New York Attorney General says most Airbnb rentals in NYC violate the law

The legality of Airbnb rentals in New York City have been under fire for awhile now, and the city just fired another volley: New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has released a report titled “Airbnb in the city,” and it’s not particularly favorable. The report claims that 72-percent of all private short-term rentals (read: Airbnb rentals) are illegal — specifically because they were rentals for an “entire/home apartment” for terms of less than a month. The report explains that these kinds of rentals probably should be paying hotel occupancy taxes, and estimates that the city has lost $33 million in tax revenue as a result of the illegal Airbnb rentals. Worse, the report says, a small contingent of hosts seem to be using Airbnb to run illegal hotels.

Although most of the violators appear to be average users operating one or two rentals at most, six-percent of the city’s hosts were labeled as “commercial users” running multimillion dollar businesses. Despite being such a small contingent of the host population, this group’s revenue accounts for 37-percent of all Airbnb earnings in the city. The most egregious violator is said to have leased out 272 units during the review period. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is taking the report very seriously, and has already filed a lawsuit against the owners of two apartment buildings in Manhattan. The lawsuit asserts that the brothers have been renting out the buildings as an illegal hotel, exclusively using its apartments for short-term rentals under 30-days.

The mayor’s office says that the city isn’t directly attacking Airbnb, bur rather owners who are operating illegal hotels that pose “serious health and safety problems.” The city also clarified that while the owners of the buildings in question have used Airbnb as a past, the site banned them before the legal action started — meaning they were probably among the 2,000 listings that weren’t “providing a quality, local experience to guests.” Either way, the Attorney General’s report is probably a good thing to read if you’re leasing a room through Airbnb in New York. Care for a look? You’ll find it right here.

Filed under: Misc

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Via: Gothamist (1), (2)

Source: NY AG

X-ray machine used to disappoint ‘Star Wars’ fan

Back in the day, British Star Wars fans could send off for a figurine enclosed in an opaque white box. Of course, if you wanted to peek at whatever was hidden inside, you’d have to open the packaging, which would take a massive chunk off the value. Without it, however, you’d never know what was inside, with toys ranging from standard-issue models through to ultra-rare Boba Fett pieces that are now worth around $8,000. UK collector Dave Moss paid just $8 for one such box, and began to wonder if it was possible to peek inside using more modern methods.

An online appeal put him in touch with Rob Burman (pictured) from Collectors Gazette who decided to contact the University of Nottingham to see if it could help. It turns out that the Hounsfield Facility has some super-powerful CT scanners, which are usually used to study the roots of plants while they remain undisturbed in soil. It wasn’t a big leap to make between roots in soil and a toy in a box, and it wasn’t long before the university was scanning the package. On the upside, the hardware was able to visualize a detailed 3D image of the piece, but on the downside, it was a regular ol’ Emperor figure that’s only worth around $50. Still, Dave Moss isn’t complaining now that the mystery has been solved, but we’re left to wondering what would have happened to Erwin Schrödinger and his imperiled cat had the tech been around way back in 1935.

[Image Credit: The Hounsfield Facility / University of Nottingham]

Filed under: Misc, Science

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Via: The Independent

Source: Nottingham University

TalkAndroid Daily Dose for October 17, 2014

With hectic schedules, it can be hard to keep track of everything in your news feed. That’s why we created the TalkAndroid Daily Dose. This is where we recap the day’s hottest stories so you can get yourself up to speed in quick fashion. Happy reading!!

Android TV

Nexus 9 and Nexus Player are now up for pre-order in the Google Play Store

Apps

Firefox Beta update brings ‘tab casting’ & more!

Twitter adding suggested Tweets to the timeline based on user interest

Swiftkey updates for Halloween with spooky new themes

Carriers

According to a new FCC filing, Sprint will carry the Galaxy Note Edge

T-Mobile Galaxy Note 4 receiving minor update

Moto X now $50 on-contract with Verizon

Chromebooks

Samsung’s Intel-based Chromebook 2 availability and pricing announced

Deals

Expansys now offering refurbished Nexus 4 from $149

Gaming

Ghostbusters-themed Fruit Ninja update hits the Play Store just in time for Halloween

Google

Nexus device packaging to get new look

Phones

Moto X now $50 on-contract with Verizon

Expansys now offering refurbished Nexus 4 from $149

T-Mobile Galaxy Note 4 receiving minor update

According to a new FCC filing, Sprint will carry the Galaxy Note Edge

Sony Xperia Z4 to be a hardware juggernaut according to tipster

Smartwatches

Google Play lists Sony SmartWatch 3 as “coming soon”

Tablets

Nexus 9 and Nexus Player are now up for pre-order in the Google Play Store

Updates

Google releases Android 5.0 Lollipop SDK and other tools

T-Mobile Galaxy Note 4 receiving minor update

Come comment on this article: TalkAndroid Daily Dose for October 17, 2014

Fitbit says Force skin irritations were allergies, new wristbands have a warning

Fitbit recalled its Force wearable back in February after owners reported skin irritation, but after an investigation, says it will not do the same for the Fitbit Flex. The New York Times reports that the company and the Consumer Product Safety Commission decided a recall was not necessary, as long as the company makes a few changes. New wristbands will ship with a warning that it contains nickel, a common allergy, as well as a sizing guide to keep users from making it too tight. In a just-posted (at such a convenient time) letter to customers, CEO & co-founder James Park said “we are now confident that our users who experienced allergic contact dermatitis likely reacted either to very small levels of methacrylates…or, to a lesser degree, nickel in the stainless steel casing.” He goes on to say that Fitbit is taking this experience into account in the design for its next-generation trackers, which should include the new Charge and ChargeHR devices that recently surfaced.

Filed under: Wearables

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Source: New York Times, Fitbit

Capture 360-degree videos of your environment with this surveillance blazer

If Google Glass and lifelogging cameras aren’t enough to make you feel safe, then maybe what you really need is a surveillance blazer. See, nothing can get past the camera-dotted jacket above — not when it can capture 360 videos of your environment and instantly upload it to the internet with the click of a button. Its Korean creator, Shinseungback Kimyonghun, believes all the cameras (controlled by an onboard Raspberry Pi) give off an “I can record you” warning, which can deter people from messing with you. It doesn’t seem like he has plans to sell it en masse, though, so you might have to make your own if you desperately want one. Make sure to watch the video after the break, if that’s the case, for more clues on how to get it done.

Filed under: Wearables

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Source: The Creators Project, Shinseungback Kimyonghun