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Thu. 08/20 – Lyft Ends Service In California At Midnight Aug 20, 2020

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Facebook has removed tons of stuff from what it calls US-based militia organizations. Airbnb has filed for its IPO. Cobalt is an interesting raise. But also, some new tech might remove cobalt for better batteries. DoorDash launches grocery delivery. And is Palantir the first high profile company to flee Silicon Valley?

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Facebook Removes 790 QAnon Groups to Fight Conspiracy Theory (NYTimes)
Facebook restricts more than 10,000 QAnon and US militia groups (The Guardian)
Airbnb files confidential IPO paperwork (CNBC)
Airbnb Files Confidentially for IPO With SEC (WSJ)
Online Thrift Shop ThredUp Plans IPO Early Next Year (Bloomberg)
Cobalt.io grabs $29M Series B to continue building out pentesting platform (TechCrunch)
This Cobalt-Free Battery Is Good for the Planet—and It Actually Works (Wired)
DoorDash launches grocery delivery to compete with Amazon and Instacart (The Verge)
Data-analysis giant Palantir moves headquarters to Denver (Denver Business Journal)
Alibaba posts 124 per cent gain in quarterly profit, sees China retail back to pre-pandemic levels (SCMP)
Lyft will suspend its ride-hailing service in California (The Verge)

Wed. 08/19 – You Won’t Be Able To Use An Oculus Without A Facebook Account Aug 19, 2020

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Soon you can only use an Oculus if you have a Facebook account. But bizarrely, the Facebook Portal (along with the Echo Show and Google Nest Hub Max) is opening up to Zoom. Netflix is testing a “shuffle play” feature. Blackberry phones are coming back. And Apple hits a $2 trillion market cap.

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You’ll need a Facebook account to use future Oculus headsets (The Verge)
Zoom is coming to Google Nest, Amazon Echo, and Facebook Portal smart displays (The Verge)
Trump Expresses Support for Oracle to Buy TikTok (WSJ)
Netflix test puts a ‘Shuffle Play’ button right on your home screen (TechCrunch)
New BlackBerry-branded devices w/ QWERTY keyboards set to come in 2021 (9to5Google)
A TikTok Ban Is Overdue (NYTimes)
The ecommerce surge (Benedict Evans)
Big Tech’s Domination of Business Reaches New Heights (NYTimes)

Tue. 08/18 – Apple Goes Nuclear Against Epic Games Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

Apple has chosen the tactical nuclear option in its fight with Epic Games. But Epic might rally a rebel alliance. Would Oracle buying TikTok make any sense to anyone? Uber and Lyft consider reverting to the business model they claimed the operated all along. And algorithms CAN be good for humanity.

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Epic says Apple threatens ‘catastrophic’ response in two weeks if Fortnite doesn’t comply with rules (The Verge)
Oracle enters race to buy TikTok’s US operations (Financial Times)
Apple Gives Users More Time to Buy AppleCare After Sales Slow (Bloomberg)
Amazon Bets on Office-Based Work With Expansion in Major Cities (WSJ)
Uber and Lyft Consider Franchise-Like Model in California (NYTimes)
Facebook and NYU use artificial intelligence to make MRI scans four times faster (The Verge)

tech.supercast.tech

Mon. 08/17 – Why Regulatory Change For Big Tech Is Maybe Inevitable Aug 17, 2020

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Why I think regulatory impact for Big Tech is maybe inevitable. Amazon seems to be sniffing around Rackspace. The first “mass produced” smartphone with a camera underneath the display? An ex-Googler says Google Cloud’s deprecation policy is maddening. And why you can’t watch the movie Cocoon, even if you want to.

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Links:

Google says Australian news rule threatens free search services (Financial Times)
Exclusive: Amazon in talks to invest in cloud services company Rackspace, say sources (Reuters)
ZTE's Axon 20 5G smartphone will have the first under-display camera (Engadget)
Dear Google Cloud: Your Deprecation Policy is Killing You (Steve Yegge)
Results day is a diversity disaster. Here’s all the proof you need (Wired)
Our Long, Arduous Attempt To Watch ‘Cocoon,’ And Why Some Classic Movies Seemingly Just Vanish (UpRoxx)

(Bonus) The Reliance Jio Story With The Diff Newsletter Aug 15, 2020

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The whole story of Reliance and Reliance Jio with Bryne Hobart, author of the excellent newsletter The Diff. Subscribe at: diff.substack.com

Also, the book about Dhirubhai Ambani we discuss at the beginning is this one: The Polyester Prince.

Fri. 08/14 – Fortnite Banned! The Epic/Apple/Google Battle Royale Aug 14, 2020

Show notes

What do you think we’re going to talk about? Apple and Google ban Fortnite. Epic Games turns around and sues Apple and Google for antitrust. Also: Adobe commits to fighting Deepfakes, Streaming is now a quarter of all tv viewing, and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

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Fortnite for Android has also been kicked off the Google Play Store (The Verge)
Epic is suing Google over Fortnite’s removal from the Google Play Store (The Verge)
Epic rallies Fortnite players against Apple with a warning that they’ll miss the next season (The Verge)
Epic's 1984 Parody Video
Photoshop Will Help ID Images That Have Been … Photoshopped (Wired)
Disney+ Gains Foothold in Streaming Battlefield, Nielsen Says (The Hollywood Reporter)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions

The Secret SIMs Used By Criminals to Spoof Any Number (Motherboard)
How We Got the Favicon (The History of the Web)
The Black Internet Gold Rush That Wiped Away $75 Million in 18 Months (Level)
A college kid’s fake, AI-generated blog fooled tens of thousands. This is how he made it. (Technology Review)
The Return of Anonymous (The Atlantic)

Thu. 08/13 – Apple Subscription Bundles By October? Aug 13, 2020

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Apple subscription bundles coming as soon as October according to Gurman. Epic is straight out thumbing its nose at the App Stores. What could render iPhones as “electronic trash” in China. And why are people sniffing around Dubsmash for a possible acquisition?

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Apple Readies Subscription Bundles to Boost Digital Services (Bloomberg)
Epic offers new direct payment in Fortnite on iOS and Android to get around app store fees (The Verge)
Twitter launches new API as it tries to make amends with third-party developers (The Verge)
Intel offers a first look at its next-gen Tiger Lake processors and Xe graphics (The Verge)
Corporate America Worries WeChat Ban Could Be Bad for Business (WSJ)
Facebook, Snap Held Talks to Buy TikTok Rival Dubsmash (The Information)

Wed. 08/12 – Microsoft Launches Surface Duo! Aug 12, 2020

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Microsoft’s dual screen Surface Duo is here! Microsoft’s commits to November as a launch month for the Xbox Series X. Foxconn wants to pull back from China itself. Mozilla is in trouble. Silicon Valley and Kamala Harris are quite close, by the way. And why I think a see-through tv is actually a pretty good idea, thank you very much.

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Tue. 08/11 – Google To Create A Global Android-Powered Earthquake Alert System Aug 11, 2020

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Android is becoming a worldwide earthquake detection network. Major legal setback for Uber and Lyft in California. Businesses using Bitcoin as their capital reserve. Parallels Desktop supports Big Sur. Nreal still believes in consumer AR glasses. And we try my deepfake audio experiment.

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ANDROID IS BECOMING A WORLDWIDE EARTHQUAKE DETECTION NETWORK (The Verge)
California Wins Preliminary Injunction Against Uber, Lyft (Bloomberg)
MicroStrategy becomes first listed company to buy bitcoin as part of its capital allocation strategy (The Block)
Parallels Desktop 16 adds Big Sur support, 3D Metal support, and more (Ars Technica)
Nreal’s augmented reality glasses are shipping this month in Korea (The Verge)
Airbnb Plans to File Confidentially for IPO in August (WSJ)
SpaceX is manufacturing 120 Starlink internet satellites per month (CNBC)
Tesla is involved in the development of a smartwatch, but why? (Electrek)
Onyx Launches a 6-Inch Color E-Reader (PCMag)

Mon. 08/10 – Amazon to Turn Malls Into Fulfillment Centers? Aug 10, 2020

Show notes

Amazon wants to literally take over Malls. How exposed to China is Apple at the moment? Apple is literally doing legal battle with a pear. An app to help guide you on your psychedelic trips. And why I would personally be in the market for a foldable e-ink notebook.

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