Technology

Adherents of QAnon, the vast conspiracy theory that baselessly claims that a satanic cabal of high-profile liberals runs a global human trafficking operation, are used to scouring the headlines for items of news they can point to as evidence they’re onto something. Social media and communications companies are used to watching those claims spread across their platforms in real … [Read more...] about Trump’s coronavirus test sparks online misinformation spree

In its most sweeping content policy decision to date, Facebook implemented a comprehensive ban on QAnon-related pages, groups and Instagram accounts Tuesday. The action represents a sharp escalation against purveyors of the vast conspiracy theory that baselessly claims that a shadowy, Satan-worshipping cabal of Democrats and other elites operates a child sex-trafficking ring. … [Read more...] about Facebook institutes sweeping ban on QAnon. Will it work?

If you’ve called for a ride through Uber in California recently, you may have felt like you were being asked for more than just your money.Last week the ride-hailing app served users with a pop-up threatening that if voters failed to pass Proposition 22 on the Nov. 3 ballot, wait times and prices would ratchet up, and drivers would lose their livelihoods.To move forward with … [Read more...] about Uber, Lyft push Prop. 22 message where you can’t escape it: your phone

In an industrial corner of Singapore, multiplying steadily in bioreactors heated precisely to 82 degrees, real shrimp meat is being grown from samples of the crustacean’s microscopic cells.Fed a nutrient-rich soup meant to mimic its diet in the wild, a single cell can reproduce over a trillion times into a mound of gray translucent flesh. Think of it as meat growing without all … [Read more...] about The first lab-grown meat for sale could come from this Singapore startup that’s re-creating shrimp

The California agency that oversees workplace safety has levied $1,870 in fines on Amazon.com Inc. for coronavirus-related safety violations as it ramps up penalties for employers during the pandemic.Over the course of several months beginning in May, investigators with California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, found that two Amazon warehouses — one … [Read more...] about Amazon warehouses in Hawthorne and Eastvale are fined for coronavirus safety violations

There was a time when a deadly pandemic wouldn’t have bothered me in the least. I’d have cast a protection spell to keep myself and others safe. If anyone got sick, a cleric would remedy things with his or her healing powers.Hi, I’m David. I’m a D&D nerd.At least I was, years ago, throughout college and a bit beyond.I’ve been thinking about the many hours of escapist fun … [Read more...] about Column: D&D nerds (like me) are donning virtual armor and venturing online amid pandemic

Nearly 9,000 residents of public housing in Los Angeles will receive free broadband internet access for the rest of the 2020-21 school year as part of a new partnership between the city, Microsoft and the start-up internet service provider Starry.Starting in early November, residents of the Jordan Downs, Nickerson Gardens and Imperial Courts housing projects in Watts and the … [Read more...] about Tech companies step up to bring free Wi-Fi to L.A. public housing residents

Walking out of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” when I saw it last December, I had one, immediate reaction: what a disappointment — if only it had been built for video game consoles instead of movie theaters. I wanted to play it.That’s not to say video games’ stories rank below their cinematic peers — far from it — but it is an acknowledgement that the “The Rise of Skywalker” … [Read more...] about Are the best ‘Star Wars’ stories now in video games? ‘Star Wars: Squadrons’ makes the case

Supposedly, “Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit” is a toy that transforms your home into augmented reality-enhanced race tracks. At least that’s its stated purpose. But, really, after half a year of largely staying inside 24-7, the Nintendo Switch accessory “Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit” has a power that I don’t think can be overstated. My 500-square-foot apartment long ago started … [Read more...] about Review: ‘Mario Kart Live’ tops ‘Pokémon Go’ for augmented reality and makes your home a playground

Proposition 24 aims to refine and expand the rules of the California Consumer Privacy Act, the 2019 law that gave Californians more power over how companies collect and sell their information.But a scan of the measure’s supporters and opponents raises questions. If this proposal is meant to give people more privacy and more rights over how their data are used, why is it opposed … [Read more...] about With Prop. 24, California is trying to rewrite the rules of online privacy. Again.