9.17.2015
Good to Know: Science is cool, and using your knowledge to build things is even cooler. Breaking someone else’s spirit and alleged discriminatory behavior – not cool! Sudanese-American Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year old, built a clock and brought it to his Irving, Texas high school. Then, he got arrested because school officials thought it was a bomb. Soon, the word spread, the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed started trending, and now President Obama, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and MIT want to meet him and his clock. Turning lemons into some pretty sweet lemonade. Keep building, kids!
THE SKINNY
I’m Sorry, Something Came Up …
Last night, we witnessed the second round of debate among Republican presidential hopefuls. Many, many things were said including candidates’ thoughts on foreign policy, particularly on the United States’ (U.S.) relationship with China. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker thought it would be appropriate for President Obama to cancel next week’s State dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but others disagreed. Bottom line – Jinping is still set to arrive in the U.S. next week for the dinner with President Obama.
Count Them In …
Jinping and other Chinese officials will be State side not only to dine with President Obama but also to meet with U.S. business leaders including Warren Buffet and Apple’s Tim Cook. They have requests.
What Are Those?
It’s been a tough business environment for U.S. tech companies in China. The Chinese government wants these companies to commit to certain policies. Some requirements include companies offering “secure and controllable” products. Reading between the lines, this could be a way for the Chinese government to easily access Internet users’ information. China also wants companies to keep their data within the country and to do no harm to its national security. All these rules!
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
I Ain’t Scared of No Ghost …
And by ghost, we really mean self-driving cars. Uber’s CEO Travis Kalanick isn’t concerned about them. In fact, his attitude towards them is quite the opposite. Kalanick said he does not want to be like taxis who have been less than receptive to innovation and thinks these cars would only bring social good (e.g., reducing about 30,000 annual deaths that happen on the road). No word yet from Kalanick on how Uber drivers would fit into a world of driverless cars. In the meantime, he’s still on a mission to make every car in San Francisco an Uber. While he works on that, Lyft and Chinese rival Didi Kuaidi (Didi) are cooking up something else. Uber’s two competitors have formed an alliance or an exchange program, if you will. If you use Lyft and ever visit China, you’re welcome to use Didi during your visit. And, Lyft will return the favor to Didi users who visit the U.S. Well played.
Don’t Ever Stand in the Way of True Love…
Two of your favorite travel sites, Expedia and Orbitz, want to be together, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is getting out of their way. The DOJ’s Antitrust division is typically responsible for making sure that when companies merge, it won’t harm consumers’ wallets among other things. The federal agency is not intervening in Expedia’s $1.3 billion purchase of Orbitz because it found that the travel industry is always changing, competition from companies like Priceline will still exist, and there likely won’t be new charges to consumers. As long as we don’t have to pay extra fees for travel, we could support this too.
The Streets Are Talkin’
Pinterest just reached a huge milestone and wants everyone to know about it. The company just hit 100 million monthly active users.
Monday Night Football and Snaps? The National Football League is Team Snapchat. The popular app and the NFL want fans to share Snap “stories” about their stadium experiences with the world.
Project Aura – FKA Google Glass.
ABC News is trying something new with virtual reality.