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Apple and Google Reduce Off Parler, an App That Drew Trump Supporters

Apple and Google Cut Off Parler, an App That Drew Trump Supporters

According to a group of Amazon employees, Amazon assists Parler in operation by hosting its web traffic on its servers. These employees and at least one member of Congress have asked Amazon to ban Parler from this service, which could jeopardize its viability. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.

Apple’s action is more of an issue for Parler than Google, as Apple requires all iPhone apps to go through the App Store. Google cut Parler out of its flagship Android app store, but it also allows apps to be downloaded from elsewhere, so Android users can still find the Parler app, just with a little more work. Parler will continue to be available through web browsers on phones and computers.

Before Apple blocked Parler on Saturday, Apple had given the company 24 hours to improve moderation and avoid being removed from the App Store. During this time, Parler appeared to have tried to remove some areas that appeared to call for violence.

For example, L. Lin Wood, an attorney who sued to overturn Mr. Trump’s election loss, wrote on Parler Thursday morning: “Prepare the firing squad. Pence goes first. “According to a screenshot in the Internet archive, the post was viewed at least 788,000 times. The post was removed on Saturday morning.

In a text message, Mr. Matze said the item had been removed “in accordance with Parler’s Terms of Use and Anti-Incitement to Violence Rules”. He said he wasn’t sure Apple knew Parler removed the post.

In a statement to Parler on Saturday, Apple said it had “continued to find direct threats of violence and incitement to illegal activity” in the app. Apple informed the company that its app cannot be approved in the App Store until “you have demonstrated your ability to effectively moderate and filter the dangerous and harmful content of your service”.

In an interview, Jeffrey Wernick, Parler’s chief operating officer, blamed “a culture of abandonment at Apple” for the company’s poor prospects. He said he would advise other platforms not to try and compete on Apple’s App Store. “Because if you raise money and attract investors and end up like Parler, what is it about?” he said.

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FAA chief points stern warning to vacationers after politically motived flight disruptions

Flight attendant unions raise alarms about disruptive travelers after pro-Trump riots at Capitol

A flight attendant collects trash on a flight aboard a Boeing 737 Max from Dallas Fort Worth Airport to Tulsa, Oklahoma, December 2, 2020.

Carlo Allegri | Reuters

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday that travelers will face grave consequences for unruly behavior on airplanes. This is a stern warning following multiple incidents on board last week with pro-Trump chanting and passengers refusing to wear masks requesting to fly on U.S. airlines.

“The FAA will take tough enforcement action against anyone who threatens the safety of a flight. Penalties range from fines to imprisonment,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a statement.

Unruly passengers can face fines of up to $ 35,000.

Alaska Airlines said Friday it banned 14 passengers on a flight from Washington DC to Seattle. The travelers “were not mask-conforming, vocal, argumentative and harassed our crew members. Their behavior was unacceptable,” said Ray Lane, spokesman for Alaska Airlines. “We apologize to our other guests who felt uncomfortable on the flight.

Videos of multiple incidents were shared on social media. An American Airlines pilot on a Washington-to-Phoenix flight warned travelers that he would “park this plane and drop people off in the middle of Kansas” in order to convince passengers to “behave” on board.

“At American, we take our customers’ safety seriously and value the trust they place in our team to look after them throughout their journey,” American said in a statement. The pilot made an announcement emphasizing the importance of following the instructions of the crew members and complying with the mandatory guidelines on face covering. “

Earlier this week, some passengers sang “traitors” on a Delta Air Lines flight with Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah. Delta said his “crew got involved quickly and solved the problem”.

On another flight this week, American Airlines flight attendants turned on the lights and ordered passengers to take their seats after passengers yelled at and cursed each other. This comes from a video shared by Twitter user @MaranieRae who said she was on the flight.

“I expect all passengers to follow the instructions of the crew members for their safety and the safety of the flight,” said Dickson. “The FAA monitors and tracks all commercial passenger flights in real time, and there are reporting mechanisms in place for crew members to identify any number of safety concerns that may arise in flight.”

Dickson said unruly behavior could distract crews and compromise crew members’ ability to perform safety-related duties.

Dickson’s testimony comes after flight attendant unions this week raised safety concerns over politically motivated flight disruptions after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol and demanded that the presidential election results be overturned.

“The mob mentality behavior that occurred on multiple flights to the DC area yesterday was unacceptable and threatened the safety of every single person on board,” said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents approximately 50,000 flight attendants United, Alaska and more than a dozen other airlines said Wednesday.

The airlines had taken precautions and moved crews to airport hotels after the politically motivated uprising in the Capitol. American Airlines has stopped serving alcohol on flights to Washington DC.

“We should work harder to keep problems on the ground,” the AFA told flight attendants after the FAA warned on Saturday. “Make sure you strictly adhere to the masks before pushing back. Work as a crew, communicate, and bring your concerns to the flight deck and supervisors.”

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11 Journalists on Overlaying the Capitol Siege: ‘This May Get Ugly’

11 Journalists on Covering the Capitol Siege: ‘This Could Get Ugly’

Reporters knew before they arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday that there would be large protests in support of President Trump. But most expected the day’s main event to be the drama and ceremony of the nation’s leaders debating the ratification of the Electoral College vote for Joseph R. Biden Jr. as the next president.

The journalists ended up chronicling a siege that underscored the fragility of American democracy. Many did their jobs a few feet from drawn weapons. Others faced the wrath of pro-Trump agitators with a grudge against the news media.

We interviewed 11 journalists from a variety of outlets — including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the British channel ITV and the Beltway news site Axios — who covered the events. The interviews have been edited and condensed.

Credit…Roy Cox

April Ryan, 53, White House correspondent, TheGrio: I woke up around 6 at home in the Baltimore area. My kids, 13 and 18, were in their room, doing Zoom. I was in the den and the office, working the phones, not really expecting anything big, thinking it was just going to be a lot of posturing.

Tia Mitchell, 41, Washington correspondent, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: I had to get up early because we did our political newsletter, and then I had a podcast. I dropped off a gift for a friend’s birthday and headed into the capital.

Marcus DiPaola, 29, freelance journalist with 2.2 million TikTok followers: I knew it was going to be a complete mess ahead of time. I woke up at my friend’s apartment north of the White House, had some light cereal and checked the news.

Credit…Fox News Channel

Chad Pergram, 51, congressional correspondent, Fox News: My wife dropped me off on Independence Avenue, and right as I got out of the car, you could feel the tension, because there were protesters everywhere.

Kadia Goba, 46, congressional reporter, Axios: When I walked up the usual entranceway, Capitol Police told me I had to walk with the protesters. I was super pissed off about that. I walked through the crowd — and I’m a woman of color, so it was intimidating, to be honest with you.

Megan Pratz, 31, political director, Cheddar: It was very cold outside. After my noon live shot, my cameraman and I went inside the Capitol building.

Tia Mitchell, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: I had planned to spend my day in the House chamber because six of our eight House Republicans were planning to contest the electoral votes being tallied for Georgia. Walking from the Senate to the House, along the third floor, I peeked outside and could see the bigger protest.

Credit…Monica Weeks

Kadia Goba, Axios: My seat in the gallery was directly over Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I saw a picture online of the protesters in front of the building. At this point, all of the members are in debate mode, seemingly oblivious to what was going on.

J. Scott Applewhite, 69, senior photojournalist, The Associated Press: I was facing Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, and they brought in those beautiful antique mahogany wooden boxes carrying the ballots.

Credit…CNN

Donie O’Sullivan, 29, reporter, CNN: We got to the barrier at the base of the Capitol as they broke through. It was a dramatic moment, but also surprisingly undramatic in that, you know, there were obviously not sufficient numbers of police or barricades.

Robert Moore, 57, Washington correspondent, ITV News: We were standing to one side of the inauguration platform that Joe Biden will use on Jan. 20, and there was a small corridor that was unguarded by police. So they charged up there and, rather improbably, discovered there was a tiny side entrance, also apparently unguarded. They broke the window, forced open the door. And there they were, in the corridors of power, astonished themselves that they got that far.

Megan Pratz, Cheddar: We went down to the first floor, where the entrance and exit is. We tried to exit, but guards told us that the first floor was locked down.

Marcus DiPaola, freelance journalist: I get an alert that protesters had breached the Capitol, and I’m like, “OK, so that’s the kind of day it’s going to be.” I take my first video — like six cops against 600 protesters. One protester pulled his fist back, and the cop just puts his hands up and walks back. There just weren’t enough people. The protesters ran right through.

Tia Mitchell, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: House staff was saying to us one at a time in the press gallery that they were going to lock down the chamber because the protest was starting to get out of hand. But there wasn’t panic. The House was still debating Arizona.

Kadia Goba, Axios: Capitol Police came on the speaker to say there had been a breach. You go in this marble building, it seems sacred to the people that work there. You just don’t think of intruders gaining access to that portion of the building.

Credit…Reuters

Mike Theiler, 70, freelance photographer, Reuters: Police were up against the door, and people were trying to get in. I never imagined that the doors would be breached. Police said, “You’re going to have to leave.”

Tia Mitchell, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: I guess the adrenaline of being a news reporter started to kick in. My roots are in covering the night cop shift in Jacksonville, Fla. So I go into breaking-news mode. When they stopped proceedings on the floor, that’s when we knew it was escalating.

Marcus DiPaola, freelance journalist: This guy grabs me by the shoulder and he’s like, “Who do you work for?” I’m like, “I’m a freelance photographer.” He’s like, “Have you ever worked for CNN?” And then he pulled me out of the way and he charges in. Obviously, I’m not going in there. I’m not going to fight my way past a bunch of cops. At 2:21 a Confederate battle flag makes it to the top of the stairs. At 2:23 I first noticed that windows were smashed on the door.

Mike Theiler, Reuters: All my professionalism from 50 years of photography kind of takes over. I started shooting, knowing deep down that you can’t make a bad picture in a situation like that. There were maybe 20 of the rioters in the hallway and only a handful of police trying to restrain them. That’s when I saw that the guy with a Confederate flag had kind of moved off by himself. I’m thinking in the context of — we’re in this hallowed hallway, with the gilded framed paintings on the wall, the bust, the kind of thing that speaks to anyone who has ever been to the Capitol, and I kind of isolated him with that in the background.

The Presidential Transition

Updated 

Jan. 8, 2021, 10:32 p.m. ET

Tia Mitchell, Atlanta-Journal Constitution: Capitol Police told us the protesters were in the rotunda. And then they said to put on the gas masks. We’re trying to figure out how to open the darn things, and maybe that was a sign that we were nervous.

Kadia Goba, Axios: There was an announcement that tear gas had been dispensed. I turned around and gallery staff were handing out gas masks. The protesters were knocking on the door — boom, boom — echoing throughout the chamber. The bangs were getting louder and louder, and then you hear glass.

April Ryan, TheGrio: I said to myself: “Go back to Reporting 101. Call your sources. Reach out to people who are inside.” And they talked. I never thought about driving in. Who’s to say that someone wouldn’t recognize me and try to follow me? Donald Trump does not like April Ryan. It’s a dangerous mix. Donald Trump has called us the enemy of the people, which is not true. I’ve understood that I can’t go cover a campaign rally for Donald Trump — it’s not safe. So I’ve learned how to maneuver around those things and still do my job and break stories.

Tia Mitchell, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: At 2:45, we heard a very loud bang coming from the direction of the speaker’s lobby. At that point I called my mom. I didn’t know if we were going to be sheltered indefinitely. I wasn’t thinking the worst, but my mom is not on social media, and I was worried my phone might die.

Kadia Goba, Axios: I’m behind a chair and my editor calls. I start giving her details. They get us out of the gallery.

Credit…Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press

J. Scott Applewhite, A.P.: Next thing you hear, someone is starting to break the glass of the door. I have a telephoto lens, and I’m focused on that door. It’s maybe 50 feet away. So at 2:39 p.m., there were several plainclothes police gathered around the inside of the door of the chamber. It just has a lock on it. A couple of the officers bring a heavy piece of furniture and set it on top of another piece of furniture, and now the windows of the door are barricaded up about halfway.

At 2:40 p.m., they started to break the glass. At 2:40 p.m., plainclothes officers about 10 feet from the door have now started to take out their guns. The officers are telling them to get back. The standoff continues, and I can start to see a man’s face. The officers are talking to him through the broken glass. They kept telling him, “You can walk away from this, you don’t want to do this.” By 2:54 p.m. the mob has retreated. At this point I started taking pictures of all the empty seats in the chamber with the scattering of debris.

Kadia Goba, Axios: There’s a trail of us going downstairs. They’re directing members to a secure location. Sadly, photographers and reporters were not allowed, and we end up going to Representative Ruben Gallego’s office. I was trying to get my blood pressure and my heart rate down.

Robert Moore, ITV: Once we were in Congress itself with the group that we followed in, we simply filmed and spoke to them as they, I think it’s fair to say, rampaged. There were people who asked which organization we were with. We explained calmly that we were a British TV network and we were there to record a moment in history.

There were a few flashes of anger. But I’ve covered wars and disasters around the world for nearly 30 years, and I never felt in danger personally. I actually watched them, with my own eyes, tear down Nancy Pelosi’s nameplate off the wall above the door that enters her office. That was a moment that I thought, “Gosh, this could get ugly and violent.”

Zoeann Murphy, 39, video journalist, The Washington Post: We arrived on the north of the Capitol around 4. I had been assessing what gear to bring with me. I have body armor and a helmet and a gas mask and a first aid kit — and it became clear that all of those things should be coming with me.

Megan Pratz, Cheddar: We stood in the designated press area on the east side of the Capitol, in the area we call the House Elm. Throughout all of this, people were stopping to criticize the media, calling us fake news and liars, the stuff I’m kind of used to. But after people started leaving the Capitol, it really ramped up. They were calling us communist; they told me that they were coming for me. Then there were 20 to 30 people who started coming into the area, surrounding each journalist and screaming at us, these hateful, hateful things. You couldn’t see a Capitol Police officer anywhere. That was when we decided we were no longer safe. We grabbed pretty much everything, and we just walked out. We were shaking, like physically shaking, because it’s an adrenaline rush, and not a great one.

Zoeann Murphy, Washington Post: One of the Trump supporters who’s been participating in the screaming at police pulls out her cellphone and says: “Oh, my God, guys, listen up. The president tweeted. He says we’re a country of law and order, and, um, I think we should go.” She read the tweet out loud maybe 15 times. It was so clear that, even if the president wasn’t intentionally giving direction, people were receiving it as direction. And then that area dispersed quite a bit.

Credit…iTV News

Robert Moore, ITV: I left the building with a group, and they were happy to have achieved their objective. The mood was a little bit euphoric.

Donie O’Sullivan, CNN: I asked folks were they proud of what they had done. And they said they were very proud and viewed themselves as the patriots, and that the people who accepted the legitimate results of the election were the traitors, which was quite surreal.

Kadia Goba, Axios: They let us go back to the Capitol, and we went back to our seats in the House gallery. Coming back was a little surreal. The House gallery had snacks. We had cup-size macaroni and cheese. Pringles. I remember a big bag of Cheetos.

Credit…Samantha Tadelman for Cheddar

Megan Pratz, Cheddar: I got home around 7:30. I gave my two little kids — they’re 5 and 3 — hugs and tried not to freak them out. I ate dinner but wasn’t really hungry. I didn’t want to do anything, just sit.

Zoeann Murphy, Washington Post: Law enforcement started kettling, creating circles of police officers around people. I’ve been in those many times, and usually I say I’m a journalist and they let me out. They didn’t in this situation, and I was taken aback. I went to three different officers and said we were journalists. When they didn’t engage at all, I thought we might be in a dangerous situation. One officer says very loudly to the crowd, “You are under arrest.” I’m getting my boss on the phone, reaching to get my credentials out, and one officer grabs me by the shoulder and the arm, and grabs my colleague by the shoulder and the arm, and starts to walk us toward these buses. By that point, I knew we were not in danger, though I was concerned we might have to be on these buses with a bunch of people who were not wearing masks. When it was our turn to be searched, this female officer came running up with a look of panic and asked if we were journalists. Her superior came and looked at our credentials and released us.

Marcus DiPaola, freelance journalist: Around 8, the police start kettling the media, and I was like, “Time to go.” I got back to the apartment and had pretzels and a lot of cookies and a pint of mango sorbet and a pint of NatureSweet Cherubs grape tomatoes. I turned on the TV and realized the historical implications of what I had just witnessed. My first thought was: “How in the world do we fix this? These people have been duped — people just aren’t taught to process information and assess its credibility.” And I remember feeling a complete hopelessness.

Tia Mitchell, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: They let us back into the gallery, and at 8:10 the Senate got back to work. Right off the bat, Kelly Loeffler made a speech where she said she would no longer object to Georgia’s electoral vote being counted for Biden. So I had to write that up.

Megan Pratz, Cheddar: I probably went to bed around 10. I woke up several times throughout the night. The only thing I kept saying to my husband was “It’s hard to be hated this much.”

Credit…Sarah Voisin/The Washington Post

Zoeann Murphy, Washington Post: At around 10, I went back to my hotel, walking through these mobs of Trump supporters drunk in the lobby. I get back to my room, and that’s when I started to process the enormity of what had happened.

Tia Mitchell, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: I left the Capitol at 12:46 and was waiting for the Senate subway and ran into Senator Loeffler, but she didn’t want to be interviewed. Sarah Wire from The Los Angeles Times agreed to share her ride-share, which was touching. I got home around 2 a.m. I made myself a drink and a little bit of food and watched “House Hunters” — HGTV is soothing for me. I went to bed around 3 a.m. I don’t feel like I’ve reflected on what happened. I think I’m scared of that. I might get too emotional.

Robert Moore, ITV: I went to sleep around 3 or 4 a.m. and was up a couple of hours later. What has surprised me is the level of interest in Europe, and in Britain in particular, with the events here. This is seen as a seminal story, one that shatters the myth about the stability of American democracy.

Kadia Goba, Axios: I was there till nearly 4 a.m., when Pence gaveled out. I went straight home. My friend was up and happy to hear from me, so we talked for 49 minutes. I still had adrenaline pumping.

J. Scott Applewhite, A.P.: I returned with my gear to my office in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. I had some soup, and I had an avocado and some nice tomatoes. I keep a little foldout chair, so I spread that out and slept between 5 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.

Megan Pratz, Cheddar: As I got out of bed, my body felt like it had whiplash. I had a sore throat — the air had been very smoky. I had a splitting migraine. I went downstairs, and the first thing I said to my husband was: “I’ve got to go to work, but I’m not OK today. And when I come home, all I want is for you to hold me really tight.” I feel both very fortunate and devastated that I’ve had to witness this part of history.

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Government for GM’s Cruise expects consolidation of lidar-SPAC corporations

Executive for GM's Cruise expects consolidation of lidar-SPAC firms

Dan Kan (from left to right), COO of Cruise Automation, Kyle Vogt, CEO of Cruise Automation, and Dan Ammann, President of General Motors, Tuesday, November 20, 2018, in the Cruise Automation offices in San Francisco, California.

Source: Noah Berger | General Motors

The co-founder and president of Cruise, General Motors’ majority-owned autonomous vehicle subsidiary, predicts a consolidation / collapse of the lidar industry, particularly with regard to companies that have gone public or are planning to do so through contracts with blank check companies.

In a series of tweets earlier this week, Kyle Vogt, who also serves as Cruise’s chief technology officer, said recent reviews of companies that have gone public with such companies are also known as Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACS) , are overrated.

“Something interesting is happening in the LIDAR industry. Over 5 companies will soon have or will have SPAC,” he said on Wednesday afternoon. “Their value is based on * projected * revenue coming from * completely overlapping * prospects, with very little discount on future projections. Is that bad?”

Vogt went on to discuss the SPAC model, saying that one of the companies – AEVA, Innoviz, Ouster, Velodyne Lidar, and Luminar Technologies in particular – may be able to meet such high ratings, but not all. The first three companies have announced SPAC deals, but have not yet gone public.

“Of course it is not uncommon for startups to be evaluated on the basis of future sales forecasts, even in a highly competitive environment,” tweeted Vogt. “But I usually see private markets giving these future projections a much bigger discount than what we’re seeing with these SPACs.”

Cameras help autonomous vehicles to read street signs and the color of traffic lights. But lidars, or light detection and distance systems, do the important job of detecting cars and helping them avoid obstacles, whether it’s a fallen tree, a drunk driver, or a kid running into the street. Lidar also has applications in defense, robotics, aerospace and, more recently, in personal electronic devices like Apple’s iPhone.

Luminar went public last month through a SPAC deal with an enterprise value of $ 2.9 billion. The current market capitalization is $ 10.7 billion. It’s similar with Velodyne, which went public in September with a value of $ 1.8 billion, despite a net loss of $ 67.2 million on sales of $ 101.4 million in 2019 was recorded. The market capitalization is $ 4 billion.

“Robotaxis will have a huge positive impact on society, so it’s important to see progress here,” tweeted Vogt, saying he respected all companies. “But we’ve seen a consolidation / collapse of the Robotaxi space (save for a handful of players) in the past 24 months, and LIDAR is next. That probably means lower market caps for most of these Co’s, which is a shame for everyone involved but may the best product win! “

Outside of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has criticized lidar, many believe the technology is essential for self-driving vehicles. Lidar uses laser beams to create a 3D environment of its environment for on-board computer systems.

Cruise acquired a lidar start-up called Strobe in 2017. The company continues to build its own self-driving sensor technology in-house and “watch what’s coming off the market,” said a Cruise spokesman.

“When we start commercializing, our decision will be based solely on ensuring that our customers and communities are safe and that we are bringing the price of technology down to the point where it is available to all,” he said in an email Mail sent statement.

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Hong Kong Web site Doxxing Police Will get Blocked, Elevating Censorship Fears

Hong Kong Website Doxxing Police Gets Blocked, Raising Censorship Fears

With an Internet provider, China Mobile Hong Kong, the separation – a kind of drop action – indicates a direct involvement of the telecommunications company. “A drop action is a specially configured element of a DNS firewall environment,” April said. “This is not something that the owner could have intentionally or accidentally configured.”

China Mobile Hong Kong, a branch of China Mobile, the state-owned Chinese company, declined to comment. Two other companies tested by the Times, SmarTone and Hutchison Telecommunications, which are controlled by local conglomerates, did not respond to requests for comment sent via email.

Users from PCCW, another local operator, told The Times that their access to the site was also blocked. A spokesman declined to comment.

While site blocking may at first glance be similar to mainland China censorship, the methods are very different from China’s sophisticated system.

At China Mobile, SmarTone and Hutchison, the process of associating a website address with the series of numbers a computer uses to look up has been interrupted. The practice would be like listing an incorrect number under someone’s name in a phone book. If you know the correct number for that person, you can still call them.

On the Chinese mainland, on the other hand, the hardware of the Great Firewall – as Beijing’s system of filters and blocks is known – actively separates connections. In the phonebook comparison, the call would not be forwarded even if you had the correct phone number.

The blockades in Hong Kong are “very easy to bypass and clumsy,” said Professor Tsui. Still, he said, authorities may not want to control the internet as tightly as Beijing for fear of deterring the global banks and international corporations that have made the city their Asian headquarters.

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Recognition of leisure robots grows amid pandemic

Popularity of entertainment robots grows amid pandemic

The Gundam warrior robot in Yokogama’s Ymahita Habor is a major attraction for Japanese sci-fi fans.

Photo: Tim Hornyak

When Boston Dynamics released its latest video of its robots defying gravity, this time dancing to The Contours “Cont You Love Me,” the internet was excited. A YouTube clip of Atlas and Spot robots moving with balletical fluidity has generated over 23 million views and countless warnings since Dec. 30 that the Terminator series Skynet is approaching. Boston Dynamics, which Hyundai Motor Group is acquiring from SoftBank Group, makes robots that are not only practical but also fun.

Robots that have long been used by companies like Walt Disney Imagineering are performing as entertainers, despite the introduction of different types of robots in the Covid-19 pandemic, which in a variety of ways to fight the virus and to help society and the economy can contribute – from providing automation in factories and warehouses to working as medical assistants in hospitals and nursing homes. As the world turns to vaccines and reopening economies, intelligent machines will play an increasingly public role as entertainers. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), entertainment robots as a market could grow 10% annually through 2023 as more public venues include machines that don’t get tired, get sick, or need to be quarantined.

The IFR classifies entertainment robots as a type of service robot, a broad category that encompasses everything from hospital delivery droids to edutainment robotic toys. The category grew 32% from $ 8.5 billion to $ 11.2 billion in 2019. Entertainment robot sales rose 13% to 4.6 million units in 2019, with a potential growth of 10% to 5 , 1 million units in 2020 and 6.7 million units in 2023. according to IFR.

Robot popular in Japan

One country that is making great strides in this emerging market is Japan, known for its skills in robotics. In 2018, Japan was the world’s leading manufacturer of industrial robots, supplying 52% of global supply according to the IFR. Japan has actively committed itself to robotics as its population shrinks, its workforce shrinks, and the coronavirus pandemic makes human interaction difficult.

Companies in Japan recently unveiled a giant robot that can move its arms and legs and appear to be walking. The machine is nearly 60 feet tall and about half the height of the copper Statue of Liberty. It is inspired by the science fiction series by Gundam and attracts fans in Japan and on the internet.

Just south of Tokyo, the Gundam Factory Yokohama recently opened as the culmination of a long-term project to build a life-size, mobile version of the Mobile Suit Gundam’s title robot. Yoshiyuki Tomino’s hugely successful anime franchise spawned a merchandise empire that now has annual sales of approximately 78 billion yen ($ 758 million). The series is a sprawling science fiction epic in which humans control giant robots in a space war. While other representations of Gundam robots have been erected since 2009, the one in Yokohama is the result of the Gundam Global Challenge (GGC), an attempt to create a giant, full-size robot that can walk.

When it’s showtime, the Gundam robot appears to slowly step forward, bend its knees, and then get up on a launch pad for a rocket. Bathed in mist and dramatic light, it raises its arms while touching music fills the air. The 25-ton colossus appears to take off over the port city at dusk, but never leaves its supporting portal. The whole setup is a sophisticated sound and light show to create the illusion that the Gundam robot has been kind of brought to life. And that’s good enough for legions of fans who pay 1,650 yen ($ 16) to see it from the ground or 3,300 yen ($ 32) to access the portal.

“The sight of the 18-meter giant run was a surprise that I had never seen in my life,” says a Gundam fan, who is nicknamed Yokkun and asks for anonymity. “It’s like you’re a crew member on the [Gundam spaceship] White base. You won’t get bored no matter how many times you see it. Going up the tower for a close up is a must. “

“No one has ever seen an 18-meter-long Gundam statue move like this, and I think that’s very important,” said Yasuo Miyakawa, associate director of GGC and CEO of Bandai Namco, the nearly 700 million Gundam model kits The decades since the series debuted in 1979. “It’s a new form of entertainment, showing what was created in the anime – that is, the world that is seen in the videos – is closer to reality . “

In a message to the fans, director Tomino apologized that the huge machine could not run due to its large mass. Nevertheless, fans have come to see the “moving Gundam”, to take photos, to have something to eat in the hotel’s own café and of course to buy goods in the souvenir shop, which even sells model kits of the Yokohama Gundam and its portal. A showroom details how nine Japanese companies came together to build the robot, including contractor Kawada Group who assembled the portal, industrial robot manufacturer Yaskawa Electric who made the motors and control units, and engineering firm Nabtesco who made the reduction gears provided get the gundam moving.

Serve food, drink and laugh

Robots as a point of attraction for guests and tourists are establishing themselves in Asia. Tokyo’s Robot Restaurant was built in 2012 by the Morishita Group at a cost of around 10 billion yen ($ 125 million) and was regularly packed with tourists and locals seeing performers mess around with robotic dinosaurs, LED-lit tanks, and other gadgets a 90-minute cabaret with sensory overload.

While the coronavirus forced the temporary closure of the Robot Restaurant, other companies are mobilizing droids despite and even because of the pandemic. Last summer, a subsidiary of real estate developer Country Garden Holdings opened a restaurant complex in Guangdong Province, China, operated by 20 robots, some of which feature colorful designs and cartoonish faces. Aside from the novelty factor of being machine operated, the facility minimizes human contact and possible infection. In addition, the robots can prepare meals such as hot pot and pasta dishes from a menu with hundreds of choices in just 20 seconds. The company bills the 21,500-square-foot complex with a capacity for nearly 600 people as the world’s first of its kind and announced plans to expand it to produce around 5,000 restaurant robots per year.

In 2019, developers unveiled Gyeongnam Masan Robot Land in South Korea, to be marketed as the first robot theme park of its kind. Robot Land cost around $ 700 million to build and took 10 years to build. It offers 22 rides, 11 other facilities, research and development and convention centers, as well as around 250 robots that do everything from assembly line work to synchronized dances.

The entrance of Gyeongnam Masan Robot Land in South Korea.

Source: Star Networks

Robots also entertain people in much smaller spaces. Toy-like devices like Sony’s Aibo robot dog have won fans for decades, while SoftBank Robotics’ pintsized humanoid NAO, used in the Standard Platform League of the international RoboCup soccer tournament, also does stand-up comedy. Introduced during the pandemic, Moxie is a $ 1,499 tabletop robot embodied by the Californian startup that is designed to help children ages 5 to 10 develop their social skills through fun interaction. Backed by investors such as Amazon, Intel, Sony and Toyota, Embodied is led by Paolo Pirjanian, who said in a blog post by Toyota AI Ventures, “Moxie allows kids to play meaningful games every day with content informed about the best practices in the world child development and early childhood education. “

A humanoid NAO robot developed by Softbank Corp. subsidiary Aldebaran Robotics SA.

Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Large industrial robot manufacturers also rely on entertainment robots. The German KUKA produces industrial robot arms that can be used to assemble cars, trains, solar panels and other vehicles and infrastructures. But it has also worked with partners like Milan-based beverage maker Makr Shakr to create a fully automated cocktail bar called Toni. The two robot arms reach for beverage ingredients embedded in the ceiling, shake and stir before the finished cocktail is placed on the counter. Toni is considered the world’s first robot bar for the mass market and can serve up to 80 drinks an hour. Industrial robots can also be used for more hands-on experience.

“Our portfolio includes robot-based rides,” says spokeswoman Teresa Fischer, referring to the KUKA Coaster, which can whirl people around in the air. “Here, KUKA offers special robots that have been specially developed for the transport of passengers. They combine the options of action-packed entertainment with the high demands on safety when working with people. In this way, a wide variety of trips can be made to measure, for example in Amusement and theme parks. “

Joanne Pransky, a California-based robotics expert who helped KUKA launch the coaster, notes that many people already spend more time talking to a device than other people. She sees great potential for robots as entertainers.

“Worldwide, the acceptance and use of robotics has particularly catapulted due to Covid and the lack of available people,” says Pransky, who also claims to be the world’s first robotics psychiatrist. “The increasing public acceptance of robots, coupled with the exponential technological increase in the capabilities of robots, will result in societies becoming increasingly accustomed to robots entertaining them, which will further fuel the market for robot entertainment.”

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China Points New Guidelines Aimed toward Trump’s Sanctions

China Issues New Rules Aimed at Trump's Sanctions

China fired back against the Trump administration on Saturday with new rules that would punish global corporations for complying with Washington’s tightened restrictions on doing business with Chinese companies.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said the rules, which came into effect immediately, were intended to counter foreign laws that “unfairly prohibit or restrict” people or companies in China from doing normal business. She said her actions are necessary to protect China’s national sovereignty and security, and to protect the rights of Chinese citizens and corporations.

Although Chinese officials didn’t mention a specific country, the new rules could potentially put global corporations in the middle of the Washington-Beijing economic struggles. They could also send a signal to the future administration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., who ultimately has to decide whether to maintain, relax, or reconsider the Trump-era restrictions on Chinese companies.

As President Trump’s trade war against Chinese intensified, the Trump administration banned the sale of American technology to Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant, and other companies. Rules have also been passed punishing companies for their links with the Chinese military and for their involvement in Beijing’s surveillance and repression of predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in northwest China’s Xinjiang region.

The new rules, released on Saturday, would allow Chinese officials and corporations to push back those who comply with these U.S. limits. The Chinese measures allow government officials to issue orders that companies are not required to comply with certain foreign restrictions.

Chinese companies that suffer losses as a result of another party’s compliance with these laws can seek damages in Chinese courts, according to the Ministry of Commerce. Such a case would likely lead to a victory for a Chinese plaintiff, as China’s courts are ultimately responsible to the Communist Party.

“This basically puts a lot of big companies between a rock and a hard place as they have to choose either to comply with US sanctions or comply with Chinese rules,” said Henry Gao, a Singapore Management University law professor who specializes in international Specialized in trading. “And either way, they’re going to lose one of their biggest markets.”

Economy & Economy

Updated

Jan. 8, 2021, 4:48 p.m. ET

It is unclear whether global companies in China will be penalized for complying with US sanctions. Under the rules enacted on Saturday, companies could apply to the Department of Commerce for a waiver to comply with American restrictions. They also require Chinese officials to set up an interacting body to determine which foreign laws fall within their scope.

In addition, much of the language of the regulation released on Saturday was vague, giving the Chinese government and businesses leeway for compliance. Still, the threat could lead large American companies doing business in China to press Mr. Biden to ease restrictions on Chinese companies. Mr Biden has not said whether he intends to press ahead with Mr Trump’s punitive actions that have contributed to the most toxic China-United States relationship in decades.

“China wants to stop the new administration from behaving like Trump,” said Professor Gao.

Under Mr Trump, Chinese companies found their access to the American market increasingly restricted. The government has banned companies around the world from using American software or machines designed by Huawei to make chips. It has imposed sanctions and blacklisted Chinese companies for systematic human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

Earlier this week, under pressure from the Trump administration and members of Congress, the New York Stock Exchange removed three major state-owned telecommunications companies from the stock exchange to comply with an executive order aimed at halting American investment in EU-affiliated companies in the Chinese military.

The new rules come just days after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened additional sanctions against any person or organization involved in the recent round-up of dozens of pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong. It is not clear to what extent the new rules on restrictions might apply to Hong Kong, the Chinese city governed by its own laws but where Beijing has taken an increasingly stronger hand.

China has responded to American tariffs and sanctions with its own steps, but its actions have not been one-to-one. The United States is buying far more from China than it is selling to China, leaving Beijing with fewer opportunities to tax American goods.

The company also relies heavily on American products, including chips and software, and its economy depends in part on factories that manufacture goods for large American companies like Apple and General Motors.

Beijing has said little about its promise in 2019 to compile an “unreliable list” of foreign companies and individuals that could lead to further restrictions on business.

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Alex Trebek’s remaining ‘Jeopardy!’ episode contestant on host’s tenacity

Alex Trebek’s final ‘Jeopardy!’ episode contestant on host’s tenacity

What is “perseverance”? A word that the beloved “Jeopardy!” Hosts Alex Trebek and James Gilligan, a candidate on Trebek’s last episode.

Gilligan is an Assistant Professor of English Language and Literature at San Francisco State University who has tried to be a candidate on the iconic show for 30 years.

“I’ve tried it since I was sophomore,” Gilligan said during a Friday night interview about The News with Shepard Smith.

Trebek’s final episode airs Friday night. He hosted the show from 1984 for 37 seasons. He was near the end of his nearly two-year battle with pancreatic cancer when Gilligan taped the episode. Gilligan praised Trebek’s tenacity.

“It was pretty obvious he’d lost a step, but when the cameras started rolling he was the absolute pro,” said Gilligan. “This guy was a titan in the industry and never gave less than 100%. It was just amazing to see a level of performance he was able to achieve despite the struggle he was fighting.”

Trebek died on November 8, 2020 at the age of 80. A new, permanent host for “Jeopardy!” has not yet been named.

“Alex always insisted that he wasn’t the star of the show, that it was the game itself and that the entrants were the real draw and draw,” said Gilligan. “I think whoever hosts after him must have the same attitude.”

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A Week Into Brexit, the Ache for U.Okay. Companies Has Arrived

A Week Into Brexit, the Pain for U.K. Businesses Has Arrived

“The things that turn out to be problematic are the things that we expected to be problematic,” Ms. Jones said. “Merchandise is all about the speed and accuracy with which people prepare the right documents.”

Many UK companies – at least 150,000 according to the UK Tax Service – have never traded outside the European Union and therefore have no experience of dealing with customs systems.

The situation in Northern Ireland is an additional wrinkle. Northern Ireland will remain partially in the European Union’s internal market, an exception that avoids a border with the Republic of Ireland but creates a border in the Irish Sea. Logistics experts say Trader Support Service, a free government service that helps businesses fill out customs forms to ship goods from England, Wales and Scotland to Northern Ireland, is overwhelmed.

Some companies anticipated cross-border problems with Europe and stocked up on stocks – such as auto parts and pharmaceuticals – before the end of the Brexit transition period. This has kept cross-border shipments at a fraction of their normal levels. In the next few weeks, when these stocks run out, business will pick up and delays exacerbated.

Another new problem facing large retailers with international locations is “rules of origin” which determine whether a product leaving the UK is “British enough” to qualify for duty free trade with the European Union. International retailers using UK locations as distribution centers are now finding that they cannot automatically re-export their products to their stores in the European Union without paying tariffs – even if the product is off the block.

For example, a company could not import jeans from Bangladesh or cheese from France into a hub in England and then forward it to a store in Ireland without export duties. The UK retail consortium said at least 50 of its members have faced such tariffs. Debenhams, a large but now bankrupt department store chain, has closed its Irish website due to confusion over trading rules.

As companies strive to catch up on the rule changes, what is Britain doing with the sovereignty and freedom it secured before leaving the European Union? The government has to decide how much it wants to deviate from the European rules, where it might want to deregulate and whether it wants to pay the price.

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Prosecutors allege Theranos fraud fueled Elizabeth Holmes’ way of life

Prosecutors allege Theranos fraud fueled Elizabeth Holmes' lifestyle

Billionaire Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of Theranos Inc., and Christian Holmes come to a state dinner hosted by US President Barack Obama and US First Lady Michelle Obama in honor of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on Tuesday April 28th, 2015.

Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Prosecutors paint a picture of what the public saw: a billionaire entrepreneur who donned designer labels with her black turtlenecks and rubbed shoulders with world leaders.

But like the Hall of Mirrors at Carnival, everything was just an illusion, according to the government.

Elizabeth Holmes intended to use Theranos “as an instrument to improve her personal situation,” the prosecutor wrote in a request to the court on Friday evening.

“The causal link between the defendant’s fraud and the benefits in question is strong,” the government said.

Holmes and her COO, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, face a dozen fraud charges each. If convicted, they can spend up to 20 years in prison.

As Theranos CEO, prosecutors said Holmes led an extravagant lifestyle that included “traveling by private jets, staying at luxury hotels and having access to multiple assistants.”

“Although the defendant’s assistant was an employee of the company, she did a variety of non-business tasks for the defendant, including shopping for personal clothing and jewelry, decorating homes, buying groceries and groceries, and other items,” said the government in one file.

The government’s motion was in response to efforts by Holmes’ attorneys to prevent the jury from finding out details about their jet setting lifestyle.

The government intends to produce evidence that the alleged fraud at Theranos is directly related to the money and fame Holmes has gained as the CEO of Theranos.

Prosecutors wrote that Holmes was “the object of admiration in the local and national business community and has appeared in numerous publications and on television. She has been associated with influential figures such as politicians and business leaders. The evidence in the trial will show these benefits for.” mattered to the defendants, who watched the daily news closely to maintain their image. “

Holmes was a Silicon Valley favorite, attracting more than $ 700 million in investor money.

“In addition to the specific benefits she received from her fraud, she has also benefited from a great deal of positive attention from the media, business leaders and dignitaries,” the prosecutor wrote.

The motion comes the same night that Holmes’ lawyers claim their failed firm is no different from any other Silicon Valley start-up trying to make a name for itself.

The government “is calling for an order preventing the defense from focusing on the Silicon Valley start-up culture, arguing that founders in this area often use exaggeration and dramatic promises to get the attention they need for their businesses generate and attract capital, “the court said of Holmes lawyers.

Her lawyers argue that evidence related to the culture of Silicon Valley startups may be relevant to the case: “For example, the government intends to produce evidence of certain practices that the government claims they have in Theranos A culture of ‘secrecy’ created to show that Ms. Holmes was hiding alleged fraud. “

“While Ms. Holmes has tried to rule out such evidence, Ms. Holmes, if admitted, could certainly provide evidence that other Silicon Valley startups have used similar practices and that people at Theranos were aware of these practices.”

Holmes will face their fate in July. When she appeared on Zoom, she sometimes looked grumpy, a sharp contrast to the image she had once projected onto the world.