Mission Everywhere

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, center, is flanked by Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, left, and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York after the House approved a 45-day funding bill to keep federal agencies open. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite Kevin McCarthy on Saturday forcefully defended House passage of a 45-day stopgap spending bill. The bill, if passed by the Senate, will fund the government through November and avert a shutdown. McCarthy dared his detractors to force a "motion to vacate" — a vote that could end his speakership. A defiant Kevin McCarthy on Saturday told House Republican critics calling for his ouster as speaker to "bring it" after the lower chamber passed a 45-day stopgap spending measure with mostly Democratic votes to avoid a government shutdown. McCarthy, who has been on thin ice with the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus even before he became speaker in January, said that "there has to be an adult in t...

Ukraine drone operators are taking agricultural drones and using them to target Russian tanks. Marko Djurica/Reuters Ukraine is using drones meant for farmers to target Russia's tanks. They retrofit the drones with weapons and other components before sending them into battle. This resourcefulness is part of a larger Ukrainian reliance on low-cost consumer drones. Ukraine has a new weapon against Russia: "The bat." It's a rotor-powered drone that can carry multiple 20-kilogram shells, which Ukrainian forces launch toward Russian tanks. The drone was intended to be used by farmers, The New York Times reported. The machines were supplied by Reactive Drone, a Ukrainian company founded in 2017 to provide farmers with drones that can spray pesticides, according to the Times. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, company founder Oleksii Kolesnyk told the Times he and his team started turning the farming tools into battle machines within days. Kolesnyk...

In response to a tweet from Flexport's Ryan Petersen, Sam Altman said AI's strength is speeding up tasks. Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images/Harry Murphy / Contributor/Getty Images Sam Altman said in a post on X that the strength of AI systems is automating tasks, not jobs. Altman also admitted, however, that AI might be able to do some of today's jobs in the future. "We will find new and much better jobs when that happens!" he wrote. As rapid advances in AI reshape the way we work, many workers are fretting about whether their jobs might be replaced . But ChatGPT boss Sam Altman says we shouldn't start panicking yet. "Important point here: These systems are much better at doing tasks than jobs," he wrote in a post on X on Friday. —Sam Altman (@sama) September 29, 2023   Altman was responding to Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen, who wrote in a post on X earlier this week that certain teams at the logistics company were already s...

Reuters : Filing: Robinhood says it expects a $100M charge in Q3 to resolve some legal and regulatory matters that were previously disclosed   —  Robinhood Markets (HOOD.O) expects a $100-million charge in the third quarter to resolve some legal and regulatory matters that were previously disclosed, the trading app operator said on Friday. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/DiThHG6

China recently implemented new export restrictions on drone components, posing a challenge for Ukrainian forces. Alina Smutko/Reuters Chinese consumer drones are essential to Ukraine's war effort. But recent restrictions placed by China on exporting drones have complicated things. Ukraine is now trying to source consumer drones and their parts from elsewhere — no easy task. China implemented a new rule earlier this month restricting the export of civilian drone materials, citing concerns about their use in foreign wars. The move came more than a year after DJI, a major Chinese technology company, stopped selling drones to Russia and Ukraine. DJI also cited concerns that the two countries were using their products for military operations.  It was true. They were. For Ukraine, these low-cost, Chinese-made drones have become essential to the war effort. Ukrainians retrofit the consumer drones in all kinds of ways so they can deliver added payloads on Russian forces and ...

Sean Fine / Globe and Mail : A Canadian appeals court rules that Google's search engine is covered by federal privacy law, which could give Canadians the “right to be forgotten” on Google   —  Google's search engine is covered by federal privacy law, a court has ruled, opening the door for people to demand … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/4ChcldE

Barry Sternlicht has been a loud critic of Fed policy over the past year. John Lamparski/Getty Images The Fed's rate hikes are the equivalent of throwing "kerosene on the fire," Barry Sternlicht said. The real estate mogul has been a loud critic of the Fed policy.  High interest rates mean the US is bound to enter a slowdown, he warned in a recent interview. The Federal Reserve botched its goal of lowering inflation without causing pain the the economy, and the central bank needs to stop interest rate hikes now as inflation is already most like below its target, according to billionaire real estate mogul Barry Sternlicht. The Starwood Capital Group CEO, who has been a vocal critic of the Fed over the last year, pointed to the current risks facing the US economy, with forecasters warning of a recession as interest rates hover above 5%. Central bankers raised interest rates aggressively in the last 18 months to lower inflation. But they didn't need to go so f...

Sen. Dianne Feinstein was the longest-serving female senator in US history. Mark Wilson/Getty Images Sen. Dianne Feinstein was the oldest sitting US senator and the longest-serving woman in the Senate. She broke barriers as the first woman to chair the Senate Rules and Intelligence committees. She helped pass a ban on assault weapons and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. Sen. Dianne Feinstein died on September 28 at the age of 90, bringing her time as the longest-serving woman in the Senate to a close. Elected in 1992, the Democratic senator from California held office for three decades. Here's a look back at her historic career. Dianne Feinstein was elected to the Senate in 1992, which became known as the "Year of the Woman." Dianne Feinstein speaks at the Democratic National Convention in 1992. Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images Feinstein previously served as the first female chair of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the first f...

Bloomberg : MakerDAO has passed a proposal that will allow it to invest up to $6B in short-term US Treasuries, double the current limit; MKR token is up almost 3x in 2023   —  - MakerDAO can now invest up to $6 billion in Treasuary Bills  — The project's MKR is 2023's best-performing major token from Techmeme https://ift.tt/BoU41mk

Umar Shakir / The Verge : Google plans to wind down its collaborative Jamboard app starting October 2024 and end support for its $5K, 55" Jamboard meeting room display on September 2024   —  It's never a dull day at the Google graveyard — the company has blogged a Workspace update today announcing the end of its collaborative Jamboard whiteboarding software. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2VDZ0Of

null Getty; Rebecca Zisser/Insider Consumer spending has been holding up the economy. Over the summer, it seemed the US economy could defeat inflation without a crash. But that confidence could soon crack under pressure coming from several fronts. Even as interest rates skyrocketed over the past 18 months, a good job market and strong consumer spending kept the US economy moving. This led to hope that a soft landing was coming, where the Federal Reserve could defeat inflation without millions of Americans losing their jobs. However, there are growing signs that the strength of the US consumer is starting to crack. First, the student-loan payment restart on October 1 is expected to drain $8 billion a month from consumers. The impact on spending will be enormous. In a Morgan Stanley survey, 37% of respondents said student loan payments would force them to cut their spending in other areas, and 34% said they wouldn't be able to make the payments at all. Elsewhere,...

Abner Li / 9to5Google : Google rolls out ChromeOS 117 with a Material You redesign, adaptive charging, a new camera and microphone privacy indicator, an improved clipboard, and more   —  Google is rolling out ChromeOS 117, and it's a very big update for Chromebooks that adds Material You, as well as other usability enhancements. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/BcUjVE4

Alex Heath / The Verge : Meta unveils a Meta AI assistant for WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, and 28 AI characters based on celebrities like MrBeast, Charli D'Amelio, and Snoop Dogg   —  The Meta AI assistant is coming to WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, along with dozens of AI characters based on celebrities like MrBeast and Charli D'Amelio. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/k6smiVo

Adi Robertson / The Verge : Hands-on with Meta Quest 3: an iterative update, but its mixed reality pass through video is less grainy than the Quest Pro and offers color, unlike the Quest 2   —  An upgraded VR game console with an extra feature. … I can't tell if Meta is trying too hard to make me look at the world through … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2txwfDk

Alex Cranz / The Verge : A live blog of Meta's Connect 2023 event, with details on the upcoming Quest 3 and possibly new software and other hardware   —  After a few years of fairly quiet Meta Connect developer conferences, the big virtual reality show is back with a whole mess of announcements in 2023. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/htYWfnU

Andrew Cunningham / Ars Technica : Review of macOS 14 Sonoma: a better stab at usable widgets, improved password manager, promising gaming enhancements, but more features are skipping Intel Macs   —  If at first you don't create usable desktop widgets, try, try again.  —  I was preparing to write an intro calling macOS Sonoma … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/Fi1NaBV

98-year-old Nazi Yaroslav Hunka stands as he receives an ovation after being accidentally honored in Canada's parliament. Parliament Canada's parliament accidentally honored a 98-year-old former World War II Nazi soldier. Yaroslav Hunka was introduced as a "Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero" but it was later revealed that he fought for the Waffen-SS. A Polish minister now says he's "taken steps" to extradite the elderly man. A Polish minister said Tuesday that he has "taken steps" to start the extradition of a 98-year-old Nazi who was accidentally honored in Canada's parliament over the weekend. Anthony Rota, the speaker of Canada's House of Commons, recognized Yaroslav Hunka last Friday as a "Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero," adding that "we thank him for his service." Hunka got two standing ovations from Canadian lawmakers and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — who delivered remarks at parliam...

David Pierce / The Verge : Eddie Cue's US v. Google testimony: Cue said Google was the only “valid” search choice for a deal; the DOJ noted Apple railed against Google's privacy policies   —  Eddy Cue, in a dark suit, peered down at the monitor in front of him.  The screens in the Washington, DC … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/PKOJqBx

Charles Ponzi, the Italian con artist that popularized the Ponzi scheme. Bettmann/Getty Images The SEC charged Matthew Motil for fraudulently raising $11 million in a Ponzi scheme. Motil, the host of "The Cash Flow King" podcast, roped in more than 50 investors, the SEC said.  The complaint said Motil invited potential investors to "be a real estate investing badass!"  The Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday announced that it had charged Matthew Motil, the host of the podcast "The Cash Flow King," for running a real estate Ponzi scheme that raised roughly $11 million.  The SEC's complaint, which was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, charges Motil with "violating the registration and antifraud provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and the antifraud provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934." The podcast host used the funds taken from investors to pay back previous investors in th...

Leke Oso Alabi / Financial Times : Gripped by worker shortages, some security companies are using robots developed by 1X, Knightscope, Ava Robotics, Ascento, and others to augment human labor   —  Most androids focus on repetitive tasks, augmenting human labour, say executives  —  In the world of security services where companies … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/6jqR5tQ

Brandon Southern is a senior leader at Amazon. Brandon Southern Brandon Southern is a senior leader at Amazon and former head of analytics at eBay and GameStop. He writes that hiring managers have to be cautious when hiring because their reputations are on the line.  Southern also says that it's sometimes impossible to replace a bad hire.  This article is part of Talent Insider , a series containing expert advice to help business owners tackle a range of hiring challenges. As a senior leader at Amazon and a people leader for the last 12 years of my career, I've had the opportunity to interview hundreds of candidates.  While I don't believe that the interview processes that I've been involved with have been lengthy or complex, I frequently see social media comments and posts complaining about lengthy interview processes. Some of these posts will cite anything more than two interviews or an hour as being excessively lengthy.  While there are some interview...

Former Wagner commander Andrei Medvedev is pictured in court in Oslo, Norway April 25, 2023. Gwladys Fouche/Reuters An ex-Wagner group commander was shot at and arrested by Norwegian police, Reuters reported.  Police said Andrei Medvedev was trying to sneak back into Russia illegally. Medvedev abandoned Russia for Norway in January, claiming he feared for his life. Authorities say a former commander of the Wagner group was arrested while trying to cross the Norway-Russia border. Andrei Medvedev was shot at and arrested after authorities suspected he trying to cross the Russian border at an undesignated entry point on Saturday, Reuters reported. Medvedev's lawyer, Norwegian attorney Brynjulf Risnes, told Reuters his client was arrested following a misunderstanding.  "He was up there to see if he could find the place where he crossed (into Norway in January). He was stopped when he was in a taxi. He was never near the border," Risnes told the publication. ...

McKenzie Funk / New York Times : A profile of Hank Asher, the “father of data fusion” who died in 2013 after initiating a vast shift in privacy norms through his data mining software companies   —  Hank Asher was a drug smuggler with a head for numbers — until he figured out how to turn Americans' private information into a big business. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/wshIXgJ