Uber partners with startup Betterment to offer retirement accounts

Previously, Uber hasn’t exactly treated its drivers with the same kind of respect and fairness you’d expect from an employer of its stature. With several lawsuits in the works surrounding the company’s avoidance of offering traditional benefits, it seems like Uber could finally be taking a step in the right direction with its partnership with Betterment, at least in terms of managing finances.

Betterment is a firm that offers automated investing solutions for customers, a startup with over 175,000 customers and over $5 billion in assets. It’s offering Uber drivers traditional or Roth Individual Retirement accounts, according to their preferences.

Uber’s fleet of 300,000 drivers will both benefit from Betterment and offer a boon for the startup in turn. Flexible retirement accounts through the service will be offered to the first year exclusively to Uber drivers, which could ensure those with accounts continue to use the service even if they decide to part with the company in the future.

Drivers in Seattle, Chicago and Boston will gain access to Betterment first, with the rest of Uber’s drivers across the nation joining in at a later date.

Uber’s lack of 401k or insurance for its employees, which are considered to be independent contractors, has been a subject of debate among ride-sharing companies, namely Juno, which has made it a point to compete with Uber by treating its drivers better, going so far as paying Uber drivers $25 a week to switch sides, so to speak.

Offering its drivers Betterment’s services doesn’t mean Uber is doing an about-face or anything like that, but it could mean a brighter future for its drivers if the company continues down this path.

Via: Business Insider

People will lie to robots to avoid hurting their feelings

In the future, it’s possible that robots will be able to prey on our emotions. Or at least, behave in a way that makes us sympathetic towards them. Research carried out by the University College London (UCL) and the University of Bristol has discovered that humans prefer robots who are expressive and apologise for their mistakes — even if they’re less efficient than a silent alternative. Fleshy controllers are also more likely to forgive a robot’s shortcomings if they think it’ll make them sad as a result.

In a test lab, Bert2 — a humanoid robot with three separate displays, allowing its eyes and mouth to express different emotions — performed in three different ways. One was silent and made zero mistakes, while a second was mute and programmed to make a single blunder (which it would then correct, quietly). A third was able to speak and could accept simple “yes” or “no” responses from the user. In a basic kitchen scenario, the vocal android would apologise for its mistakes — dropping an egg, for instance — and give a heads-up when it was about to try a new technique.

While the slowest, it was the robot that most people preferred.

But here’s where it gets interesting. At the end of the exchange, the robot would ask for a job. Some participants were reluctant to say no — even if they preferred the silent, more efficient robot — because they thought it would upset the machine. “It felt appropriate to say no, but I felt really bad saying it,” one of the test participants recalled. “When the face was really sad, I felt even worse. I felt bad because the robot was trying to do its job.”

Another said “maybe” at first, but — because Bert2 can only accept “yes” or “no” responses — quickly changed their answer to “yes.” Later, in a post-experiment questionnaire, they revealed that they actually preferred the silent, more reliable robot. According to the research team, one test subject wrote “emotional blackmail” on their notepad during the experiment.

It’s already been proven that humans can feel empathy towards robots. (We also have a good giggle when they fall over.) The new research by UCL and the University of Bristol, however, points to a deeper and more complex relationship with robots in the future. It’s dependent on more expressive android interfaces, however, and the way human perceptions change. For now, there’s a novelty factor — we’re willing to forgive a robot’s mistakes because the experience feels so new — but in the future, that could change. When I’m late for work and need a quick breakfast, I won’t be too impressed when my robot butler spills milk all over the floor.

Via: Gizmodo

Source: UCL

Pandora’s new internet radio station is curated by Questlove

Pandora may be prepping a Spotify-like subscription for launch, but that’s not keeping the internet radio service from ramping up its original content. Today, the company announced that it’s partnering with The Roots drummer and DJ Questlove on a new station. What’s more, the station will feature a 3-hour weekly show curated and produced by the musician called “Questlove Supreme.” Pandora describes the show as “a weekly ride through the global musical landscape featuring adventurous music selections, compelling conversations and revealing interviews.” The company also says the show will have a similar feel to Questlove’s NYU music course.

“Questlove Supreme” is set to debut September 7th on the new station at 1PM ET. If you can’t tune in then, the show will repeat for 48 hours and will be available via the artist’s mixtape. The list of featured guests will include Saturday Night Live actress Maya Rudolph, producer and engineer Bob Power and Grammy award-winning artist Kimbra. The Questlove station is already live and you can listen to a preview here. What’s more, Questlove will serve as Pandora’s strategic advisor and the first artist ambassador in addition to working on the station and show.

Pandora has already added popular podcasts Serial and This American Life to its lineup and this new aritst-curated station makes a lot of sense to help pad the library. Apple Music’s Beats 1 does something similar with a mix of regular radio shows and artist-hosted weekly installments. It’s too early to tell if Pandora is looking to take on Apple’s radio offering directly. However, if recent reports are any indication, we won’t have to wait long to find out the finer points of Pandora’s forthcoming streaming service.

Here’s a preview to hold y’all over until we launch Wed Sept 7th 1pm est/10am pst. #QLS!!!!!! Is here!!!! https://t.co/2gT83MGVYl

— Questlove Gomez (@questlove) August 24, 2016

Source: Pandora (Business Wire)

Sun-powered bacteria turn nasty CO2 into helpful biofuel

Cars emit polluting carbon dioxide (CO2) when they burn gas, but what if you could reverse the process? Scientists from the University of Washington have engineered a bacteria that can do just that: pull CO2 from the air and, using sunlight, convert it to methane and hydrogen gas. The organism only produces a limited amount of fuel, but the results could lead to ways to reduce CO2 in the air and produce useful fuel at the same time.

Researchers have previously identified bacterium that can turn CO2 into materials like acetate, which can then be converted to fuel in a second stage by another class of bacteria. The U of W team was hoping to skip the intermediate step using “nitrogenase” enzymes that normally convert nitrogen gas into ammonia. “It’s been sort of recently appreciated that this enzyme is kind of promiscuous and can do other reactions, as well, only not as efficiently,” co-author Professor Caroline Harwood told ClimateWire.

It’s been sort of recently appreciated that this enzyme is kind of promiscuous and can do other reactions, as well, only not as efficiently.

They engineered a bacterium called R. palustris to produced the modified nitrogenase enzymes using photosynthesis. When hit with light, the bacteria pumped out the new enzyme in quantity, which in turn converted CO2 into methane and hydrogen (H2) in a single step. The only problem is the ratio of those gases — it produces just a single methane molecule for every 1,000 H2 molecules, meaning it’s not efficient for actual production.

Nevertheless, going straight from carbon dioxide to methane and hydrogen at room temperature is an important leap and could result in a more efficient way to create biofuel while reducing atmospheric CO2. The next step, according to Harwood, is to tweak the light and nitrogenase enzyme to see if they can improve the methane yields or produce other types of hydrocarbons and fuels.

Via: Scientific American

Source: PNAS

Zika virus’ effects are broader than first thought

The Zika virus is primarily known to cause microcephaly (small heads) in the babies of infected mothers, but its effects may be wider-ranging than first thought. A Harvard-led study has conducted brain scans of 45 Brazilian babies from Zika-stricken mothers, and the data suggest that even those children born without conspicuous problems may suffer later on. Ultimately, Zika is disrupting brain development — microcephaly is a frequent result of that, but there can also be issues around the cortex (which is crucial to coordination and memory) that show up first and may only materialize on the outside as the child grows. Moreover, Zika can damage nerves in such a way that it forces arms and hands to contract.

The virus is even deceptive at times. As it can prevent brain cavities from properly draining cerebrospinal fluid, you may get the false impression that some fetuses are normal when they’re really victims of Zika-related bloat. There’s a real risk that the cavities can burst and collapse the brain.

The scans will help make sense of how Zika behaves, and could also help with critical decisions. Parents may learn about a fetus’ fate early enough to decide whether or not they want to carry it to term. At the same time, it could offer hope to parents by revealing when a fetus is untouched — if those early warnings signs don’t appear, the family might rest that much easier. Although wider studies are necessary to get the full scope of what’s happening (one just started with 10,000 babies), this is an important start.

Via: New York Times

Source: Radiology