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Tech NewsWhy a Mediocre Keyboard App Is Topping the App Store Charts
It’s hard to tell what will go viral online at any given time. Carp? Sure. Andrew Cuomo’s Nipples? That happened. The latest darling of the internet’s eye is less fishy and less… fleshy than both of the above, but no less bizarre: a low-grade knock-off of Apple’s Notepad app that was developed by a tiny … Continued
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Tech NewsDoorDash Quietly Astroturfing in New York as Gig Economy Laws Loom
Last year, in a feat of astonishing greed, Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash poured $200 million into buying a law that safeguards their profits and screws their struggling workers. Their sinister ballot measure Prop 22 passed, and it’s practically unrepealable; now they’re lining New York state politicians’ pockets, and yet again, gearing up for what looks … Continued
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EartherClimate ChangeNew Bill Would Ban Bitcoin Mining Across New York State for Three Years
A new bill that hit the New York state senate on Monday is aiming to put a multi-year pause on crypto mining operations across the state until authorities can fully suss out what that mining is doing to the climate and local environment. Bill 6486 is being spearheaded by state Sen. Kevin Parker, who had … Continued
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Tech NewsBroadband Providers Revolt Against New York Law That Forces Them to Offer $15 and $20 Plans
A coalition of broadband associations representing providers such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile sued New York on Friday over a law passed earlier this month that requires them to offer affordable internet for low-income families at rates of $15 and $20 per month beginning in mid-June. In the lawsuit, which was first reported by Axios, … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
EartherEnergyRIP Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, 1962-2021
New York’s Indian Point Energy Center, a nuclear power plant 35 miles (57 kilometers) from the heart of Times Square, shut down its last reactor on Friday. The closure of Indian Point ends a decade-plus dispute to shutter the plant. New York will lose its single biggest source of carbon-free energy, which at least in … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
Tech NewsRevenge: Spectrum Workers on Strike Build Their Own ISP
If, for any number of reasons, you’d like to burn telecoms to the ground and build a new internet service provider on their smoldering remains, good news for you. New York City Spectrum workers, who’ve weathered an anguishing four-year strike, have built their own internet service provider. If the city throws its support behind it, … Continued
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Tech NewsEven YouTube Is Chilling Out on Weed
On the same day that Governor Andrew Cuomo fully legalized recreational weed use across New York, YouTube quietly lifted a few of its own restrictions regarding the drug, too. In a Wednesday update posted to the company’s ad-friendly content guidelines, YouTube announced it would be easing up on the monetization restrictions for certain kinds of … Continued
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Tech NewsNew York Legalizes Weed in Crackdown on the Racist Cop Epidemic
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has just legalized recreational weed in New York. The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), passed last night with a 100-49 vote by the New York State Assembly. It allows people over 21 to possess, display, purchase, obtain, or transport up to three ounces of cannabis and cultivate up to six plants … Continued
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Tech NewsWhat You Need to Know About New York’s New ‘Vaccine Passport’
On Friday, New York became the first state to formally roll out a digital vaccination “passport” that residents can flash as proof that they’ve either gotten jabbed or tested negative for covid-19. Per a statement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office, the state developed the tech, dubbed Excelsior Pass, alongside IBM as a way to fast … Continued
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Tech NewsThe Problem With Zoom Adding Free Captions After Getting Called Out
As a journalist and content writer, I often have to go on Zoom calls every day with clients and interview sources who request to use this platform. I am also hard-of-hearing, which makes following what people say on calls tiring, due to listening fatigue. Automated captions help me do my job. It is difficult to … Continued
Julia Métraux -
Tech NewsPolice Claim Elderly Protester ‘Tripped and Fell’ Before Viral Video Exposed the Lie
Police in Buffalo, New York released a statement on Thursday claiming that an elderly man who was protesting police brutality had “tripped and fell” in front of Buffalo City Hall before being taken to the hospital. But that all changed when video went viral on social media showing the 75-year-old man had been pushed by … Continued
By Matt Novak -
ScienceHealthNew York May Have Fueled Pandemic by Moving Over 4,300 Coronavirus Patients Into Nursing Homes
Over 4,300 people who were recovering from coronavirus were sent to nursing homes under a New York Health Department directive, possibly accelerating outbreaks in those institutions that claimed over 5,800 nursing and adult care facilities throughout the state, the Associated Press reported on Friday. Much remains unknown about the coronavirus, but that the elderly are … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsCuomo Announces 7-State Consortium for Securing Medical Supplies
Seven northeastern states are joining forces to fight the coronavirus outbreak and pooling their resources to purchase essential medical equipment and testing supplies, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday. Prices for ventilators have skyrocketed amid widespread need for the potentially life-saving devices, which Cuomo has attributed to a bidding war between states currently facing … Continued
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ScienceHealthGuy Who Tweeted at Trump Landed $69 Million Ventilator Deal With New York, Never Sent Any
Appearing in the president’s Twitter mentions has, incredibly, finally paid off for somebody: a random Silicon Valley-based electrical engineer named Yaron Oren-Pines who scored a $69.1 million contract with the state of New York after he tweeted at Trump, “We can supply ICU Ventilators, invasive and noninvasive. Have someone call me URGENT.” Per BuzzFeed News, … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsSay ‘I Do’ on Zoom: New York Governor Allows People to Obtain Marriage Licenses Remotely
The coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly upended our normal lives and wreaked tragedy across the U.S. However, this doesn’t mean we can’t still live and celebrate important moments. In New York, people staying at home can add one more thing to the list of things they can do during the pandemic: get married. On Saturday, New … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsThe Andrew Cuomo Nipple Mystery, One of the Toughest Jobs on Earth and Humanity’s Origin Story: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week
As I write this, I realize that most of you are probably staying at home, like me. First of all, hang in here. This is a long and difficult fight, but I have no doubt we will get through it. Today I must confess that I had lots of help from a bag of little … Continued
By Jody Serrano
