David Lidsky's Blog, page 3080
January 13, 2015
Uber Agrees To Share Trip Data In Boston While Refusing To Do So In New York
The company continues to set its own rules.
As Uber trumpets a new data-sharing partnership with the city of Boston, unveiled today in a company blog post, the on-demand ride service is continuing to fight the City of New York over requests for the very same trip-level data. That inconsistency in policy creates a challenge for the company as it seeks to win back the trust of riders and local officials following a series of debacles that appeared to reveal a cavalier attitude toward user privacy.
Capital One Buys The Beloved Level Money App
And with the purchase, Capital One cements its large investment in banking UX.
This week, Capital One announced the purchase of Level Money—a cleanly designed mobile investment app billed as the "Mint for millennials," and which racked up over 700,000 downloads in 14 months.
23andMe Gives Pfizer Access To Its Genome Database
The partnership sounds like a win-win—so long as 23andMe's client data stays anonymous.
23andMe, the Mountain View, California-based company that offers a $99 consumer DNA kit, announced an agreement with Pfizer, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and producer of drugs like Lipitor, Zoloft, and Viagra. As part of the deal, Pfizer will get access to 23andMe's database of genetic information gathered through its DNA kits. 23andMe has genotyped more than 800,000 people, 80% of whom have consented to allow their genetic information to be used for research.
Your Willpower Won't Help You Lose Weight, You Need To Change Your Environment
Trick yourself into weight loss by putting fruit and vegetables front and center in the kitchen.
January is the month of good intentions. We start the year trying to lose weight, eat more healthily, and go to the gym more regularly. Many of us finish it by following familiar habits: too much beer and ice-cream.
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Tour A Museum Full Of The World's Stolen Art
Just like some faceless supervillain, you can enjoy a stolen van Gogh without ever leaving your house!
The Concert by Johannes Vermeer. Poppy Flowers by Vincent van Gogh. Rembrandt's The Storm on the Sea of Galilee. These are some of the world's most famous and expensive paintings ever stolen. They're still missing. And soon will be able to see them in a museum for the first time. Well, sort of.
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January 12, 2015
Charlie Hebdo Returns With The Prophet Muhammad On Its Cover
Charlie Hebdo makes a courageous statement in the wake of the terrorist attacks that killed 12 members of their staff.
This week's cover of Charlie Hebdo—the first to print since two gunmen opened fire at the satirical newspaper's Paris offices last week, killing 12 members of their staff—features a cartoon of crying Prophet Muhammad holding a sign that reads "Je suis Charlie" ("I am Charlie"). The line has has become an international slogan of support for the victims of the attack. "All is forgiven," reads the text above the caricature.
Obama: Ban Selling Student Data, Targeted Advertising In School
President Obama today put forward a series of privacy proposals to regulate how companies handle consumer data.
Today, President Barack Obama introduced a set of a wide-ranging legislative initiatives that the White House says will improve consumer and student privacy. The announcement follows a year in which a string of businesses that include Target, Home Depot, and Staples suffered high-profile hacks, prompting a public debate about online data security and protections that has encompassed companies ranging from Uber to Facebook.
Drones Coming To CNN, Thanks To FCC Agreement
Forget CNN's oft-parodied uses of technology—drones actually make sense for news gathering.
Chances are you've seen the influx of beautiful (and viral) video footage captured by drones. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly dotting the skies and impacting everything from agriculture to shipping to how the military operates. And soon, drones might be bringing you the news, too.
Edtech Funding Soars To Nearly $2 Billion
It was a banner year for education investing.
In December education startup Clever raised $30 million in funding, capping a record year for the industry as a slew of education-technology companies drove investment in the space to new heights.
U.K. Prime Minister Wants To Ban Snapchat, Other Encrypted Messaging Apps
"Are we going to allow a means of communications which it simply isn't possible to read?" David Cameron wondered.
British Prime Minister David Cameron revealed today that he would consider banning encrypted messaging apps if British intelligence agencies were not given special access the content exchanged on the services.
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