WEBVTT - Tech News: Going Back to the Moon and Playing D&D in Space 0:00:04.400 --> 0:00:07.760 Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:14.360 Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host 0:00:14.440 --> 0:00:17.279 Jonathan Strickland. I'mind executive producer with I Heart Radio and 0:00:17.320 --> 0:00:21.080 how the tech area. It's time for the tech news 0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:26.960 for Thursday, September one, two thousand twenty two. And since 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:31.600 I didn't do a news episode Tuesday, I missed out 0:00:31.680 --> 0:00:34.880 on talking about how NASA had to scrub the launch 0:00:35.000 --> 0:00:39.479 of the Artemis one mission on Monday. So Artemis is 0:00:39.600 --> 0:00:42.720 the program that aims to put America back on the Moon, 0:00:43.280 --> 0:00:45.800 as it were. It's actually a little more than that. 0:00:45.840 --> 0:00:49.559 It includes future lunar lander missions, which would start with 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:55.800 Artemis three that's currently projected to take place in assuming 0:00:55.840 --> 0:00:59.800 there are no delays. And also it includes the construction 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:03.880 of a lunar orbit space station. And it's a somewhat 0:01:03.920 --> 0:01:08.240 controversial program. Uh. There are critics who questioned whether the 0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:12.360 Artemis program will actually serve its stated purpose, namely to 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:14.920 not just gather more information about the Moon, but to 0:01:15.000 --> 0:01:17.960 serve as kind of a stepping stone towards sending astronauts 0:01:18.000 --> 0:01:22.400 to Mars. But whether you support Artemis or you're critical 0:01:22.480 --> 0:01:24.880 of it, we'll have to wait until Saturday at the 0:01:24.920 --> 0:01:29.720 earliest for the launch of the Artemis one. This will 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:33.720 test NASA's new super heavy launch vehicle, the Space Launch 0:01:33.840 --> 0:01:37.280 System or s l S, and it will also test 0:01:37.360 --> 0:01:41.920 an unscrewed Orion spacecraft as and no crew will be 0:01:41.959 --> 0:01:46.160 aboard this Orion capsule. Uh, it won't have a human 0:01:46.200 --> 0:01:49.560 crew anyway. There will be some mannequins and a plush 0:01:49.600 --> 0:01:53.400 stuffed toy in there. The toy is meant to indicate 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:58.160 when the the spacecraft encounters micro gravity because it will 0:01:58.200 --> 0:02:02.280 be able to float freely around the happen. So why 0:02:02.520 --> 0:02:04.360 was there a delay? Why did they have to cancel 0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:08.679 Monday's launch? Well? On Monday, NASA engineers noted that one 0:02:08.840 --> 0:02:12.080 of the engines in the s l S appeared to 0:02:12.680 --> 0:02:16.639 be failing to reach the proper temperature. There were indications 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:20.400 that the system that cools the engines with liquid hydrogen 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:24.960 had some sort of problem, or that the sensors that 0:02:25.040 --> 0:02:29.200 detect engine temperature we're having a problem and we're misreading 0:02:29.400 --> 0:02:32.920 the actual temperature of the engines. And that's what prompted 0:02:33.000 --> 0:02:35.920 NASA to scrub the launch on Monday, as well as 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:39.440 the planned celebrity appearances like Jack Black who were meant 0:02:39.520 --> 0:02:43.440 to commemorate the historic event whoop see. NASA hopes to 0:02:43.600 --> 0:02:47.040 launch on Saturday, September three, but there's a chance that 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:50.720 weather will force another delay. The next available launch date 0:02:50.720 --> 0:02:54.400 would be September five. As for my own opinions on 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:57.440 the Artemis project, well, on the one hand, there's no 0:02:57.560 --> 0:02:59.799 denying that sending people to the Moon is a t 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:06.040 inphant achievement. That's an achievement that doubtlessly inspires countless people 0:03:06.080 --> 0:03:10.200 to pursue an interest in space and engineering and related subjects. 0:03:10.800 --> 0:03:13.359 And I'm certain that along the way, NASA and its 0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:17.720 partners will develop incredible technologies that will ultimately be able 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:20.880 to use in other arenas, which is really cool. But 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:23.840 I am not fully sold on Artemis as a whole, 0:03:24.160 --> 0:03:26.680 though I also sympathize with NASA because the agency has 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:30.040 had to grapple with the consequences of the cancellation of 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:34.440 the old Constellation program, which actually was the source for 0:03:34.720 --> 0:03:38.200 some of the elements of Artemis, including the Orion spacecraft 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:42.040 that started off as part of the Constellation program and 0:03:42.400 --> 0:03:45.720 that got the the acts back in the Obama administration 0:03:46.200 --> 0:03:49.320 and other space news. NASA engineers figured out what was 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:54.480 going haywire with Voyager one's Attitude Articulation and Control system 0:03:55.120 --> 0:03:58.640 a k A. The A A c S. All right, 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:01.560 quick recap So, ag OR one is a space probe 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:05.360 and it launched way back in nineteen. It is flown 0:04:05.360 --> 0:04:08.960 by Jupiter and Saturn and then continue to travel out 0:04:09.000 --> 0:04:12.440 beyond the boundaries of our Solar system, meaning it is 0:04:12.520 --> 0:04:17.840 now in interstellar space. This spacecraft is almost as old 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:20.520 as I am, and it continues to send data back 0:04:20.560 --> 0:04:25.640 to us here on Earth courtesy of the Deep Space Network. However, 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:30.400 earlier this year, the A A c S started sending 0:04:30.440 --> 0:04:35.320 corrupted messages about the spacecraft's telemetry. Engineers determined that the 0:04:35.320 --> 0:04:38.440 spacecraft was still operating properly, so nothing was wrong with 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:42.320 the craft's actual operations, so it was kind of a 0:04:42.360 --> 0:04:45.880 mystery why these messages were getting garbled. But it turned 0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:50.559 out that some subroutine was referencing a computer system aboard 0:04:50.640 --> 0:04:53.560 Voyage or one that has long since been out of service. 0:04:53.600 --> 0:04:57.520 It stopped working ages ago, and that this is what 0:04:57.720 --> 0:05:03.360 caused the corruption in commune occasion. So the engineers redirected 0:05:03.400 --> 0:05:07.039 Voyagers A A CS to route the information to the 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:09.599 working computer, which is what it was supposed to do 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:12.200 in the first place, and this that did solve the 0:05:12.200 --> 0:05:15.839 issue that now communications are coming in clearly, but the 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:19.520 engineers still need to identify whatever it was that caused 0:05:19.520 --> 0:05:22.400 the issue in the first place, that that prompted the 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:26.000 a CS to try and reference this computer that hasn't 0:05:26.040 --> 0:05:29.200 been working for agents, because it's possible that it could 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:33.479 happen again and trigger a a CS to start sending 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:38.400 out garbled stuff once more. But personally, I just think 0:05:38.480 --> 0:05:41.039 it's an amazing achievement to have a spacecraft that's almost 0:05:41.080 --> 0:05:44.240 as old as I am to continue to provide us 0:05:44.240 --> 0:05:47.840 information even as the probe ventures further out from our 0:05:47.839 --> 0:05:51.080 solar system. Over in the U S State of California, 0:05:51.200 --> 0:05:55.000 there is an energy crisis in full swing. The state 0:05:55.080 --> 0:05:58.360 expects a nasty heat wave in the very near future 0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:00.839 the next couple of days. In fact, that could stretch 0:06:00.880 --> 0:06:04.640 on for several days, and that's probably gonna prompt a 0:06:04.760 --> 0:06:08.520 large consumer demand for electricity to power stuff like air conditioners. 0:06:09.040 --> 0:06:12.880 But the California Independent System Operator had issued a Level 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:16.800 one energy emergency alert just yesterday on Wednesday, and that 0:06:16.880 --> 0:06:20.719 means that on Wednesday, all available power supplies were essentially 0:06:20.720 --> 0:06:24.000 tapped out, and that would mean that any additional demand 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:26.760 would be unmet, and it could mean that the state 0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:29.960 will have to use things like rolling blackouts. To handle 0:06:30.120 --> 0:06:33.720 problems like this, the state has authorized fossil fuel power 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:37.280 plants to increase production in order to meet demand, and 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:40.360 has also granted businesses permission to lean on stuff like 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:43.920 backup generators to supply some of their electrical needs, which 0:06:43.920 --> 0:06:46.279 would relieve the power grid of a little bit of 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:50.800 the burden. Climate change has truly exacerbated this issue. I mean, 0:06:50.920 --> 0:06:53.320 you know, heat waves or weather. We're not talking about 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:56.839 climate with weather, though you could argue and increase in 0:06:56.920 --> 0:06:59.960 heat waves is an indication of climate change, and individ 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:04.000 dual one is weather, but really climate change. In this case, 0:07:04.000 --> 0:07:07.200 we're talking about this massive drought that's happening in the West, 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:10.880 and that has led to decreased production at hydro electric 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:15.360 power stations. So you can't rely on hydro electric power 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:17.920 if you don't have enough water to to drive the 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:20.760 turbines properly. So the past couple of years have been 0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:25.000 tumultuous in terms of power production and distribution around the world, 0:07:25.080 --> 0:07:28.120 not just in California, and that's due to a combination 0:07:28.280 --> 0:07:32.480 of a lot of complicated factors. So in some regions 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:36.680 cough Texas cough, you have some bad government decisions that 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:40.960 have led to energy crises. Uh, you have climate change 0:07:41.000 --> 0:07:45.120 that's impacting power needs and production strategies. You also have 0:07:45.240 --> 0:07:50.360 big political UH and and social crises like Russia's invasion 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:54.040 of Ukraine, which has caused a massive crisis in Europe. 0:07:54.520 --> 0:07:58.640 And while there's an increased move to adopt renewable energy solutions, 0:07:59.200 --> 0:08:02.960 which in a aisition to cutting back on on carbon 0:08:03.000 --> 0:08:07.560 emissions also provides more national security because you become more 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:13.000 self reliant. That is more of a long term kind 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:15.600 of commitment. The near term is going to present us 0:08:15.600 --> 0:08:18.320 with some very tough situations that we're going to have 0:08:18.360 --> 0:08:21.880 to address before we can enjoy the benefits of a 0:08:21.920 --> 0:08:26.559 more robust renewable energy strategy. So it's just a harsh 0:08:26.560 --> 0:08:28.840 reality that we're going to have to continue to deal 0:08:28.880 --> 0:08:33.120 with over the next few years. Microsoft is facing a 0:08:33.160 --> 0:08:35.840 bit of opposition in the UK when it comes to 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:40.600 the company's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard. So that deal 0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:44.400 is valued at nearly seventy billion dollars all told, and 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:47.720 it has had no shortage of drama surrounding it. For 0:08:47.800 --> 0:08:51.640 one thing, Activision Blizzard has been at a high profile 0:08:52.080 --> 0:08:57.080 controversy regarding corporate work culture, as well as the fact 0:08:57.080 --> 0:09:00.320 that the company has had some pretty well repled ordered 0:09:01.040 --> 0:09:05.040 instances of resisting employee efforts to unionize and a lot 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:07.760 more than that. But the scrutiny in the UK has 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:11.920 more to do with anti competitiveness than any alleged toxicity 0:09:11.960 --> 0:09:16.760 in Activision Blizzards work environment. The UK's Competition and Markets 0:09:16.760 --> 0:09:20.760 Authority or c m A maybe dialing up at scrutiny 0:09:20.840 --> 0:09:25.000 into this deal, asking if perhaps this acquisition would lead 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:28.400 to reduced competition in the video games market, that it 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:32.959 could consolidate Microsoft's power in several areas relating to video 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:37.199 games and prevent competitors from making an impact. Now, Microsoft 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:41.120 reps are proactively arguing that the company isn't going to 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:45.720 lock Activision Blizzard titles within the Microsoft ecosystem and prevent 0:09:45.800 --> 0:09:49.119 others from being able to have those titles on their platforms. 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:52.040 In fact, that Microsoft has said that there would be 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:56.600 no profit in keeping the titles off of competing platforms 0:09:56.600 --> 0:10:00.600 like Sony's PlayStation console. Microsoft is a say actually saying 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:03.600 it would make no sense to keep everything for ourselves 0:10:03.600 --> 0:10:05.920 because we don't have enough of the market share to 0:10:06.000 --> 0:10:10.000 make that a profitable business. Whether the regulators in the 0:10:10.080 --> 0:10:13.240 UK find that answer satisfactory or not remains to be seen. 0:10:13.480 --> 0:10:16.400 At any rate, Microsoft is pushing ahead with this deal, 0:10:16.559 --> 0:10:20.480 which should close sometime before the summer of next year, 0:10:20.960 --> 0:10:25.600 assuming that regulators don't block it. All right, We've got 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:27.560 a lot more stories to cover before we do that. 0:10:27.679 --> 0:10:39.760 Let's take a quick break. The Verge reports it received 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:42.520 an internal memo from Meta that says the company is 0:10:42.559 --> 0:10:45.960 looking into possible paid features for its various platforms like 0:10:46.080 --> 0:10:51.640 Instagram and Facebook. To date, Mena has relied almost completely 0:10:51.840 --> 0:10:56.160 on ad revenues. Something like of the company's revenue comes 0:10:56.200 --> 0:11:00.480 from ad sales. However, recent developments such as Apple launching 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:04.880 its app tracking transparency framework, has had a massively negative 0:11:04.920 --> 0:11:08.679 impact on Meta's business model. Meanwhile, the company has been 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:12.760 spending billions in an effort to define the metaverse, which 0:11:12.760 --> 0:11:16.360 has not gone completely smoothly. I should add, and there's 0:11:16.400 --> 0:11:21.080 a general downturn in advertising spend due to fears of 0:11:21.120 --> 0:11:24.559 an economic recession, so it shouldn't come as a surprise 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:27.880 that Meta would look into alternate ways to generate revenue 0:11:27.960 --> 0:11:32.240 directly from its users. Some of Meta's products already have 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:35.680 some paid features in them, so this would likely be 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:39.880 an expansion of that approach. The Verge reports that Meta's 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:45.080 VP of Monetization, John Hedgeman, has indicated that the company 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:48.120 is not looking to offer an ad free experience in 0:11:48.160 --> 0:11:51.560 exchange for some sort of subscription model. So if you 0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:54.760 were hoping to totally opt out of ads on Facebook 0:11:54.920 --> 0:11:57.600 or Instagram or whatever, it looks like that is not 0:11:57.720 --> 0:12:00.760 on the table. It will be interesting to what if 0:12:00.800 --> 0:12:04.560 any paid features emerge from this and how the users 0:12:04.679 --> 0:12:08.760 on Meta's various platforms receive them. Meta is not the 0:12:08.800 --> 0:12:12.760 only company looking for more ways to generate cash from 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:17.000 its users. Disney, which, let's face it, is top of 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:19.480 the class when it comes to finding ways to coax 0:12:19.559 --> 0:12:22.880 more cash from folks, is reportedly looking at ways to 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:28.160 entice Disney Plus viewers to buy themed merchandise. So reportedly, 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:31.640 it's looking at using QR codes and the Disney Plus app, 0:12:32.000 --> 0:12:34.920 according to The Wall Street Journal, and I guess the 0:12:34.960 --> 0:12:37.480 idea is that Disney will throw a QR code up 0:12:37.480 --> 0:12:41.480 on screen alongside or before or after some sort of 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:45.600 particular programming, and interested viewers can use their Disney Plus 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:48.560 app to scan the code and go to a related 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:52.600 page on the online Disney store. So one idea is 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:56.720 to make exclusive merchandise available on this platform, so you 0:12:56.800 --> 0:12:59.000 can't buy it any other way and you can't get 0:12:59.000 --> 0:13:03.880 to the page without using this kind of QR scanning process. 0:13:03.960 --> 0:13:07.599 And Disney definitely knows that if you limit something's accessibility, 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:11.280 you can really drive consumer interest in a product. See 0:13:11.320 --> 0:13:16.680 also Disney popcorn buckets. It is wild, y'all. Anyway, That's 0:13:16.760 --> 0:13:19.560 just one of the strategies that the company is looking into. 0:13:19.880 --> 0:13:24.560 It's also reportedly considering an Amazon Prime like service that 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:27.720 would allow fans to receive certain benefits in return for 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:33.480 a subscription. I'm not sure what those benefits would be exactly. 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:37.520 I'm also not entirely convinced this QR code strategy will 0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:41.040 be a huge success, only because companies have been trying 0:13:41.080 --> 0:13:44.560 to leverage viewers and convert them into active customers for 0:13:44.679 --> 0:13:49.160 a while and it has been met with limited success. Um, 0:13:49.240 --> 0:13:51.400 you know, it's just it's hard to get people to 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:57.480 become conversions, right, to convert from viewer to customer, and 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:02.480 especially if it's not something like a mobile or or 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:07.240 you know, desktop experience. Those are already challenging enough to 0:14:07.280 --> 0:14:09.880 get people to go from being sort of a passive 0:14:09.920 --> 0:14:13.760 consumer to an active customer, but it gets even harder 0:14:14.120 --> 0:14:18.040 when you start stepping away from that particular user experience. 0:14:18.360 --> 0:14:21.440 So if you're watching something like on a television, it's 0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:24.880 way harder to get people to actively convert into being 0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:28.920 a customer just based upon the experience of watching something 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:31.640 on a screen. You know, it doesn't mean that this 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:34.440 is destined for failure. I just mean that it's it's 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:37.720 hard to get that to work. Disney might have cracked 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:41.120 the code on it, I don't know. There are definitely 0:14:41.160 --> 0:14:43.680 cases where tons of people scanned a QR code that 0:14:43.720 --> 0:14:45.960 popped up on a screen just to see where it 0:14:45.960 --> 0:14:48.200 would take them. By the way, I think that's a 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:52.080 habit that you should really think about first before you 0:14:52.120 --> 0:14:56.040 indulge in it, because, I mean, there's nothing stopping someone 0:14:56.120 --> 0:14:59.080 from putting a QR code up in a prominent place, 0:14:59.440 --> 0:15:02.000 and that cod it leads you to a site where 0:15:02.280 --> 0:15:05.880 it starts a download of malware onto your device. There's 0:15:06.480 --> 0:15:09.600 that's an entirely real possibility. It's not likely to pop 0:15:09.680 --> 0:15:14.000 up in Disney, you know, material, but it's still something 0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:16.080 you should think about. Like a QR code is not 0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:20.520 just an open invitation. It could have some sinister intent 0:15:20.640 --> 0:15:23.440 behind it. Just keep that in mind anyway. I think 0:15:24.040 --> 0:15:27.400 the most successful cases I've seen of people scanning QR 0:15:27.440 --> 0:15:30.240 codes have in cases where people were just curious, what 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:33.000 the heck is this and was it going to bring 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:36.320 me to as opposed to I like what I'm seeing 0:15:36.320 --> 0:15:38.440 on the screen, and I want to buy that T shirt. 0:15:38.520 --> 0:15:40.760 But maybe I'm just completely out of touch on this one. 0:15:41.320 --> 0:15:44.359 A few weeks ago, I mentioned that the FCC negated 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:48.760 a previous arrangement with space X's satellite based internet service 0:15:48.960 --> 0:15:53.080 Starlink that would have seen Starlink received nearly nine hundred 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:57.120 million dollars in federal aid. Now. The reasons for this 0:15:57.320 --> 0:16:02.080 annulment range from skepticism Starlink would actually provide services to 0:16:02.240 --> 0:16:05.960 areas that most need broadband access. That's the whole purpose 0:16:05.960 --> 0:16:09.120 of the program anyway, is to extend broadband access to 0:16:09.240 --> 0:16:13.000 areas that otherwise lack it, and at least in some 0:16:13.080 --> 0:16:17.320 of the Starlink use cases, reportedly they were in areas 0:16:17.320 --> 0:16:21.000 that are already very well served by other providers. But 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:25.080 another part of skepticism was directed to whether or not 0:16:25.160 --> 0:16:29.280 starlink service would meet the performance benchmarks when it was 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:32.800 at scale as per of the FCCS requirements. In other words, 0:16:33.280 --> 0:16:38.040 that once Starlink hit it's you know, proposed scale, that 0:16:38.160 --> 0:16:41.920 it would actually be able to provide the broadband level 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:44.840 of service that would qualify it for the grant in 0:16:44.880 --> 0:16:49.000 the first place. So all that money was scrapped for 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:52.600 Starlink anyway, while Starlink was shown the door. The FCC 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:58.040 has started to award money to other broadband service providers, 0:16:58.040 --> 0:17:01.240 six of them right now. So in total, nearly a 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:03.880 hundred million dollars is going to get divvied up between 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:07.560 these six providers to provide broadband service to more than 0:17:07.560 --> 0:17:12.880 three d fifty thousand homes in the US across nineteen states. Now, 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:16.280 my state of Georgia is not among them, gosh darn't, 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:18.960 which is a shame because I know for a fact 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:21.679 there are plenty of communities in the state that have 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:25.840 no broadband access so far. But really, this is just 0:17:25.880 --> 0:17:28.919 the beginning of the United States is pushed to extend 0:17:28.920 --> 0:17:33.119 broadband access to more citizens across the country, particularly in 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:38.560 remote and rural areas. Truth Social, the social network most 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:42.439 commonly associated with former President Donald Trump after he was 0:17:43.119 --> 0:17:47.240 essentially booted from all the established platforms like Facebook and Twitter, 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:52.320 has consistently failed to get Google to allow the truth 0:17:52.520 --> 0:17:57.600 Social android based app into the Google Play Store. And 0:17:57.760 --> 0:18:03.359 at issue is truth Social's comment moderation practices, or perhaps 0:18:03.359 --> 0:18:06.399 I should say the lack of those. So Google has 0:18:06.440 --> 0:18:09.359 a policy that any any sort of site that has 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:13.520 user generated content, like a social network app, has to 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:17.199 have a content moderation policy in place, and it also 0:18:17.440 --> 0:18:22.400 has to enforce that policy. And while truth social has 0:18:22.440 --> 0:18:27.600 a policy, the proliferation of threats of physical violence and 0:18:27.680 --> 0:18:32.480 similar content that is reportedly on truth social has not 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:37.200 been properly moderated according to Google, and so it has 0:18:37.200 --> 0:18:39.960 not been accepted into the Google Play Store. It has 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:43.000 been accepted in the Apple App Store. You can get 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:48.400 it on iOS. You cannot get on Android, which restricts 0:18:48.840 --> 0:18:54.119 truth Social's reach considerably since Android is the dominant operating 0:18:54.160 --> 0:18:58.240 system in the mobile market. Reportedly, truth Social is also 0:18:58.280 --> 0:19:01.720 a bit of of an you with finances right now. 0:19:01.920 --> 0:19:07.000 Right Forge, a web hosting platform known for um hosting 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:10.560 a lot of right wing services, and Websites says that 0:19:10.600 --> 0:19:13.720 truth Social currently has about a one point six million 0:19:13.800 --> 0:19:19.160 dollar bill that it has yet to pay. Okay, we've 0:19:19.200 --> 0:19:21.760 got a few more stories to go before we get 0:19:21.760 --> 0:19:34.920 to those. Let's take another quick break. Recent restrictions regarding 0:19:35.000 --> 0:19:38.439 chips sales from the US to China and Russia, really 0:19:38.720 --> 0:19:42.920 just China, are likely going to cost Nvidia a lot 0:19:42.960 --> 0:19:47.320 of money, according to CNBC, and Video says it received 0:19:47.359 --> 0:19:51.040 an order from the US government on August that will 0:19:51.080 --> 0:19:54.800 place a licensing requirement for certain types of exports to 0:19:54.920 --> 0:19:58.320 China and Russia. Now and Video says, there ain't nobody 0:19:58.359 --> 0:20:01.639 in Russia who's an invidio paying customer, and to me, 0:20:01.720 --> 0:20:04.280 that implies that in Russia, folks are turning to either 0:20:04.400 --> 0:20:07.439 aftermarkets or maybe even black markets to get hold of 0:20:07.440 --> 0:20:09.520 in Nvidia tech, but they're not buying it straight from 0:20:09.520 --> 0:20:13.840 the Nvidia. However, China represents around four hundred million dollars 0:20:13.840 --> 0:20:18.080 in potential sales for this quarter alone. The US government 0:20:18.119 --> 0:20:21.480 is concerned that China's military is scooping up in Vidia 0:20:21.640 --> 0:20:25.640 hardware in order to build out various military based systems 0:20:25.720 --> 0:20:28.439 and in an effort to perhaps pump the brakes a 0:20:28.480 --> 0:20:32.200 bit on fueling China's military complex. The US has put 0:20:32.240 --> 0:20:34.800 these new restrictions in place that will slow things down, 0:20:35.680 --> 0:20:39.119 But in the meantime, companies like Nvidia and a m D, 0:20:39.280 --> 0:20:42.560 which also acknowledged that it received a similar message from 0:20:42.600 --> 0:20:45.760 the U. S government, are going to face challenges because 0:20:45.800 --> 0:20:49.040 these licensing requirements are going to strike off entire product 0:20:49.080 --> 0:20:53.639 lines for Chinese markets for these companies, and that represents 0:20:53.680 --> 0:20:57.960 a massive loss in revenue. Uh. Yeah, It's a complicated 0:20:58.000 --> 0:21:02.639 situation because you can see from a national security standpoint 0:21:03.080 --> 0:21:06.400 why the US would want to restrict the export of 0:21:06.440 --> 0:21:10.760 these kinds of technologies to China, a country that also 0:21:10.960 --> 0:21:17.679 has a a reputation earned or otherwise of stealing technology 0:21:17.720 --> 0:21:22.720 by copying it. So yeah, complicated issue. Now. A lot 0:21:22.760 --> 0:21:25.520 of time on this show, I talk about tech and 0:21:25.560 --> 0:21:28.400 its role in surveillance. I talk about how a lot 0:21:28.440 --> 0:21:31.480 of us are willing participants in that kind of system. 0:21:31.520 --> 0:21:34.159 A lot of us are providing endless amounts of data 0:21:34.200 --> 0:21:37.880 about ourselves as we navigate the online world. And then 0:21:38.040 --> 0:21:41.760 there are other cases where agencies like the military and 0:21:41.880 --> 0:21:47.280 the police are relying upon to be generous questionable technology, 0:21:47.400 --> 0:21:51.000 supposedly in an effort to protect people and property, but 0:21:51.160 --> 0:21:54.879 often coming along with it are real world consequences of 0:21:54.920 --> 0:21:59.600 disproportionate harm to certain populations, mostly the non white ones. 0:22:00.160 --> 0:22:03.919 But what about AI that's looking to see if you 0:22:03.920 --> 0:22:06.560 have an unreported swimming pool that you should be paying 0:22:06.560 --> 0:22:10.720 property taxes on? All? Right, now, this story emerges out 0:22:10.720 --> 0:22:14.720 of France, land of croissants and the cone heads, if 0:22:14.840 --> 0:22:17.280 we're to believe their cover story, Shout out if you 0:22:17.359 --> 0:22:22.080 get that reference. Anyway. In France, there are property tax 0:22:22.160 --> 0:22:26.400 laws that set tax rates based on a property's rental value. 0:22:26.800 --> 0:22:29.520 Meaning if your property has a lot of stuff that 0:22:29.520 --> 0:22:32.639 would make it an attractive rental, you're gonna have to 0:22:32.640 --> 0:22:37.680 pay extra taxes on that. Verandah's extra tax an extension 0:22:37.680 --> 0:22:41.600 to your home boom extra tax and swimming pools. Oh yeah, 0:22:41.680 --> 0:22:45.440 that's that's more property tax. But the government suspected that 0:22:46.080 --> 0:22:49.600 people were being entirely forthcoming when it comes to stuff 0:22:49.640 --> 0:22:52.719 like this, so they tapped a company called cap Gemini 0:22:52.920 --> 0:22:56.920 to scan satellite data and look for signs of unreported 0:22:57.000 --> 0:23:03.360 architectural enhancements, mostly swimming pools, and the tech, after some 0:23:03.440 --> 0:23:07.440 tweaking and some learning, uh, ended up returning more than 0:23:08.000 --> 0:23:12.040 twenty thousand instances of swimming pools throughout France, and that 0:23:12.119 --> 0:23:17.359 represents about ten million euros worth of untaxed property. So 0:23:17.680 --> 0:23:21.200 on the one hand, boo for more surveillance, I'm never 0:23:21.240 --> 0:23:24.359 a fan of that. But on the other, boo for 0:23:24.480 --> 0:23:27.000 tax evasion. I mean, tax evasion is not a good 0:23:27.000 --> 0:23:29.880 thing either. Though you could argue that the tax law 0:23:29.920 --> 0:23:32.800 in the first place is already dumb or unfair and 0:23:32.800 --> 0:23:36.200 should be changed, and I could be persuaded to see 0:23:36.280 --> 0:23:38.679 validity in that argument, but yeah, it's hard for me 0:23:38.720 --> 0:23:41.200 to side with folks who are actively attempting to avoid 0:23:41.280 --> 0:23:44.679 paying taxes. Our next story takes us to Surrey, a 0:23:44.760 --> 0:23:48.560 region in the UK that's southwest of Greater London. There, 0:23:48.840 --> 0:23:53.120 residents are complaining that police are misusing the Ways navigation 0:23:53.160 --> 0:23:57.320 app Ways allows users to indicate spots where drivers should 0:23:57.440 --> 0:24:00.399 use extra care, such as areas where they're is an 0:24:00.440 --> 0:24:05.159 accident or traffic congestion, or you know, where there's a 0:24:05.160 --> 0:24:08.399 member of the fuzz lying in wait in a speed trap. 0:24:08.880 --> 0:24:12.320 So drivers using Ways can set up a little icon 0:24:12.400 --> 0:24:15.800 to indicate that there are coppers up ahead waiting to 0:24:15.840 --> 0:24:20.080 catch speed demons, and thus when drivers see that icon, 0:24:20.440 --> 0:24:24.600 they slow down. Now. The complaint is that the Surrey 0:24:24.640 --> 0:24:28.280 police have been activating this feature as they drive around 0:24:28.359 --> 0:24:31.960 on patrol, so they're indicating that there's a speed trap 0:24:32.280 --> 0:24:35.840 when in reality there isn't one. And the feature is 0:24:35.840 --> 0:24:38.920 meant to indicate, you know, the speed trap, which is 0:24:38.960 --> 0:24:42.080 a stationary thing, right, Like that's where a cop is 0:24:42.160 --> 0:24:46.600 lying in wait, just ready to pull over someone for 0:24:46.720 --> 0:24:49.119 going over the speed limit. But in this case, the 0:24:49.160 --> 0:24:51.840 cops are in cars that are on the move, so 0:24:52.000 --> 0:24:54.560 they're actually in motion. However, the icon will stay wherever 0:24:54.640 --> 0:24:58.399 they set it up, because the icon is thought to 0:24:58.440 --> 0:25:02.720 be like, well, this is an indication the stationary police unit. 0:25:03.320 --> 0:25:06.359 So drivers are going to see these icons for speed 0:25:06.400 --> 0:25:08.960 traps and they slow down, but there's no actual cop there. 0:25:09.640 --> 0:25:13.639 They were tricked into slowing down and obeying the law. 0:25:14.040 --> 0:25:18.119 It's unfair that has drivers mad. How dare the police 0:25:18.160 --> 0:25:21.399 misused tech that is meant to allow speeding drivers to 0:25:21.440 --> 0:25:25.879 avoid detection. The police have said, look, when we use 0:25:26.000 --> 0:25:29.399 the app, we were at that location. It's just that 0:25:29.440 --> 0:25:34.159 we happen to move immediately afterwards. And besides, we cannot 0:25:34.200 --> 0:25:36.879 be everywhere, and this does cut down on people driving 0:25:36.920 --> 0:25:40.240 beyond the speed limit. So, like the story about France, 0:25:40.320 --> 0:25:42.560 this is one where people who want to break the 0:25:42.680 --> 0:25:46.080