Right on the heels of news that Google will make its self-driving car division a legit business comes word that California is ready to make autonomous vehicles legal on the state’s roadways. How convenient! Something tells us Google is pretty tight with state regulators. Anyway, at this point we’re just looking at draft regulations, but these rules are the first in the world, so naturally, folks are going to perk up and pay attention.
If you can believe this, some companies are actually disappointed that the regulations don’t go so far as to allow fully driverless vehicles without even basic controls in the car on the roads just yet. For now, autonomous cars will have to have an occupant in the “might-need-to-be-the-driver’s” seat, just in case a human needs to take over. And that human will need not only a standard driver’s license, but an additional certification for Autonomous vehicle operation.
Kind of like getting your motorcycle endorsement. Anyway, the regulations cover a LOT of ground, so be sure to click the link below to learn more, or don’t and just start dreaming of a world which looks a lot more like Demolition Man and iRobot than we thought it might.
Mark Zuckerburg is NOT happy about Brazil’s nationwide blocking of WhatsApp.
Forbes reports nearly 100 million Brazilians use WhatsApp to make calls and send messages, but after Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, refused to hand over user data, a judge imposed a 48-hour ban on the service, which started at Midnight on Thursday. Remember that just two years ago, Brazil attacked the NSA saying its spying programs were “a grave violation of human rights and of civil liberties.
But when WhatsApp refused to turn over information involving a drug trafficker associated with a notorious criminal gang, a judge put the hammer down and shutout WhatsApp as a sort of punishment. This won’t be the last time we hear this kind of story.
WhatsApp has super strong encryption, so it’s appealing to all sorts of folks who don’t want their discussions made public. What do you think? Should WhatsApp cave and start selectively disclosing data? Or should they maintain a hard stance? Leave us a comment below. Anyone who’s ever started binge-watching their favorite show on Netflix knows this problem: You fall asleep, and the show keeps on rolling as you snooze away.
At best, you lose track of which episode you were on, or at worst, you wake up right in the middle of a major spoiler scene. I know, first world problems. Well, wouldn’t ya know, there’s a sock for that?
Yup, Netflix socks feature a small chip, motion sensors, some LEDs and an IR transmitter built right in, and if they detect a lack of motion, supposedly because you’ve nodded off, they’ll first alert you they’re about to pause your show, and if you don’t move around, they’ll do exactly that. Best of all, if you’re the tech-savvy sort, you can build your own into your favorite pair of Orange is the New Black or Jessica Jones socks, if that’s more your speed.
All the parts and plans are available online courtesy Netflix. Oh, and they’ll also keep your feet warm! Now you can Netflix and Chill without actually being chilly. How fancy!
