Netflix, which already has an animation deal in place with the Roald Dahl Story Co., is now hoping to level up by taking control of Dahl’s complete works. As Bloomberg reports, citing sources who wished to remain unidentified, “a deal could be announced in days” that gives Netflix ownership of the author’s full…
Teotihuacán in its heyday was one of the largest cities in the world, supporting over 100,000 people in an 8-square-mile stretch of what is now Central Mexico. Now, a team of archaeologists have used an aerial scanning technology to see how the landscape was modified on a sweeping scale by the people who lived there.
No regrets. None. Zero. Nil. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Nothing at all.
A debt default would be like a government shutdown on steroids.
This afternoon Facebook revealed a pair of new smart video calling devices called Portal Go and (the newest version of) Portal+. These devices are just the latest of a series of “Portal” video calling devices of varying sizes. Facebook is calling the Portal Go their “first-ever portable Portal.” For… if you ever wanted to… make calls on a screen on… … Continue reading
Halo is turning 20 this year and the crossovers are running deep. Microsoft has already launched a few different Halo crossovers for the big anniversary – the weirdest of which being one with Waze in which Halo characters and vehicles take over your daily commute – but now, we’re seeing an entirely new one that’s bringing the world of Halo … Continue reading
Google has released a handy Android Auto update for folks with vehicles where the driver sits on the right. The platform’s version of Google Maps now shifts turn information and navigation bar closer to the driver.
Whether you have a left-hand drive vehicle or right-hand drive vehicle, the user interface will have more optimal orientation, Google says. As such, Brits, Indians, Aussies, Japanese drivers and those in the other dozens of countries where traffic moves on the left might find it a touch easier to reach the relevant buttons and enter a destination.
Maps will automatically switch the UI’s orientation in right-hand drive vehicles, though you’ll soon be able to return to the default look if you prefer. It’s a relatively small quality-of-life update, but it’s a thoughtful one. Google says the latest version of Android Auto also fixes some right-to-left language issues in the Maps app.
The Oversight Board is pushing Facebook to provide more information on its controversial “cross-check” system, following a report that the company has allowed celebrities, politicians and other public figures to break its rules.
“In light of recent developments, we are looking into the degree to which Facebook has been fully forthcoming in its responses in relation to cross-check, including the practice of whitelisting,” the board said in a statement. “We expect to receive a briefing from Facebook in the coming days and will be reporting what we hear from this as part of our first release of quarterly transparency reports which we will publish in October.”
The statement comes one week after The Wall Street Journal reported on internal memos that raised significant issues with the “cross check” system. Facebook has said the rules are meant to provide an extra lawyer of scrutiny to potential rule-breaking posts from high-profile accounts. But according to The WSJ, these extra checks are often very delayed or don’t happen at all, effectively allowing famous people to break the platform’s rules without consequences. The report also stated that Facebook had ‘misled’ the Oversight Board when it said it was “not feasible” to share more information about cross check, and that the system only impacted a “small number” of accounts.
The cross check system was also one of the central issues in the decision about Donald Trump’s suspension from Facebook. “In our decision concerning former US President Donald Trump’s accounts, we warned that a lack of clear public information on cross-check and Facebook’s ‘newsworthiness exception’ could contribute to perceptions that Facebook is unduly influenced by political and commercial considerations,” the board writes. The group also notes that Facebook didn’t provide specifics data it had asked for about how cross check works.
It’s not clear how much more information Facebook plans to share with the Oversight Board. The company declined to comment on the board’s statement. But the Oversight Board says it will publish its first transparency report next month, which will provide an update on cross check, as well as its assessment of how Facebook is following its recommendations.
Do you have a child who loved Marvel’s Black Panther movie and wants to know more about the character, but maybe isn’t ready to dive into the comics? Disney Books has just the thing. Author Ronald L. Smith is about to release Black Panther: Spellbound, a young adult novel that follows a young T’Challa on a trip to…
Uber says it’s set to break even or making an operating profit for the first time ever ahead of schedule—you know, on paper, so long as you squint your eyes at the books in the Uber-approved way.
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