This Week in Tech – 05/20/2018: Jails Are Replacing Visits With Video Calls—Inmates and Families Hate It
Jails Are Replacing Visits With Video Calls—Inmates and Families Hate It
When Rebecca Parr visited her nephew Justin Harker recently at the Knox County Jail in Tennessee, she didn’t get the opportunity to see him face to face—or even through glass. Instead, she was ushered into a cramped, crowded room for a “video visitation.” She talked to him on a telephone handset while watching a grainy video feed of his face…
All Major U.S. Carriers Give Your Real-Time Location Info to Third Parties
It’s hard to believe that much of anything is truly private these days. Between smartphones, the internet, and everything else, so much of our data and lives are on full display for various businesses to see. Recently, it was discovered that all four of the major United States carriers provide your real-time location info to third-parties thanks to a loophole in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act…
Microsoft Announces Xbox Adaptive Controller for Players With Disabilities
Microsoft has announced the Xbox Adaptive Controller, an Xbox controller designed for people with disabilities. The device was leaked earlier this week. It has two large programmable buttons and 19 jacks that can be connected to a range of joysticks, buttons, and switches to make it easier for a wider range of people to play games on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs…
Elon Musk’s Boring Company Wants to Charge $1 for a 150-Mph Loop Ride in LA
Elon Musk finally pulled back the curtain on where The Boring Company is headed. It’s a possible future that is far from, well, boring…
Tesla Is Holding a Hackathon to Fix Two Problematic Robot Bottlenecks in Model 3 Production
Over the last few weeks, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been showing a lot of confidence about fixing the problems that have created delays in the automaker’s Model 3 production ramp up…
Google Worker Rebellion Against Military Project Grows
An internal petition calling for Google to stay out of “the business of war” was gaining support Tuesday, with some workers reportedly quitting to protest a collaboration with the US military…
Tesla Model X Breaks Electric Towing Record by Pulling a Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
As part of a publicity stunt by Qantas, a Tesla Model X P100D established a new Guinness World Record for the heaviest tow by an electric production passenger vehicle by towing a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner…