NewsPaper: March 2019

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Carter Hahn, Aaron Hartselle

By Unknown Author from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2I0lN8t

Carolyn Conley, Gregory Lehman

By Unknown Author from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2I1aFrW

Ann Dwyer, Thomas Dunn

By Unknown Author from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2JQ4N7m

Amanda Lee, Derek Ju

By Unknown Author from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2I2ysrm

Alexandra Armour, Joseph Stein

By Unknown Author from NYT Fashion https://ift.tt/2WzM4ON

What’s on TV Sunday: ‘Veep’ and ‘10 Things I Hate About You’

By GABE COHN from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/2YzSTSq

On ‘S.N.L.,’ Mueller, Barr and Trump Interpret the Final Report Very Differently

By DAVE ITZKOFF from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/2JU28cR

Quotation of the Day: Britons United by Lost Hope, if Nothing Else

By Unknown Author from NYT Today’s Paper https://ift.tt/2FOW29P

No. 3 Texas Tech Upsets No. 1 Gonzaga for First Trip to Final Four

By BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/2UmvJjd

New Zealand Christians Outraged as Govt Removes All References to Jesus From Parliamentary Prayer

Just barely two weeks following the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, the government has decided to remove all references to Jesus Christ from its parliamentary prayer.

from CBNNews.com https://ift.tt/2JNVmFs

Pope’s Trip to Morocco to Highlight Christian-Muslim Ties

Pope Francis’s weekend trip to Morocco aims to highlight the North African nation’s tradition of Christian-Muslim ties while also letting him show solidarity with migrants at Europe’s door and tend to a tiny Catholic flock on the peripheries.

from CBNNews.com https://ift.tt/2OzVo2H

Trump Turns U.S. Policy in Central America on Its Head - The New York Times

Trump Turns U.S. Policy in Central America on Its Head The New York Times
Trump cuts foreign aid, threatens to close Mexico border Philly.com
Trump threatens to close southern border next week Cengiz Adabag News
Over 100K illegal immigrants predicted to cross US border: reports New York Post
Trump seeks to cut foreign aid to 3 Central American nations ABC News
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2FIjCUj

Suspect arrested in University of South Carolina student's death - 10TV

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2VeuZtq

Democrats: Disarm for the Sake of the American People - RealClearPolitics

Democrats: Disarm for the Sake of the American People RealClearPolitics
‘Saturday Night Live’ Cold Open: Robert De Niro’s Mueller Fails to Find Trump Guilty of Collusion Deadline
'SNL' has Baldwin's Trump and De Niro's Mueller summarize the Mueller report CNN
When is a summary not a summary? The Washington Post
Kristin Bianco: Anti-Trump media should apologize for biased reporting on fake Russia-collusion story Fox News
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2uB8seN

Elizabeth Warren says big agriculture companies should be broken up - The Boston Globe

Elizabeth Warren says big agriculture companies should be broken up The Boston Globe
Storm Lake, Iowa, Draws 2020 Democratic Candidates To Rural America NPR
Warren, Klobuchar agree on breaking up Big Ag ABC News
2020 Democrats campaign across the US: Live updates CNN
Democrats, Militant or Healers, Make Play for Trump's Rural Base Bloomberg
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2HPkdag

Beto O'Rourke kicks off three Texas rallies with a focus on the border - NBC News

Beto O'Rourke kicks off three Texas rallies with a focus on the border NBC News
Beto O’Rourke talks immigration at formal campaign kickoff near southern border Fox News
Beto O'Rourke says nation's political hierarchy must be 'broken apart' at first rally in El Paso CNN
Beto O’Rourke, Praising Immigration, Kicks Off Presidential Campaign in El Paso The New York Times
Beto O'Rourke kicks off his grassroots campaign in El Paso, TX Cengiz Adabag News
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2YEoxhx

Earth Hour 2019: Lights around the world are turning off for Earth Hour to help save the planet today; Here's when to turn lights off in support of the earth today - CBS News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2CL635X

Judge scraps Trump order for Arctic, Atlantic oil leasing - AOL

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2Yz33mt

Navy SEAL accused of murder moved out of brig at Trump's direction, his attorney says - NBCNews.com

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2V7gMyD

White House Report Card: The week belonged to President Trump - Washington Examiner

White House Report Card: The week belonged to President Trump Washington Examiner
Questions mount over Mueller, Barr and obstruction | TheHill The Hill
AG William Barr says he'll release redacted Mueller report by mid-April Cengiz Adabag News
Trump's noble moment: Waiving executive privilege on Mueller's report | TheHill The Hill
Forget what William Barr wrote about collusion. Listen to Adam Schiff instead Los Angeles Times
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2ODaYKB

Elizabeth Warren says she believes Biden accuser Lucy Flores - AOL

Elizabeth Warren says she believes Biden accuser Lucy Flores AOL
Biden blindsided by dose of 2020 reality POLITICO
Joe Biden accused of inappropriate touching Cengiz Adabag News
Joe Biden's Al Franken problem Washington Examiner
Liz Peek: Biden accused of unwanted kiss, may have kissed his chance for Dem nomination goodbye Fox News
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2Uime4B

Enivronmental activist elected as Slovakia's first female president - CBS News

Enivronmental activist elected as Slovakia's first female president CBS News
Zuzana Caputova becomes Slovakia's first female president BBC News
Slovakia Elects Its First Woman President in Rebuke to Populism Bloomberg
These Populists Aren’t Like the Others Bloomberg
Zuzana Caputova Is Elected Slovakia’s First Female President The New York Times
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2U7Zu7S

Spring Brings Surge of Migrants, Stretching Border Facilities Far Beyond Capacity - The New York Times

Spring Brings Surge of Migrants, Stretching Border Facilities Far Beyond Capacity The New York Times
Asylum seekers at US-Mexico border in limbo under Trump policies | Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera English
US struggling with growing number of asylum seekers ABC News
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2uxNv4z

U.S. Cuts Off Federal Aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras - Slate

U.S. Cuts Off Federal Aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras Slate
State Department says US cutting off aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras CNN
Trump cuts all direct assistance to Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala ABC News
Trump directs State Department to cut off aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras Cengiz Adabag News
Trump cuts aid for Central American countries, threatens border shutdown ThinkProgress
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2UjpuN4

Mark Zuckerberg: OK, Fine, Regulate Facebook - Gizmodo

Mark Zuckerberg: OK, Fine, Regulate Facebook Gizmodo
Zuckerberg backs stronger Internet privacy and election laws: 'We need a more active role for governments' CNBC
Mark Zuckerberg asks governments to help control internet content BBC News
Mark Zuckerberg: The Internet needs new rules. Let’s start in these four areas. The Washington Post
The internet needs new rules. Let’s start in these four areas Los Angeles Times
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2JPxDEZ

Bayer keeps Roundup faith after losing second cancer trial - NOLA.com

Bayer keeps Roundup faith after losing second cancer trial NOLA.com
As Bayer's Roundup Cancer Costs Accumulate, Questions Linger About the Wisdom of Its Monsanto Merger Yahoo Finance UK
Roundup Weedkiller to Pay $80 Million in Cancer Trial INQUIRER.net
Who is paying for Monsanto's crimes? We are The Guardian
Corporations are endangering Americans. Trump doesn't care The Guardian
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2FM3mD4

Deep Value And 18.5% Yield From Washington Prime - Seeking Alpha

Deep Value And 18.5% Yield From Washington Prime Seeking Alpha

WPG 2018 earnings in line with initial guidance. Fundamentals continue to improve despite recent bankruptcies. WPG's redevelopment program hits the ground ...

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2OAXwa9

U.S. Gets Health Check Amid Recession Fears: Economy Week Ahead - Bloomberg

U.S. Gets Health Check Amid Recession Fears: Economy Week Ahead Bloomberg

Investors will get a welcome health-check on the U.S. economy this week as markets fret it's looking increasingly recession-prone.

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2JW1MT4

Apple Music code hints at Chromecast support - Engadget

Apple Music code hints at Chromecast support Engadget
Apple working on Cast support in Apple Music for Android MobileSyrup
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2U85uha

How Apple's new credit card measures up with Gen Z - AdAge.com

How Apple's new credit card measures up with Gen Z AdAge.com
Apple Arcade: Details On The New Game Subscription Service GameSpot
Apple and Goldman’s painful reinvention is hard to credit Financial Times
Apple Arcade: Every Game Confirmed So Far GameSpot
How does Apple Card's cash-back benefits compare to the best cards on the market? iMore
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2HNvgAw

All Apple's Major Announcement: Apple Arcade, Streaming Services, And More - GameSpot

All Apple's Major Announcement: Apple Arcade, Streaming Services, And More GameSpot

Apple's latest keynote, the Show Time event, brought with it big news on an array of products and services coming to the company's slew of devices. However ...

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2U0EBLY

Chris Rock slams Jussie Smollett at NAACP awards: 'What the hell was he thinking?' - Fox News

Chris Rock slams Jussie Smollett at NAACP awards: 'What the hell was he thinking?' Fox News
Maxine Waters - Honoree - 2019 NAACP Image Awards - Full Backstage Interview Variety
Jussie Smollett skips NAACP Awards, Chris Rock takes aim: 'What the hell was he thinking?' USA TODAY
Jussie Smollett loses NAACP award, skips out on awards dinner Fox News
NAACP Image Awards 2019: Anthony Anderson Full Interview (Exclusive) Cengiz Adabag News
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2I2uhvN

Mick Jagger seeks hospital treatment, postponing Rolling Stones tour - Page Six

Mick Jagger seeks hospital treatment, postponing Rolling Stones tour Page Six
Rolling Stones cancel tour over Mick Jagger's health Yahoo News
Rolling Stones' tour delayed as Mick Jagger seeks medical treatment euronews (in English)
Take heart, rock fans: 'Stones' say they'll be back (Editorial) MassLive.com
Rolling Stones postpone tour on doctor's orders CNN
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2FKVEc9

'SNL' mocks Jussie Smollett in sketch that doubts his innocence. Did they go too far? - USA TODAY

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2FDW8iZ

George Clooney calls for hotel boycott over Brunei LGBT death penalty - WLS-TV

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2Wuayci

UMBC Congratulates Virginia on Elite 8 Win With Troll-tastic Tweet - 12up

UMBC Congratulates Virginia on Elite 8 Win With Troll-tastic Tweet 12up
Virginia shakes off Purdue 80-75 in OT to advance to NCAA Final Four Fox News
Virginia advances to Final Four after buzzer-beater, epic OT battle with Purdue Yahoo Sports
Doyel: Purdue’s unlikely road to Final Four comes to cruel end Indianapolis Star
Virginia vs. Purdue: Elite 8 NCAA tournament highlights NCAA March Madness
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2UmwKYC

Zags' Perkins rues 'bonehead' tech late in loss - ESPN

Zags' Perkins rues 'bonehead' tech late in loss ESPN
Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders - Condensed Game NCAA March Madness
Texas Tech knocks off top-seeded Gonzaga, reaches first-ever Final Four Yahoo Sports
Tech topples Gonzaga for spot in Final Four LubbockOnline.com
How Texas Tech got to the Final Four USA TODAY Sports
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2uBYeuF

Report: NYPD investigating Kristaps Porzingis for alleged rape hours after 2018 ACL tear - Yahoo Sports

Report: NYPD investigating Kristaps Porzingis for alleged rape hours after 2018 ACL tear Yahoo Sports
Report -- Porzingis accused of rape in New York ESPN
Attorney: NBA star Kristaps Porzingis is accused of rape WITI FOX 6 Milwaukee
NYPD probing rape claim against former Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis New York Post
Kristaps Porzingis being investigated for rape, according to reports EastTexasMatters.com
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2Wu3xIu

God bless the : Caps beat Lightning 6-3 - Russian Machine Never Breaks

God bless the : Caps beat Lightning 6-3 Russian Machine Never Breaks
03/30/19 Condensed Game: Capitals @ Lightning NHL
Capitals vs Lightning NHL betting picks and predictions: High total no match for these powerhouses Covers.com
Slow starts once again becoming an issue for the Lightning Tampa Bay Times
Alex Ovechkin notches eighth 50-goal season Russian Machine Never Breaks
View full coverage on Google News

from Top stories - Google News https://ift.tt/2uAKvnM

A look at new power banks from OmniCharge and Fuse Chicken

When you’ve been doing this job long enough, you start to develop strange interests (though some might compellingly argue that strange interests are a prerequisite). Lately for me it’s been power banks. Quite possibly the least sexy product in all of consumer electronics outside of the ever-ubiquitous dongle.

I don’t know what to tell you. Blame the fact that I’m traveling every other week for this job. There are also all of the liveblogs from years’ past that got cut off in the last few minutes as my poor ancient MacBook put itself to sleep during those last precious battery percentages. Low batteries give me anxiety. I’m the guy who’s the first to notice when your phone’s screenshot is below 10 percent.

So the power bank has become constant accessory in my life, both home and on the road. Until last year, I used to carry a massive one that was just north of 20,000mAh. The peace of mind to back pain ration seemed sensible enough, but I learned the hard way that, not only do Chinese airports have a limit on battery size, they chuck yours in the trash without a second thought if you go over. It’s a quick way to lose $150.

The good news, however, is that between USB-C, wireless charging and the magic of crowdfunding, it seems we might be living through the golden age of the power bank. I know, right? What a time to be alive.

Point is, there are a lot of choices out there. Anker and Amazon’s house brand RAVPower both offer some good options on a budget. There’s also mainstay Mophie for those who don’t mind paying a bit of a premium for design.

Fuse Chicken was actually a brand that was new to me when they hit me up to try out their latest product. It’s a name I definitely would have remembered — because, honestly, it’s pretty terrible. Memorable, but terrible. Maybe that’s why the company went with such a mundane name for what’s a really interesting charger.

My dad ones told me that he gave my sister and I boring first names because we had such an unusual surname. I have no idea if this is true, but it’s an interesting story and could well apply here.

The Universal is a good example of making the most of out a form factor. It manages to jam a lot of features in without creating a Frankenstein’s Monster worthy of the name Fuse Chicken. On its face, the product looks like a black and white version of Amazon’s default power bricks. It serves that purpose, of course, coupled with a trio of swappable international wall adapters (bonus points for travelers).

But the brick also sports a 6,700mAh battery inside, so you can continue charging gadgets while unplugged. That’s ideal for a phone — you can keep a laptop alive for a bit as well, but you’re going to burn through that pretty quickly. There’s also a wireless charging pad up top, so you can power up another phone or, say, a new set of AirPods at the same time. The side of the device features a small display showing off how much juice is left.

It’s great having a bank that’s also a plug, though like Apple’s brick, it’s much too massive to plug into many vertical outlets. I learned this lesson the hard way on a recent coast to coast flight. Thankfully, though, it’s compatible with Apple’s extension cable.

OmniCharge, meanwhile, is a company I’ve been following since their earliest Kickstarter days. Matter of fact, the aforementioned power bank that’s currently sitting in a Chinese garbage dump is one of their products. R.I.P. noble battery pack.

The Omni Mobile 12,800 mAh is a much more basic product that the company’s earliest offerings. There’s no display for power information here — instead you have to rely on four lights to let you know how much juice is left.

As with most of the company’s products, I do quite like the design language. It’s subtle and unobtrusive and fits nicely inside a backpack. It’s definitely too big for carrying around in a pocket, however. Thanks the wonders of USB it will charge a laptop, as well, though once again, you’re going to run through that 12,800 mAh pretty quickly, if you do.

The Fuse Chicken and OmniCharge run $85 and $99, respectively. They’ve both served me well as travel companions these last few weeks. Here’s to long flights and avoiding life’s landfill.

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2Wxvbo7

Mark Zuckerberg actually calls for regulation of content, elections, privacy

It’s been a busy day for Facebook exec op-eds. Earlier this morning, Sheryl Sandberg broke the site’s silence around the Christchurch massacre, and now Mark Zuckerberg is calling on governments and other bodies to increase regulation around the sorts of data Facebook traffics in. He’s hoping to get out in front of heavy-handed regulation and get a seat at the table shaping it.

The founder published a letter simultaneously on his own page and The Washington Post, the latter of which is an ideal way to get your sentiments on every desk inside the beltway. In the wake a couple of years that have come with black eyes and growing pains, Zuckerberg notes that if he had it to do over again, he’d ask for increased external scrutiny in four key areas:

Harmful content – He wants overarching rules and benchmarks social apps can be measured by
Election integrity – He wants clear government definitions of what constitutes a political or issue ad
Privacy – He wants GDPR-style regulations globally that can impose sanctions on violators
Data portability – He wants users to be able to bring their info from one app to another

The story of why the letter breaks down each doubles as kind of recent history of the social network. Struggles and missteps have defined much of Facebook’s last few years, with several controversies often swirling around the social network at once. Not every CEO gets asked to testify in front of Congress. Facebook houses and controls an incredible collection of data, playing a key role in everything from ad targeting and interpersonal relationships to news cycles and elections.

I’ve spent most of the past two years focusing on issues like harmful content, elections integrity and privacy. I think…

Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Saturday, March 30, 2019

“Lawmakers often tell me we have too much power over speech, and frankly I agree,” Zuckerberg writes, three days after issuing a blanket ban on “white nationalism” and “white separatism.” He goes on to describe the company’s work with various governments, along with its development of independent oversight committee, before anyone can accuse the company of completely passing the buck.

“One idea is for third-party bodies to set standards governing the distribution of harmful content and to measure companies against those standards,” Zuckerberg writes, “Regulation could set baselines for what’s prohibited and require companies to build systems for keeping harmful content to a bare minimum.”

Zuckerberg goes on to encourage increased legislation around election tampering and political advertisements. Notably, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development hit Facebook earlier this week with charges that its targeted ads violate the Fair Housing Act.

The op-ed rings somewhat hollow, though, because there’s plenty that Facebook could do to improve in these four areas without help from the government.

Facebook’s harmful content policies have long been confusing, inconsistent, and isolated. For example, Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was removed from Facebook but not from Instagram. Meanwhile, bad actors can just hop between social networks to spread problematic posts. Facebook should apply enforcement of its policies across its whole family of apps, publicly work through its logic for why it does or doesn’t remove things instead of having those discussions leak, and cooperate better with fellow social networks to coordinate blanket takedowns of the worst offenders.

As for election integrity, Facebook made a big advance this week by placing all active and old inactive political ad campaigns into keyword-searchable Ad Library. But after pressure from news publishers who didn’t want their ads promoting politicized articles to be included beside traditional campaign ads, Facebook exempted them. Those ads can still influence the electorate, and while they should be classified separately, they should still be archived for research.

On privacy, well, there’s a ton to be done. One major area where it could improve is allowing people to more completely opt out of search, including by their phone number, to avoid stalkers. And better controls should be available for how Facebook uses your contact info when uploaded in the address books of other users.

Facebook shouldn’t block you from finding friends on competitors

Finally, with data portability, Facebook has been dragging its feet. A year ago, we published a deep dive into how Facebook only lets you export your social graph as a list of friends’ names which can’t be easily used to find them on other social networks. Facebook must make its social graph truely interoperable so users don’t lose their community if they switch apps. That would coerce Facebook to treat users better since leaving would actually be a viable option.

Taking these steps would show regulators that Zuckerberg isn’t just paying lip service in hopes of getting a more lenient sentence. It would demonstrate he’s ready to make change that serves society.

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2I0IsBy

CMU team develops a robot and drone system for mine rescues

On our final day in Pittsburgh, we find ourself in a decommissioned coal mine. Just northeast of the city proper, Tour-Ed’s owners run field trips and tours during the warmer months, despite the fact that the mine’s innards run a constant 50 degrees or so, year round.

With snow still melted just beyond the entrance, a team of students from Carnegie Mellon and Oregon State University are getting a pair of robots ready for an upcoming competition. The small team is one of a dozen or so currently competing in DARPA’s Subterranean Challenge.

The multi-year SUbT competition is designed to “explore new approaches to rapidly map, navigate, search, and exploit complex underground environments, including human-made tunnel systems, urban underground, and natural cave networks.” In particular, teams are tasked with search and rescue missions in underground structures, ranging from mines to caves to subway stations.

The goal of the $2 million challenge is design a system capable of navigating complex underground terrains, in case of cave-ins or other disasters. The robots are created to go where human rescuers can’t — or, at very least, shouldn’t.

The CMU team’s solution features multiple robots, with a foul-wheeled rover and a small, hobbyist style drone taking center state. “Our system consists of ground robots that will be able to track and follow the terrain,” says CMU’s Steve Willits, who serves as an adviser on the project. “We also have an unmanned aerial vehicle consisting of a hexacopter. It’s equipped with all of instrumentation that it will need to explore various area of the mine.”

The rover uses a combination of 3D cameras and LIDAR to navigate and map the environment, while looking for humans amid the rubble. Should it find itself unable to move, due to debris, small passage ways or a manmade obstacle like stairs, the drone is designed to lift off from the rear and continue the search.

All the while, the rover drops ultra rugged WIFI repeaters off its rear like a breadcrumb trail, extending its signal in the process. Most of this is still early stages. While the team was able to demonstrate the rover and drone in action, it still hasn’t mastered a method for getting them to work in tandem.

Testing the robots will begin in September, with the Tunnel Circuit That’s followed in March 2020 by the manmade Urban Circuit and then a Cave Circuit that September. A final event will be held in September 2012.

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2uCoxkx

Equity transcribed: What the Lyft IPO means for IPO-ready unicorns

Welcome back to this week’s transcribed edition of Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast that unpacks the numbers behind the headlines. We’re running an experiment for Extra Crunch members that puts the words of our wildly popular venture capital podcast, Equity, in your eyes instead of your ears.

This week, Kate Clark and Alex Wilhelm recorded an emergency episode to discuss Lyft’s IPO, which debuted Friday. The crew has been talking about the ridesharing company for a long time and this week, it closed its first day of trading up 9% after a 21% opening pop. So if you don’t like podcasts but still want the goodness that is Equity, you can have a read of this week’s episode below. It’s been edited for clarity.

For access to the full transcription, become a member of Extra Crunch. Learn more and try it for free.

Kate Clark: Hello and welcome to Equity. I’m tech crunches, Kate Clark and I’m joined today by Alex Wilhelm of Crunchbase news.

Alex Wilhelm: Hey everybody.

Kate Clark: How’s it going?

Alex Wilhelm: We’ve been doing a lot of Equity lately. I almost feel bad, but also all the IPOs we’ve been waiting for are finally here, so I’m kind of excited and glad.

Kate Clark: I mean, yeah. A couple extra episodes is the least we can do given that one of the most highly anticipated IPOs ever was just completed today. But I think we’re all a little bit relieved that the Lyft extravaganza has sort of come to a, well, I guess it’s not over now we just get to report on their earnings.

Alex Wilhelm: Yeah. But I mean at least this portion of the story is complete. Like we’ve been talking about them eventually going public for quarters and quarters now. Now it’s just Lyft had a good or bad quarter, it’s a two minute story and we can move on.

So it’s nice to have gotten here. But can we go back to the beginning and there’s not a lot of steps Kate, that though you and I have been tracking very almost religiously, but for a lot of people probably not as close. So I was thinking we could kind of go back to the beginning of Lyft’s public journey and quickly walk everyone through the numbers, if that makes sense.

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2FKXI42

Sheryl Sandberg says Facebook is ‘exploring’ restrictions following Christchurch attacks

In an open letter published by the New Zealand Herald, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg finally addressed the shocking mass shootings that left 50 dead at two Christchurch mosques. The first of part of the deadliest mass shooting in modern new Zealand history was live-streamed on Facebook by the attacker.

But while the site’s technology was used the broadcast the horrific attacks, Facebook has largely stayed silent on the matter in the intervening two weeks. Sandberg broke that silence in her letter, which addressed grieving families and a shaken nation. The note addresses aspects that the site could have handled better, but the company still appears to be at something of a loss for how to handle such an event.

“Many of you have also rightly questioned how online platforms such as Facebook were used to circulate horrific videos of the attack,” Sandberg writes. “We are committed to reviewing what happened and have been working closely with the New Zealand Police to support their response.”

The executive adds that the company is working on technologies to identity re-upload. The letter stops short of offering specific answers or a blueprint for its policy, going forward.

“We have heard feedback that we must do more – and we agree,” Sandberg says. “In the wake of the terror attack, we are taking three steps: strengthening the rules for using Facebook Live, taking further steps to address hate on our platforms, and supporting the New Zealand community. First, we are exploring restrictions on who can go Live depending on factors such as prior Community Standard violations.”

Both Facebook and YouTube have been subject to widespread criticism over the roles their platforms have played in propagating the images from these horrific attacks. YouTube was quick to issue a statement, noting that it would “work cooperatively with the authorities.”

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2Uj6H4u

Yoshi’s Crafted World is classic gaming joy, Nintendo-style

In 1995, Yoshi had his moment. The character’s Super Mario World debut was so strong, Nintendo handed the dinosaur sidekick his own sequel. A surprise divergence from the Mario franchise found the character escorting a baby version of the plumber in search of his kidnapped twin.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island was regarded as an instant classic for the Super Nintendo. The positive reaction was due, in part, to some bold aesthetic choices. The game featured a shaky line style, both in keeping with the playful infant motif and to further highlight that the title wasn’t just another Mario game.

Yoshi’s island has received a number of its own sequels and spinoffs over the years. This is, after all, Nintendo we’re talking about here. The company has turned riding out IP into a kind of art form. But while many of those followups were generally well-received, but none managed to capture the pure joy of the original.

2015’s Yoshi’s Wooly World came close, but ultimately failed to meet the high standards of many Mario fans. And the fact that the Wii U was ultimately a doomed console didn’t help matters much.

From a design perspective, Yoshi’s Crafted World clearly shares a lot of common DNA with that predecessor and, for that matter, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, with developer Good-Feel being a common denominator in all three. But the Switch title is a far more fully realized and cohesive package than the Wii U title. And like Yoshi’s Island before it, it’s a joy to play.

The first time I saw gameplay footage, I’d assume the game was a bit more of an open-world adventure — the Yoshi’s Island to Super Mario Galaxy’s Super Mario World. But while the new title gives you some choices, it never lets you stray too far from the standard platformer path.

To this day, side scrollers continue to be Nintendo’s bread and butter, even as it pushes the boundaries of gaming with other titles. At its worst, that means redundancy. At its best, however, Nintendo manages to put a fresh spin on the age old genre, as is the case here.

Clever mechanics like 3D world flipping and paths that point Yoshi down roads in a third dimension keep gameplay interesting. The addition of seemingly infinite Mario 3-style cardboard costumes, coupled with the DIY crafted design language, meanwhile, make it downright joy to play.

Yoshi’s Crafted World is an all-ages title, through and through. In fact, on first playing, the game asks whether you want to play “Mellow Mode” or “Classic Mode,” reassuring you that you can switch things up at any time. Even in Classic Mode, the game does a fair bit of handholding.

But the game’s simple and slow pace is more comfort than annoyance for even older players. The title plays like a casual game, writ large with a fun through line that finds Yoshi hunting down scattered “Dream Gems,” like so many Dragon Balls. It’s never as immersive or addicting as a title like Mario Galaxy, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s the kind of game you can happily play in spurts and come back to, after you’re done living your life.

It’s a reminder that games can be an escape from, rather than cause of, frustration and stress. And it’s definitely the best Yoshi star vehicle in nearly 25 years.

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2HMTtXZ