February 7, 2025

These documents are influencing the DOGE-sphere’s agenda

Reports from the US Government Accountability Office on improper federal payments in recent years are circulating on X and elsewhere online, and they seem to be a big influence on Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency and its supporters as the group pursues cost-cutting measures across the federal government.  The payment reports have been…

Technology

Robotaxi haters in San Francisco are disabling the AVs with traffic cones

July 7, 2023

A decentralized group of safe streets activists in San Francisco realized they can disable Cruise and Waymo robotaxis by placing a traffic cone on a vehicle’s hood, and they’re encouraging others to do it, too. The “Week of Cone,” as the group is calling the now-viral prank on Twitter and TikTok, is a form of […]

Robotaxi haters in San Francisco are disabling the AVs with traffic cones by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

Tesla to provide more info on its driver alert system amid Autopilot probe

July 7, 2023

U.S. regulators have requested more information from Tesla to assist in their ongoing investigation into 830,000 Tesla vehicles that include Autopilot, the automaker’s advanced driver assistance system. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sent Tesla a letter on July 3 seeking updated responses to questions it had asked in August 2022. Those were specifically […]

Tesla to provide more info on its driver alert system amid Autopilot probe by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

Sony’s modular speaker system is a clever and portable take on the home theater

July 6, 2023

Here’s a dirty little secret: Consumer electronics can be boring sometimes. Hardware scaling is hard and people love the familiar, both things that have a tendency to disincentive adventurous product design. So it’s worth acknowledging when big companies try something a bit different. From a purely design perspective, there’s a lot to love about the […]

Sony’s modular speaker system is a clever and portable take on the home theater by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Threads won’t be fun — but it will give brands a home away from Twitter

July 6, 2023

There are many Twitters now, but we may never have another Twitter again. As the eminent Twitter of its time, Twitter served up a lively, often incoherent mix of paradigm-shifting cultural phenomena (Arab Spring, the Me Too movement, Black Twitter), breaking news, corporate existentialist brand building, tweet-addled U.S. presidents and hardcore porn. Now, we’ve got […]

Threads won’t be fun — but it will give brands a home away from Twitter by Taylor Hatmaker originally published on TechCrunch

DigitalOcean acquires cloud computing startup Paperspace for $111M in cash

July 6, 2023

DigitalOcean, the cloud hosting business, today announced that it’s agreed to acquire Paperspace, a New York-based cloud computing and AI development startup, for $111 million in cash. DigitalOcean CEO Yancey Spruill says that Paperspace’s infrastructure and tooling, once integrated with DigitalOcean’s products, will enable customers to more easily test, develop and deploy AI applications. As […]

DigitalOcean acquires cloud computing startup Paperspace for $111M in cash by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

A human-centric approach to adopting AI

July 6, 2023
From traditional manufacturing companies using AI in robots to build smart factories to tech startups developing automated customer service and chatbots, AI is becoming pervasive across industries. “AI is no longer just in assistant mode, but is now playing autonomous roles in robotics, driving, knowledge generation, simulating our hands, feet, and brains,” says Lan Guan,…

Volkswagen to start testing self-driving ID Buzz vans in Austin

July 6, 2023

Volkswagen has launched an autonomous vehicle test program in Austin using a fleet of 10 all-electric ID Buzz vehicles equipped with partner Mobileye’s technology. The new program comes about nine months since autonomous vehicle technology startup Argo shut down after its two backers, Volkswagen and Ford, pulled financial support and gobbled up its remains. Argo […]

Volkswagen to start testing self-driving ID Buzz vans in Austin by Kirsten Korosec originally published on TechCrunch