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An iPhone to HDMI adapter was discovered that, when plugged in, runs a program prompting users to download an app. This EZ Cast app collects extensive personal data and sends it to China for ad targeting. It requires location access, photos, and installs tracking cookies. The adapter appears designed to mimic official Apple products. While its intentions are unclear, it demonstrates how such devices could enable privacy risks by introducing untrusted software into a user's devices. Analysis of a similar EZCast dongle found it was vulnerable and not designed with security in mind. Reviews complain the app is useless or a scam. The adapter may have originated as unsold Amazon returns later acquired by electronics recyclers. Its existence relates to concerns about privacy and navigation issues on online marketplaces.

Sridhar Ramaswamy, former CEO of the privacy-focused search engine Neeva, believes the window for AI systems to truly disrupt Google's dominance in consumer search is closing following Snowflake's acquisition of Neeva. At Snowflake, Ramaswamy sees more potential in using AI for enterprise applications and knowledge discovery. While chatbots like ChatGPT showed promise early this year, Google's own Bard system is improving and the lack of integration between services limits disruption. In the enterprise space, Snowflake trusts allow it to securely leverage customers' data to help them use AI. Ramaswamy notes that success in large language models remains unpredictable, as platforms that once dominated like BlackBerry and Nokia have fallen. Overall, the acquisition allows Neeva's team to apply their search technology to Snowflake's structured and unstructured enterprise data.

For the first time, Apple discussed repairability during its iPhone launch event. An engineer mentioned the new iPhone 15 Pro models were designed with a structural frame that makes the back glass easier to replace. This comes after the iPhone 14 introduced a design that allows removal of the front or back. Repair advocates welcomed the acknowledgment but will still examine the devices for barriers like parts pairing. While praising initiatives to reduce emissions, critics argue the most sustainable option is not buying a new phone annually. The conversation on repairability is complex as commitments face scrutiny versus past actions restricting repair. Only time will tell if Apple's claims translate to meaningful improvements or are more superficial than substantive.

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/7714318

Grindr Inc. has lost about 45% of its staff as it enforces a strict return-to-office policy that was introduced after a majority of employees announced a plan to unionize.

About 80 of the 178 employees at the LGBTQ dating app company were forced to resign after the company in August mandated workers return to work in person two days a week at assigned “hub” offices or be fired, the Communications Workers of America said in a statement Wednesday.

The West Hollywood, California-based company also gave a severance package to staff who were unable to relocate, in what the CWA alleged was an attempt “to silence workers from speaking out about their working conditions,” according to a statement from the organization. The CWA filed a new labor complaint against the company on Wednesday, the second such complaint in about a month.

It is incorrect to consider tidal power as renewable energy. Harnessing tidal energy will pose more severe problems than using fossil fuels. This study provides quantitative estimates to show how using tidal energy can destroy the environment in a short amount of time. Tides are induced by the rotation of the Earth with respect to the gravity of the Moon and Sun. The rotational energy of the Earth is naturally dissipated by tides slowly. Consuming tidal energy further reduces the rotational energy, accelerates the energy loss rate, and decelerates the rotation of the Earth. Based on the average pace of world energy consumption over the last 50 years, if we were to extract the rotational energy just to supply 1% of the world's energy consumption, the rotation of the Earth would lock to the Moon in about 1000 years. As a consequence, one side of the Earth would be exposed to the Sun for a much longer period of time than it is today. The temperature would rise extremely high on that side and drop extremely low on the other side. The environment would become intolerable, and most life on Earth could be wiped out.

Oopsie

A lawsuit was filed against Reddit alleging that the company fired an employee with anxiety for taking medical leave. The employee, Jamie Lee, had worked at Reddit as an accountant for over 4 years with positive reviews. In July 2022, Lee requested 3 days off for her health but was denied. She was later placed on medical leave after fainting, but was fired upon returning and accused of poor performance. However, the lawsuit claims others made similar mistakes. It also alleges Reddit's new leadership under the CFO has created a "toxic, political, and not inclusive" culture, which two other employees also left over. This highlights challenges employees faced with the changing culture at Reddit.

The pharmaceutical lobby strongly opposed the Biden administration's plan to directly negotiate drug prices for 10 medications with Medicare. PhRMA argued this will hurt innovation, but advocates note that drug companies make 76% more than needed for R&D. Eliquis, which costs Medicare over $16 billion, will be subject to negotiations. The policy was enabled by the Inflation Reduction Act, which PhRMA spent millions lobbying against. PhRMA sued over the negotiations, but the DOJ moved to dismiss the case. Advocates believe this defeat of Big Pharma will not be the last as negotiations may expand to over 100 drugs in the future, greatly helping seniors and people with disabilities access affordable medications.

Many mushroom identification and foraging books being sold on Amazon are likely generated by AI with no human authorship. These books could provide dangerous misinformation and potentially lead to deaths if people eat poisonous mushrooms based on the AI's inaccurate descriptions. Two New York mushroom societies have warned about the risks of AI-generated foraging guides. Experts note that safely identifying wild mushrooms requires careful research and experience that an AI system does not have. Amazon has since removed some books flagged as AI-generated, but more may exist. Detecting AI-generated books and authors can be difficult as the systems can fabricate author bios and images. Relying on multiple credible sources, as well as guidance from local foraging groups, is advised for safely pursuing mushroom foraging.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently told employees that those who do not want to return to the office at least three days a week should consider finding employment elsewhere. According to a recording obtained by Insider, Jassy stated "It's past the time to disagree and commit," adding that if employees cannot commit to the new hybrid work model, "it's probably not going to work out for you at Amazon." He characterized the decision to have employees return to the office part-time as a "judgment call." Notably, Jassy said employees are free to leave if they do not want to comply with the hybrid work requirement. This makes clear that Amazon has not changed its stance on returning to office work despite some employees preferring full remote arrangements.

The article discusses expectations for smart home announcements at the upcoming IFA tech show in Berlin. While companies may unveil new smart speakers, cameras and robot vacuums, the smart home remains fragmented as the Matter interoperability standard has yet to fully deliver on integrating devices. The author argues the industry needs to provide more utility than novelty by allowing different smart devices to work together seamlessly. Examples mentioned include lights notifying users of doorbell activity or a robot vacuum taking on multiple household chores autonomously. Overall, the smart home needs solutions that are essential rather than just novel if consumers are to see the value beyond the initial cool factor.

Laura Ann Carleton, a 66-year-old shopkeeper who owned a clothing store in Cedar Glen, California, was shot and killed after confronting a man who pulled down the rainbow Pride flag displayed outside her store. Carleton reportedly made disparaging remarks before opening fire with a handgun. He fled but was later shot dead by police. Carleton was regarded as an ally of the local LGBTQ+ community, even though she did not identify as such herself. Her death has sparked tributes from friends and activists who note rising incidents of violence and harassment targeting the LGBTQ+ community across the U.S. in recent months. Notably, over 350 such attacks have occurred from June 2022 to April 2023 alone according to recent reports.

Roberts didn’t even personally address the lawmakers. Supreme Court Legal Counsel Ethan Torrey, writing on behalf of Roberts, replied instead, saying simply that, “The Chief Justice has asked me to acknowledge your letter dated June 27, 2023, and to thank you very much for bringing your concerns about these important matters to his attention.”