Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97
Tom Lehrer, a song satirist who gained a popular following in the 1950s and ’60s lampooning marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War, and then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching math at Harvard and other universities, has died at 97. His songs included “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” “The Old Dope Peddler,” “Be Prepared” in which he mocked the Boy Scouts and “The Vatican Rag,” in which Lehrer poked at the rites and ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church. But he attacked in such an erudite, even polite, manner that almost no one objected. Longtime friend David Herder said Lehrer died Saturday at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Denmark launches robotic sailboats for surveillance in Baltic and North Seas
Four uncrewed robotic sailboats known as “Voyagers” have been put into service by the Danish Armed Forces for a three-month operational trial. They are built by California-based Saildrone. The vessels will patrol Danish and NATO waters in the Baltic and North seas where maritime tensions and suspected sabotage have escalated sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Two of the Voyagers launched Monday from Koge Marina. The location is about 40 kilometers or 25 miles south of Copenhagen. The vessels are powered by wind and solar energy. They can operate autonomously for months at sea. Saildrone says the vessels carry advanced sensor suites like radar, infrared and optical cameras, sonar and acoustic monitoring.
Federal cuts disrupt repairs on two of America's most iconic trails
Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail that runs through three western states is already challenging. Now the grueling journey may become even tougher this year due to federal cuts. Over a year’s worth of trail work to clear downed trees and rebuild stretches of the Pacific Crest Trail has been canceled, while similar repairs have been disrupted for the Appalachian Trail. Wildfires and hurricanes already were taking a toll on America's two legendary trails that are used by millions each year. Now the associations overseeing the paths say cuts in grant money and the Trump administration's downsizing of the federal workforce threaten their very existence.
3 killed, 1 seriously injured in Tesla Cybertruck crash in Northern California
Three people were killed and one seriously injured when a Tesla Cybertruck crashed and caught fire in Northern California. Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers says speed was likely a factor in the single-vehicle collision early Wednesday. The chief says authorities would continue to investigate the circumstances of the tragedy. The Cybertruck has been on sale for about a year. It has been recalled six times for safety problems, most recently on Nov. 5 because a fault in an electric inverter can cause the drive wheels to lose power. Bowers says mechanical failure does not appear to be a factor in the crash.
Austrian activist Schrems wins privacy case against Meta over personal data on sexual orientation
The European Union’s top court has said that social media company Meta can’t use public information about a user’s sexual orientation obtained outside its platforms for personalized advertising under the bloc’s strict data privacy rules. Friday's decision from the Court of Justice of the European Union is a victory for Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems. He's been a thorn in the side of Big Tech companies over their compliance with 27-nation bloc’s data privacy rules. Schrems had complained that Facebook had processed personal data including information about his sexual orientation to target him with online advertising, even though he had never disclosed on his account that he was gay.
Austrian activist Schrems wins privacy case against Meta over personal data on sexual orientation
The European Union’s top court has said that social media company Meta can’t use public information about a user’s sexual orientation obtained outside its platforms for personalized advertising under the bloc’s strict data privacy rules. Friday's decision from the Court of Justice of the European Union is a victory for Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems. He's been a thorn in the side of Big Tech companies over their compliance with 27-nation bloc’s data privacy rules. Schrems had complained that Facebook had processed personal data including information about his sexual orientation to target him with online advertising, even though he had never disclosed on his account that he was gay.
California companies wrote their own gig worker law. Now no one is enforcing it
Nearly four years after California voters approved better wages and health benefits for ride-hailing drivers and delivery workers, no one is actually ensuring they are provided. That's according to state agencies, interviews with workers and a review of wage claims filed with the state. The state Industrial Relations Department says it doesn't have jurisdiction anymore due to a California Supreme Court ruling that upheld the law and maintains that gig workers aren't employees. That effectively passes enforcement responsibility to the state attorney general, whose office was noncommittal when asked about its plans. Workers have filed 54 claims related to the law since it went into effect in December 2020. State records show at least 32 are unresolved.
Mark Zuckerberg: White House pressured Facebook over COVID-19 content
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says senior Biden administration officials pressured Facebook to “censor” some COVID-19 content during the pandemic. He vowed that the social media giant would push back if it faced such demands again. Zuckerberg sent a letter to Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee. Zuckerberg alleges that the officials, including those from the White House, “repeatedly pressured” Facebook for months to take down “certain COVID-19 content including humor and satire.” In response, the White House said in a statement that it was confronted with a deadly pandemic, and the administration was encouraging “responsible actions to protect public health and safety.”
How schools think they can win the battle against cell phones
Students are struggling to stay engaged in class at a time of poor mental health, shortened attention spans, reduced attendance and worsening grades. At the crux of these challenges? Addiction to cell phones. Cell phone bans are gaining traction around the country, but many say they’re not enough. They argue for alternative forms of stimulation: steering students into the outdoors or toward extracurricular activities to fill up time they might otherwise spend alone on their phones. And students need outlets, they say, to speak freely about taboo topics they’d otherwise discuss only behind the anonymity of their cell phone screens.
Judge tells Google to brace for shakeup of Android app store as punishment for running a monopoly
A federal judge has indicated he will order major changes in Google’s Android app store. It's to punish the company for engineering a system that a jury declared an illegal monopoly that has hurt millions of consumers and app developers. Over the course of a three-hour hearing in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge James Donato made it clear that the forthcoming shake-up will probably include a mandate requiring Google’s Play Store for Android phones offer consumers a choice to download alternative app stores. The judge said he hopes to issue an order within the next few weeks, possibly before Labor Day weekend.
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