Techmeme Ride Home

E-scooter valuations explode, Facebook turns in its homework, Microsoft’s next Xbox is coming in 2020, how Netflix is winning, and a dreaded 51% attack explained. Here’s what you missed today in the world of tech. Tweets: @annehelen, @arielbogle Stories: @danprimack, @bdsams Links:Scooter startup Bird is seeking a $2 billion valuation (Axios)Microsoft’s Next-Gen Xbox Will Arrive in 2020 (Thurrott.com)The Guy Tapping His Head Meme Explained (NYMag)Inside the Binge Factory (NYMag)Blockchain's Once-Feared 51% Attack Is Now Becoming Regular (CoinDesk)TED Residency (TED) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Snapchat Clear Chats and Facebook’s Memories come at social media from different philosophical viewpoints, headlines from the ramp up to E3, new Apple Watch rumors, the scooter economy, and do on-screen fingerprint scanners work well? Stories from: @thesullivan, @345triangle Links:The Apple Watch will get touch-sensitive, solid-state buttons (Fast Company)The Scooter Economy (Stratechery)How to understand the financial levers in your business (TechCrunch)AT&T-Time Warner Ruling Has Dealmakers Bracing (NYTimes)In-display fingerprint sensors are here, and they actually work (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google’s lays out ethical principles for AI development, Facebook has another privacy issue (again), why the next generation of gaming consoles might be the last, Yahoo Messenger logs off, and the weekend long-reads suggestions. Stories from: @sundarpichai, @terrortola  Links:AI at Google: our principles (Google)Can Google keep its promises on building ethical AI? (Engadget)Airbnb says forced to cancel bookings under new Japan law (Asia One)Ubisoft Believes Next Gen Is the Last for Consoles as Microsoft Looks Beyond Platforms (Variety)Chat Wars (N+1) Longreads:‘I can understand about 50 percent of the things you say’: How Congress is struggling to get smart on tech (Washington Post)The Twitter crime mystery that gripped Spain (BBC)Meet the people who still use Myspace: 'It's given me so much joy' (The Guardian)Exploring The Digital Ruins Of 'Second Life' (Digg)Why Aren’t We All Buying Houses on the Internet? (Slate) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ZTE makes a deal with Uncle Sam, but Google might be in trouble because of Huawei, the new Amazon Fire TV Cube is announced, a new Blackberry phone, a redesigned Lyft app and more Instagram video rumors. Stories from: @stuwoo, @meganrosedickey LinksAfter Scrutinizing Facebook, Congress Turns to Google Deal With Huawei (WSJ)Lyft redesigns rider app to encourage shared rides (TechCrunch)Instagram plans to launch Snapchat Discover-style video hub (TechCrunch)For BlackBerry Key2, privacy is (again) a key pitch for comeback (CNET) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A whole slew of product announcements. New Sonos speakers. A new Motorola smartphone. A new AMD chip. Instagram may soon allow you to post hour-long videos. Plus: why Microsoft sunk a data center off the Scottish coast and why startups keep naming themselves after… people. Stories from: @DMOberhaus, @janinewolfj9, @laforgia_  Links:Facebook Gave Data Access to Chinese Firm Flagged by U.S. Intelligence (NYTimes)Instagram Could Soon Allow Users to Post Long-Form Video (WSJ)Microsoft Just Put a Data Center on the Bottom of the Ocean (Motherboard)Marcus, Casper, Oscar: Why Startups Are Obsessed With Human Names (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intel releases some anniversary chips, why WhatsApp and Facebook had a falling out, followups from WWDC and analysis of that GitHub acquisition, and some scientists purposely created a psychopathic AI. Stories from: @jameskobielus, @janewakefield Tweets: @pkafka Links:Microsoft’s GitHub takeover sends shockwaves through the open-source developer ecosystem (SiliconAngle)Behind the Messy, Expensive Split Between Facebook and WhatsApp’s Founders (WSJ)Are you scared yet? Meet Norman, the psychopathic AI (BBC News)I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (Wikipedia)Roko's basilisk (LessWrong) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, it’s all about developers, everything from Apple’s WWDC Keynote, Microsoft buys GitHub in order to court developers. Oh. And a new Facebook data brouhaha. Tweet commentary: @ericlbarnes, @HenrikJoreteg Links:Microsoft confirms it’s acquiring GitHub for $7.5 billion (The Verge)Facebook Gave Device Makers Deep Access to Data on Users and Friends (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The end of an era in venture capital, the end of Facebook’s trending news feature, what to expect from WWDC next week, some new ARM chips and the weekend longreads suggestions. Stories from: @joshuarothman, @deborahgage, @meliarobin Links:New Arm Cortex-A76 and Mali-G76 target laptop-class performance (Android Authority)Angry Facebook shareholders challenge Zuckerberg over 'corporate dictatorship' (The Guardian)Apple Is Set to Unveil AR Upgrade, Software to Manage iPhone Use (Bloomberg)Apple’s WWDC 2018: iOS 12, macOS, and what else to expect (The Verge)WWDC 2018: What to expect from Apple’s big event (MacWorld) Weekend Longreads:Obama's US Digital Service Survives Trump—Quietly (Wired)The Search for Women Who Want Cybersecurity Careers (WSJ)How Futures Trading Changed Bitcoin Prices (Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco)The Growing Emptiness of the "Star Wars" Universe (The New Yorker) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bunch of self driving car news, a bunch of headline making quotes from the Code Conference, a couple new flagship smartphones, and a new Atari gaming console that nobody is quite sure the purpose of. Stories: @Charlie_L_Hall, @richardlai Tweets: @ChengmingAlpert, @dcseifert Links:Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says he’s trying to convince Alphabet to put Waymo self-driving cars on the company’s network (Recode)Xiaomi's transparent Mi 8 also does 3D face unlock (Engadget)Atari is crowdfunding a new console, but who is this device actually for? (Polygon) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Code Conference brings us Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report and juicy quotes from Evan Spiegel, web publishers find life after Facebook, a new gaming laptop from HP, and how ambulance chasing lawyers can target ads to people in the hospital. Tweets: @simonowens, @agolis Links:Snapchat preps Snapkit platform to bring camera, login to other apps (TechCrunch)Mobile Direct Traffic Eclipses Facebook (Chartbeat)Mary Meeker’s 2018 internet trends report: All the slides, plus analysis (Recode)Digital Ambulance Chasers? Law Firms Send Ads To Patients' Phones Inside ERs (NPR)Glenn's Kickstarter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Uber adds a panic button, Apple updates HomePod, the Chinese trade war is back on, Facebook gets a month-long timeout, another EU privacy regulation, and less-desirable dogs get better PR. Tweets from from @lcmoser, @heldavidson, @jimwaterson Links:Uber adds a panic button in its app (The Verge)Uber’s Exit From Southeast Asia Upsets Regulators and Drivers (New York Times)Apple’s HomePod Speaker Finally Gets Multi-Room Audio And Stereo Mode (Buzzfeed)Papua New Guinea To Shutdown Facebook (Post Courier)Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook’s hardest year, and what comes next (Vox)Bid to Block Trump's Deal on ZTE Would Have Support, Rubio Says (Bloomberg News)The Next Privacy Battle in Europe Is Over This New Law (New York Times)How The Internet Is Changing The Way Dogs Find Homes (Buzzfeed)Credits: Special Guest-Host: Glenn Fleishman Produced by @glennf, @brianmcc, and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

European Union privacy restrictions kick in, Tesla settles a suit, Alexa is listening, Essential becomes a misnomer, and San Francisco brakes scooters. Tweets: @bxchen, @ktbenner, @geoffreyfowler, @zeynep, @cathyyoung63, @mccanner Links:Publications block EU readers (New York Times)Google late to update advertisers and ad-tech networks on GDPR changes (Digiday)Tesla settles on auto-pilot (Reuters)Alexa forwards private conversation by couple (KIRO)Amazon’s statement on Alexa recording and forwarding (Recode)Piles of bike-sharing cycles (Atlantic)Long Reads:Instagram has transformed high-school basketball players into starsAn oral history of the Microsoft antitrust lawsuit that’s now 20 years oldHow Facebook monitors for abuse and misuseIn depth on Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne BoleynCredits: Special Guest-Host: Glenn Fleishman Produced by @glennf, @brianmcc, and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook and Twitter label political ads, Apple’s self-driving car efforts fizzle, the DOJ is looking at cryptocurrency manipulation, there’s a PornHub VPN, and StumbleUpon is no more. Stories from: @jacknicas, @mat Links:Apple, Spurned by Others, Signs Deal With Volkswagen for Driverless Cars (NYTimes)Google Buys 20,000 SUVs, Apple Gets Two Dozen VW Vans (Bloomberg)The Techie Town Of San Francisco Gets A New Tower As Houses Remain Scarce (BuzzFeed) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook helps you find a plumber, Apple lets you download your data, Comcast wants to buy 21st Century Fox, why would Amazon ban you, and Bill Gates’ summer reading recommendations. Stories from: @kottke, @LauraStevensWSJ Links:Next Generation iPhone Chips Go Into Production (Bloomberg)HTC Announces U12 Plus With Pressure-Sensitive Buttons and Sides (The Verge)Banned From Amazon: The Shoppers Who Make Too Many Returns (WSJ) Bill Gates' Summer Reading List Recommendations:Origin Story: A Big History of Everything by David ChristianLeonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson.Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders.Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler.Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World - and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling. Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another chip flaw found, privacy activists turn their attention to Amazon, ZTE might be saved by the Trump Administration, Zuckerberg’s European sojourn is a damp squib, and now you can mute annoying people on Instagram. Stories from: @katienotopoulos, @sarafischer Links:The Privacy Scandal That Should Be Bigger Than Cambridge Analytica (Slate)Impatient, distracted consumers upend the media landscape (Axios)Overall Q1 US Smartphone Sales Dip 11% YoY, Apple Grows a Record 16% YoY (Counterpoint)Instagram Finally Adds A Mute Button, Saving Countless Friendships (BuzzFeed) Credits: Produced by @brianmcc and the @techmeme editors Music by @jpschwinghamer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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? 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices