David Lidsky's Blog, page 2786
February 19, 2016
Take The Fast Company News Quiz
What happened this week? Here's our quiz for Feb. 19, 2016.
Did you follow the news this week? Research says that one of the best ways to solidify new information is to be tested on it. Here's a chance to bolster your knowledge of current events—and earn a special emoji badge. 
Today Is The Last Day To Register Your Drone
Recreational drone owners who fail to register their devices by today could face steep fines.
In December, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ruled that anyone who owns a drone weighing between 0.55 pounds and 50 pounds must register it before February 19, 2016 and pay a registration fee of $5. That day has come, and those who fail to register their devices by today could be subject to $27,500 in civil penalties—or face jail time and $250,000 in criminal penalties.
ISIS Influence Flatlines After Wave Of Twitter Bans
Now if they could only do the same thing for trolls.
Twitter recently announced that since mid-2015 it has suspended 125,000 accounts that were threatening or promoting terrorist acts, with many of those suspended accounts primarily related to the militant group ISIS. Now independent research shows that the suspensions are having the intended effect, reducing the spread of the terror group's propaganda on the social networking site.
Taxi And Uber Drivers, Once Mortal Enemies, Join Forces In New Labor Dispute
Uber's lower prices hurt both Uber drivers and taxi drivers, so they're teaming up to protest and organize.
Last year, taxi drivers in Belgium threw eggs at Uber drivers' cars and blocked them from picking up passengers during a protest against the ride-hailing company. In France, during another day of protests, taxi drivers attacked Uber drivers, in a couple of cases even setting their cars on fire. Footage from a protest against Uber in Toronto shows a man banging on the window of someone he suspects is driving for Uber, only to be dragged 20 feet before letting go. And in cities across the U.S., Uber drivers and taxi drivers have faced off on opposite sides of protests over Uber regulations.
How To Job Hunt While Pregnant
Your growing bump may be the elephant in the room, but if handled correctly, you can still land the job.
Pregnancy is an incredibly exciting time, but if you're looking for a job while you're expecting, you may find your growing bump an interview hurdle. But Vicki Salemi, career expert for Monster Jobs, says interviewing for a job while pregnant can be done successfully. In fact, she's recently seen two pregnant women successfully land the job. It may not be the ideal situation, but if done correctly, there's no reason why you—and your little one—can't land the job.
What You Can Do If Your Company Doesn't Have A Maternity Leave Policy
What may seem like a huge hurdle could actually be an opportunity to change your company's culture for all the parents who come after you.
If you're working in a small company or organization, there's a fair chance they don't officially have anything on the books about maternity leave. If this is the case for you, you have a great opportunity—not only to set yourself up, but also to ensure that every woman who comes after you can bond with her new baby without being thrown into financial turmoil.
February 18, 2016
Apple To Challenge Court's Decryption Order As "Unreasonably Burdensome"
Apple must file within five days of when the order came down.
Apple has confirmed to Fast Company that it will soon challenge a court order to help decrypt the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino terrorists. The application will state that Apple considers the FBI's request to be "unreasonably burdensome."
BuzzFeed's Audience Spends Over 100 Million Monthly Hours On BuzzFeed
Video views versus video engagement: Which is more valuable? BuzzFeed's publisher weighs in.
Back in October, BuzzFeed reported that it had crossed five billion monthly content views—a number that encompassed not just BuzzFeed's site and apps, but also the swaths of content it publishes directly to social platforms like Snapchat and Facebook. This inevitably led to questions about how to measure a "content view" and what that means compared to more traditional web audience measurements, such as page views and unique visitors.
Will Yahoo's Recent Layoffs Mean Long Commutes For Remaining Workers?
Yahoo announced another round of layoffs yesterday; here's what may be in store for those that remain on staff.
Yesterday, employees from Yahoo's media unit in California and New York were let go, as the company shuttered digital "magazines" Yahoo Food, Yahoo Auto, Yahoo Makers, Yahoo Real Estate, Yahoo Health, and Yahoo Parenting. The Tech channel will be folding into the larger News site, so former New York Times writer David Pogue is still with the company, as is Katie Couric.
FCC Votes To Bust Cable's Set-Top-Box Monopoly
Cable and satellite TV providers must basically open-source their programming, allowing anyone to build a set-top box or app to receive it.
People who hate their cable boxes, or hate paying to rent them, have reason to celebrate today. The Federal Communications Commission has voted to open up competition for companies that make alternative boxes, as well as apps that replace the hardware entirely. That wasn't a shocker: FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the two other liberal members of the commission have favored the plan since it was announced on January 27.
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