Daily Crunch: Final Oculus co-founder departs Facebook

The Daily Crunch is TechCrunch’s roundup of our biggest and most important stories. If you’d like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 9am Pacific, you can subscribe here.

1. Facebook is losing its last Oculus co-founder

Nate Mitchell, the final Oculus co-founder remaining at Facebook, announced in an internal memo that he’s leaving the company and “taking time to travel, be with family, and recharge.” His role within the company has shifted several times since Oculus was acquired, but his current title is head of product management for virtual reality.

This follows the departures of former Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe and co-founder Palmer Luckey.

2. Twitter tests ways for users to follow and snooze specific topics

The company isn’t getting rid of the ability to follow other users, but it announced yesterday that it will start pushing users to start following topics as well, which will feature highly engaged tweets from a variety of accounts.

3. WeWork’s S-1 misses these three key points

WeWork just released its S-1 ahead of going public, but Danny Crichton argues we still don’t know the health of the core of the company’s business model or fully understand the risks it is undertaking. (Extra Crunch membership required.)

4. CBS and Viacom are merging into a combined company called ViacomCBS

The move is, in some ways, a concession to a turbulent media environment driving large-scale M&A, with AT&T buying Time Warner and Disney acquiring most of Fox — both deals are seen as consolidation in preparation for a streaming-centric future.

5. Nvidia breaks records in training and inference for real-time conversational AI

Nvidia’s GPU-powered platform for developing and running conversational AI that understands and responds to natural language requests has achieved some key milestones and broken some records, with big implications for anyone building on their tech.

6. Corporate carpooling startup Scoop raises $60 million

Scoop, which launched back in 2015, is a corporate carpooling service that works with the likes of LinkedIn, Workday, T-Mobile and more than 50 other companies to help their employees get to and from work.

7. Domino’s launches e-bike delivery to compete with UberEats, DoorDash

Domino’s will start using custom electric bikes for pizza delivery through a partnership with Rad Power Bikes.

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Roku Adds 5 Free Channels for Cord-Cutters

Roku has added five new channels to The Roku Channel. All of which offer free content to Roku owners. The channels add sports coverage, local and national news coverage, award-winning journalism, investigative reports, and comedy specials.

In 2017, Roku unveiled The Roku Channel. This added a free, ad-supported channel to Roku devices. The Roku Channel contains a range of movies and TV shows, all available to watch for free. And now Roku is adding five more channels to The Roku Channel.

Roku Adds New Channels to The Roku Channel

Roku unveiled the new channels in a post on The Roku Blog. The company shared the news that these “new, free, live and linear channels are available, bringing the total count of news, sports, and entertainment options in The Roku Channel to more than 30!”

5 new live and linear channels are now available on The #Roku Channel ?? https://t.co/k2cQjsxBYl pic.twitter.com/bDY8Rbh9NY

— Roku (@Roku) August 13, 2019

Fubo Sports Network is “a live TV network for passionate sports fans” offering coverage of sporting events, trending sports topics, and sports-related entertainment programming.

ACCDN (or The ACC Digital Network) offers “original on-demand content throughout the year” from one of the top intercollegiate athletic conferences in the US.

USA Today offers “local and national news, sports, entertainment, finance, technology, and more”. All delivered through a combination of journalism, photos, and videos.

Now This is described as “the most watched mobile news brand in the world”. Tune in for “news, investigative reports, interviews, and original series.”

Comedy Dynamics is a network dedicated to comedy. So you can expect stand-up specials, TV shows, films, and documentaries from some big-name comedians.

Roku has also added SI TV to the Premium Subscriptions available on The Roku Channel. SI TV is a streaming service from Sports Illustrated, and it offers original series and documentaries which aim to take you behind the scenes of your favorite sports.

The Best Free Roku Channels

The Roku Channel is packed to the gills with free content, but it isn’t the only option for Roku owners. Here are the best free Roku channels you shouldn’t miss, which includes Pluto TV, Sony Crackle, CBS News, and PBS Kids, amongst many others.

Read the full article: Roku Adds 5 Free Channels for Cord-Cutters

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8 Stranger Things Memes You Need in Your Life

Millions of people love Stranger Things, and happily binge a new season as soon as it’s released on Netflix. Season 3 was no exception, and as soon as the show debuted, fans started posting Stranger Things memes.

In this article, we list the best Stranger Things memes, and explain how and when to use them. Just a note of warning that this article contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 3, so only read on if you have watched it all.

1. Robin’s Whiteboard of Wisdom Meme

And that's a fact. #StrangerThings3 pic.twitter.com/Ya7vm2ETDB

— Stranger Things Memes (@StrangeMemes11) July 23, 2019

Steve’s snarky coworker Robin is always right. Especially when she pulls up a whiteboard and marks another incident of Steve being a dingus. And of course Robin and her “You rule/You suck” whiteboard has become a meme.

While it’s not always used in the original tally format, the Whiteboard of Wisdom comes with a statement that’s undeniably correct and needed to be said. And although most whiteboard statements are related to the show, they don’t necessarily have to be.

So, if you have some truth to speak, use one of the best meme generators to make a Robin meme of your own.

2. Alexei Smirnoff

https://bobcatlothcatlombax.tumblr.com/post/186289038451/traitor

Childlike innocence. A pure soul. A love for cherry slurpees and other joys of capitalism. These things have made Alexei, a Russian scientist held hostage by Joyce and Hopper, the internet’s new darling.

Ever since season 3, fans have been mourning Alexei’s death, calling him an angel, comparing him to Barb from season 1, but most often of all—making memes with him.

Alexei’s face when he wins a stuffed Woody Woodpecker at the Hawkins fair is so happy and sweet he’s been used as the picture of innocence. So if you want to express how you felt before you knew what student debt was, Alexei is your go-to meme.

3. Strawberry and Cherry

Just liquid sugar from StrangerThings

Speaking of Alexei and his cherry slurpees. When he points out he wanted the cherry flavor, not the strawberry, Hopper barks that it all tastes the same and is just sugar on ice. And just like that, strawberry and cherry become the new Stranger Things meme.

The duo of flavors has been cross-bred with the Drake meme, The Office memes, and the Me Explaining to My Mom meme, producing some hilarious combinations. And if you like your memes to have a practical application, you can use Strawberry and Cherry to mock a friend who doesn’t get subtle differences.

4. Again? Seriously?

Startup squad!… Assemble.

– @ArcDrifter#AvengersMemes #StrangerThingsMemes pic.twitter.com/73pFWhXjZA

— ProjectSuperVillain (@WeRVillains) July 22, 2019

Steve being annoyed by the kids, who show up at Scoops Ahoy for the fiftieth time, is the meme we all needed. Because how else do you express your frustration with something pesky that keeps happening?

Maybe it’s Area 51 guards and the conspiracy theorists of Facebook. Maybe it’s your computer and apps that launch at startup. Or perhaps it’s your credit card and all your useless purchases. Whatever it is, some situations just call for the “Again? Seriously?” meme.

5. Broke Mike

me when my friends ask me if i want to go shopping#StrangerThings3 pic.twitter.com/UwMOanFVqr

— ??? ?? (@summertyrus) July 4, 2019

As much as Mike wants to get Eleven a present, it’s hard for him to do that, because he only has, like, $3.50. The photo of a bummed out Mike paired with his quote makes the perfect meme, because it’s all too relatable. You’ve probably been broke at least at one point in your life.

Coworkers inviting you to a bar crawl a day before the pay day? Send them a Broke Mike. Your friends making holiday plans you can’t afford right now? Send them a Broke Mike. Your parents constantly asking you when you’re going to buy a house? Broke Mike comes in handy again.

6. “Isn’t It Time You Die?”

isn’t it past isn’t it time
your bed time? you die? pic.twitter.com/y43kLPfA7i

— Hannah (@Hanneybean7) July 8, 2019

Ah, sibling love. The only relationship where saying “Isn’t it time you die?” in response to “Isn’t it past your bedtime?” is completely acceptable. Lucas’ little sister Erica has the sharpest tongue on the show, and her snarky response to Lucas is pure meme gold.

The exchange between Lucas and Erica is now used to set various movie and cartoon characters against each other.

The one asking “Isn’t it past your bedtime?” is usually older and has more authority, while the one snapping “Isn’t it time you die?” is the younger and more brazen one. Severus Snape and Harry Potter, Captain America and Spiderman—the list goes on and on.

But it doesn’t have to be limited to movie characters. This is the perfect meme to show how different groups and generations get along online.

7. Keep the Door Open Three Inches

first “i love you 3000” and now “keep the door open three inches”#StrangerThings pic.twitter.com/6mjZyDw93w

— emz (@bizzleziga) July 6, 2019

Like many dads of the world, Hopper is worried about his teenage daughter’s relationship. But after he (possibly) dies, his order to keep the door ajar when Mike is in her room acquires a whole new meaning.

“Keep the door open three inches” are the last words by Hopper that Eleven gets to read, and they caused Stranger Things fans to burst into tears. The phrase has become an iconic tear-jerker, along with The Avengers’, “I love you 3000.” So pair it with photos of weeping cats and teary-eyed pups.

8. Joyce and the Magnets

Further improved my meme x #StrangerThings #StrangerThings3 pic.twitter.com/EA6bjJMtQz

— Celyn (@DaviesCelyn1) July 19, 2019

In season 1, Joyce is obsessed with finding her son. In season 2, she is obsessed with saving her son. But in season 3, she gives her son a break and gets obsessed with her magnets.

Joyce is ultimately right: the magnets have lost their magnetism because of the massive machine the Russians have running near Hawkins. But her obsession throughout the season is prime meme material.

Joyce and the magnets work beautifully when merged with other memes, like Me Explaining to My Mom, The Distracted Boyfriend, and I Bet He’s Thinking About Other Women. In other words, this Stranger Things meme is great for mocking irrational fixations.

Memes Make the World Go Around

These are the best Stranger Things memes we could find, but we’re sure there are more out there just waiting to be discovered. If there are any that you have found useful/entertaining, feel free to post them in the comments below.

And even if you’re not interested in Stranger Things memes, we have previously written about people who became memes and how they reacted. Which is well worth a read.

Read the full article: 8 Stranger Things Memes You Need in Your Life

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How to Use Your Journal App as the Perfect Productivity Planner

A journal app is not just a place to put down your personal thoughts at the end of the day. It’s an efficient work planner in disguise, and you can use it to boost your professional or personal productivity with our starter tips below.

1. Use the Calendar to Plan Ahead and Stay Focused

A good journal app is sure to come with an in-built calendar, and you can use that to visualize your day, week, month, or even the entire year easily. (We recommend using an app that lets you create entries in the future.)

The default journal that goes with each date can hold a basic to-do list or a list of your MITs (Most Important Tasks). If you fill it up for the entire week or month, you can jump to any date for that phase and get a clear picture of your priorities on any given day.

You’ll find that the calendar setup keeps your focus on the here and now, and ensures that you take things one day at a time.

Some apps add markers to distinguish between days with and without journal entries. You can use this feature to track your productivity by deleting the entries for days on which you haven’t met your goals. (Move the corresponding notes to a different location.) This approach helps if visual cues motivate you to do better.

2. Set Up a Journal Template for Your Daily To-Do List

Planning ahead is necessary, but so is making room for the reality of ever-changing tasks and priorities. That’s where the daily to-do list plays an important role. It helps you revise your plans for tomorrow while taking into account what has gone on today.

For your daily planner, you might want to start with a journal template to save time.

Typical journal templates prompt you with questions about how you spent your day. But here, we suggest starting with a template that focuses on how you want to spend your day. A custom template works best.

You can get specific with your planning and use prompts like:

• What is THE ONE THING that I absolutely need to accomplish today?
• My top three tasks in order of priority:
• What primary goal will I work towards today?

If you prefer a fluid approach, outline your tasks as you envision them. In other words, capture the work-related conversation you’re having with yourself inside your head. If you’re not sure how to proceed with this, take a cue from Cal Newport’s weekly plan. Feel free to add affirmations or inspiring quotes and images to liven up your plans for the day.

Be sure to work on each day’s to-do list entry the day before, so you don’t waste time in the morning deciding what to work on next. To turn this planning task into a habit, use the reminder feature of your journal app for a timely alert.

3. Create Multiple Journals to Stay Organized

If you go with an app that supports multiple journals and tags, it can double up as a proper notes app. Look for a solution with advanced formatting options, Markdown support, writing stats, etc. depending on the kind of note-taking you plan to do.

Multiple entries will make it easy to sort your thought processes into logical boxes. One journal can hold your task lists and another, say, the main idea, draft, report, and such that you’re working on.

You can also create a separate journal to use as a dedicated scratchpad. Store useful text snippets, email drafts, the odd brain wave, etc. in this journal during the course of the day. If you want, a single journal entry can work as the scratchpad for the entire month. Be sure to move its contents to your regular note-taking app at the end of the day.

4. Record Your Completed Tasks

Wrap up each day with a “Done” list, which contains only those tasks that you have completed or made progress on during the day. It’s a positive way to look at your workday, without berating yourself for tasks you’ve left undone.

You can add relevant files or snapshots of your work to your “Done” list to serve as reminders about your capabilities in future moments of self-doubt.

5. Add Personal Notes

Your days are as much about your ideas, thoughts, and emotions as they are about your work. So adding a personal touch to your work journal wouldn’t be amiss.

Feel free to create a dedicated journal entry to list highlights from your personal life, express your gratitude, or to reflect on your day. If your journal app supports audio input, your personal diary can be a series of oral recordings instead of textual entries.

For all you know, you might stumble upon a solution to a work problem when you’re making these personal entries. That’s how your brain works after all—connecting dots in the most bizarre ways when you aren’t looking.

Take Charge of Your Day With a Work Journal

The simple habit of journaling can jump-start your productivity. But the approach we’ve described above will work only if you pick a journal app that suits your workflow. To ensure that it does, start your app search with a list of features you can’t do without.

If you don’t want to download or sign up for yet another app, why not repurpose an app you already use? For example, you can use Google Calendar as a journal. If you swear by the Bullet Journal, how about using Evernote as a bullet journal for work?

Read the full article: How to Use Your Journal App as the Perfect Productivity Planner

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6 Reasons to Use LinkedIn Beyond Searching for Jobs

People generally use LinkedIn to search for a new job. The social media site has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the best places to go to find a new job.

However, you don’t need to be actively searching for a new job to get some use out of LinkedIn. And in this article we list the reasons to use LinkedIn beyond job searching.

1. Use LinkedIn to Build Your Reputation as an Expert

If you play your cards right you’ll find a great company to work for. A lot of us are searching for a long-term job that pays the bills and makes us feel good. If the stars align, your dream employer will want you to stay with them for a long time, too.

However, just because you’re currently employed does not mean that you should suddenly stop learning, or that you should no longer seek to gain new experience. One thing LinkedIn is great for is building up your reputation as an expert. You do this by updating your profile with new milestones that you’ve reached at work, or a blog post or two celebrating your achievements.

This accumulation of knowledge is beneficial for you and your company. It shows others that your employers hire the best of the best. It also acts as a safety net for yourself in case layoffs happen and you have to start looking elsewhere.

2. Use LinkedIn to Study New Skills

If you have a premium account, another thing you can use LinkedIn for is the LinkedIn Learning feature. This is where you can brush up on your hard skills related to your industry, ranging from Photoshop tips and tricks to project management software.

As a core feature of LinkedIn’s paid features, you gain access to specialized content to help you advance your career. New tutorials for existing software are added all the time.

This sort of continued learning—especially when going back to college is impractical—is especially useful if you’re working in a tech-adjacent field where the tools of the trade (and the best practices for them) change often. You need to keep up with those trends in order to stay competitive at your job.

3. Use LinkedIn for Market Research

Another cool feature of LinkedIn is your ability to access company-specific data on your industry-specific competitors. This data ranges from the average length of employment for a company’s employees, to the skills required for a particular job.

These tools are invaluable if you’re an HR worker involved in the management of staff. It allows you to help your company stay competitive with new hires, who will be looking at these details, too.

Even if you don’t have a Premium account, you can still do some cursory market research. You can click on a company’s LinkedIn Profile, see how many employees work there, and look for any recent announcements they may have posted.

If you’re curious to see who has viewed you, here’s how to see who has viewed your LinkedIn Profile.

4. Use LinkedIn to Network for a Rainy Day

Networking does not end once you get that dream job. Nor is it something you should dread.

It’s a skill that you constantly have to hone for a variety of reasons, ranging from simple pleasure—talking to like-minded people can stimulate ideas—to the fact that networking can increase profits for you and your company. It might open up previously unknown opportunities that were not advertised to the public.

Networking can also come in handy for a rainy day. We all want those good jobs to last forever, but sometimes there are layoffs, or you have to move. Health issues can prevent you from continuing, as well.

In situations like these, it’s best to have a reputation for being professional and approachable with others. When you do need your network’s help, they’re more likely to have your back if this is the case.

LinkedIn provides the perfect platform for this, where people are more likely to recommend you based on your approachability online. Here are the dos and don’ts of professional networking on social media to help you adopt the right mindset.

5. Use LinkedIn to Keep Track of Industry Trends

LinkedIn is a great way to keep track of industry-specific trends. This is not the same thing as honing your skills or doing market research on your competitors. Instead, you’re looking for the general ways in which the winds are blowing to take advantage of those topics.

You can do this by following companies and professionals in your industry who publish business-specific posts letting people know about their insights. These insights can include time periods where you can expect downturns or upturns in profits, or specific advancements in technology or research.

If you follow the right companies and influencers on LinkedIn, you can cultivate a news feed that allows you to catch up on daily, weekly, or monthly news specific to your industry. Essentially, you’re taking the same steps as you would to curate your feed on Facebook or Twitter.

The big difference here? Instead of having to sift through posts from the general public or your family, all of this info is specific to your career. Which means you can cut through the background noise much quicker.

Here are some amazing LinkedIn Influencers you should follow.

6. Run a LinkedIn Blog

Lastly, you can contribute to LinkedIn being a great resource by running a LinkedIn blog.

You can publish posts relating to your thoughts on your career, give general advice, and position yourself as an expert through your writing. This is especially handy if writing is your main field: these skills help to showcase your work and position you as an expert.

If you’re looking for more information, here’s how to boost your career by publishing on LinkedIn.

How to Use LinkedIn to Its Full Potential

When it comes down to it, LinkedIn is just another social media site that can help you gain visibility. If your career is something you gain enjoyment out of—and you want to advance it—then it can be a great tool for getting the word out and keeping you up to date on your field.

Are you looking for more ways that you can position yourself as an expert? The you should check out our article detailing how to create an amazing LinkedIn profile.

Read the full article: 6 Reasons to Use LinkedIn Beyond Searching for Jobs

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Huawei employees reportedly aided African governments in spying

A new report from The Wall Street Journal could be another damning piece of evidence for a company already under a good deal of international scrutiny. The paper is reporting that technicians working for Huawei helped members of government in Uganda and Zambia spy on political opponents.

The report cites unnamed senior surveillance officers. The paper adds that an investigation didn’t confirm a direct tie between the Chinese government or Huawei executives. It did, however, appear to confirm that employees for the tech giant played a part in intercepting communications.

The list includes encrypted messages, the use of apps like WhatsApp and Skype and tracking opponents using cellular data.

A representative for Zambia’s ruling party confirmed with the paper that Huawei technicians have helped in the fight against news sites with opposing stances in the country, stating, “Whenever we want to track down perpetrators of fake news, we ask Zicta, which is the lead agency. They work with Huawei to ensure that people don’t use our telecommunications space to spread fake news.”

Huawei has, naturally, denied any involvement, stating that it has “never been engaged in ‘hacking’ activities. Huawei rejects completely these unfounded and inaccurate allegations against our business operations. Our internal investigation shows clearly that Huawei and its employees have not been engaged in any of the activities alleged. We have neither the contracts, nor the capabilities, to do so.”

The company has, of course, been under international scrutiny in places like the U.S. and Europe over concerns that its telecommunications technologies could be used for spying on behalf of the Chinese government, allegations Huawei has strongly and often rebuffed.

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Google’s new ‘Assignments’ software for teachers helps catch plagiarism

Just in time for the new school year, Google’s educational arm, Google for Education, today announced the launch of new tools aimed at helping teachers fight plagiarism. The company this morning is unveiling Assignments, an updated version of the software previously known as CourseKit, which will ship with new features that help instructors check students’ work to ensure it’s properly cited — not stolen from another source.

Students can also take advantage of the new tools, notes Google, as the feature will allow them to run these “originality reports” up to three times before submitting their final work to their teacher.

This gives students the chance to catch and fix any errors, while also saving the teacher time in grading, the company says.

The updated Google Assignments program does more than help catch cheaters, however.

The software combines aspects of Google Docs, Google Drive and Google Search into a new tool that’s focused on the creation and management of schoolwork, including the collection, grading, and feedback process — and now, the ability to check for plagiarism, as well.

Other features include a comment bank to save teachers from typing the same feedback over and over; the ability to assign files to students without having to use the copier; the ability to grade assignments for a class with a student switcher and rubric included, and more.

With the plagiarism checker — the feature called “Originality Reports” — teachers can check for missed citations and other issues. When the work is turned in and locked, the feature will check the student’s text against “hundreds of billions of web pages” and “tens of millions of books,” says Google.

Once the feature is enabled on a given assignment, students can only run the check three times. This allows them the chance to fix oversights, but doesn’t let them abuse the feature to rewrite multiple pieces within a longer report to avoid detection.

Teachers will receive an Originality Report attached to the assignments that detail any missed citations and note the source — like a book or a web page.

“Today’s students face a tricky challenge: In an age when they can explore every idea imaginable on the internet, how do they balance outside inspiration with authenticity in their own work? Students have to learn to navigate the line between other people’s ideas and their own, and how and when to properly cite sources,” explains Brian Hendricks, a Product Manager for G Suite for Education, in an announcement.

The plagiarism-checking feature is launching into beta testing today, with invites rolling out to schools and teachers over the next few weeks. Assignments is a free part addition to G Suite for Education.

The software can be also used either as a companion to a school’s Learning Management System (LMS) or a school admin can opt to integrate it with the existing LMS, notes Google.

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AT&T and T-Mobile team up to fight scam robocalls

Two major U.S. carriers, AT&T and T-Mobile, announced this morning a plan to team up to protect their respective customer bases from the scourge of scam robocalls. The two companies will today begin to roll out new cross-network call authentication technology based on the SHAKEN/STIR standards — a sort of universal caller ID system designed to stop illegal caller ID spoofing.

Robocalls have become a national epidemic. In 2018, U.S. mobile users received nearly 48 million robocalls — or more than 150 calls per adult, the carriers noted.

A huge part of the problem is that these calls now often come in with a spoofed phone number, making it hard for consumers to screen out unwanted calls on their own. That’s led to a rise in robocall blocking and screening apps. Even technology companies have gotten involved, with Google introducing a new A.I. call screener in Android and Apple rolling out Siri-powered spam call detection with iOS 13.

To help fight the call spoofing problem, the industry put together a set of standards called SHAKEN/STIR (Secure Telephony Identity Revisited / Secure Handling of Asserted information using toKENs), which effectively signs calls as “legitimate” as they travel through the interconnected phone networks.

However, the industry has been slow to roll out the system, which prompted the FCC to finally step in.

In November 2018, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wrote to U.S. mobile operators, asking them to outline their plans around the implementation of the SHAKEN/STIR standards. The regulator also said that it would step in to mandate the implementation if the carriers didn’t meet an end-of-2019 deadline to get their call authentication systems in place.

Today’s news from AT&T and T-Mobile explains how the two will work together to authenticate calls across their networks. By implementing SHAKEN/STIR, calls will have their Called ID signed as legitimate by the originating carrier, then validated by other carriers before they reach the consumer. Spoofed calls would fail this authentication process, and not be marked as “verified.”

As more carriers participate in this sort of authentication, more calls can be authenticated.

However, this system alone won’t actually block the spam calls — it just gives the recipient more information. In addition, devices will have to support the technology, as well, in order to display the new “verification” information.

T-Mobile earlier this year was first to launch a caller verification system on the Samsung Galaxy Note9, and today it still only works with select Android handsets from Samsung and LG. AT&T meanwhile, announced in March it was working with Comcast to exchange authenticated calls between two separate networks — a milestone in terms of cooperation between two carriers. T-Mobile and Comcast announced their own agreement in April.

 

 

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Ajit Pai formally recommends T-Mobile/Sprint merger approval

Ajit Pai has long signaled that he would approve a T-Mobile/ class="crunchbase-link" href="https://ift.tt/2Z9eLDq" target="_blank" data-type="organization" data-entity="sprint-nextel">Sprint merger, but today the FCC Chairman made it official. In spite of widespread opposition suggesting that the combining of the country’s third and fourth largest carriers would reduce competition in the marketplace, Pai takes the stance that such a move would actual promote competition.

“After one of the most exhaustive merger reviews in Commission history, the evidence conclusively demonstrates that this transaction will bring fast 5G wireless service to many more Americans and help close the digital divide in rural areas,” Pai said in a statement. “Moreover, with the conditions included in this draft Order, the merger will promote robust competition in mobile broadband, put critical mid-band spectrum to use, and bring new competition to the fixed broadband market. I thank our transaction team for the thorough and careful analysis reflected in this draft Order and hope that my colleagues will vote to approve it.”

Pai’s statement echoes that of many conservatives on the topic. While T-Mobile and Sprint are third and fourth place, respectively, AT&T and Verizon are significantly ahead in terms of subscriber bases. Pai and other have suggested that combining the two under the T-Mobile umbrella would help the carriers get a leg up when it comes to competing on a 5G roll out.

“Consumers will directly benefit from improvements in network quality and coverage, which in turn will foster innovation in a wide variety of sectors and services (itself creating significant public interest benefits),” Pai’s team writes. “Moreover, the transaction will help to close the digital divide by bringing robust 5G deep into rural areas, with enforceable conditions in the draft Order requiring coverage of at least 99% of Americans within six years.”

Last month, the proposed merger was given the go-ahead by the U.S. Department of Justice on the condition that Sprint sell its prepaid assets (including Boost) to Dish network. A growing number of states attorneys general, meanwhile, have opposed the merger. Oregon joined the lawsuit yesterday, bringing the total up to 15 states and the District of Columbia.

“If left unchallenged, the current plan will result in reduced access to affordable wireless service in Oregon — and higher prices,” Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum said at the time. “Neither is acceptable.”

 

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Want to Read Faster? Change your Default Font In Google Docs

Google has added a new font family – Lexend – that will help you read faster and better. The font is available inside Google Docs, Sheets and Google Slides or you can download it directly from the Google Fonts website and use it in offline apps like Microsoft Word.

Here’s a sample Google document rendered with the Lexend Deca font.

Thomas Jockin and Bonnie Shaver-Troup, the font designers, have also uploaded the font files on Github under the Open Font License which allows you to use, modify and redistribute the fonts freely as long as they are not sold by themselves.

To enable the Lexend font in your copy of Google Docs, open a new document inside Google Docs, click the Font dropdown in the toolbar and select More Fonts. Search for Lexend and select them to add them to your default font list.

The study suggests that students were able to increase their reading speed (total number of correct words read per minute) by 19.8% when the same document was formatted in the Lexend typeface vs the Times New Roman family. The font’s development has been financed by Google.

The post Want to Read Faster? Change your Default Font In Google Docs appeared first on Digital Inspiration.

New Facebook ad units can remind you when a movie comes out

Facebook is launching two new ad units designed to help movie studios promote their latest releases.

The first unit is called a movie reminder ad, and it does exactly that —since studios usually start marketing their titles months or even years before release, they can now include an Interested button in their Facebook ads, allowing users to opt-in to a notification when the film is released.  Then, on the Friday before opening weekend, interested moviegoers will get a reminder pointing them to a page with showtimes and ticket purchase options from Fandango and Atom Tickets.

Meanwhile, a showtime ad is designed for a later stage of a marketing campaign, when the movie is already in theaters. These ads feature a Get Showtimes button that will direct users to that same detail page with nearby showtimes and ticket purchase links.

In Facebook-commissioned research from Accenture published earlier this year, 58% of moviegoers said they discover new films online, and that 39% are doing so on smartphones and tablets.

Jen Howard, Facebook’s group director for entertainment and technology, told me that this should provide the Hollywood studios (who, aside from Disney, are having a rough summer) with a seamless way to connect their ads with movie ticket purchases. She also argued that it allows them to address “the full funnel” of viewer interest, and is “really starting to get them closer to a direct-to-consumer experience with moviegoers.”

Facebook says it’s already been testing the ad formats with select studios. For example, Universal Pictures used showtime ads to promote “The Grinch,” resulting in what Facebook said was “a significant increase in showtime lookups and ticket purchases.”

Movie reminder ads and showtime ads are now available to all studios in the United States and the United Kingdom.

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Misfit releases a new Wear OS smartwatch

It’s almost certainly no coincidence that Misfit’s new smartwatch bears more than a passing resemblance to the Fossil devices announced a week or two back. The one-time modular fitness startup has been part of the Fossil family since 2015, introducing its first full-on smartwatch two years later.

The lines have continued to blur between the brands, and the new Vapor X shares a number of superficial and internal characteristics with the new 8th gen Fossil devices. That’s not bad from a product standpoint — like the Fossil branded product, the X brings both the new Snapdragon 3100 chip and the latest version of Wear OS.

The smartwatch category is growing, as Apple remains dominant

Google’s stagnant wearables offering might finally be picking up some steam on the back of its close work (and IP acquiring) relationship with Fossil. While Apple was off making its own smartwatch and OS and Samsung was essentially forking Tizen for its own needs, Google had largely been relying on third parties for hardware.

The three button design also reflect Fossil’s efforts, though Misfit’s device is being positioned as the company’s “lightest and most comfortable.” Both are factors that are sadly often overlooked in wearable design. The 42mm case, meanwhile, is small and likely more accessible for more wrists.

It seems Fossil is using the Misfit line to go after the audience Fitbit has had recent success with via its Versa devices. And indeed, the Misfit brand has traditionally had some success taking on more casual users looking for something relatively simple but still fashionable.

The Vapor does fall short on pricing. The “limited time introductory price” of $200 sounds great, but after that, the MSRP bumps back up to $279. That’s $20 less than the Fossil, and $79 more than the Versa. The sub-$200 price point really feels like the sweet spot for these devices.

The Vapor X is available through Misfit’s site starting today.

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Oru’s new foldable kayak weighs under 20 lbs and assembles in just 2 minutes

California-based kayak maker Oru has built a great brand on the strength of its origami-inspired folding kayaks, and now it’s launching its lightest and most portable model yet with a new Kickstarter project. The Oru Inlet miraculously packs up to the size of a suitcase, weights less than 20 lbs, and can unfold and be on the water in as little as two minutes.

Even if you’re trying it for the first time, or just aren’t particularly handy, the kayak still sets up in 5 minutes, at most, according to Oru – which, speaking from personal experience, is a lot faster than its other models. Which isn’t to say that those aren’t also impressive, since they still allow you to carry around what amounts to luggage and have a durable, fun watercraft in around 10 minutes. But the Inlet takes this concept to a whole new level, and looks like the ideal casual kayak for dipping out for a quick paddle in and around the city.

The kayak itself is 10 feet long, which is definitely on the shorter side, but a very common size for recreational boats. It features a wide, open cockpit design with an integrated floorboard, an adjustable footrest and backrest, and bulkheads to keep the ship sturdier on the water. Like all the Oru boats, it’s built of a corrugated plastic that’s incredibly durable (my own Oru kayak has easily withstood the rigors of multiple years of use) and yeah super lightweight.

When packed up, the Inlet is still only 19-inches tall, 42-inches long and 10-inches wide. That makes it around the size of a rather long duffle, but it’s still plenty small enough to tuck into the trunk of a car, or hide away in a condo closet or storage locker. Assembly is a three-step process, and there are no tools required, so it really is optimized for the minimalist city adventurer. Oru’s 4-piece portable paddle can also pack inside the folded Inlet for super easy transportation.

Overall, the Inlet looks like it has all the ingredients that have made Oru successful as a startup and indie boat maker thus far, with plenty of added convenience features that make it even better suited to weekend warriors and people who just want to be able to explore the waterways that surround them without a lot of fuss and preparation.

The crowdfunding campaign has already passed its goal, and Oru has proven itself able to deliver consistently, so you can be confident that it will ship these boats. It’s currently listing a May 2020 timeframe fro delivery, and $749 is the entry-level price for backers to pick up an Inlet, with varying levels for adding accessories or more kayaks.

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Facebook’s human-AI blend for audio transcription is now facing privacy scrutiny in Europe

Facebook’s lead privacy regulator in Europe is now asking the company for detailed information about the operation of a voice-to-text feature in Facebook’s Messenger app and how it complies with EU law.

Yesterday Bloomberg reported that Facebook uses human contractors to transcribe app users’ audio messages — yet its privacy policy makes no clear mention of the fact that actual people might listen to your recordings.

A page on Facebook’s help center also includes a “note” saying “Voice to Text uses machine learning” — but does not say the feature is also powered by people working for Facebook listening in.

A spokesperson for Irish Data Protection Commission told us: “Further to our ongoing engagement with Google, Apple and Microsoft in relation to the processing of personal data in the context of the manual transcription of audio recordings, we are now seeking detailed information from Facebook on the processing in question and how Facebook believes that such processing of data is compliant with their GDPR obligations.”

Bloomberg’s report follows similar revelations about AI assistant technologies offered by other tech giants, including Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft — which have also attracted attention from European privacy regulators in recent weeks.

What this tells us is that the hype around AI voice assistants is still glossing over a far less high tech backend. Even as lashings of machine learning marketing guff have been used to cloak the ‘mechanical turk’ components (i.e. humans) required for the tech to live up to the claims.

This is a very old story indeed. To wit: A full decade ago, a UK startup called Spinvox, which had claimed to have advanced voice recognition technology for converting voicemails to text messages, was reported to be leaning very heavily on call centers in South Africa and the Philippines… staffed by, yep, actual humans.

Returning to present day ‘cutting-edge’ tech, following Bloomberg’s report Facebook said it suspended human transcriptions earlier this month — joining Apple and Google in halting manual reviews of audio snippets for their respective voice AIs. (Amazon has since added an opt out to the Alexa app’s settings.)

We asked Facebook where in the Messenger app it had been informing users that human contractors might be used to transcribe their voice chats/audio messages; and how it collected Messenger users’ consent to this form of data processing — prior to suspending human reviews.

The company did not respond to our questions. Instead a spokesperson provided us with the following statement: “Much like Apple and Google, we paused human review of audio more than a week ago.”

Facebook also described the audio snippets that it sent to contractors as masked and de-identified; said they were only collected when users had opted in to transcription on Messenger; and were only used for improving the transcription performance of the AI.

It also reiterated a long-standing rebuttal by the company to user concerns about general eavesdropping by Facebook, saying it never listens to people’s microphones without device permission nor without explicit activation by users.

How Facebook gathers permission to process data is a key question, though.

The company has recently, for example, used a manipulative consent flow in order to nudge users in Europe to switch on facial recognition technology — rolling back its previous stance, adopted in response to earlier regulatory intervention, of switching the tech off across the bloc.

So a lot rests on how exactly Facebook has described the data processing at any point it is asking users to consent to their voice messages being reviewed by humans (assuming it’s relying on consent as its legal basis for processing this data).

Bundling consent into general T&Cs for using the product is also unlikely to be compliant under EU privacy law, given that the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation requires consent to be purpose limited, as well as fully informed and freely given.

If Facebook is relying on legitimate interests to process Messenger users’ audio snippets in order to enhance its AI’s performance it would need to balance its own interests against any risk to people’s privacy.

Voice AIs are especially problematic in this respect because audio recordings may capture the personal data of non-users too — given that people in the vicinity of a device (or indeed a person on the other end of the phone line who’s leaving you a message) could have their personal data captured without ever having had the chance to consent to Facebook contractors getting to hear it.

Leaks of Google Assistant snippets to the Belgian press recently highlighted both the sensitive nature of recordings and the risk of reidentification posed by such recordings — with journalists able to identify some of the people in the recordings.

Multiple press reports have also suggested contractors employed by tech giants are routinely overhearing intimate details captured via a range of products that include the ability to record audio and stream this personal data to the cloud for processing.

Apple suspends Siri response grading in response to privacy concerns

Google ordered to halt human review of voice AI recordings over privacy risks

Amazon’s lead EU data regulator is asking questions about Alexa privacy

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Spotify Wants to Help Podcasters Get More Listeners

Spotify has launched Spotify for Podcasters, a dedicated platform just for podcasters. With podcasting growing as a medium, streaming media companies are desperate to become the home of podcasts. Hence Spotify reaching out to podcasters in this way.

How to Use Spotify for Podcasters

As explained on the Spotify Newsroom, Spotify for Podcasters is a platform designed to empower the podcast-creating community. It’s primarily a “discovery and analytics dashboard” for both novice and established podcasters alike.

Spotify has been working on Spotify for Podcasters for the past year, with around 100,000 podcasters signing up to the beta. Spotify for Podcasters is now coming out of beta, which opens it up to any podcaster who publishes their podcast(s) on Spotify.

At its most basic you can use Spotify for Podcasters to submit your show to Spotify. However, you can then “dive deep into engagement and demographic data for your podcast, tracking things like average listening times, episode streams, and total listeners.”

If you’re a podcaster, or have plans to become one soon, Spotify hopes that Spotify for Podcasters will “help you engage with and understand your listeners, find new fans, discover insights from your peers, and ultimately grow your career.”

Good for Podcasters, Bad for Listeners?

If you’re a podcaster, this is all good news. Spotify for Podcasters will give you more insights into who is listening to your podcasts, and how. It will also help you cater more to your existing listenership while also growing your audience. Fingers crossed.

However, for podcast listeners there’s a risk that Spotify for Podcasters will change the game. Once podcasters drill down into the data they may stop taking risks and instead focus on what resonates with their audiences. Which could lead to blander output.

The Best Podcasts on Spotify

Spotify currently hosts around 450,000 podcasts, which means listeners are spoilt for choice. Which is why anything which helps podcasters understand their audience is a good thing. And to help get you started here are the best podcasts on Spotify right now.

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Old Game Worlds

Old Game Worlds

Twitter exec says edit button isn’t ‘anywhere near the top of our priorities’

At a press event in San Francisco, Twitter Product Lead Kayvon Beykpour talked about a number of product changes coming to the company’s service; he also addressed the oft-memed user request for an edit button. Long story, short, you shouldn’t expect to see the button anytime soon.

“Honestly, it’s a feature that I think we should build at some point, but it’s not anywhere near the top of our priorities,” Beykpour said. “That’s the honest answer.”

The executive said that there were some obvious risk factors but that he felt the company would eventually be able to build a feature to address user needs like correcting a typo or clarifying what they meant to say.

Twitter announced earlier in the event that the company is testing the ability to let users follow topics the same way they would ordinarily follow accounts.

Twitter tests ways for users to follow and snooze specific topics

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The 7 Best Calendar Apps in the Microsoft Store

As the Microsoft Store continues to grow and improve, users have a better choice of apps than ever.

Today, we’re going to put calendars under the microscope. Which calendar apps should you use for boosting productivity? Or for remembering birthdays? Or for managing your time more effectively?

Sure, there are a lot of choices. But don’t worry; we’re going to introduce you to the best calendar apps in the Microsoft Store. Keep reading to learn more.

1. Mail and Calendar

We can’t dive into the alternatives without first mentioning Microsoft’s own Mail and Calendar app.

If you rely on lots of apps in the Microsoft suite, it’s one of the best calendar apps you’ll find. Although it’s a single download, it will appear as two separate apps on your Windows machine. You cannot install one without the other.

Importantly for some users, the Calendar app is optimized for Exchange. You’ll get features such as rich support for meetings and managing your schedule.

There’s also a way to change the app’s default font, a dark mode, support for touchscreens and gestures, non-Gregorian calendars, and drag-and-drop event organization.

Download: Mail and Calendar (Free)

2. My Calendar

My Calendar is a lightweight calendar app for Windows 10.

It offers all the features you’d expect to see—including day, week, and month views, toggle buttons to hide and show particular calendars, and a bunch of customization options.

However, the app really shines thanks to its Live Tiles.

You can set up various tiles and customize them to show different things (for example, work meetings, birthdays, national holidays, and so on). It means you can see all your information at a glance from the Start menu without needing to open the app.

My Calendar has a task management feature, complete with customizable categories. All your tasks are accessible from within the Microsoft Store app, but it is only available in the Pro version.

The Pro version also removes ads, add more calendar views (today, agenda, and year), and lets you add photos to the birthday calendar.

Download: My Calendar (Free, Pro version available)

3. One Calendar

One Calendar is one of the best calendar apps for Windows thanks to the impressive number of third-party providers it supports. The list includes Outlook, Google Calendar, Exchange, Office 365, Facebook, iCloud calendars via Webcal, and CalDAV.

Five views are available (day, week, month, year, and agenda). None of them are locked behind a paywall like on My Calendar. It’s easy to jump between the various views using the semantic zoom; just scroll your mouse wheel to move between the different timeframes.

You can also configure the information that’s shown on the app’s Live tile. To change the look, choose from more than 170 themes.

You can work offline too. Also, One Calendar is available on Android and iOS, thus providing you with a seamless experience across all your devices.

Download: One Calendar (Free, Offers in-app purchases)

4. Ink Calendar

Ink Calendar is worth considering if you enjoy using Windows Ink. For those who don’t know, Windows Ink is a Windows feature that lets you use a digital pen (or your finger!) to make notes, write and edit text, annotate PDFs, and more.

Ink Calendar is the closest representation of a paper calendar that you’ll find in the Microsoft Store. When you make a handwritten note on your screen, the app can read the text, understand any time you mention, and add an appointment to other third-party calendars like Outlook and Google. You can also jump from Ink Calendar into Windows’ default calendar app with a single click.

The app lets you draw and write in different colors, offers bright highlighter features, and provides customization features such as background images, themes, and light/dark modes.

Note: You can set up Windows Ink by heading to Start > Settings > Devices > Pen & Windows Ink.

Download: Ink Calendar ($4.99, Free trial available)

5. Good Plan

Are you looking for the best Windows calendar for education? You should consider Good Plan. It’s ideal for students, teachers, and even parents.

It has a few core features that’ll appeal to students, teachers, and even parents.

For example, teachers will appreciate the lesson planner with integrated exam and homework timetable. Students can activate the lesson timetable to make sure they are always in the right place at the right time. And parents can follow their kids’ assignments, grades, and school holidays.

Download: Good Plan (Free, Premium version available)

6. EasyMail for Gmail

One of the most significant downsides of using Google’s (albeit excellent) calendar service on Windows is the lack of a dedicated desktop app.

Google has steadfastly refused to make desktop apps for its other popular services (read about the ongoing Google Play Music debacle for a case in point), so it seems unlikely that the situation will change anytime soon.

One of the best Gmail for Desktop workarounds is to use EasyMail for Gmail.

It lets you access Google Calendar, Gmail, and Google Tasks in a single interface. You can access different calendar views, create events, accept or reject appointments, and invite other people to your events.

EasyMail for Gmail also supports account switching. If you have a personal Google account and a G Suite account at work, you can toggle between them with a single click. You can add a maximum of five accounts.

Download: EasyMail for Gmail (Free, Offers in-app purchases)

7. Game Calendar

We end with a recommendation for hardcore gamers. Game Calendar will keep you abreast of the newest games across all your favorite platforms. You can use it to see upcoming releases and release dates from years gone by. And you can set reminders for upcoming new titles.

The app also offers video clips from games, game information, and the latest trailers. You can even sync your own game library to the cloud for maximum integration.

Download: Game Calendar (Free)

Choose Calendar Apps for Your Convenience

Remember, the seven apps we have looked at in this article are the nicest calendars in the Microsoft Store. There are dozens of other calendars worth recommending on other operating systems and on the web.

If you would like to learn more about the various options, make sure you read our articles on the best free online calendars and how to make Google Calendar your Windows desktop calendar.

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