Techmeme Ride Home

Is the government coming after Big Tech, Microsoft doubles down on voice AI, Lyft joins the e-scooter scramble, the Obamas officially join Netflix, and which smartphone is most likely to shatter? Sponsor: MetaLab.co Stories from: @TaylorLorenz, @coryweinberg Tweets: @tanayj, @ibogost Links:Lyft Explores Launching Scooter Service in San Francisco (The Information)Electric Scooter Charger Culture Is Out of Control (The Atlantic)We Dropped $18,000 Worth of Phones, and These Are the Toughest (and Weakest) (Tomsguide.com) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer

Today more leakage of your phone’s location data, Fortnite comes to Android, dataplans for seniors’ smartphones, robotic insects, drone sailboats, and the weekend long reads suggestions.  Sponsor: betterment.com/RideHome Stories from: @briankrebs, @valleyhack Links: Tracking Firm LocationSmart Leaked Location Data for Customers of All Major U.S. Mobile Carriers Without Consent in Real Time Via Its Web Site (KrebsonSecurity)The first wireless flying robotic insect takes off (University of Washington)This Armada of Saildrones Could Conquer the Ocean (Bloomberg) Longreads Suggestions:Death in the alpine (High Country News)How Evan Spiegel Fumbled Snap’s Redesign (The Information)Apple and Its Rivals Bet Their Futures on These Men’s Dreams (Bloomberg)I Tried to Get an AI to Write This Story (Bloomberg) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer

YouTube Music launches next week, Apple too is looking for a major new campus, Mobileye signs a big deal for autonomous car tech and the SEC creates honeypot to teach investors about scammy ICOs. Sponsor: https://www.betterment.com/RideHome Stories from: @JessConditt, @josephfcox Links:Hacker Breaches Securus, the Company That Helps Cops Track Phones Across the US (Motherboard)Xbox Adaptive Controller first look: A new, necessary gamepad (Engadget)The Autonomous-Car Company That’s Selling Safety First (Bloomberg)Buyer Beware: Hundreds of Bitcoin Wannabes Show Hallmarks of Fraud (WSJ)Howeycoins (SEC) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer

Zuckerberg to testify in Europe, Prime members to get discounts at Whole Foods, low-end tablets possibly coming from Microsoft, a blockchain phone, a connected toothbrush, and all you need to know about the Yanny or Laurel controversy. Sponsor: https://www.betterment.com/RideHome Stories from: @markgurman, @chrissyfarr Tweets: @backlon, @anindac92 Links:Amazon cuts Whole Foods prices for Prime members in new grocery showdown (Reuters)Microsoft Plans Low-Cost Tablet Line to Rival iPad (Bloomberg)This start-up made connected toothbrushes -- now it aims to overthrow the 'primitive' dental insurance industry (CNBC)Yanny or Laurel? How an Audio Clip Divided the Internet (NYTimes)The True History of 'Yanny' and 'Laurel' (Wired) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer

Everyone says they’re cleaning up their act: Twitter, Facebook, Uber. The Crypto kids crash New York while Coinbase cozies up to Wall Street. The Surface Hub 2 looks pretty sweet, and we might soon be shooting Wikipedia pages to the moon. Sponsor: www.betterment.com/RideHome Stories from: @lorengrush  Tweets: @AaronKlein, @marcoarment, @ballmatthew Links:At NYC’s Big Crypto Conference, the Lamborghinis Are Rented and Protests Are Staged (Bloomberg)Microsoft’s Surface Hub 2 is designed for an office of the future (The Verge)Tweetstorm about Netflix and "originals" (Matthew Ball)This nonprofit plans to send millions of Wikipedia pages to the Moon — printed on tiny metal sheets (The Verge) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer

Email encryption might be broken, Facebook suspends suspicious apps, why Google employees are resigning in protest, Silicon Valley could benefit from a gambling gold rush, and how Masayoshi Son is disrupting the entire technology world. Sponsor: Betterment.com/RideHome Stories from: @Danny_Heifetz, @kateconger Tweets from: @F_Kaltheuner, @dcurtis Links:Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract (Gizmodo)New HP all-in-one houses Alexa, provides power with wireless charging base (Ars Technica)The Supreme Court Struck Down the Law Prohibiting Sports Gambling. Here’s What Could Happen Next. (The Ringer)Supreme Court allows states to legalize sports betting, opening floodgates for online gambling profits (TechCrunch)The impact of Masayoshi Son’s $100bn tech fund will be profound (The Economist) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer https://flipboard.com/

Is a Facebook cryptocurrency really possible? Can Snapchat redesign its way back into users' hearts? What's going on at Symantec? Klout strikes out. And the Weekend Longreads. Stories from: @alexeheath, @mekosoff Tweets: @om, @manjusrii, @sfiegerman Links:"It Was Cataclysmic": Can Snapchat Survive Its Redesign? (Vanity Fair)IAB says online advertising grew to $88B last year — more spending than TV (TechCrunch) Longreads:Don't Skype Me: How Microsoft Turned Consumers Against a Beloved Brand (Bloomberg)How to Make Your Open Office Less Annoying (The Atlantic)The 15 People Who Keep Wikipedia’s Editors From Killing Each Other (WSJ)The Wealthy Are Hoarding $10 Billion of Bitcoin in Bunkers (Bloomberg)Supercomputers are driving a revolution in hurricane forecasting (Ars Technica)

The suspected Russian Facebook ads are released, a new Apple credit card, why Roku is a quiet powerhouse, Robinhood raises a ton of money, and how your digital assistant might be susceptible to subliminal commands. Stories from: @jank0, @mattlynley  Tweets: @ByronTau, @anildash Links:Link to the Russian Facebook ads (House.gov)Goldman Sachs, Apple Team Up on New Credit Card (WSJ)Roku Earnings Beat Expectations as Ads, Services Surpass Hardware Revenue (Variety)Free stock trading app Robinhood rockets to a $5.6B valuation with new funding round (TechCrunch)Google Grapples With ‘Horrifying’ Reaction to Uncanny AI Tech (Bloomberg)Google’s AI sounds like a human on the phone — should we be worried? (The Verge)Alexa and Siri Can Hear This Hidden Command. You Can’t. (NYTimes)Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt. 1 (The Flaming Lips) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer

A major Facebook executive shakeup, Walmart beats Amazon to Flipkart, Glassdoor gets acquired, one more chance to fight for net neutrality, and a deeper look at how Google’s Duplex technology works. Stories from: @brianstelter Tweets: @pt, @poniewozik Links:Tweet thread about using crypto for social networking (Parker Thompson @pt)Red Alert For Net Neutrality Email Your Senator Form (Do it!)Google Duplex: An AI System for Accomplishing Real World Tasks Over the Phone (Google AI Blog)FX and New York Times partner for new series 'The Weekly' (CNN/Money) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer

The highlights from Google I/O, Microsoft gives developers 95%, possible encrypted Twitter DMs, the NYSE wants to trade bitcoin, and Uber unveils its flying car. Stories from: @nathanielpopper, @tonyromm Tweets: @puiwingtam, @bzamayo Links:Link to the video of the full I/O keynoteBest video I could find (in a rush) of the Duplex DemoTwitter has an unlaunched ‘Secret’ encrypted messages feature (TechCrunch)Bitcoin Sees Wall Street Warm to Trading Virtual Currency (NYTimes)Uber shows its flying car prototype, which looks like a giant drone (CNBC) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer

Highlights from Microsoft's Build conference, a preview of Google's I/O conference, you might soon be able to add music to your Instagram Stories, who's ahead in the autonomous car race, and the iMac at twenty. Stories from: @backlon, @nickstatt Links:Nadella's Microsoft (The Verge)Eight things to expect at Google I/O 2018 (The Verge)Who’s Winning the Self-Driving Car Race? (Bloomberg)Why 'Stories' Took Over Your Smartphone (The Atlantic) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer

Would you pay for a Facebook subscription? Would you pay for Facebook satellite internet? Instagram adds native payments, Warren Buffett doubles down on Apple, the weekend longreads suggestions and plenty more. Stories from: @NellieBowles, @beckyquick Jokes from: @behindyourback Links:Facebook Weighs Ad-Free Subscription Option (Bloomberg)Facebook May Have Secret Plans to Build a Satellite-Based Internet (ieee spectrum)Instagram quietly launches payments for commerce (TechCrunch)Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway bought a stunning 75 million Apple shares in first quarter (CNBC)Why Regulators Should Approve the T-Mobile/Sprint Deal (Tech.pinions)The ‘Race to 5G’ Is Just Mindless Marketing BS (Motherboard) Longreads:‘Hi, It’s Amazon Calling. Here’s What We Don’t Like in Your City.’ (WSJ)Over 400 Startups Are Trying to Become the Next Warby Parker. Inside the Wild Race to Overthrow Every Consumer Category (Inc)All We Want to Do Is Watch Each Other Play Video Games (NYTimes)CoinTalk (podcast) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer

Xiaomi files for a monster IPO, Cambridge Analytica might not be dead after all, a whole bunch of news in the digital assistant space, NPR buys a podcast app, and how Stories have eaten social networking. Stories from: @oneunderscore__ , @JoshConstine Tweets: @rycrist Links:How Xiaomi Went From Has-Been to World's Biggest IPO in Years (Bloomberg)Stories are about to surpass feed sharing. Now what? (TechCrunch) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer

Facebook’s AI announcements from F8, LG announces G7 ThinQ, Apple earnings analysis, Snap earnings analysis, the Pentagon blocks the sale of Chinese phones, and can AI predict the next Avengers: Infinity War? Stories from: @ashleyrcarman, @DanielEran  Tweets from: @BenedictEvans, @lexnfx Links:Cambridge Analytica Closing Operations Following Facebook Data Controversy (WSJ)Telegram Messaging App Scraps Plans for Public Coin Offering (WSJ)LG’s G7 ThinQ preserves the headphone jack and introduces a notch (The Verge)Pandora Learns the Cost of Ads, and of Subscriptions (Wired)Over 30? You're Too Old For Tech Jobs In China (Bloomberg)Could Artificial Intelligence Predict the Next Avengers: Infinity War? (Wired) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer

Apple's earnings numbers, all of the announcements from Facebook's F8 conference, a WhatsApp co-founder leaves, publishers criticize Google over GDPR, and will Comcast only give you faster internet speeds if you subscribe to cable TV? Stories from: @lizzadwoskin Tweets: @anildash, @johnbattelle, @jason_kint Links:Mark Zuckerberg Says it Will Take 3 Years to Fix Facebook (Wired)WhatsApp founder plans to leave after broad clashes with parent Facebook (Washington Post)Comcast won’t give new speed boost to Internet users who don’t buy TV service (Ars Technica) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer