Tech Related Coronavirus News
Local councils request to keep warrantless access to metadata for issuing fines
Google releases Podcast app for iOS and updates iOS Google Assistant app
Cut your CO2 emissions by cutting your code
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European telcos Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Orange and Telefonica, Telecom Italia , Telenor, Telia and A1 Telekom met with the EU and said they'll "share mobile phone location data with the European Commission to track the spread of the coronavirus".
When I read that Apple and Facebook and other tech companies donated millions of N95 masks to hospitals, I wondered why the hell they had so many. Apparently Californian companies are required by law to have a two week supply for all workers in the event of wildfires.
Telsa will be opening its New York factory (where they make the solar roof tiles), so it can manufacture ventilators developed by Medtronic. Ford, GE and GM have been enlisted to do the same.
Plex has been helping some San Francisco schools broadcast pre-recorded educational videos to students stuck at home. They've also made the Live TV feature of Plex Pass free (but not the DVR functionality) so you can stream live TV around your home or remotely to users on your Plex server.
Foxtel's unlocked pretty much everything except the movie and sport channels and uncapped their broadband plans. They also made multi-screen available free until May 31st.
Aussie Broadband's boss Phil Britt doesn't reckon the NBN will shit the bed any time soon but does think peak time (6pm-10pm) could be a challenge if more people are forced to isolate.
Telstra have stopped porting landline numbers for the next few weeks because its Indian call-centre can't operate due to strong lockdowns over there to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Local councils are keen to keep sucking at the metadata tit, begging in a parliamentary submission to retain warrantless access to the massive cache of metadata telcos collect on us. They have the audacity to suggest that the relatively minor crimes of "illegal dumping, removal of trees, traffic offenses, etc" deserve unfetted access to every Australian's metadata. The metadata retention program was supposed to be for serious crimes, not someone cutting down a tree. The fact they have access to the metadata in the first place is a loophole and should be closed up.
Google has thrown iOS users a bit of love the past 24 hours, updating the Google Assistant app to match the look and feel of its superior (for obvious reasons) Android counterpart. The main change is the Snapshot feed, that "organizes a variety of information using chronological cards" like weather and calendar reminders. It also ties in to Google Podcasts, which finally got a dedicated iOS app. I'm guessing the reason you'd use Google Podcasts is for better integration with your Google voice assistant stuff? Like saying "Hey Google resume playing Planet Money" and it'll pick up where you left off after getting out of the car or whatever?
Danny van Kooten saved 59,000kg of CO2 a month by simply removing 20kb of JavaScript in his WordPress plugin Mailchimp for WordPress, used by over 2 million sites. To put that into perspective, a Toyota Yaris driven 15,000km a year would emit 2,300kg of CO2 (in Europe). That simple code change is equivalent to removing 25 cars from the road every month - over 300 a year. The math is laid out there for all to see (too long to summarise here) and I have no reason to believe it's bullshit. If anything, dirtier grids than Europe (i.e: Australia) would make the effect more profound.
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