The War-ren Big Tech
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| The War-ren Big Tech | |
| Number | 3484 |
| Broadcast Date | MARCH 8, 2019 |
| Episode Length | 33:22 |
| Hosts | Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Roger Chang |
| Guests | Brian Brushwood, Justin Robert Young, Len Peralta |
US Senator Elizabeth Warren released a Medium post outlining her plans to breakup Big Tech companies and foster increased competition. Is it workable and more importantly is their enough support for her proposition?
Guest
Quick Hits
- Airbnb announced it has signed a deal to acquire HotelTonight, which curates bookings for boutique and independent hotels. The companies will operate as separate brands but over time Airbnb plans to integrate HotelTonight listings into the Airbnb platform.
- Google advises Windows users to make sure they have the latest updates for Windows 10 and Chrome in order to protect themselves against a serious unpatched vulnerability being exploited in the wild. Google patched Chrome against it last Friday but you'll need to restart the browser to apply the patch. Windows may still be vulnerable to it though the vulnerability has only been observed being used against Windows 7 32-bit systems.
- Microsoft began rolling out updates to the Skype web client. Users running Chrome or Edge browsers on Windows 10 or MacOS 10.12 Sierra or later will be able to use HD calling, use call recording, view a revamped notification panel, and access an advanced media gallery.
Top Stories
- A new report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims Apple will begin mass producing a new augmented reality glasses product as early as Q4. The product would be marketed as an iPhone accessory, serving as a display while offloading compute and networking wirelessly. Previous reporting from Bloomberg stated Apple's AR device would run a custom OS based on iOS called "rOS" for "reality operating system."
- DoorDash changed its payment policy in 2017 in a way that appears to keep back tips from drivers. DoorDash used to pay drivers a flat fee no matter what the distance or complexity was. Under the new policy, DoorDash guarantees an amount for the driver based on the distance and complexity. However, a customer tip may not raise that amount, since DoorDash can decide to include all or part of the tip in the guaranteed amount it pays the driver. DoorDash says it never reduces the amount a driver gets because of a tip, only raises it. However, some drivers filed a class action lawsuit claiming the company is redirecting tips into the company's share.
- Bloomberg reports that Amazon has stopped regular orders of product from thousands of wholesalers, sometimes with no notice or explanation. Instead, Amazon is encouraging wholesalers to list items on Amazon's marketplace, shifting the costs of storing and shipping products, while allowing Amazon to take a commission on sales. In an emailed statement, Amazon said, “We regularly review our selling partner relationships and may make changes when we see an opportunity to provide customers with improved selection, value and convenience.”
- The city of Philadelphia has passed a law requiring almost all businesses to accept cash payments. Exception to the cash rule include parking lots, online and phone transactions, retailers with a membership model and companies that require a credit card deposit, like hotels and rental cars. Businesses who violate the law after it comes into force on July 1 could face a fine of up to $2,000. Amazon believes Amazon Go stores would be affected because you do not need to be a Prime member to shop there. A similar New Jersey state bill is waiting on the governor's signature. Massachusetts has required cash acceptance for awhile.
- The BBC has a report on a project called Gravity Pioneer that is developing quantum gravity sensors or gravimeters that will be twice as sensitive and 10 times as fast as current sensors. It works by cooling rubidium atoms with lasers to just above absolute zero. The atoms are then propelled upward in a vacuum and measured as gravity pulls them back down. The gravimeters can be made on silicon wafers that are 10 times cheaper than current non-quantum gravimeter models. Tiny fluctuations in gravity, such as an empty mineshaft, can be detected. It would be able to detect things like hidden mine shafts whose openings are five meters below ground, the kind of thing needed for construction projects. It could also detect magma chambers filling up below ground to give advance warning about volcanoes. It can also be used in military applications for things like detecting submarines.
Discussion
- Here’s how we can break up Big Tech
- Elizabeth Warren wants to break up Google, Amazon and Facebook
- Wall Street critic Warren vows to break up Amazon, Facebook, Google
- Facebook Continues to Beat Google in Sending Traffic to Top Publishers
Mailbag
- Marc is a scientist studying Pluto and the outer solar system and has a great breakdown on our University of California and Elsevier story from last week:
There are two common pathways for publication. Elsevier is an example of the first pathway. Their practice is that author pay no fees to get their work published. Once published, Elsevier owns the published content and charges for access. Elsevier is in the business of making money from our research and they balance profit against access. Over the past few decades the cost of access has grown so much that many institutions are cutting back on subscriptions. As subscriptions decline, the costs increase even more. Also, Elsevier charges a lot more for the "back catalog" than for more recent work. I used to publish in the Elsevier publication "Icarus" but after a while I realized that my older work was not longer widely accessible by the community and ceased sending my work there.
The other pathway is what I call "society based journals". An example is the American Astronomical Society (AAS), who publish a set of journals in astronomy. In this case, the publisher is not operated for profit. Publishing costs are covered by page charges where the author pays a fee to the journal upon publication. Distribution is covered via subscriptions but anything older than three years is freely accessible.
The recent arguments are that since scientific research is paid for from public funds, the results should always be freely available. Note that the compromise with Elsevier that UC should pay up front make them act much more like the society based journals.
One final point is that the peer review system is fueled by volunteer efforts. When I review a paper, I do not get paid by any journal to do this work. This donation of time makes a lot of sense when talking about an open-access, non-profit model but feels more like exploitation for the for-profit case.
- Marc is a scientist studying Pluto and the outer solar system and has a great breakdown on our University of California and Elsevier story from last week:
YouTube
Links
| Preceded by: "David Spark's Tales of RSA" |
The War-ren Big Tech |
Followed by: "Breaking Up a Corporation is Hard to Do" |