Significance friday 13th

Serial 1, the electric bike company spun out of Harley-Davidson, launched its second-generation lineup of premium e-bikes — but the biggest changes will be coming to the company’s app. The updated bikes will come with a host of new software features provided by Serial 1’s new partnership with Google Cloud. The company says that Google Cloud has selected Serial 1 as its new “strategic eMobility partner,” meaning the e-bike maker will be among the first to integrate Google’s software products into its vehicles. The software-enabled e-bikes will allow owners to track their trips, collect data, and “significantly improve safety and security,” Serial 1 says. It reflects a trend in the e-bike industry to install bikes with cloud-connected software as an additional selling point. The centerpiece of the new partnership will be the Serial 1 app, in which owners can see turn-by-turn navigation, collect ride data, and control security features on their bike. Serial 1 is promising more … [Read more...] about Harley-Davidson’s updated Serial 1 e-bikes will feature Google Cloud connectivity

More than half of all homes, 56 percent, in the contiguous 48 states face at least some wildfire risk in the next few decades, according to a first-of-its-kind report published today by the nonprofit research organization First Street Foundation. First Street gave each address in the continental US a rating between one to 10, with one representing close to no risk and 10 representing a 36 percent or more likelihood that a property could be caught up in a wildfire sometime during the next three decades. More than 20 million properties across the continental US are threatened by at least “moderate” wildfire risk. Those homes have up to a 6 percent chance of being in a blaze at some point over a 30-year timespan, the typical timeframe for a home mortgage. Even a 1 percent chance of being in a wildfire is worth taking seriously. In comparison, the federal government considers an area with a 1 percent chance of flooding in a given year as a “ Special Flood Hazard Area ” on … [Read more...] about Over half of US properties face at least some wildfire risk

United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) — the second-largest local teachers union in the country — urged members not to post spring break travel photos that could undermine its position that schools should remain closed, according to screenshots published by a local news reporter. In a purported private Facebook group of union members, an activist appears to warn members not to rub pictures in the faces of frustrated parents: NEW: In a leaked post from a private Facebook group for UTLA union members only, teachers are warned not to post on social media if they go on spring break vacations because the optics would be bad for them while UTLA is refusing to return to "unsafe" in-person schooling @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/KxQc7k450T — Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) March 9, 2021 “Friendly reminder,” the alleged post, exposed by Bill Melugin of Fox LA, began, “If you are planning any trips for Spring Break, please keep that off social media. It is hard to argue that it is unsafe for … [Read more...] about Report: Teachers Union Urges Members to Not Post Spring Break Pics

A leader of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) wants kids to remain out of the classroom because schools are “unsafe,” but she made the claims in the midst of a sunny vacation in Puerto Rico. Sarah Chambers, who WGN said is on the union’s executive board and an area vice president and claimed she “led four strikes,” is opposed to schools returning to in-person learning on Monday. Chambers made several posts on Twitter this week attacking the plan. “Just a few hours earlier, Chambers posted a picture on Instagram that appears to show her pool side in Puerto Rico and talking about going to Old San Juan for seafood,” WGN reported. In a post on Instagram — on an account that has now been made private — Chambers wrote, “Spending the last day of 2020 by the poolside. We have the whole pool to ourselves. Then, we are going to old San Juan to get some yummy seafood mofongo.” On Twitter, Chambers identified herself as a “socialist.” “We have an entire private Airbnb house to … [Read more...] about Teachers Union Leader Resists Schools Reopening from Island Vacation

NEW DELHI: Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Wednesday said it expects to reach the target average revenue per user of Rs 300 in five years while the next tariff hike, which is pending this year, will help the company cross Rs 200 mark. Bharti Airtel India and South Asia MD and CEO Gopal Vittal during an investor call said that the company was able to gain 4G customers even as the shortage of electronic chips led to an increase in the prices of smartphones. The postpaid customer base crossed the 20 crore mark. "My own sense is that we should start seeing some tariff increases during the course of this year. I do believe that the tariffs at that level are still very low. The first port of call is to get to Rs 200 which will require at least one round of tariff increase," Vittal said. Airtel 's ARPU, a key metric for all telcos, came in at Rs 178 for the quarter, up from Rs 145 in March 2021 quarter "led by healthy flow-through of tariff revision and strong … [Read more...] about vittal: Next tariff hike to help Airtel cross Rs 200 ARPU mark, says Gopal Vittal

Twitter Inc published its account on Tuesday of its deal negotiations with Elon Musk , showing he opted out of asking the questions about the social media company's business he has now cited in declaring the $44 billion acquisition is "on hold." The account, published in Twitter's proxy statement that outlines what shareholders need to know to vote on the deal, paints a picture of Musk in a rush to clinch a deal with his "best and final" offer. Musk negotiated the Twitter deal over the weekend of April 23 and April 24 without carrying out any due diligence, the proxy statement shows. Since signing the deal on April 25, Musk has questioned the accuracy of Twitter's public filings about spam accounts representing less than 5% of its user base, claiming they must be at least 20%. This is despite Twitter stating in its filings that the numbers could be higher than it estimates. Independent researchers have projected that 9% to 15% of the millions of Twitter … [Read more...] about musk: Twitter’s account of deal shows Musk signing without asking for more info

Bharti Airtel ’s CEO Gopal Vittal said that the reduction in 5G reserve prices has not been adequate and termed the development as “disappointing”. He said that Airtel ’s 5G auction strategy will depend on the final reserve price finalized by the government “As you are aware, TRAI recently announced the long-awaited recommendations for reserve prices for the next spectrum auction. The industry had hoped for a massive reduction in prices. While there has been a reduction, it has not been adequate and is in that sense disappointing. I will not comment on our strategy and approach since it is dependent on the final reserve price finalized by the government,” Vittal said during the earnings call speech. Vittal claimed that Airtel is “fully ready for 5G” with its core network, radio network and transport network being fully future proofed. “In our transport network, the power of our home broadband business is now enabling us to connect more and more towers … [Read more...] about gopal vittal: 5G auction strategy to depend on final reserve price finalized by govt: Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal

Ashwini Vaishnaw exhorted the international delegates to look actively at Indian 4G and 5G technology stacks, and assured that these will be "good on cost, and on quality". India own 5G stack will be ready around September-October, Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday as he urged nations to look actively at these indigenous telecom stacks for cost and quality advantage. Speaking at an event organised by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ( TRAI ), the minister said India's indigenous telecom stacks mark "big fundamental technological advancements". The Minister also noted that bridging the digital divide has become even more crucial in a world where technology is playing a key role in economic development, and added the Government is directing all its efforts to ensure inclusive growth. "5G stack is also very much in good, advanced stage...by somewhere in September-October India's own 5G stack will be ready," Vaishnaw … [Read more...] about Ashwini Vaishnaw: India’s own 5G stack to be ready by Sept-Oct: Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

More than two dozen groups have urged the US Supreme Court to block a Texas law that prohibits large social media companies from moderating content based on a user's "viewpoint." The Texas law, HB20 , "results in blatant violations of the First Amendment rights of platform providers," said a Supreme Court brief filed yesterday . The law taking effect means that "chaos will ensue online with disastrous and irreparable consequences," the brief said, continuing: With platforms unable to effectively moderate scammers, messages preying on vulnerable populations, including the elderly, will proliferate online. The uptick of this content will predictably result in yet more people being tricked into sending money to scammers or disclosing financial information, leading to identity theft and financial ruin. Platforms will be powerless to regulate speech praising terrorists and those who engage in murderous campaigns, with horrendous potential ramifications if even a single person … [Read more...] about Texas social media law will cause “chaos” online, Supreme Court is told

The Universe's first galaxies are thought to have formed at sites where a lot of dark matter coalesced, providing the gravitational pull to draw in enough regular matter to create stars. And, to date, it's impossible to explain the behavior of almost all the galaxies we've observed without concluding that they have a significant dark matter component. Almost, but not all. Recently, a handful of galaxies have been identified that are dim and diffuse, and appear to have relatively little dark matter. For a while, these galaxies couldn't be explained, raising questions about whether the observations had provided an accurate picture of their composition. However, researchers recently identified one way the galaxies could form : A small galaxy could be swallowed by a larger one that keeps the dark matter and spits out the stars. Now, a second option has been proposed, based on the behavior of dark matter in a galaxy cluster. This model may explain a series of objects found near the … [Read more...] about A collision strips dark matter, starts star formation