David Lidsky's Blog, page 2776
March 4, 2016
Google Fiber's Pay TV Service Is Struggling To Grow
The service had less than 54,000 pay TV subscribers at the end of 2015—and growth is slowing.
Research firm MoffettNathanson has issued a scathing report saying Alphabet is having serious subscriber and growth issues with the pay TV service part of its Google Fiber offerings, reports Re/code. The report says Fiber had just 53,390 pay TV subscribers at the end of 2015. That's up from 30,000 at the end of 2014, but growth is slowing. In the last six months of 2014, Fiber's pay TV service grew 136%, but in the last six months of 2015 it only grew 78.8%.
March 3, 2016
Uber Drivers In Pakistan Will Attend Mandatory Seminars On Sexual Harassment
As Uber continues its $250 million expansion in the Middle East and North Africa, it's adjusting its service to address local issues.
Uber launched in Pakistan on Thursday, but drivers in the country, unlike those in most of Uber's 69 markets, will need to attend a seminar about sexual harassment before they can accept passengers through the ride-hailing app.
Verily Is Building A Google For Medical Information
The company's CEO, Andy Conrad: The most important tool in medicine is a computer
Anyone can use a search engine like Google to locate the nearest seafood restaurant, or the best school in their neighborhood. But medical researchers don't have an easy way to type in questions and receive meaningful answers.
Apple Will Now Field Your Questions At Its Customer Service Twitter Account
The company is already responding to customer queries at @AppleSupport—so you can stop tweeting in vain to @Apple.
Apple has long shied away from Twitter. While the company has opened accounts for specific products like Apple Music and iTunes, Apple has opted not to have a main account (which explains the many confused queries directed at @Apple, an account that has never tweeted but boasts 37,400 followers). But on Thursday, Apple started the account @AppleSupport, which will field customer service inquiries and offer tips, tutorials, and other information.
UN Free Speech Expert Pledges Support For Apple's Encryption Stance
"Secure communications are fundamental to the exercise of freedom of opinion and expression in the digital age," the UN's David Kaye wrote in an amicus brief.
David Kaye, the free speech rapporteur for the United Nations, has expressed his support for Apple in its encryption impasse with the FBI, BuzzFeed News reports. For the past two weeks, Apple has pushed back against a court order requesting that the company grant the FBI access to San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's iPhone.
80004005: Why Error Messages Are Still So *&%$#! Indecipherable
Don't feel bad if you're stumped by an obscure code. There's a good chance the engineers are too.
If you've ever been vexed by a phone, tablet, or PC, chances are you've bumped into an error code.
J.J. Abrams Producing Documentary Series About Google Lunar X Prize
Moon Shot will focus on the people behind some of the teams competing for the $30 million prize.
Is building rockets that can go to space something only NASA or giant private companies like SpaceX can do?
Amazon Unveils Two New Voice-Control Devices: Amazon Tap And Echo Dot
After the breakout success of the Echo, the e-commerce giant was eager to offer some variations on the theme.
This morning, Amazon announced two new voice-controlled home assistant devices—the $130 Amazon Tap Bluetooth speaker and the $90 Echo Dot.
You Can Now Make Voice Calls Using Slack
And video calls are on the way too.
Slack, the business communication tool and tech darling, has begun rolling out voice calling to users today, reports TechCrunch. The new tool, called "Calls," allows any Slack user to start a private call or conference call with any other Slack user or channel. Slack has previously integrated calling features into its service via third-party solutions like Skype and Google Hangouts, but as TechCrunch notes "those required a separate installation and were quite clunky by comparison" to Slack's new Calls feature.
Google Is Working With UNICEF To Map The Zika Virus
Its engineers and designers are building an open-source platform to visualize potential outbreaks.
Google has a volunteer team of engineers, designers, and data scientists working with UNICEF to build open-source tools to help visualize potential outbreaks of the Zika virus, reports 
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