“Helloooo! Amazon Delivery! I have no intention of murdering youuuu!” Amazon.com Those with an Amazon Prime subscription in Portland are now able to purchase a fancy (and SPENDY) lock/security camera (called Amazon Key) in order to protect your at-home shipments, according to an email received today from the company. While they’ve requested that we not […]
Tech
Posted inTech
US vs. Japan Giant Robot Fight—TONIGHT!
Courtesy Megabots Since the dawn of time, human beings have wanted primarily one thing: TO WATCH GIANT ROBOTS KILL EACH OTHER. Tonight that dream will finally become a reality as the USA takes on Japan in a giant robot fight to the death on Twitch at 7 pm PST. America’s entry for this battle is […]
Posted inTech
Poll: Who Wants to Give Amazon Delivery Drivers Access to Your House?
iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus According to this report from CNBC, Amazon is trying to figure out a way to quickly deliver your packages, without them getting stolen. So they (reportedly) came up with this plan! Amazon is developing a smart doorbell device that would give delivery drivers one-time access to a person’s home […]
Posted inTech
AI Apocalypse Alert: Amazon-Microsoft Alliance Allows Competing Robot Assistants to Talk to Each Other
This Amazon Echo will soon be able to call up Microsoft’s Cortana Adam Bowie/Flickr Here’s some news that’s not at all dystopian and another step toward our rule under a single tech conglomerate Singularity: Amazon and Microsoft’s AI assistants, Alexa and Cortana, will soon be able to work together and talk to each other. By […]
Posted inTech
Is Facebook Silencing Black Activists With Racist Bots?
Let’s take a tour through Facebook’s banning process!
Posted inTech
It’s a Good Day to Watch Comcast Lie About Net Neutrality
Huh. You don’t say. Twitter Today finds many of the internet’s biggest companies and sites advocating for net neutrality—Google, Amazon, Reddit, Twitter, Netflix, Spotify, Twitch, OkCupid, Kickstarter, and more are all speaking out against the FCC’s plans to break the internet. (Yo Apple, where you at?) Make no mistake: It can sound wonky and techy […]
Posted inTech
Defend the Open Internet: Net Neutrality Day of Action is July 12
The open internet is under threat again, but net neutrality activists and tech companies are not going down without a fight.
Posted inPolitics
Twitter Founder “Sorry” If He Helped Put Trump in Office
Not laughing so much now that Twitter played a role in “a very bad thing.” David Paul Morris / Getty This has been kicking around for a couple days, but in case you missed it due to beautiful Portland weather interrupting obsessive device-checking: Evan Williams, the guy who owns Twitter and Medium, is sorry about […]
Posted inTech
Is It Illegal to Lead an Online Mob Against Someone?
In December, to avenge alleged affronts to white nationalist Richard Spencer (above), a “troll storm” descended on the small town of Whitefish, Montana. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images What I witnessed in Whitefish, Montana this past holiday season was hardly the first instance of online mobs doing scary things. In Whitefish, it was neo-Nazis directing […]
Posted inTech
You Can Now Send Your Local Officials Facebook Messages. (Thanks, Facebook!)
Facebook is trying, you guys. In a sea of rampant misinformation and fake news shared on the site and accusations of their immense political impact, yesterday the social media network introduced the new “Town Hall” feature, designed to help you connect with elected officials locally and nationally. Here’s how it works: Find the Town Hall […]
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Why Is the TSA Banning Passengers from Bringing Electronic Devices “Bigger Than a Cellphone” Onboard Certain Flights?
New TSA rule says “electronic devices bigger than a cellphone” must be checked on selected flights
Posted inPortland
Since Google Won’t, It’s Time for Portland to Invest in Fiber
“Beep boop beep! Time for publicly owned fiber optic internet!” Three years ago, Denis C. Theriault and I cowrote a story for the Mercury about Google Fiber. At the time, Google had just announced Portland as one of a handful of cities that might get its ultra-high speed internet. Despite Portland having already suffered a […]