Daily Tech Headlines – August 12, 2016

DTH_CoverArt_1500x1500Facebook’s ad-blocking war heats up, HPE buys SGI, and Minecraft comes to the Oculus Rift.

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Your Private Driver: Get me to the airport on time

This is a weekly column that offers news, insights, analysis, and user tips for rideshare platforms like Uber and Lyft. Look for it every Monday after the live show, right here on dailytechnewsshow.com.

Your flight leaves at 5:30 AM tomorrow morning. You’ve enjoyed using Uber to get all over the city for business meetings, romantic dinners, and even to see “Hamilton” at the theater downtown, but this is different. You never really know when that Uber vehicle is going to show up. Sure, things work out in the end, but you can’t afford to be late for your flight. You’re gonna need this Uber to be on their way to you at 3:30, and there’s no guarantee that one will be nearby or even available at this time. If only there was a way for you to make an appointment or something to have a car at your doorstep right at 3:30.

From a passenger perspective, probably the biggest feature on their ride-share wish list is the ability to pre-book a trip. In fact for years there have been a slew of third-party apps like RideSharp that offer to do just that. Recently Uber and Lyft themselves have offered their own pre-booking features, with Lyft testing in San Francisco and Uber rolling out in Seattle. (Uber is also beta testing the feature in all of their California markets with the exception of San Francisco.) Amusingly, the launch blogs for both services also use the early-morning airport traveler scenario. Seems like a dream come true for them, right?

Well, not quite. All that these services, both official and third-party, do is send a request out to the nearest available driver at the time you specify, which can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 30 days in advance. Unfortunately if there isn’t available driver at that time, the request won’t go through. Functionally there is no difference between a scheduled ride and one that’s requested on-demand, making this feature little more than a placebo for anxious early-morning fliers.

What passengers really want is a way to guarantee that a driver will be waiting for them when they need one, especially during odd hours. In most markets this is rarely an actual issue. Savvy drivers know that there’s a demand for early-morning rides to the airport, and they’re awake and ready to cash in on potentially lucrative airport fares. Los Angeles, for example, will have no more than a ten-minute wait just about anywhere in the region at all hours of the day and night. San Bernardino, by contrast, often may have few or no cars free at around 4 AM. Someone looking for a ride-share pickup there may run into some difficulties.

So, why isn’t there a “real” scheduling feature for Uber or Lyft? In my research I was unable to find a real answer beyond CEO Travis Kalanick’s desire to stick to being an on-demand service. There could be a need to keep the company from running into laws regulating taxi services. There could simply be the logistical issues of ensuring driver availability; it’s not like someone from Uber HQ can just call and wake a driver up at 3 AM to take a request because no one else is available. Or it could be that the company is confident enough that they don’t really need to do anything other than say they’re doing something.

For those of you who really need a ride with guaranteed availability though, Uber and Lyft are not the services you want to rely on. Try going old-school with *gasp* a taxicab, or try a private car service that provides airport rides. No, they won’t be as cheap as UberX, but you’re paying for reliability. That’s worth a premium, isn’t it?

Sekani Wright is an experienced Uber driver working in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. If you have any questions you would like answered for this column, you can contact him at djsekani at gmail dot com, or on twitter and reddit at the username djsekani. Have a safe trip!

Daily Tech Headlines – August 11, 2016

DTH_CoverArt_1500x1500The US FCC can’t force muni broadband, Snapchat takes down controversial filter, Google applies for more wireless broadband testing.

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Show Notes
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DTNS 2829 – Virtual (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

Logo by Mustafa Anabtawi thepolarcat.comGoogle aims to prevent trolling in VR with better game design. Scott Johnson and Tom Merritt discuss the peculiar trolling opportunities of virtual reality.

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Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes
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Daily Tech Headlines – August 10, 2016

DTH_CoverArt_1500x1500Intel invests in deep learning, Disney does sports streaming, and Twitter expands Moments.

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A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you are willing to support the show or give as little as 5 cents a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the theme music.

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes
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DTNS 2828 – Facebook Ad Infinitum

Logo by Mustafa Anabtawi thepolarcat.comFacebook has a magical way to get around ad blockers but gives you more control over what ads you see. Are you still mad? Iyaz Akhtar and Tom Merritt would like to know.

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A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you are willing to support the show or give as little as 5 cents a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes
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Daily Tech Headlines – August 9, 2016

DTH_CoverArt_1500x1500Facebook blocks ad-blockers, NBC goes to Snapchat, and the Whitehouse talks Open Source.

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A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you are willing to support the show or give as little as 5 cents a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the theme music.

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes
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DTNS 2827 – Disclaimer: Tom is not sponsored by RC

Logo by Mustafa Anabtawi thepolarcat.comThe FTC continues its campaign to get social influencers to disclose ads. Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt talk about what consumers really need to know about it.

MP3

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Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

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A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you are willing to support the show or give as little as 5 cents a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes
To read the show notes in a separate page click here!

Daily Tech Headlines – August 8, 2016

DTH_CoverArt_1500x1500Wall-Mart takes on Amazon buying Jet.com and Apple is rumored to get rid of the home button as well as the headphone jack on new iPhones.

MP3

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A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you are willing to support the show or give as little as 5 cents a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the theme music.

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes
To read the show notes in a separate page click here!

Weekly Tech Views (The Tech – No Logic Blog) – August 6, 2016

Untitled drawing (1)

Real tech stories. Really shaky analysis.

With the Summer Olympics upon us, I feel compelled to point out that I am widely regarded as the Michael Phelps of tech blogging. Not so much because I’ve won all kinds medals for it (or any), but because my efforts also tend to be fueled by 12,000 calories a day. There may not be any medical studies proving three pounds of “extra-loaded” nachos are technically required to write a thousand words, but it’s worked so far.

 

But I Meant “You Entitled, No-Talent, Piece Of Useless Garbage” In A Fun Way
Instagram is allowing high profile users to manage comments by blocking certain keywords. In other news, traffic to thesaurus.com just jumped 23,000%.

The Adventures of Br’er Microsoft
Despite the deadline for obtaining a free version of Windows 10 passing last week, there is an extension for those using assistive technologies like on-screen keyboards or text-reading narrators. A Microsoft spokeswoman stated that “it is not designed to be a workaround for people who don’t use assistive technology and who missed the deadline.” She then added, “It’s not like we’re so crazy desperate to get everyone on Windows 10 that we’d play weird psychological games with our customers,” and then winked so hard the sound of her eyelid slapping shut could be heard in the next building.

Just Wait Till They Release The Galaxy Fibonacci
Samsung released the Galaxy Note 7, a mild surprise when you consider the fact that there was no Galaxy Note 6. Asked to explain the naming decision, a Marketing Department spokesman replied, “Well, when you look at the screen size, which measures 5.7 inches and rounds up to–okay, no, I mean… in many cultures, the number six has a connotation of evil…? No? Uhhhhh… research has shown that our cust–oh, hell, WHO’S PLAYING CATCH-UP NOW, APPLE?!

Welcome To The Family
Samsung also introduced the first update to their Gear VR headset–welcome Gear VR 7!

What About Yellow? Oh, And Ghost Shapes?
Instagram is adding Stories–the ability to share photos and short video clips that disappear after 24 hours. We take you behind the scenes at Instagram…

“So we can have temporary photos and videos, just like Snapchat?”

“Sure, nothing stopping us. There’s no law protecting ideas like that.”

“Okay, what are we going to call them? Snapchat has Stories; what could we use? Tales? Yarns? No, nobody’s said yarns since 1850. We need something catchy.”

“We can call them Stories.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. No law protecting generic names.”

“God, I love this country! Stories it is! Say, can we–”

“We can’t call ourselves Snapchat.”

“What? Well, no… what… pfffft… why would we want to?”

“Okay. You were saying?”

“Umm, InstaSnapGramChat?”

Resolution’s Downside
Japan’s NHK will be broadcasting the Summer Olympics in 8K at public viewing stations around the country. This will definitely enhance the experience for viewers who can utilize the incredible resolution to discern whether a rower had corn flakes or frosted flakes for breakfast when he throws it up after three droplets of Rio’s insanely polluted Guanabara Bay arcs off of an oar and into his mouth.

If It’s Luck, Explain Why I’m Up Till 2AM Every Night Reading Blogs At FootballGuys.Com
New York governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation making online fantasy sports sites legal, declaring fantasy sports not gambling, but games of skill. “Anybody got a problem with that?” asked the governor, lovingly polishing the Cuomo-nators – Northeast Governor’s League 2015 Champions-engraved trophy on his desk.

But Don’t Trouble Yourself With The Adventures Of Pluto Nash Link
Warner Bros. requested that Google remove a link to the BestOfStreamingVideo subreddit, which has a link allowing people to stream the movie Interstellar for free. Google declined the request, but said they might reconsider if Warner Bros. would remove any evidence that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ever existed.

Brace Yourself: Cable Company Angers People
The state of Washington is suing Comcast for $100 million in an attempt to recoup $73 million collected from customers for “near worthless” protection plans which promised coverage that wasn’t provided. The other $27 million is likely earmarked to compensate customers who uttered the words “disconnect my service” and were then forced to devote more time debating a customer service rep than they will spend talking to any member of their extended family in a given year.

We Never Knew It Could Be This Way
The average broadband speed in the US increased by 42% this year, with Comcast Xfinity leading the way with an average download speed of 125Mbps. “I’m not sure I understand–is that what they call a compliment?” said everyone who has ever worked at Comcast.

It’s Best To Ease Into These Things
The Strava fitness app added the Beacon feature, allowing users to broadcast their real-time location to up to three people. The feature is expected to be utilized by fit runners to, let’s face it, show off to lazy friends, by intermediate runners as motivation to work harder knowing that others are watching, and by beginning runners who can notify ice cream trucks in three different neighborhoods to get their Pop Goes the Weasel-playing rear ends(1) to their assigned positions and have those Choco Tacos ready.

 

(1) Not literally.

 

Movie Draft
Jennie and Tom have their mojo working now. Check out this CRUMDUM to see how things looked for them a few days ago. Which may be different than how they look now. Their Suicide Squad is making a buuuuunch of money.

 

And this is still a thing. Still filled with nonsense. Still at Amazon. Still $.99.

The Internet is Like a Snowblower: (And 200 Other Things I Got Wrong About Tech This Year) by [Range, Mike]

 

That’s all for this week. Time to tune in to the Men’s 400 Meter Individual Medley. And start fueling up for next week’s blog with a couple meat loaves.

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Weekly Tech Views (The Tech – No Logic Blog) by Mike Range is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.