apple Maps vs. Google Maps breakdown to find out if it’s time to switch.

Read the full article: How to Use Apple Maps Right in Your Browser

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9 Ways Linux Is Taking Over the World

Linux doesn’t only run on home computers. You will also find it in far more exciting devices and projects. It’s particularly common where the proprietary nature of Windows and macOS is not suitable.

Let’s take a closer look who uses Linux and consider some of most unusual ways people and companies around the world.

1. Large Hadron Collider

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. It’s a 17-mile long circular tube buried 175 meters below the French-Swiss border near Geneva.

It’s common knowledge that the facility has been a resounding success from a scientific perspective. But the LHC is also a computing miracle.

In its first 12 months of operation, the LHC produced more than 50 petabytes of data. The team needed 170 computing centers across 42 countries to analyze it all in a timely manner. It is the largest distributed computing grid in the world.

Linux runs both the LHC itself and the associated data centers. To be more precise, the LHC uses a modified version of Scientific Linux.

2. Air Traffic Control in the United States

In 2006, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) migrated its entire computing operation over to Linux, including all the machines that track planes while they’re on radar.

The organization moved from a proprietary form of Unix to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

The decision was part of a wider FAA decision to move away from proprietary software and instead focus on apps using Java, web services, open-source software, and Oracle products.

Fast-forward to today, and Linux is responsible for the safety of the 8,000 planes that are in the sky above the US at any given time.

3. Putting Milk on Your Cornflakes

DeLaval isn’t a name that many people will recognize, but it’s one of the largest farm equipment manufacturers in the world. The company enjoys annual sales in excess of $1 billion.

One of the company’s most popular products is its automatic cow milking machine. It lets farmers extract milk from their herd using a wireless remote control.

And guess what? Yes, it runs on Linux. The operating system is directly responsible for extracting the milk you put on your cornflakes every morning!

4. Self-Driving Cars

Linux is powering the self-driving car revolution.

Google’s autonomous car computers run Linux, while early prototypes from both GM and Volkswagen also chose the operating system. Indeed, Google’s first successful foray into the market—a self-driving Toyota Prius—ran on Ubuntu.

Since those early days, we’ve seen the creation of Automotive Grade Linux (AGL). It’s a car computer operating system that’s a collaboration between car manufacturers, suppliers, and technology companies in a bid to create a de facto industry standard for automotive applications.

Today, you can find AGL in models from Toyota, Ford, Mazda, Honda, Subaru, and Suzuki.

5. Tsunami Sensors

Ever since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami killed 280,000 people in South-East Asia, tsunami prediction has become a vital part of public safety for people living in earthquake-prone low-lying areas. (If you’re at risk, technology can help you survive natural disasters).

One of the leading manufacturers of tsunami sensors is American company Teledyne Technologies.

The company’s sensors—which run on Linux—come complete with their own modem and use acoustics to send the data to each other underwater.

Bottom line? Linux is changing the world and saving lives.

6. North Korea’s State-Run Operating System

There is a lot we don’t know about North Korea, but we do know that the country has an impressive state-wide computer operating system that’s based on Linux. It’s called Red Star OS.

It’s currently up to version 4.0 (released in January 2019), but 2008’s version 1.0 remains the most popular. An installation CD costs the equivalent of about 25 cents.

The operating system includes Naenara web browser (which is a Firefox fork). OS version 1.0 and 2.0 took their visual inspiration from Windows XP. Version 3.0 and 4.0 look more akin to macOS.

7. Nuclear Submarines

In 2004, Lockheed Martin delivered a new nuclear submarine to the United States government. The vessel’s sonar ran on a Red Hat Linux-based operating system combined with Apple Xserve servers. It was a first for submarine sonar at the time.

Lockheed Martin chose Linux for two important reasons.

Firstly, it allowed the sonar to run in a low heat, low power consumption mode, both of which are essential features on a submarine.

Secondly, the end of the reliance on embedded systems allowed the crew to adapt to various formats of data and encryption while at sea.

8. San Francisco’s Traffic Control System

In 2011, the city of San Francisco decided it was time to update its traffic control systems. Given that the city is the 30th most congested in the world, it’s vital that its traffic management systems are reliable. Waze and in-car GPS apps just won’t cut it.

The city authorities decided that Linux would power the system. It was built around a Freescale PowerQUICC II Pro processor and was designed to meet the national Advanced Transportation Controller (ATC) standards.

Sounds great, but San Francisco now faces 25 percent more congestion than it did when the system was implemented. Still, we’ll put that down to the west coast drivers rather than a failing of the operating system.

9. The International Space Station

One of the most interesting projects that uses Linux is the International Space Station (ISS). When the ISS was first launched in 1998, its onboard laptops ran on Windows 95. Over time, NASA upgraded them to Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 7.

But in 2013, the Manager of Space Operations Computing (SpOC) for NASA, Keith Chuvala, admitted the entire array of more than 100 machines would be migrated to Linux. His comments didn’t make comfortable reading for Microsoft:

“We migrated key functions from Windows to Linux because we needed an operating system that was stable and reliable—one that would give us in-house control. So if we needed to patch, adjust, or adapt, we could.”

Debian was the Linux distro that the NASA team eventually settled on using.

Linux Across the World

So, let’s have a quick recap about the Linux world we’re now living in:

1. Large Hadron Collider
2. Air traffic control
3. Farm equipment
4. Self-driving cars
5. Tsunami warning systems
6. North Korean computers
7. Nuclear submarines
8. Traffic control systems
9. International Space Station

Clearly, Linux is everywhere. And in this article, we’ve not even touched on “fun” everyday uses such as smart TVs, Roku sticks, Nest thermostats, Kindle e-readers, and all the rest.

And even though we’ve only listed nine unusual uses of Linux in the world, the wide variety of the examples will hopefully give you an appreciation for how widespread the operating system is.

If you’d like to learn more, read about why Linux’s actual market share is much higher than you probably realize.

Read the full article: 9 Ways Linux Is Taking Over the World

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6 Ways to Use Trello and OneNote Together for Better Productivity

If you’re involved in many work projects, then tracking every task is an uphill battle. What you need is a system that helps you manage the information so you don’t lose focus, and then your clients. You can make Trello and Microsoft OneNote work together as one seamless setup.

The Kanban philosophy of Trello gives you the big picture of tasks in different stages of progress. While OneNote takes over the note-taking to capture and manage the details.

Let’s look at some unique ways to use Trello and Microsoft OneNote for Windows 10 together without the effort.

1. Create a Trello Card With OneNote

Every Trello board and its cards come with a unique email address. You can create a card with a title, labels, description, and assign a member to that card. Or, send a note to keep things organized in a card. With OneNote’s sharing feature, you can email anything to Trello.

At first, you’ll need the email address for your board. Click the Show Menu in the right sidebar, then choose More > Email-to-board Settings.

In the Add Cards via Email menu, copy-and-paste your email address to Notepad. Choose your preferred list, and it’s position on the list (top or bottom). Note: the email address is unique for each board and the board member. Don’t share this address with anyone as they can add a card without your permission.

Formatting Tips

In OneNote for Windows 10, here are some general guidelines and formatting tips you must follow before sending your card:

• Create a new page and leave the Page Title blank.
• Subject: Type in “Subject” and put a colon. Any text you enter after the colon becomes the card title.
• Label: In the subject, add “#labelname.” To put more than one label, it’s not necessary to add commas in between the label name. If your label consists of two or more words, join them by adding underscore between the words. For example, “In Progress” becomes “In_Progress.”
• Username: In the subject, add “@username” after entering the labels.
• Press Enter to give space and add your notes. It’ll become the card description.

Send a Copy

After formatting your notes, click the Share button at the upper right corner of the app window. At the bottom of the task pane that opens, click Send a copy.

Note: The location of the Share button is different in OneNote 2016.

A Share dialog will appear on the screen. From here, choose the Mail app. Choose the email account; preferably it should be Outlook.

When you do this, the page gets inserted along with the Subject and Body of the message inline and formatted.

To insert an attachment, go to Insert > Files and choose your file.

Most emails with attachments will make it into Trello without any problems. But remember, because of the email attachment limits your mail server might reject the mail and Trello will fail to process your message.

In the To: field, paste the email address you copied to Notepad and click Send. Within a few moments, your card will get created in Trello with a properly formatted title, description, labels, member name, and attachments if any.

2. Sending Notes to Trello

Each Trello card also has its personal email address. Open any card, click the Share button and find your address under Email for this card. Copy-and-paste this address in your Notepad.

Now, apply the following formatting tips:

• Create a new page and keep the Page Title blank.
• Don’t add any Subject.
• Enter your text and properly format bullet text, links, and paragraph.

Then, click Share > Send a copy and paste the address you copied in Notepad to the To: field and click Send. Your notes will show up as a comment on the Trello card.

3. Attach Links and PDF in Trello

Card attachments are files uploaded to cards. Attachments generally appear in the Add to Card > Attachment section. You can add attachments from Google Drive, OneDrive, upload PDF’s, or send any reference link.

Insert OneNote Page Links

Links are useful when you’re building a note that cross-references other notes, links, or files. You can directly insert a link that refers to a OneNote page to the Trello card of your choice.

Open any page, right-click and choose Copy Link to Page.

Click the Attachment button and paste your link in the Attach a link box. Enter the Link name and click Attach. Once inserted, click the link to open it directly in OneNote Online.

Attach a PDF file

Navigate to your OneNote page and press Ctrl + P. Under Printer ensure that you select Microsoft Print to PDF. If the page doesn’t fit properly, choose Fit to page and click Print. Type in the name and save your file.

Note: If you’re using OneNote 2016, the print option lives in File > Print. Apart from setting page width, you get to customize page numbering and footer text as well.

In the Trello, click the Attachment > Computer button and insert the file you saved.

4. Print a Trello Card to OneNote

Since Trello is built with newer technologies, it doesn’t have a wide selection of printing tools. But you can still print a Trello card in OneNote. To do this, open any card and select Share > Print.

From the printing preferences, select Send to OneNote and click Print. You can insert the printout directly to a section or any other notebook. Apart from leaving too much whitespace and the occasional missing images, the printing options works well.

5. Integration With IFTTT and Zapier

IFTTT has developed a reputation as a leading automation app. Using a series of conditional statements, you can make certain events trigger specific actions. In Trello, you can choose from the following three triggers. When you add a card to any board, a list, or assign a member, then a trigger will fire.

For OneNote, there are three specific actions. You can create a page, make a page with an image, and create a page from any link in the section of a notebook. Here’s the link to the applet for creating a page in OneNote whenever you add a card in Trello list.

If you’re just getting started, we have a complete guide on using IFTTT.

Zapier is a popular IFTTT alternative. The app uses Zaps to connect apps and services. In comparison to IFTTT, there are two advantages of Zapier. You can create complex sequences and add multiple action steps into single Zaps. It also gives you detailed previews while making a Zap.

For example, you can create a new note in a specific notebook/section whenever you move a card from one list to another.

Go to Zapier Dashboard, type in your app name to explore popular zaps.

6. Export Trello Board to OneNote

The export feature in Trello is available to all board members. It lives in Board Menu > More > Print and Export. The export file format is JSON, which technically fits well but is not compatible with Excel. But if you have a subscription to Trello Business Class, you can export the data as a CSV file.

You can use a Chrome extension to export Trello board as an XLSX file.

TrelloExport lets you export Trello board in a variety of formats. They include XLSX, HTML with Twig templates, Markdown, and OPML. Once you install this extension, refresh the page to see this option.

A dialog box will open. From here, follow these guidelines and click Export.

• Export To: Choose the export format (select XLSX).
• Export: What fields you want to export. Check archived items, comments, checklists, attachments, and custom fields.
• One Row Per Each: Choose the default card since we want to see each card in a row.
• Export Columns: There are 27 columns. Deselect any ones you don’t want for sanity.
• Type of Export: Choose the present board or multiple boards. If you select the latter option, it takes time to tabulate the data.

After saving the file, we’ll import it into OneNote. In Windows 10, click Insert > File. In the dialog box that appears, select your file and click Open. Again, choose this option Upload to OneDrive and insert link.

A live preview of the file gets added in OneNote. You can view and browse through the file contents without having to open the file. Plus you also have a backup of the board for free.

Learn Trello and OneNote for an Organized Mind

Trello and OneNote work well in synergy without relying on too many third-party apps. Hopefully, with these tips, you can manage and organize both tasks and information without effort. If used intelligently, your data will no longer stay in two isolated systems.

However, before you start using them together, you must know the basics of Trello and OneNote. Here is our guide on how to use Trello for project management and best features you must remember in OneNote for Windows 10.

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How to Clean Your Keyboard Once and for All

Waymo and DeepMind mimic evolution to develop a new, better way to train self-driving AI

Alphabet’s autonomous driving and robotaxi company Waymo does a lot of training in order to refine and improve the artificial intelligence that powers its self-driving software. Recently, it teamed up with fellow Alphabet company and AI specialist DeepMind to develop new training methods that would help make its training better and more efficient.

The two worked together to bring a training method called ‘Population Based Training’ (PBT for short) to bear on Waymo’s challenge of building better virtual drivers, and the results were impressive – DeepMind says in a blog post that using PBT decreased false positives in a network that identifies and places boxes around pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists spotted by a Waymo vehicle’s many sensors by 24 percent. Not only that, but is also resulted in savings in terms of both training time and resources, using about 50% of both compared to standard methods that Waymo was using previously.

To step back a little, let’s look at what PBT even is. Basically, it’s a method of training that takes its cues from how Darwinian evolution works. Neural nets essentially work by trying something and then measuring those results against some kind of standard to see if their attempt is more ‘right’ or more ‘wrong’ based on the desired outcome. In the training methods that Waymo was using, they’d have multiple neural nets working independently on the same task, all with varied degrees of what’s known as a “learning rate,” or the degree to which they can deviate in their approach each time they attempt a task (like identifying objects in a image, for instance). A higher learning rate means much more variety in terms of the quality of the outcome, but that swings both ways – a lower learning rate means much steadier progress, but a low likelihood of getting big positive jumps in performance.

But all that comparative training requires a huge amount of resources, and sorting the good from the bad in terms of which are working out relies on either the gut feeling of individual engineers, or massive-scale search with a manual component involved where engineers ‘weed out’ the worse performing neural nets to free up processing capabilities for better ones.

What DeepMind and Waymo did with this experiment was essentially automated that weeding, automatically killing the ‘bad’ training and replacing them with better-performing spin-offs of the best-in-class networks running the task. That’s where evolution comes in, since it’s kind of a process of artificial natural selection. Yes, that does make sense – read it again.

In order to avoid potential pitfalls with this method, DeepMind tweaked some aspects after early research, including evaluating models on fast, 15-minute intervals, building out strong validation criteria and example sets to ensure that tests really were building better-performing neural nets for the real world, and not just good pattern-recognition engines for the specific data they’d been fed.

Finally, the companies also developed a sort of ‘island population’ approach by building sub-populations of neural nets that only competed with one another in limited groups, similar to how animal populations cut off from larger groups (ie, limited to islands) develop far-different and sometimes better-adapted characteristics vs. their large land mass cousins.

Overall, it’s a super interesting look at how deep learning and artificial intelligence can have a real impact on technology that already is, in some cases, and will soon be even much more involved in our daily lives.

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Apple leads corporate American solar energy installers

Apple led the way in solar installations as technology companies step up their development of renewable energy projects to offset their carbon emissions.

That’s the word from the Solar Energy Industry Association in its latest tally of leading corporate solar energy installers across the U.S.

Last year, Apple installed 400 megawatts of solar capacity, to lead all companies in the U.S.

“Top companies are increasingly investing in clean, reliable solar energy because it makes economic sense,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), in a statement. “[And] corporate solar investments will become even more significant as businesses use solar to fight climate change, create jobs and boost local economies.”

Four of the top ten corporate solar users in the U.S. were tech companies. Amazon was number two on the Solar Energy Industry Association’s list of companies tapping solar energy to power their businesses. While the data center company Switch and search giant Google (a subsidiary of Alphabet) came in as the fifth and sixth companies.

“Playing a significant role in helping to reduce the sources of human-induced climate change is an important commitment for Amazon,” said Kara Hurst, Director of Sustainability, Amazon, in a statement. “Major investments in renewable energy are a critical step toward addressing our carbon footprint globally. We will continue to invest in these projects and look forward to additional investments this year and beyond.”

The price for solar continues to come down, which is increasing the adoption — and scale — of solar installations in the U.S.

According to the SEIA, the biggest jump in solar installations have happened in the last three years. In all, 7 gigawatts of solar capacity has been installed at commercial locations, which is enough to power 1.4 million homes.

Of course these numbers still need to increase even more dramatically for the corporate world to show that it’s serious about addressing climate change. While it’s important to acknowledge the successes of companies that are taking strides to incorporate more renewable energy into their operations. The goal for these massive industrial and technology giants (and really the goal for every institution) should be to get to as close to full decarbonization as possible.

The world has ten years to wean itself off of its current emissions-heavy consumption habits. Increasing solar usage is a step in the right direction, but it’s only a step.

 

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Sonos and Ikea’s Symfonisk wireless speakers are a symphony of sound and design

Sonos and Ikea’s Symfonisk collaboration took a lot of people by surprise when it was announced earlier this year, but the match up is less unlikely than it might appear at first glance. Ikea’s entire mission has been delivering practical, quality design concepts at price points that are more broadly accessible – and that’s exactly what it’s done with its collaboration with Sonos, albeit with sound instead of furniture. The new $99 Symfonisk WiFi bookshelf speaker, and the new $179 Symfonisk table lamp with WiFi speaker both deliver the excellent performance and sound quality that’s expected from the Sonos brand, in beguilingly practical everyday designs created by Ikea.

Symfonisk bookshelf speaker

The descriptor “bookshelf speaker” in this case means more than it usually does – Ikea has designed these to either blend seamlessly in with hour actual book collection on existing shelf units, or to actually act as shelves themselves, using a simple add-on accessory kit that includes a flush wall mount and a rubber matt to protect its top surface while holding your gear (up to 6.6 lbs). They can also rail-mount on Ikea’s kitchen rail products for convenient kitchen installation, or they have rubberized pads on both the bottom and side surfaces for either horizontal or vertical surface mounting. Each speaker has two channels for cables to exit both vertically and horizontally for flush mounting, and there’s an Ethernet port on each and a cable in the box for hardwired connections to your home network.

At $99, they’re the new most affordable way to get into the Sonos system, undercutting the Play:1 by $50. Leaving aside their utility as free-floating shelves (with a decent 12″ x 6″ surface area, likely suitable for bedside tables for many), they’re a perfect introduction to the Sonos ecosystem for anyone who’s felt that Sonos hardware is too expensive. And they’re almost tailor-made to act as rear speakers in a Sonos surround sound home theater configuration. I paired mine with my existing Sonos Beam sounder and Sonos Sub, and they delivered to the post where you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the Symfonisk bookshelves and the Play:1 operating in that capacity.

That said, you do notice a difference between the Symfonisk bookshelf and the Play:1, or the Sonos One, when it comes to sound quality when they’re used on their own as individual or stereo-paired speakers. The bookshelf speakers contain entirely new internal speaker designs, since the form factor is nothing like any existing Sonos hardware on the market, and that means you end up with a different sound profile vs. the more squat, rotund Sonos One and Play:1.

To my ears, the Symfonisk bookshelf speaker sounds slightly worse when compared to the Sonos One and Play:1. This is not that surprising – those Sonos speakers are more expensive, for one, and they really out punch their weight class when it comes to overall sound quality. And even if the Symfonisk shelves are not quite up to par, they’re still excellent sounding wireless speakers for their price – without a doubt I would opt to pick these up in place of Play:1s for parts of my house where I don’t need the built-in Alexa or Google Assistant of the Sonos One, but want high-fidelity sound. In stereo pair configuration, the difference is even less noticeable.

The Symonisk shelf speaker design seems mostly focused on practicality, but it’s a good looking speaker (available in both black, as tested, and white). The rectangular box look is a bit harder to integrate as flexibly with your decor when compared to the Sonos One, in my opinion, but on the other hand there are some settings where the Symfonisk shelf fits far more seamlessly, like when wall mounted behind a couch to act as rears, or when acting as bookend on an existing bookshelf. The fabric speaker grill is removable, and you can expect Sonos to look at aesthetic updates to potentially change the look in future, too.

Because these are wireless speakers, there’s another aspect of performance that’s important: connectivity. Symfonisk’s speakers (both these and the table lamp, which I’ll talk more about later on) worked flawlessly during my multiple days of testing in this regard, with zero drop-outs that I noticed when it came to music playback, and flawless integration with my existing Sonos network of speakers. I’m also likely one of Sonos’ outlier customers in terms of the number of speakers I’m using – I have 14 active currently, including the Symfonisk speakers, all operating fully wireless and without the included Ethernet connection, and wireless playback has been rock solid during tests of this new Ikea line.

Set up is also a breeze, whether you’re new to Sonos or an existing user, and is handled via the Sonos app (Ikea will also eventually add it to its own smart home control software, the company tells me, and you’ll be able to control it from both). Once added to your app, you can also use them via Alexa or Google Assistant if you have those linked to your Sonos system, and they show up as AirPlay 2 speaker for iOS and macOS users, too.

Symfonisk table lamp speaker

Like the bookshelf speaker, the Symfonisk table lamp is incredibly easy to setup and manage using the Sonos app, and works with Alexa/Google Assistant and AirPlay 2. It was also outstanding in terms of performance with wireless connection and working with other speakers, and you can use Sonos’ TruePlay sound tuning feature to ensure that it provides the right sound profile for your space with a quick adjustment process using your phone’s microphone (this also works with the shelf speakers, by the way, and I recommend it for any Sonos equipment).

The table lamp really impresses in two ways, including sound quality and – this might seem obvious – by virtue of it also being a great lamp as well as a speaker. The base of the lamp is where the speaker resides, and it’s wrapped in a removable fabric cover that looks great from afar and up close. The shade is a single piece of handcrafted opaque glass, which provides a very pleasant glow when lit from within, and which uses a bayonet mount to lock into place.

This mount and shade choice are not just about looks – Sonos and Ikea evaluated different options and found that this was easily the best when it came to minimizing reverb and rattle for a lamp that’s also capable of outputting a lot of high-volume sound. The choice appears to have been the good one – in testing, I never noticed anything that suggested there was anything rattling or shaking around as a result of even loud music being played through the Symfonisk lamp speaker.

As mentioned, the looks benefit from this design decision, too. This table lamp at first struck me as maybe a bit too modern in photos, but in situ it looks great and is easily now a favorite item among my overall home decor. I do have a few small complaints, like that the large dial on the side is actually a simple on/off switch, rather than a dimmer or a volume knob like I assumed it would be. The controls are on the front of the saucer-like base instead, which is a clever way to make the lamp look less like a gadget and more like furniture.

The light itself supports bulbs with E12-style threaded connectors and a max of 7 watts of energy consumption, which are more commonly seen in chandeliers. Ikea sent over one of its Tradfri smart bulbs, with wireless connectivity and adjustable white spectrum temperature control. It’s the perfect complement to the lamp, and I was even able to quickly connect it to my existing Philips Hue hub for control without an Ikea smart bridge. With a smart bulb, the Symfonisk speaker lamp offers voice-control for both the lightning and the speaker component.

Where the Symfonisk shelf speaker differs from its Sonos brethren a bit in sound profile, the Symfonisk lamp speaker is surprisingly similar to the Play:1 ($149) and Sonos One ($199) and sits right in between both at $179. The internals are largely leveraged from those devices, according to Sonos, which makes sense given its industrial design is also basically a somewhat squat cylinder. Regardless of how, the result is terrific – it’s a lamp that’s actually a fantastic speaker, and you can definitely pull a trick at parties of asking guests to try to figure out the source of your high-quality, room filling sound if you pick one or more of these up. As rears, they blend away seamlessly with the decor, solving the age-old problem of having to choose between quality surround sound and having a living room that doesn’t look like a Hi-Fi audio shop.

The Symfonisk lamp is big, however – it’s about two inches taller than a Sonos One without the shade, and wider both in terms of the base and the saucer-like bottom. The look, while appealing to me, also isn’t necessarily for everyone (though there are black and white versions depending on your preference) so that might be another reason to opt for other offerings in the Sonos line vs. this one. But this particular light/Sonos speaker combo is unique in the market, and definitely a strong value proposition.

Bottom line

With the Symfonisk line, Ikea and Sonos have really pulled off something fairly amazing – creating practical, smart decor that’s also great audio equipment. It’s a blending of two worlds that results in very few compromises, and stands as a true example of what’s possible when two companies with a focus on human-centric design get together and really focus on establishing a partnership that’s much deeper than two names on a label.

Sonos and Ikea’s team-up isn’t just a limited collection, either – it’s a long-term partnership, so you can expect more from both down the road. For now, however, the Symfonisk bookshelf and Symfonisk table lamp speakers go on sale starting August 1 at Ikea.com and Ikea’s stores, and are very good options if you’re in the market for a smart speaker.

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What politicians are getting wrong about fixing higher education

Darrell Silver Contributor

Darrell Silver is the co-founder and CEO of Thinkful.

More posts by this contributor

• An insider’s take on the future of coding bootcamps
• Students are demanding the facts about coding bootcamps

From Capitol Hill to the Democratic Presidential debates, the drumbeat for new approaches to higher education is getting louder.

On the campaign trail, Bernie Sanders continues to advocate for free college and Sen. Elizabeth Warren recently proposed bigger plans to eliminate the $1.6 trillion in student debt nationwide. On the Hill, Republican senators Marco Rubio and Todd Young were joined by Democratic senators Mark Warner and Chris Coons in rolling out a bill to regulate income share agreements to make education more accessible.

Before anyone tries to solve what’s wrong with higher education, we need to first understand the value of a college degree. It’s a debate that truly began during the Recession, as students weren’t getting jobs upon graduation. And that lack of value is the reason we have a student loan crisis. So, why would we call for free college, if there is doubt about the value of what “free” gets someone?

While everyone should have an opportunity to pursue higher education after high school, any politico – from the Secretary of Education to the Democratic candidates, should first address the larger value crisis in today’s education system.

If Democratic candidates are going to call for free college, first, there needs to be more accountability from colleges about what a student – or future student – can expect upon graduation.

At a very young age, students are taking huge risks by spending their time and money going to college. And the majority are specifically because they want to get a job upon graduation. But tuition is non-negotiable and there is no outcome – i.e., a job – associated with graduating. The value at a coding bootcamp like Thinkful is that we have a jobs report that proves there’s a job waiting for you once you graduate. So, at a traditional college, wouldn’t the value of a college degree drop if there was no job attached to it? It’s why I think educators must be held to higher standards that are more consumer-friendly by providing transparency to students about what they can expect upon graduating with a certain major.

There such a demand around skills-based learning that even employers are recognizing you don’t need to go to college to be hireable.

From Blackrock to Google, big companies aren’t requiring college degrees for highly skilled tech positions, paving the way for employers to hire candidates from trusted education companies that they know are producing candidates with skill sets like data science, coding and design. In fact, adults in their 20s, 30 and even 50s who have college degrees are enrolling in coding bootcamps or career accelerators because they didn’t get job-ready skills when they were in school.

And it’s why coding bootcamps can offer a job guarantee or allow students to utilize Income Share Agreements to pay for their program. We are perfectly comfortable taking on that “free” risk because we know that you are very likely to get a high paying job upon graduation. Our yearly jobs data proves it.

So, calling for free college is missing the point about what really needs to happen if we want more people learning to get a job that will put them on a sustainable career trajectory. There needs to be much more accountability into what a “free degree” would get someone.

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The world's "Third Pole" is melting away. Here's how we can stop it from disappearing | Tshering Tobgay

The world's "Third Pole" is melting away. Here's how we can stop it from disappearing | Tshering Tobgay

The Hindu Kush Himalaya region is the world's third-largest repository of ice, after the North and South Poles -- and if current melting rates continue, one-third of its glaciers could be gone by the end of this century. What will happen if we let them melt away? Environmentalist and former Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay shares the latest from the "water towers of Asia," making an urgent call to create an intergovernmental agency to protect the glaciers -- and save the nearly two billion people downstream from catastrophic flooding that would destroy land and livelihoods.

Click the above link to download the TED talk.

3 Innovative New Apps at Unmissable Low Prices

No matter what kind of device you’re running, great apps can make all the difference to your workflow. Shopping in the App Store can be expensive, but there are more affordable ways to upgrade. Here are three new apps currently at limited-time low prices at MakeUseOf Deals.

InPixio Photo Clip 9 Editor

When you capture an amazing sunset, the last thing you want to see is some litter in the corner of your shot. With InPixio Photo Clip, you can easily remove such objects by drawing around them.

In addition, you can use Photo Clip to cut out objects for use in montages. You can get Photo Clip 9 now for $29.99 on Mac and Windows, saving 40% on the standard price.

Dossier and Memoir Mac App Bundle

Strictly speaking, this bundle contains two apps. However, Dossier and Memoir work in harmony to store your ideas and memories.

Dossier is a powerful organizational tool that can hold notes, to-do lists, passwords, images, and more. It’s very easy to use, and Spotlight integration allows you to find anything in seconds. Meanwhile, Memoir is an outstanding journaling app that provides a distraction-free writing experience.

Order now for $14.99 to get the bundle, worth $42.98.

KeepSolid Private Browser: Lifetime Subscription

This innovative browser makes incognito mode truly private. All your traffic is routed through masking servers, meaning no-one can track you across the web. In addition, KeepSolid applies AES-256 encryption to keep hackers at bay. Order now for $29 to get lifetime protection on up to five devices, worth $50.

Like this deal? Check out Vault — you’ll get four premium tools, including NordVPN and Dashlane, to supercharge your online security. Try it free for 14 days now!

Prices are subject to change.

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Google Launches a Lightweight Google Photos Alternative

Google has launched Gallery Go, a lightweight alternative to Google Photos. While announced by Google for Nigeria, and primarily designed for users in developing countries, Google Go is available worldwide on Android. So it’s worth checking out.

Gallery Go is essentially Google Photos Lite, offering a less resource-heavy option for smartphone owners. Lightweight apps are becoming commonplace, as evidenced by Facebook Lite, Twitter Lite, and even Spotify Lite, which launched in July 2019.

Gallery Go vs. Google Photos

Google announced Gallery Go on The Keyword. The company describes Gallery Go as “a photo gallery, designed to work offline, that uses machine learning to automatically organize and make your photos look their best.” Hence the Google Photos comparison.

Gallery Go automatically organizes your photos, sorting them into folders around the people, places, and things you shoot. This happens on your phone, meaning you don’t need to be connected to the internet. Which is an upgrade from Google Photos.

Gallery Go also offers some simple-to-use editing tools, such as auto-enhance. You can also apply number of different filters, and rotate and crop your images. And when you’re done, you can create folders and copy your photos across to an SD card.

Unlike Google Photos, Gallery Go is designed to work offline. It’s also just a 10MB download, which is much smaller than Google Photos. Gallery Go is currently only available on Android, for devices running Android 8.1 (Oreo) or higher.

Download: Google Go on Android

Other Google Photos Alternatives

As previously mentioned, Google Go has been developed with users in developing countries in mind. However, it’s available worldwide, so if you have been looking for a lightweight Google Photos alternative, Google Go could be right up your street.

We consider Google Photos to be one of the best photo managers around, although there are plenty of Google Photos alternatives worth trying. If you decide to stick with Google Photos over Gallery Go, here are the Google Photos features you may have missed.

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Samsung readies Galaxy Fold for September launch

When it was unveiled on stage, the Galaxy Fold was heralded as the next big thing. Samsung seeded units to reviews and prepared for launch. And then a funny thing happened on the way to a smartphone paradigm shift: it started breaking. Multiple review units were sent back to Samsung with busted screens.

It was a small sample size, to be sure. First Samsung blamed reviewers themselves. Ultimately, however, there was enough concern to cause the company to pump the breaks entirely. Now, nearly three months to the day after the device was set for release, Samsung’s finally got concrete information on the long delayed foldable. The company just announced a September (of 2019, presumably) launch date for the device. No concrete date just yet — but at least that’s better than the “coming weeks” line we’ve been hearing about timeframe for a few months now. 

The fixes are pretty much what we’ve expected from the outset, but here’s the full breakdown straight from the company,

• The top protective layer of the Infinity Flex Display has been extended beyond the bezel, making it apparent that it is an integral part of the display structure and not meant to be removed.
• Galaxy Fold features additional reinforcements to better protect the device from external particles while maintaining its signature foldable experience:
• The top and bottom of the hinge area have been strengthened with newly added protection caps
• Additional metal layers underneath the Infinity Flex Display have been included to reinforce the protection of the display
• The space between the hinge and body of Galaxy Fold has been reduced.

The first bullet point is a direct response to those reviewers who peeled off the protective layer, thinking it was temporary. Again, Samsung put the onus on reviewers there, but ultimately shouldered the blame from a top layer that looked almost exactly like the laminate Galaxy devices ship with to avoid scratching. This fix hides those corners — and the temptation to peel them.

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