Hasta La Gadget!

The ban would have prohibited doctors from providing gender-affirming hormone treatment, puberty blockers or surgery to anyone under 18.

Apple is widening its Self Service Repair program to cover its more recent devices, and it’s reducing some of the hassles in the process. As of June 21st, you can get the parts, tools and manuals needed to fix the iPhone 14 range as well as the M2-based versions of the 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. You can also fix the TrueDepth camera and top speaker on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models in the US, UK and seven European countries. M1-based desktops like the iMac are also included, Apple says.

Crucially, you won’t have to call Apple to finish your repairs. The System Configuration tool, which verifies and authenticates fixes with official parts, now works simply by putting a device into Diagnostics mode and following instructions. While staff will still be on hand if needed, they’re now strictly optional. The tool is vital for a fully functional device as it not only calibrates parts, but ties biometrics (such as Face ID and Touch ID) to the Secure Enclave.

The program effectively gives users many of the repair resources previously limited to Apple technicians. You can buy necessary components and either buy or rent necessary tools. While it’s potentially expensive, it may be more viable than conventional support if you’re comfortable with fixing electronics and don’t want to send your hardware to someone else. This may be particularly helpful if you don’t live close to an Apple-certified repair shop.

As before, Self Service Repair isn’t an entirely altruistic gesture. The company is facing increasing pressure from national and state governments that are passing Right to Repair laws and regulations. The European Union wants to mandate replaceable batteries, for instance. Apple’s program potentially heads off legal trouble alongside efforts that include easier-to-repair devices.

Apple isn’t alone. Samsung, Google and others have similar initiatives either in-house or through alliances with do-it-yourself companies like iFixit. Although self-repair isn’t practical for many people, the option is now relatively commonplace.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-expanded-self-repair-program-covers-the-iphone-14-and-newer-macbooks-193435980.html?src=rss

A US Senate committee is investigating Amazon’s warehouse safety practices. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, sent a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy today, initiating the probe. Sanders urged Jassy to address health and safety issues at the company’s warehouses and requested additional information about its response to various safety issues. In a statement to Engadget, Amazon said, “We’ve reviewed the letter and strongly disagree with Senator Sanders’ assertions,” while adding that it has extended an invitation for the Senator to tour one of its facilities.

Sanders’ nearly 2,400-word letter takes the retailer to task for reported injuries and unsafe practices at its warehouses. “The company’s quest for profits at all costs has led to unsafe physical environments, intense pressure to work at unsustainable rates, and inadequate medical attention for tens of thousands of Amazon workers every year,” Sanders wrote. “At every turn — from warehouse design and workstation setup, to pace of work requirements, to medical care for injuries and subsequent pressure to return to work — Amazon makes decisions that actively harm workers in the name of its bottom line.”

The letter contrasts Amazon’s history of warehouse injuries and safety complaints with its $1.3 trillion market value, founder Jeff Bezos’ net worth of nearly $150 billion and Jassy’s $289 million in compensation over the last two years. It cites figures from the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), a coalition of North American labor unions, that paint the company’s patterns as “uniquely dangerous.” “In 2022 alone, Amazon warehouse workers suffered nearly 39,000 injuries, 95 percent of which were so serious that they required workers to either lose time at work or switch to modified duty,” Sanders wrote. “Amazon’s rate of serious injuries at its warehouses, at 6.6 injuries per 100 workers, was more than double the rate at non-Amazon warehouses. And despite constituting only a little more than a third of the warehouse workers in the country, Amazon workers suffered more serious injuries than all of the other warehouse workers in the United States combined.”

In an email to Engadget, Amazon disputed SOC’s data. “There will always be ways for our critics to splice data to suit their narrative, but the fact is, we’ve made progress and our numbers clearly show it. Since 2019, we’ve reduced our rate of recordable injuries across our global network by more than 23%, and we’ve reduced our Lost Time Incident Rate by 53%. This is easily verifiable by examining the data we report to OSHA.” In addition, the company highlighted a report detailing its “meaningful and measurable progress,” while pointing us to a blog post regarding its efforts to help combat the effects of summer heat.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sanders’ letter asks Jassy to explain why Amazon’s injury rates are “significantly higher than the warehouse industry average” despite regulators repeatedly identifying measures Amazon could take to improve safety. It also asks the company to address why Amazon’s claims of robotics improving safety don’t align with data that says its robotic facilities have 28 percent higher injury rates than non-robotic ones. Finally, it asks for communications about a connection between workers’ pace of work and the prevalence of injuries.

In addition to his letter, the Senator created a website for current and former Amazon workers to submit stories about their experiences with the company. Sanders asked Jassy to respond by July 5th.

This is far from the first complaint about Amazon’s safety practices. A company warehouse collapsed in December 2021, spurring Congressional action that described Amazon’s response as “disappointing” and part of a “wholly inadequate safety culture.” In response to the collapse, Amazon tweaked its severe-weather strategy but refused to build storm shelters at its warehouses. In addition, federal prosecutors and the US Department of Labor announced an investigation last year over the company’s workplace conditions — a move that included OSHA inspections. In April, the SOC said Amazon was responsible for 53 percent of all severe warehouse injuries in the US despite employing around one-third of the country’s warehouse workers.

“When faced with worker injuries, Amazon provides minimal medical care while hiding those injuries from regulators and workers’ compensation programs,” said Sanders. “This system forces workers to endure immeasurable long-term pain and disabilities while Amazon makes incredible profits from their labor. That cannot be allowed to continue.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/us-senate-is-the-latest-to-look-into-amazons-warehouse-safety-practices-200029313.html?src=rss

We all know and love when Harrison Ford is a curmudgeon, especially when he cuts an interview short or gives a curt, hilarious answer to a question. But he’s also an incredible actor, and after decades spent portraying some of the most beloved characters in cinema history, you have to think part of him is playing…

Read more…

Roblox has traditionally been most popular among kids and pre-teens, despite it claiming to be a “platform for all ages.” Now, in a departure from its family-friendly reputation, the company says it will allow creators to make content specifically for users 17 and older. This isn’t an insignificant portion of Roblox’s user base either – the platform said in its press release Tuesday that in 2022, 38 percent of its daily active users were over 17.

In particular, Roblox says that creators will be able to “feature more mature themes and storylines in TV shows and stand-up comedy.” According to the company, this may include violence, blood, crude humor, romantic themes and alcohol. Players may see “unplayable” gambling content as well, though it is not immediately clear what that would entail. We have asked Robox to clarify.

To access this content you’ll need to verify your age by uploading a photo of your driver’s license or ID along with a selfie to verify that you are who you say you are. Roblox says that this system will provide “greater confidence in people’s age and identity,” and that more age verification methods may be added in the future.

Eligible creators can start making these experiences starting today. These experiences will start rolling out to “eligible” users in the coming weeks. Roblox says that its goal is to provide a safe and engaging experience for people ages 17 or older. The company isn’t being specific on what qualifies as an “eligible” creator or user. We’ve reached out to Roblox for comment and will update this story if we’ve heard back.

Roblox has traditionally marketed itself to younger audiences. For example, earlier this year, the company partnered with Razer to release kid-specific Roblox Edition gaming gear. But with a little over a third of that user base being over the age of 17, it makes sense that the company wants to provide more content geared toward adults.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/roblox-now-allows-creators-to-build-content-for-people-17-and-older-195024163.html?src=rss