Hasta La Gadget!

The last week has been pretty rough for Netflix in terms of news; the big streamer has had some high profile cancellations and reports of layoffs. If you’re a fan of Space Force, their sci-fi military comedy series, bad news: it too has been canceled.

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New York State Senator Jessica Ramos and Assembly Member Latoya Joyner have introduced a new bill meant to limit production quotas for warehouse workers. The bill, called the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, takes aim at Amazon’s labor practices. It expands upon and strengthens the language of a similar bill in California that was signed into law back in 2021, making the state the first in the US to have legislation that regulates warehouse quotas.

Productivity quotas prevent workers from complying with safety standards and contribute to rising injury rates in warehouse, Ramos notes in a statement. She explains that if the bill passes, it can “ease the bargaining process” for workers seeking to make demands for health purposes in their workplace. Warehouses will have to go through an ergonomic assessment of all tasks if the bill becomes a law, and companies could face penalties if they’re found to be lacking. The New York State Department of Labor will enforce rules established under the bill. 

As Motherboard reports, the Warehouse Worker Protection Act will require employers with at least 50 employees in a single warehouse or 500 workers statewide to describe their productivity quotas in a written description. They also have to explain how their quotas are developed and how they can be used for disciplinary purposes. If the bill passes, it can make sure employees are giving their workers bathroom breaks and rest periods, as well.

Amazon made it to the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health’s most dangerous workplaces in the US for the third time this year. The advocacy group included Amazon for having an injury rate more than double the industry average and highlighted the deaths that took place in its facility in Bessemer, Alabama. Workers’ rights advocates also recently accused the e-commerce giant of using its charity work placement scheme to conceal true injury rates in its warehouses.

Cat aficionados will have to wait a bit longer to get their paws on Stray. Developer BlueTweleve Studio’s feline simulator won’t release in early 2022 as previously announced. It’s now slated to come out sometime this summer. Sony shared news of the delay in a tweet spotted by The Verge. “Releasing summer 2022,” says the video accompanying the message.

The clip includes footage from the gameplay walkthrough publisher Annapurna Interactive shared last summer. And if you’re curious what Stray is all about, that video provides a few clues. In it, we see the game’s feline protagonist explore a neon-soaked city populated by robots of all shapes and sizes. Gameplay involves using his abilities as a cat to solve environmental puzzles. Partway through your journey, you’ll meet B-12, a drone that will allow you to converse with the city’s inhabitants. Naturally, as the cat, you can also do things like scratch furniture and rub up against the legs of robots you meet.

Experts and tech industry veterans have long expected the global semiconductor shortage to last for years, but Intel chief Pat Gelsinger now says it could go on longer than previously expected. The CEO told CNBC’s TechCheck that he expects the issue to drag on until 2024, because the shortage has now hit equipment manufacturing. That could make it difficult for companies to obtain key manufacturing tools and hit production goals that might be bigger than before due to growing demand. 

Gelsinger told the publication:

“That’s part of the reason that we believe the overall semiconductor shortage will now drift into 2024, from our earlier estimates in 2023, just because the shortages have now hit equipment and some of those factory ramps will be more challenged.”

Lockdowns tied to the COVID-19 pandemic had severely impacted the chip industry at a time when demand was ramping up. It forced not just tech companies, but also automakers like GM and Ford, to limit and even to suspend production. Apple’s MacBook and iPad shipments faced delays due to component shortages, and smartphone shipments in general fell in late 2021. This negative impact on the tech and auto industries translated to devastating economic consequences — according to CBS News, the global chip shortage cost the United States $240 billion in 2021 based on expert estimates.

Gelsinger previously said that he believes the situation will last until 2023, which falls in line with analysts’ and other industry execs’ expectations. After Gelsinger became Intel’s CEO, the company had announced several massive investments meant to expand chip manufacturing outside Asia. (To note, a Bloomberg report from back in late 2021 claimed that the White House “strongly discouraged” Intel from ramping up its chip production in China.) Intel said it’s spending $20 billion to build two chip factories in Arizona, and another $20 billion at least to build “the largest silicon manufacturing location on the planet” in Ohio.

“I want to give them some stability after the turmoil that they’ve experienced, and that’s within my home,” said the “Dr. Strange” star.