Hasta La Gadget!

When Elsa Avila looks at the scar that runs down her torso, she can’t help remember May 24, when a gunman stormed her fourth grade wing at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.

Officials fear blackouts in nation’s largest state as a blistering heat wave rockets temperatures into the triple digits.

As expected, the Apple leaks are coming in strong as we’re approaching Wednesday’s “Far Out” iPhone 14 event. Today, we’ve got our closest look yet at the Apple Watch Pro, thanks to renders from 91mobiles. Typically we’d treat most leaks from unknown “industry sources” with a healthy dose of salt, but according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the renders are “indeed it.” And for the most part, it’s everything we expected. There’s a bigger screen, as Gurman’s earlier reports have suggested, as well a minor evolution of the Apple Watch Series 7 design. (Sorry, flat edge fans.) 

Take a close look and you’ll notice an extra button on the opposite side of the (ruggedized) Digital Crown and multitasking button. Both 91mobile and Gurman speculate that it could be programmable, allowing you to launch a specific app or workout without dealing with the touchscreen. Case leaks from Sonny Dickson and DuanRui (via The Verge and Weibo) also point to a larger screen and additional button.

The Apple Watch Pro will likely target extreme sports fanatics—the sort of folks who wouldn’t mind spending close to $1,000 for Garmin’s high-end smartwatches. While that may sound extravagant, don’t forget that there have always been high-end Apple Watch models not meant for mortal wallets. The current Hermes Series 7 collection ranges all the way up to an eye-watering $1,759. So with that context, maybe a $1,000 Apple Watch Pro doesn’t seem so crazy? (No, it’s still crazy.)

Ah, I believe it was that wise old philosopher Garfield the cat who called Labor Day the time we “celebrate work by playing all day.” So let us celebrate twerk as well, and take a moment to enjoy these utterly delightful photos of Tatiana Maslany, pre-CG, twerking with Megan Thee Stallion on last week’s episode of …

Read more…

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 4,000 of people who work in Google’s cafeterias have joined unions, according to a new report in The Washington Post. According to the report, “about 90 percent of total food services workers at Google” are now unionized. 

That number is particularly significant as the company’s cafeterias, like many of its peers, are overwhelmingly staffed by contract workers who don’t get the same benefits as full-time employees. Contractors across the company have pushed for higher wages and increased protections in recent months.

Cafeteria workers at Google’s Atlanta office could soon be the latest to join the ranks of unionized workers. Workers employed by a contracting firm called Sodexo reportedly told their manager they plan to unionize, and Sodexo said they would not block the move if “a majority” of workers supported it.

It’s unclear when an official agreement may be reached but a spokesperson for Unite Here, the union representing Google’s cafeteria workers, told The Post they were “hopeful that we can quickly reach an agreement on a union contract.” Other cafeteria workers at Google have already seen significant benefits since joining Unite Here. According to The Post, “the average unionized worker at a Google cafeteria makes $24 an hour, pays little to nothing for health insurance and has access to a pension plan.” By contrast, the Sodexo workers in Atlanta make $15 an hour and can spend “hundreds” on health insurance.