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☆ A 9-hour drive in Toyota's new electric SUV showed me how brutal EV road trips can be with the wrong car
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

I drove the new Toyota bZ4X electric SUV from New York to Washington DC, and back. Charging can take a frustratingly long timeThe 2023 Toyota bZ4X AWD Limited. The 2023 Toyota bZ4X AWD Limited. The 2023 Toyota bZ4X AWD Limited. The 2023 Toyota bZ4X AWD Limited.

☆ Why Walmart is closing half its stores in Chicago
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Walmart announced Tuesday that next week it will close four poor-performing stores out of the eight it operates in Chicago. Now, it's closing four Chicago stores. Walmart said its remaining four Chicago stores “continue to face the same business difficulties,” but it believes closing these four will give the others the best chance of staying open. There were fears that Walmart and other businesses would leave Chicago, but Walmart pledged to stay and invest in the city. Some retailers have also cited higher levels of theft and other crime in their city stores.

To report this story, Reuters contacted more than 300 former Tesla employees who had worked at the company over the past nine years and were involved in developing its self-driving system. The company requires car owners to grant permission on the cars’ touchscreens before Tesla collects their vehicles’ data. Reuters found that Tesla employees shared clips that captured sensitive and embarrassing personal moments. Tesla’s own data labelers initially worked in the San Francisco Bay area, including the office in San Mateo. According to several ex-employees, some labelers shared screenshots, sometimes marked up using Adobe Photoshop, in private group chats on Mattermost, Tesla’s internal messaging system.

☆ Fact Check-Photo shows 2015 demolition of Istanbul’s rainbow stairs due to construction work, not to erase political message
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A photograph showing Istanbul’s iconic rainbow stairs being demolished in 2015 due to construction has been miscaptioned by users online. A post with more than 3.3 million views at the time of publishing can be seen (here) with the caption, “Yes. There is no reference in the article to the stairs being destroyed in 2015 because of a visual reference to the LGBTQ community. Several other reports have also quoted Cetinel saying that painting the stairs did not stem from a political message, (here), and (here). This photo shows the demolition of Istanbul’s rainbow stairs due to construction work in 2015, and the painter of the stairs has said he was not inspired by activism and they do not have a political message.

☆ Here's the 9-page pitch deck that Altana, a startup building Google Maps for supply chains, used to a raise $100 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | Alex Davies | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Altana Technologies is mapping global supply chains as Google Maps does the world. Altana CEO Evan Smith is building a new version of "Google Maps," but his 5-year-old startup has nothing to do with routes or directions. It's all about global supply chains. Smith told Insider. There, they sold supply-chain data but didn't translate it into any deeper meaning, Smith told Insider last year.

☆ General Motors will phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in future EVs, opting to introduce its own Google-supported system
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be phased out of future GM electric models. The manufacturer plans to replace CarPlay with its own Google-supported system. Instead of CarPlay, GM will offer its own Google-based software for drivers, including access to Google maps and Google Assistant. GM executives told Reuters the company intends to separate cars from cell phones by phasing out technology like CarPlay. Additionally, GM plans to implement a subscription model for services like Google Maps and Google Assistant several years down the line, Reuters reported.

☆ GM plans to phase out Apple CarPlay in EVs, with Google’s help
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems allow users to mirror their smartphone screens in a vehicle’s dashboard display. GM is designing the on-board navigation and infotainment systems for future EVs in partnership with Alphabet’s Google. GM’s Chevrolet brand in the past boasted of offering more models with CarPlay or Android Auto than any other brand. GM plans to continue offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mirroring systems in its combustion models. Owners of vehicles equipped with the mirroring technologies will still be able to use the systems, GM said.

☆ Fact Check-Video purporting to show post-election clash in Lagos, Nigeria, dates to at least October 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

“It seems Ndigbo have waken up to defend themselves from Tinubu's APC thugs in Lagos,” wrote one person who shared the video on Twitter. However, another online search of keyframes also revealed that the clip was shared online as early as October 2022 (here ) (here ) (here ). TVC News Nigeria reported that a clash broke out between traders and road transport workers at Alaba International market on Oct. 19 (here ). Corroborating videos said to show the market has been shared online (here ) and other local outlets reported on the clashes (here ) (here ). Video showing clashes in Alaba International Market in Lagos, Nigeria dates to at least October 2022.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems allow users to mirror their smartphone screens in a vehicle's dashboard display. GM is designing the on-board navigation and infotainment systems for future EVs in partnership with Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google. GM's Chevrolet brand in the past boasted of offering more models with CarPlay or Android Auto than any other brand. GM said the future infotainment systems will offer applications such as Spotify's (SPOT.N) music service, Audible and other services that many drivers now access via smartphones. GM plans to continue offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mirroring systems in its combustion models.

☆ Look inside a glass-walled McDonald's that's one of the most beautiful fast-food restaurants in the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Erin Mcdowell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The modern McDonald's is in Batumi, Georgia, which is located along the coast of the Black Sea. Batumi, Georgia. Google MapsBatumi is the capital of the Georgian republic of Adjara.

Video footage from a drone flying down a street in Antakya’s Old City, which is covered in rubble and surrounded by collapsed buildings. Called Saray Street by locals, this stretch was once lined with more than 70 shops, restaurants and other businesses. The destruction on Saray Street is a fraction of all that was lost in Old City. Video clip of Saray Street before the quakes, showing stores and patrons during the holiday season. Damaged or destroyed historic or cultural landmark Map showing the boundaries of Old City and labeling cultural landmarks that were damaged or destroyed.

☆ This abandoned English cottage that has no electricity, no water, isn't even on Google Maps —and costs $300,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

This house in northern England was once the home of a railway worker at a nearby station. It's been abandoned for a decade and is currently on the market for £250,000, or about $300,000. The home, whose address is listed as 3 Bleamoor Cottages, went up for sale in April of 2022. Fisher HopperSource: BBC

☆ Billionaire tech CEO says Meta and Google over-hired so much they didn't have enough work for employees: 'They really were doing nothing'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Grace Kay | Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

C3.ai's CEO said Google and Meta over-hired employees and didn't have enough work for them to do. Thomas Siebel joked that if you want to work remote "in your pajamas," you should work at Facebook. "If you want to work from home, like four days of work in your pajamas, go to work for Facebook." Siebel is far from the first executive to express concern that tech workers aren't doing enough work. Last year, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella warned that remote work has spurred "productivity paranoia" among managers.

☆ This couple bought an abandoned inn near Saguaro National Park for $615,000 and turned it into a desert oasis
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Sara and Rich Combs bought the abandoned inn for $615,000 and poured over $500,000 into renovations. The couple already owned and operated The Joshua Tree House, a property comprised of individual guest homes in California. This space was only about a six-hour drive from Joshua Tree and offered a different, but still natural setting. The rooms in Joshua Tree House: The Posada range from $210 to $427 a night. Sara and Rich Combs

☆ Fact Check-Google Maps does not show ‘Epstein Island’ as the 2024 Democratic National Convention venue
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Maps entry was manually created by a user and later removed for violating the company’s content policy, a Google spokesperson told Reuters. A tweet shared the screenshot showing Little St. James Island in satellite view with an in-picture caption that read, “Look up Epstein Island on Google Maps right now and you’ll find that the Democrat National Convention is being hosted there” (here). Reuters has previously debunked misleading claims about Little St. James, Epstein’s Caribbean island (here). A search for “Epstein Island” on Google Maps shows Little St. James Island but no longer indicates that DNC 2024 will be held there (here!3m1!1e3). A Google spokesperson told Reuters that an edited Maps entry showing “Epstein Island” as a venue for the 2024 Democratic National Convention was removed for violating platform policy requiring that added information be accurate.

☆ 'Kim Kardashian of the cat world': Gacek draws tourists to Polish city
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SZCZECIN, Poland, March 10 (Reuters) - Cat lovers are heading to the Polish city of Szczecin to catch a glimpse of Gacek, a chubby black-and-white feline who has become an internet sensation. Having received scores of five-star reviews, the "Kot Gacek" (Gacek the cat) pin on the map, near a shop selling bags emblazoned with the cat's face, has beaten sights including a Renaissance castle to the top spot. "Gacek is the Kim Kardashian of the cat world," Karolina Nowak, manager of the official TikTok account for the Western Pomerania region where Szczecin is located, @pomorzezachodnie, said. Gacek is not the first animal to draw tourists to a Polish city. In 2021, a golden retriever became Gdańsk’s most highly rated tourist attraction on Google.

☆ Fact Check-Picture of misspelled ‘secede’ sign is not from CPAC 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A photograph showing a group of people holding a misspelled “secede” sign was taken at a 2009 motorcycle rally in Texas, not during the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC 2023) as recent social media posts suggest. The image was taken at a Republic of Texas motorcycle rally in Austin on June 12, 2009, according to the caption information on Flickr. One user who shared the image on Twitter (bit.ly/3ZRqeqV) later labeled it “parody” in a separate post (bit.ly/3SXe65d). CPAC 2023 took place between March 1 and 4 in Maryland. A picture of people with a misspelled “secede” sign was taken at a Republic of Texas motorcycle rally in 2009, not during CPAC 2023.

☆ TikTok is about to crash Google and Microsoft's search ad wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

TikTok search ads have been in beta testing for almost a year on an invite-only basis. One agency source predicts TikTok search ads will become more widely available by Q3. As Google and Microsoft duke it out over the future leadership of artificial intelligence-powered search, TikTok is quietly preparing a big search advertising play of its own. These moves, as well as recent TikTok job posts looking for search ads engineers to develop a "large-scale ads system," indicate a wider rollout of TikTok's search ad product. A TikTok spokesperson said the details it could share about TikTok search ads were limited during its initial testing phase.

☆ Artist's discovery of an 'execution wall' sheds light on the brutal history of Nazi concentration camps on British soil
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Forensic evidence from a bullet-damaged wall sheds light on the Nazi occupation of a British island. During World War II, thousands of prisoners were sent to labor and concentration camps in Alderney. Before the Germans occupied the Channel Islands, the whole population of Alderney were evacuated to England. German occupying troops parading in St. Helier on Jersey, Channel Islands in 1940. Last year a right-wing British think tank proposed that asylum seekers headed to the UK be detained on the island.

☆ Passenger says airline offered him an 8-hour bus ride to his destination after his connecting flight was canceled
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A passenger said WestJet offered him an eight-hour bus trip after a connecting flight was canceled. The Canadian airline said it was arranging a bus service, which would depart at 4:30 pm to ferry passengers from Calgary to Regina. Other passengers in the line weren't so lucky and had to wait until Wednesday to fly to Regina, Henderson said. A spokesperson for WestJet told Insider in a statement the flight cancellation was due to "unscheduled aircraft maintenance." Ground transportation was arranged to offer a travel option to impacted customers who couldn't wait for another flight, the spokesperson added.

☆ These high school sweethearts have visited 112 countries. Here's how they pay for it on a budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Audrey Wan | Chris Dwyer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Hudson and Emily Crider have visited 112 countries, but their journey together began long before that. Hudson and Emily Crider in high school. Hudson and Emily Crider on a safari in Kenya, Africa. Hudson and Emily Crider camping during their self-drive safari in the Serengeti in Tanzania. Hudson and Emily Crider

☆ DOJ reportedly probes Google Maps, adding to sprawling antitrust concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Department of Justice has renewed its focus on Google Maps, adding to its already-sprawling antitrust investigation into the company, Politico and Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. Politico also reported that the DOJ is looking into how Google packages its maps, app store and voice assistant for automakers through Google Automotive Services. Reuters reported in March last year that the Department was looking into Google Maps bundling. In a statement, a Google spokesperson said developers are "free to use other mapping services in addition to Google Maps Platform – and many do." A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment.

☆ Alphabet 16% off February highs as DOJ closes in on Google Maps lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Melissa Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAlphabet 16% off February highs as DOJ closes in on Google Maps lawsuitThe Dept. of Justice continues its probe of Google Maps. With CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders, Karen Finerman, Dan Nathan, Guy Adami and Julie Biel.

☆ Mercedes-Benz cars to have 'supercomputers', unveils Google partnership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But the car companies also want to keep control over their customer relationships as well as valuable data generated by their cars. Mercedes-Benz is moving from a patchwork approach of integrating software from a range of suppliers to controlling the core of its software. Under the Google partnership, Google Maps will be Mercedes-branded and provide drivers with Google traffic information and automatic rerouting, as well as the ability to watch YouTube on the cars' entertainment system when the car is parked, or in Level 3 autonomous driving mode. Google and Mercedes-Benz also agreed to explore further collaboration with Google Cloud data and artificial intelligence capabilities. Others carmakers like General Motors, Renault (RENA.PA), Nissan (7201.T) and Ford (F.N) have embedded an entire package of Google services into their vehicles, offering features like Google Maps, Google Assistant and other applications.

☆ Fact Check-Video does not show meteor in Mission, Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A video showing a luminous object shooting across the sky was filmed in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is unrelated to reports of a meteor crashing in Texas on Feb. 15, contrary to claims on social media. in a 10 mile radius.”Reuters identified the location of the recording in Daytona Beach. Two experts ruled out the object seen is a meteor. More information about the meteor near Mission, Texas, published by CBS Media, The Dallas Morning News and CNN can be seen (bit.ly/3Ibjgpf) (bit.ly/41i4t5d) (bit.ly/3lBdzcC).

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