Robertjames

Volkswagen Chooses Microsoft Azure for Its Self-Driving Self-driving cars need a reliable connection to the cloud, and automaker Volkswagen has decided Microsoft's Azure cloud service is the best choice on which to build its automated driving platform.

As Reuters reports, Volkswagen is working on both driver assistance features and fully-automated driving functionality for its entire range of vehicles and brands. Last year, the automaker consolidated software development efforts across its different brands by creating the Car.Software Organization, but development is still being carried out by the different vehicle companies under Volkswagen's umbrella.

That changes with this new deal which sees all Volkswagen's development efforts migrate to Microsoft Azure. And this is a big deal for Microsoft when you consider the Volkswagen Group owns Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, and of course produces its own range of Volkswagen vehicles.

"As we transform Volkswagen Group into a digital mobility provider, we are looking to continuously increase the efficiency of our software development. We are building the Automated Driving Platform with Microsoft to simplify our developers' work through one scalable and data-based engineering environment. By combining our comprehensive expertise in the development of connected driving solutions with Microsoft’s cloud and software engineering know-how, we will accelerate the delivery of safe and comfortable mobility services," said Dirk Hilgenberg, CEO of the Car.Software Organization.

Volkswagen already had a relationship with Microsoft to connect its cars using Azure, but this new deal extends that further. An increasing number of vehicles now receive regular over-the-air updates. So if you purchase a new vehicle from one of the many Volkswagen brands in future, those updates will be served using Microsoft's cloud servers around the world.

“This is the next evolution of our foundational work with the Volkswagen Group to enhance their transformation as a software-driven mobility provider,” said Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, Cloud + AI at Microsoft. “The power of Microsoft Azure and its compute, data and AI capabilities will enable Volkswagen to deliver secure and reliable automated driving solutions to their customers faster.”

Instagram vows to shut accounts after racist abuse Instagram vows to shut accounts after racist abuse Facebook has responded to calls to step up efforts to combat racist abuse by announcing new penalties for its users, but questions were immediately raised as to whether the measures go far enough.

English football authorities did not comment on Wednesday but are expected to demand more action this week, by calling on those at the top of social media companies to take personal responsibility.

Instagram said users who send abusive direct messages (DMs) will face the possibility of their account being permanently blocked and Facebook, which owns Instagram, reiterated its commitment to “cooperation with UK law enforcement authorities on hate speech”, including the sharing of personal information.

Consumers interested in signing up can pre-order on Starlink's website. Orders are delivered on a first-come, first-serve basis, and limited to a select number of users per coverage area.

The hardware required to use Starlink will cost $499, while internet service costs $99 a month.

CNBC first reported on Starlink beginning to accept pre-orders.

The hardware kit includes a Starlink, Wi-Fi router, power supply, cables and mounting tripod. A clear view of the sky is required.

China’s Digital Currency Could Challenge Bitcoin and Even the Dollar China’s Digital Currency Could Challenge Bitcoin and Even the Dollar People in China are no strangers to digital payments—if anything, it’s easier to move around and shop in Shanghai or Beijing with an Alipay or WeChat Pay smartphone app than it is bearing a pocketbook filled with yuan notes. Now the Chinese government has begun a pilot program for an official digital version of its currency—with the likelihood of a bigger test at the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022. Some observers think the virtual yuan could bolster the government’s power over the country’s financial system and one day maybe even shift the global balance of economic influence.

Most money that gets swapped around electronically is just credits and debits in accounts at different banks. China’s digital cash is designed to be an electronic version of a banknote, or a coin

Lunar New Year 2021: What to know about Year of the Ox Although modern-day China uses the Gregorian calendar (meaning it's the year 2021 there, just like in the U.S.), its holidays are governed by the traditional lunisolar calendar, according to National Geographic.

6 People Die in Texas Crash Involving More Than 100 Vehicles Six people were killed in an accident that involved more than 100 vehicles on a Texas interstate on Thursday morning, the authorities said, as a slurry of winter weather made for slick roads, patches of ice and dangerous driving conditions.

Multiple people were also trapped in their vehicles by the crashes, which took place just after 6 a.m. along Interstate 35W in Fort Worth and included cars and eighteen-wheeler trucks, according to the Fort Worth Fire Department. Videos broadcast by local TV stations showed cars piled on top of one another, tractor-trailers rolled onto their sides and other vehicles spun out along the roadway as firefighters worked the scene. Six people were killed in an accident that involved more than 100 vehicles on a Texas interstate on Thursday morning, the authorities said, as a slurry of winter weather made for slick roads, patches of ice and dangerous driving conditions.

Multiple people were also trapped in their vehicles by the crashes, which took place just after 6 a.m. along Interstate 35W in Fort Worth and included cars and eighteen-wheeler trucks, according to the Fort Worth Fire Department. Videos broadcast by local TV stations showed cars piled on top of one another, tractor-trailers rolled onto their sides and other vehicles spun out along the roadway as firefighters worked the scene. Sixty-five others have sought medical care from area hospitals throughout the day, and the numbers were expected to increase, officials said. Among those injured were four officers, who were treated at area hospitals and released.

Thirty-six people were taken to hospitals, including three who were in critical condition at the scene, said Matt Zavadsky, a spokesman for MedStar Mobile Healthcare, an emergency services agency working with the Fort Worth Police and Fire Departments.

Thirty-six people were taken to hospitals, including three who were in critical condition at the scene, said Matt Zavadsky, a spokesman for MedStar Mobile Healthcare, an emergency services agency working with the Fort Worth Police and Fire Departments.

Twitter CFO: Might pay employees salary in Bitcoin; Twitter CEO Dorsey sees Bitcoin as a part of the future financial system.

Stacey Plaskett Is 1st Nonvoting House Delegate To Argue Stacey Plaskett made history on the Senate floor Wednesday when she became the first nonvoting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives to serve as an impeachment manager.

Plaskett represents the U.S. Virgin Islands, which as a territory does not have a vote in Congress. She is in the unique position of arguing the case to convict former President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol but having been barred from voting to impeach him in the chamber she serves.

"I've learned throughout my life that preparation and truth can carry you far, can allow you to speak truth to power," Plaskett said in her opening remarks.

She touched on her unlikely journey from housing projects in Brooklyn, N.Y., to St. Croix, the U.S. Virgin Islands, "and now as an adult woman representing an island territory speaking to the U.S. Senate."

Apple Should Launch Own Crypto Exchange, RBC Analyst Says Apple (AAPL), the maker of hot-selling items from iPhones to tablets, is the world’s largest publicly traded company, with a market capitalization of $2.3 trillion.

So it almost seems natural that after the electric vehicle maker Tesla announced Monday a $1.5 billion purchase of bitcoin, at least one Wall Street analyst is running the math on whether Apple might benefit from jumping into the cryptocurrency fray.

A new report from the brokerage firm RBC Capital Markets posits that Apple, which already provides payments wallets for millions of consumers in an economy that’s gone increasingly cashless since the coronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020, might be able to easily generate more than $40 billion from the cryptocurrency business. The company’s move could also help to make the U.S. a technological leader in cryptocurrencies for the next decade or two.

The RBC analyst, Mitch Steves, figures that the payments firm Square (SQ) generates about $1.6 billion per quarter in bitcoin-related revenue on an active install base estimated at around 30 million. Apple’s install base is 1.5 billion, and even if we assume only 200 million users would transact, this is 6.66x larger than Square,” according to the report. “Therefore, the potential revenue opportunity would be in excess of $40 billion a year (15% incremental top-line opportunity).”

According to the report, the research and development cost involved in the effort “would be de minimis in our view as Square’s entire R&D budget is under $1 billion.”

Apple’s install base is 1.5 billion, and even if we assume only 200 million users would transact, this is 6.66x larger than Square,” according to the report. “Therefore, the potential revenue opportunity would be in excess of $40 billion a year (15% incremental top-line opportunity).”Apple could solve the regulatory and know-your-customer (KYC) challenges of cryptocurrencies if it created a closed system in which it only transfers the ownership of crypto between customers, the analysts noted.

It could also develop an open system that uses a bitcoin wallet and banking service Strike or the Bitcoin blockchain’s Lighting Network to reduce the cost of converting fiat to crypto, they added.

Apple standing up a crypto exchange could also reduce the likelihood the U.S. bans bitcoin in the future, the analysts said.

According to the report, the research and development cost involved in the effort “would be de minimis in our view as Square’s entire R&D budget is under $1 billion.”

Competition in the crypto exchange space “is light,” the analysts wrote. Regulations make it difficult for U.S. consumers to purchase crypto, and many of the exchanges go down during times of high volume, they wrote.

Competition in the crypto exchange space “is light,” the analysts wrote. Regulations make it difficult for U.S. consumers to purchase crypto, and many of the exchanges go down during times of high volume, they wrote.

Charisma Carpenter accuses 'Buffy' creator Joss Whedon of toxic and verbally abusive behavior Charisma Carpenter accuses 'Buffy' creator Joss Whedon of toxic and verbally abusive behavior

These memories and more have weighed on my soul like bricks for nearly half of my life,” Carpenter said. “I wish I said something sooner. I wish I had the composure and courage all those years ago. But I muted myself in shame and conditional silence.”

Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and its spinoff “Angel,” said Whedon’s behavior triggered a “chronic physical condition from which I still suffer.” The actress alleged that Whedon made “ongoing” threats to fire her, mocked her for her religious beliefs, and called her fat during her pregnancy. She also accused Whedon of firing her from “Angel” once she gave birth, an unexpected character departure that fans have speculated about for years. She alleged that Whedon once asked her to set at 1 a.m. when she was six months pregnant, despite her doctor’s recommendation, which triggered false labor pains.

Carpenter said while she is scared to come out against Whedon, she felt an “overwhelming sense of responsibility” to Fisher to speak publicly.