Disney’s decision this week to raise the price of its Hulu streaming service by $1 isn’t just a money grab, although it’s definitely that. With roughly 43 million paying Hulu subscribers, that’s as much as $43 million a month in extra revenue.But it’s not just about the money.Disney, like all the streaming services that now play an outsized role in people’s lives amid the … [Read more...] about Column: As Hulu’s price rises, how much is too much for a streaming service?
‘Basic human dignity’: California bill requiring hourly wage for garment workers passes Assembly
Factory owners in California’s garment industry have gotten away with illegally paying workers below-minimum wages for decades.A bill that cleared a major hurdle in the Assembly Wednesday aims to change that, requiring apparel factories to pay garment workers an hourly wage and aiming to hold big businesses accountable for labor practices under their watch. SB62 will head back … [Read more...] about ‘Basic human dignity’: California bill requiring hourly wage for garment workers passes Assembly
California takes on Amazon, passing bill that regulates tough warehouse work metrics
The California Senate voted to regulate warehouse performance metrics, approving the first legislation in the nation that will require companies such as Amazon to disclose productivity quotas at their warehouses, among other standards meant to make warehouse work safer.AB 701, which faced fierce opposition from business interests, passed the Senate on a 26-11 vote. The proposal … [Read more...] about California takes on Amazon, passing bill that regulates tough warehouse work metrics
Scientists develop films with tunable elongation and fracture for various uses
Elastomers, or elastic polymers, materials with high elasticity, are widely used for applications in industries, such as automotive, manufacturing, and oil and gas. The degree of elasticity in these materials, denoted by a parameter known as "Young's modulus," depends on the extent of cross-linking between the constituent polymer layers such that higher cross-linking leads to … [Read more...] about Scientists develop films with tunable elongation and fracture for various uses
Stretching the capacity of flexible energy storage
Some electronics can bend, twist and stretch in wearable displays, biomedical applications and soft robots. While these devices' circuits have become increasingly pliable, the batteries and supercapacitors that power them are still rigid. Now, researchers in ACS' Nano Letters report a flexible supercapacitor with electrodes made of wrinkled titanium carbide -- a type of MXene … [Read more...] about Stretching the capacity of flexible energy storage
The new ‘WarioWare’ is the game for our attention span-starved, pandemic times
Look, I don’t know about you, but the pandemic destroyed my attention span.A two-hour movie feels overwhelming. A book feels downright insurmountable. A TV series? Maybe? But how many episodes?The amount of time I can consistently focus these days is measured in seconds. Forget minutes or hours, my brain has become the equivalent of a television remote permanently stuck on … [Read more...] about The new ‘WarioWare’ is the game for our attention span-starved, pandemic times
High-energy shape memory polymer could someday help robots flex their muscles
When stretched or deformed, shape memory polymers return to their original shapes after heat or light is applied. These materials show great promise for soft robotics, smart biomedical devices and deployable space structures, but until now they haven't been able to store enough energy. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have developed a shape memory polymer that … [Read more...] about High-energy shape memory polymer could someday help robots flex their muscles
On Google and YouTube, Newsom and Elder aim for two different Californias
As California’s recall election continues, campaigns are pouring millions into ads on Google and its world-leading video site, YouTube.More than $3.6 million has been spent on ads about the recall, according to spending data released by the internet giant. The majority of that has come from a political fundraising group organized to defend Gov. Gavin Newsom, which has invested … [Read more...] about On Google and YouTube, Newsom and Elder aim for two different Californias
These tech investors are spending big on either side of California recall effort
Many wealthy Silicon Valley investors and executives have used their money to oppose the effort to unseat Gavin Newsom as California’s governor; a few have backed it. Here’s a closer look at who gave. Supporting the recall: Dixon and Carol Doll — $248,000Dixon Doll co-founded the first telecom-focused venture capital fund in the mid-’80s, Accel Partners, and went on to … [Read more...] about These tech investors are spending big on either side of California recall effort
Meet David Sacks, Gavin Newsom’s loudest critic in Silicon Valley
The millionaires and billionaires of California’s tech industry have become reliable donors to Democratic politicians in recent decades, and most cash flowing from Silicon Valley into 2021’s recall race has gone to oppose the recall and support Gov. Gavin Newsom.But a handful of tech investors and entrepreneurs rank among the top donors to the recall cause, alongside Orange … [Read more...] about Meet David Sacks, Gavin Newsom’s loudest critic in Silicon Valley