Public restrooms reduce waits by learning from parking garages
What’s the worst part of attending a sporting event or concert in person? It’s definitely the lines, right? There’s the line to get in, another to nab snacks and a beer, then yet another to use the loo. Well, restroom wait times are getting drastically reduced at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles thanks to a new stall indicator system from Tooshlights (yes, that’s really the name). Inspired by the city’s parking space lights in its garages, the company is applying the same logic to public restrooms at arenas and music venues — with the aforementioned amphitheater being the first installation. For places like the Bowl with long rows of stalls in its bathrooms, the tech ensures attendees don’t overlook open stalls, contributing to missed action outside. In addition to the red and green lighting scheme, Tooshlights is also working on a software component that can be piped into a venue’s app, showing where the shortest lines are around the facility. As you might expect, it also monitors use, alerting staff that a toilet being avoided at halftime may be in need of attention.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Forbes
Massachusetts Supreme Court says it can order you to decrypt your computer
Say you get arrested, your computer is seized and state wants to peek at the encrypted data hidden away on your machine’s hard drive. Can it force you to decrypt your computer? Traditionally, the answer has been no: courts have previously ruled that ordering a defendant to decrypt their data was tantamount to self-incrimination — a violation of their 5th amendments rights. The Massachusetts Supreme Court sees things differently, and has recently ordered a defendant to decrypt his machine because the pertinent data’s presence on the computer was a “foregone conclusion.” In other words, if the police already know the data they are looking for is there, it doesn’t count as new testimony and is not protected by the 5th amendment.
The state’s argument seems largely based on the defendant’s own statements. When Leon Gelfgatt was arrested under suspicion of mortgage fraud he told state troopers that everything on his computers was encrypted and that “no one is going to get to it.” He also explained that he was capable of decrypting this data, but refused to. According to the Supreme Court, this made the presence of encrypted data and the existence of a decryption key a “foregone conclusion,” and won’t tell the government anything it didn’t already know. The ruling seems a little bit slippery though — of course the government already knows that there are encrypted documents on the computer, but it doesn’t know what those documents contain, which leaves proponents of digital privacy rights uncomfortable with the supreme court ruling.
While this ruling only applies to the state of Massachusetts, it’s a major strike against privacy advocates. For the rest of the country, the burden of decrypting seized data still falls on the burden of of authorities, but the larger issue is still up for debate in the higher courts. This certainly won’t be the last we hear of it.
[Image credit: Shutterstock]
Filed under: Software
Source: Document Cloud, Ars Technica
The Associated Press welcomes its robot journalist overlords
Robots are cool and all, but they’re just mere toys until they start doing things like reporting the news, right? (Okay, we may be looking at the prospect somewhat selfishly.) Fortunately, that’s already starting to take place — to a degree. In July, the Associated Press will begin using an automated service capable of churning out up to 4,400 business stories. With the help of a company called Automated Insights, these articles will include numerous pieces on quarterly earnings reports, which in theory should free up the humans to do the deeper stuff, such as pieces on why the numbers actually matter and what the executives say during their calls to investors.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of services producing automated content for publications. The AP has relied on the tech for piecing together sports stories in the past, while Yahoo uses Automated Insights to put together some of its fantasy sports material. The Guardian has also “hired” an automated Editor-in-Chief to curate the best articles for its monthly print edition in the US — and that’s not even the first time the publication has adopted such services to automate content. So today’s announcement isn’t necessarily groundbreaking tech in the strictest sense, but it’s an indication that more publications will begin relying on automated material more often. This is great news for newspapers and online media trying to cut costs and produce more content, though admittedly many human journalists may worry about being replaced; however, AP Managing Editor Lou Ferrara insists that robots are merely complementing them, giving Homo Sapiens the opportunity to shift their focus to more meaningful writing.
Source: Poynter
B&O to release its own celebrity-endorsed headphones with DJ Khaled
Beats has Dr. Dre and a host of artists and popular athletes sporting its headphones. Soul and SMS Audio both have a stable of recognizable users as well. Now, high-end audio outfit Bang & Olufsen are joining the endorsement fray with DJ Khaled. Announcing the new endeavor on his Instagram account, the rapper/producer revealed a trio of color options — some of which are quite the departure from B&O’s usual aesthetics — but few details. “I take pride in crafting a sound based on time, care and, most importantly, the best quality sound on the planet,” says DJ Khaled. Of course, we’ll have to wait until the new BeoPlay H6s arrive before we can determine for sure if all he does is in fact win. The regular cans are already priced at $399, so we’d surmise the upcoming offerings would hit the wallet for larger investment. If this inaugural release doesn’t appeal to you, more artist collaborations are on the way in the near future.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video
Apple to Launch Annual ‘Back to School’ Promotion Tomorrow
Apple is gearing up to begin its annual “Back to School” promotion in the United States and other countries on Tuesday, July 1, offering iTunes Store/App Store gift cards to students that purchase a Mac, iPad, or iPhone.
According to a source who spoke to MacRumors, Apple’s 2014 Back to School promotion will be similar to the 2013 promotion, providing students with a $100 App Store gift card for the purchase of a new Mac or a $50 App Store gift card with the purchase of an iPad or iPhone.
2013 Back to School Retail Display
In the past, all iPhones, iPads, and Macs have been eligible for the promotion, with the exception of the Mac mini. The 2013 promotion was available in the following countries, with varying gift card amounts, and the 2014 promotion is likely to be similar: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.
Apple is expected to decorate its retail stores with new window displays overnight, adjusting signage and other aspects of store layouts, and Apple has indeed scheduled an overnight refresh of its store visuals tonight, as reported by 9to5Mac earlier this month.
Apple’s Back to School promotion is held at different times throughout the year in different countries to correspond to various educational calendars, but the summer program is typically the company’s largest as it encompasses the United States, Canada, and Europe.
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