Aug 16th 2023
This Week in Google 729
Waffle Party
Robotaxi victory in California, broadcast TV in trouble, Chrome Topics, Google Hotel
Records live every Wednesday at 5:00pm Eastern / 2:00pm Pacific / 21:00 UTC.
- Google's updates to NFL Sunday Ticket, including flexible billing, student plans, live chat, polls, and more
- Linear TV viewing falling below 50% for the first time
- Streaming gaining more market share, but subscription costs rising
- Congressional inquiry into harmful data broker practices
- Google using AI to generate key points in web pages
- Google considering allowing AI summaries directly in search results
- YouTube cracking down on videos promoting ineffective cancer cures
- Google Photos getting AI-powered auto-generated titles and organization
- Google Slides enabling presenters to draw and annotate while presenting
- Changes coming to YouTube Shorts, including blocking links to combat spam
- Google's hotel for employees during COVID now offering discounted rates as they push back towards in-office work
- California allowing self-driving cars to operate in San Francisco 24/7, leading to traffic jams
- Google eliminating many of its private label consumer product brands due to poor sales and distrust
- Internet Archive being sued by record labels for digitizing and hosting out of print 78rpm records
- Update on researcher Joan Donovan's firing from Harvard and new role at Boston University
- Proposal for new rules regulating data brokers under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
- Analysis of surveillance capitalism and its effects on society
- Discussion on public distrust of medical institutions and ""elite"" doctors
- Speculation on Elon Musk's erratic behavior on Twitter including visiting Mark Zuckerberg's house
- Review of the movie Oppenheimer and how its portrayal connects to the ethical dilemmas of technology
- Several lighter topics including bollards on Twitter, introducing grandparents to TikTok, and AI-generated poetry
Picks:
- Stacey - Homey Pro
- Jeff - She introduced Grandpa to TikTok
- Ant - Better Smartphone Photography with Lisa Carney at Donner Lake
- Ant - In-Person or Online: How You Can Support Maui Wildfire Relief
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Links
- NFL Sunday Ticket gets student plans, flexible billing, live chat and more | TechCrunch
- Boston University hires disinformation expert Joan Donovan after Harvard dismissal
- Elon Musk's Twitter throttles links to Threads, Blue Sky and New York Times - The Washington Post
- Broadcast, Cable Hit Lows in July 2023 TV Platform Rankings – The Hollywood Reporter
- Streaming prices soar
- Chrome’s “Topics” advertising system is here, whether you want it or not | Ars Technica
- CFPB to crack down on data brokers, Chopra says at White House event
- A New Role for Werner Herzog: the Voice of A.I. Poetry
- Martin Shkreli (e/acc) on Twitter
- Robotaxis score a huge victory in California with approval to operate 24/7 - The Verge
- Music labels sue Internet Archive over digitized record collection | Reuters
- Amazon Cuts Dozens of House Brands as It Battles Costs, Regulators - WSJ
- YouTube Music rolling out new 'Samples' feed
- YouTube starts mass takedowns of videos promoting ‘harmful or ineffective’ cancer cures - The Verge
- Google's latest AI trick is summarizing long web pages | Engadget
- Google Photos debuts new way to view Memories curated by AI
- Homey Pro
- She introduced Grandpa to TikTok
- Better Smartphone Photography with Lisa Carney at Donner Lake
- Support Maui Residents - It's NOT a Scam