Wed. 01/06 – New GPT-3 Models Can Generate Images From Text
There are two new GPT-3 models and now the robots have come for the graphic artists. Trump continues his tech cold war against China, but the question is, will Biden? WhatsApp is further absorbed into the Facebook mothership. Eve Online players broke the game by playing it so hard. And Cameo wants you to know there’s money in the banana stand—I mean... paying Tom Arnold to record a video for you. Sponsors: Audible.com/techmeme or text techmeme to 500-500 for a free 30-day trial Links: This avocado armchair could be the future of AI (MIT Technology Review) DALL·E: Creating Images from Text (OpenAI Blog) Trump bars U.S. transactions with eight Chinese apps including Alipay (Reuters) WhatsApp updates its Terms and Privacy Policy to mandate data-sharing with Facebook (XDA-Developers) CIRP: iPhone 12 sales strong at launch, but iPhone 12 mini ‘likely disappointed Apple’ (9to5Mac) Players in Eve Online broke a world record — and then the game itself (Polygon) Cameo launches hiring spree following banner year (Axios) Link to the Clubhouse parody video (@PottsJustin) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
6 Jan 202120min
Tue. 01/05 – US Banks Can Now Issue Stablecoins
The OCC clears US banks to run crypto nodes and issue stablecoins. Microsoft wants to make One Outlook to rule all your email and calendar apps. Looks like Haven couldn’t solve healthcare. Why haven’t we seen Jack Ma in public for going on two months now? And Singapore says SYKE on that whole, not using Covid tracking data to keep track of citizens. Sponsors: SmartAsset.com/techmeme Links: US regulator: Federally chartered banks can facilitate stablecoin payments, issue their own (The Block) Twitter acquires social podcasting app Breaker, team to help build Twitter Spaces (TechCrunch) Microsoft’s new ‘One Outlook’ app leaks online (The Verge) Haven, the Amazon-Berkshire-JPMorgan venture to disrupt health care, is disbanding after 3 years (CNBC) Kuo: Apple to Unveil AirTags, Augmented Reality Device, and More in 2021 (MacRumors) Alibaba Founder Jack Ma Has Been Missing For 2 Months (ZeroHedge) Singapore police can access COVID-19 contact tracing data for criminal investigations (ZDNet) Dell built a range of monitors for video conferencing (Engadget) Dell's new Latitude 9000 laptops feature an automatic webcam shutter (Engadget) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
5 Jan 202118min
Mon. 01/04 – Some Google Workers Say Union YES!
Google/Alphabet workers launch an official union drive. We’ve got a date for the Galaxy Unpacked event. Microsoft wants to give Windows a good scrubbing this year. Everyone wants a piece of ShareChat. Gazelle is getting out of the trade-in business. And LG doesn’t want to give up on tv screens you can hide away when not in use. Sponsors: Fundrise.com/techmeme LinkedIn.com/ride Links: Google, Alphabet employees seek to form a union (TechCrunch) Samsung officially confirms Galaxy S21 event for January 14th (The Verge) Microsoft planning ‘sweeping visual rejuvenation of Windows’ (The Verge) Google and Snap in talks to invest in India's ShareChat (TechCrunch) Trade-in site Gazelle is ending trade-ins (The Verge) Apple will let Amphetamine app stay in the App Store after wrongly telling developer it violated App Store rules (The Verge) This LG display transforms from flat to curved for immersive gaming (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 Jan 202116min
Wed. 12/30 – Apple Loses A Copyright Lawsuit
Apple loses an interesting copyright law case. Get ready to see TikToks in your Google searches. Amazon’s “other” business unit is becoming a monster. The tech consumers did, and did not AS MUCH partake in over the holidays. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. For the final time in 2020, here’s what you missed in the world of tech. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride DoubleUp.Agency Links: Apple loses copyright battle against security start-up Corellium (Washington Post) Google pilots a search feature that aggregates short-form videos from TikTok and Instagram (TechCrunch) Amazon’s advertising business booms in pandemic (Financial Times) Apple iPhone Devices Sweep 9 of Top 10 Devices on Christmas 2020 (Flurry) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Turing Test is obsolete. It’s time to build a new barometer for AI (Fast Company) Tech Choices Dictate Teen Friendships During Pandemic (WSJ) Ambani Sold a Tech Dream for $27 Billion. Now He Has to Deliver (Bloomberg) Where Year Two of the Pandemic Will Take Us (The Atlantic) With Money, and Waste, China Fights for Chip Independence (NYTimes) The Lasting Lessons of John Conway’s Game of Life (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
30 Des 202020min
Tue. 12/29 – Coinbase To Suspend Trading of XRP
Coinbase is suspending trading of XRP. Ant Group tries to appease the CCP. Will we soon see immunity passports on our phones? We now know the identity of the first tech IPO of the new year. And why, if you’re doing to do some dirt, you might want to know that your car is probably going to bust your alibi. Sponsors: CalderaLab.com code: TECHMEME (all caps, one word) Tovala.com/ride Links: Coinbase to Suspend XRP Trading Following SEC Suit Against Ripple (CoinDesk) Ant Considers Holding Company With Regulation Similar to Bank, Sources Say (Bloomberg) Los Angeles Vaccine Recipients Can Put the Proof in Apple Wallet (Bloomberg) Qualtrics Files for U.S. IPO Two Years After Sale to SAP (Bloomberg) Insecure wheels: Police turn to car data to destroy suspects' alibis (NBC News) TV Ratings: First Streaming-Only NFL Game Scores Solid Numbers for Amazon (Variety) Link to the AMA Auction with Andrew Wilkinson and Chris Sparling: https://lu.ma/tinyama Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
29 Des 202018min
Mon. 12/28 – After Jack Ma, Is China Freezing Its Entire Tech Sector?
The Chinese Communist Party is throwing serious cold water on its entire tech sector by continuing to target Jack Ma. Did Elon Musk once try to sell Tesla to Apple? Drones are getting digital license plates, of a sort. And a look at the generation of search engine startups hoping to, you know, maybe strike at Google while the antitrust iron is hot. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride GetRoman.com/techmeme Links: Beijing launches antitrust investigation into Alibaba (Financial Times) China Tells Ant to Return to Its Payment Roots, Places Curbs (Bloomberg) Alibaba Probe Stirs Global Worry on What’s Next for Chinese Tech (Bloomberg) Kuo: Apple Car Still in Early Stages, Unlikely to Launch Until 2025-2027 at Earliest (MacRumors) Drone-Crowded Skies Get One Step Closer With U.S. Security Rules (Bloomberg) Search engine start-ups try to take on Google (Financial Times) Covid-19 Propelled Businesses Into the Future. Ready or Not. (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 Des 202019min
Wed. 12/23 – XRP, The 3rd Biggest Cryptocurrency Might Be In Big Trouble
The SEC does indeed sue Ripple, and that could be a bigger deal than I thought. Twitter won’t hand over the @Potus Twitter followers to Biden. What Zoom wants to do for its next act beyond video. Controlling your AirPods with your teeth. And, special for this week, a Long Holiday Weekend edition of the Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Hawthorne.co, promocode: techmeme Tovala.com/ride Links: SEC Sues Ripple Over 7-Year, $1.3B ‘Ongoing’ XRP Sale (CoinDesk) Biden @POTUS Account Reset to Zero With Trump Followers Out (Bloomberg) Telegram, nearing 500 million users, to begin monetizing the app (TechCrunch) Buoyed by Video Success, Zoom Explores Email, Calendar Services (The Information) Apple Patent reveals new Through-Body' input for AirPods allowing users to control functionality by touching their face, clicking their teeth & more (Patently Apple) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Our Digital Lives Drive a Brick-and-Mortar Boom in Data Centers (NYTimes) The North Carolina Kid Who Cracked YouTube’s Secret Code (Bloomberg) What if life were a video game? These 650,000 people imagine it that way. (The Washington Post) Czech Startup Founders Turn Billionaires Without VC Help (Bloomberg) Inside the Whale: An Interview with an Anonymous Amazonian (Logic Magazine) Star Wars toys keep changing, and leaving kids behind (Polygon) Shigeru Miyamoto Wants to Create a Kinder World (The New Yorker) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
23 Des 202019min
Tue. 12/22 – Why I Think The Apple Car Is For Real
See… I had a feeling. Reuters says Apple really is revealing an Apple Car in the coming years. More details on that suit charging Facebook and Google allegedly agreed to divvy up the ad market. The third biggest cryptocurrency says the SEC is coming after it. And the crazy story behind those sexy butt-flap pajama ads you’ve seen all over the internet. Sponsors: CalderaLab.com, promocode TECHMEME (all caps, one word) at checkout for 20% off. Hawthorne.co promocode: techmeme Links: Exclusive: Apple targets car production by 2024 and eyes 'next level' battery technology - sources (Reuters) Google, Facebook Agreed to Team Up Against Possible Antitrust Action, Draft Lawsuit Says (WSJ) U.S. vs. Facebook: Inside the tech giant’s behind-the-scenes campaign to battle back antitrust lawsuits (Washington Post) Ripple says it will be sued by the SEC, in what the company calls a parting shot at the crypto industry (Fortune) Dailyhunt is India's latest unicorn after backing from Microsoft, Google, others Ouster, maker of self-driving tech, agrees $1.9 billion deal to go public (Reuters) SoftBank launches blank-check company to join SPAC craze (CNBC) IAC shares jump after Vimeo spinoff announcement (CNBC) The bizarre case of the sexy butt-flap onesie that has taken over the internet (Business Insider) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 Des 202018min
