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Kickstarter accused of union-busting after firing two employees

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Kickstarter told Slate that it hasn’t fired anyone for unionization activities, but Moore clearly disagrees. He said he was offered one month of severance pay in exchange for signing an NDA. Meanwhile, Redwine tweeted that she was offered severance in exchange for signing a termination agreement that includes a non-disparagement clause — an “illegally phrased” one apparently, because she has already filed an unfair labor charge with the National Labor Relations Board over it.

When asked about the complaint, Kickstarter said that it reached out to Redwine over the weekend to change the clause so that it only applies “to statements about the company’s employees, not the company as a whole.” In response to that statement, Redwine said:

“I believe Kickstarter is aware that a nondisparagement clause that bars discussion of the actions of other employees could make it effectively impossible for a former employee to give an accurate, detailed depiction of their experience at the company. While the charge filed with the NLRB pertains specifically to the severance agreement I was presented with, I feel strongly that any agreement that treats severance as repayment for silence is an unethical one.”

We’ve reached out to Kickstarter for the company’s response to the union-busting allegations and will update when we hear back. David Gallagher, the company’s senior director of communications, insisted to Gizmodo in a statement, though, that “Kickstarter has not fired or otherwise retaliated against anyone for union organizing.” He said “these two employees (presumably Moore and Redwine) failed to correct performance issues that had been documented and discussed in detail with them over the course of several months, leaving [the company] no choice but to part ways with them. They were not singled out — two other employees also left the company after recent performance reviews.”

Update 09/13/19 9:20AM ET: A Kickstarter spokesperson has provided Engadget with this statement:

“Kickstarter has not fired or otherwise retaliated against anyone for union organizing. We have affirmed the staff’s right to organize, and nearly six months after the organizing effort here was announced, the decision remains in their hands. Over that time, Kickstarter’s leadership has worked to foster an environment where the right to organize and the rules around that process are followed and respected.

We expect all employees — including union organizers — to be able to perform in their role and set up their teams and colleagues for success. We use a range of approaches — twice-a-year performance reviews, peer feedback, manager feedback, one-on-one coaching and, in some cases, mediation — to ensure that employees have the support they need to meet those expectations. When someone has been through this process and we have sufficient evidence that they are not meeting expectations, we must unfortunately part ways with them.

Obviously we knew how these terminations could be perceived. But it would be unfair to not hold these people to the same standards as the rest of our staff simply because they are union organizers.”



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Facebook suspended Israeli PM’s campaign chatbot for hate speech

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The message encouraged party supporters to vote against “a dangerous left-wing government” that would rely on Arab politicians “who want to destroy us all — women, children and men — and enable a nuclear Iran that would wipe us out.”

Facebook subsequently implemented a 24-hour ban after a “careful review” found a violation of its hate speech policy. “Should there be any additional violations we will continue to take appropriate action,” the company said in a statement.

The suspension only affected the bot, and not Mr Netanyahu’s official Facebook page. In a radio interview following the incident, he said a campaign worker was to blame for the message and that he made sure it was removed as soon as he saw it. “The mistake was immediately fixed — I didn’t write it,” he said. “Do you think I really would write such a thing and then deny it? I’m a serious person. Not everything on my campaign page is edited by me.”

This is certainly not the first time chatbots have come under fire for their problematic messaging. Microsoft’s “Tay” bot and its successor “Zo” have displayed controversial behavior, as has virtual assistant MyKai. However, it appears that Mr Netanyahu’s chatbot did not display its offensive message as a result of AI and machine learning, but rather because of direct human input, which could have a significant impact on what is already a very precarious political situation in the Middle East.

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LG’s new 4K UHD CineBeam projector is way more affordable

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LG says the new CineBeam projector (model HU70LA) has a compact design and can deliver pictures with a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution up to 140 inches in size. It has a brightness of 1500 ANSI lumens, as well as support for HDR10 and TruMotion technology. Plus, the device has built-in voice control via Google Assistant and an improved zoom function, which makes it easier to adjust its screen size without moving its location. The model will be available from select LG-authorized retailers in the US in October, but you can check it out on LG’s website right now to decide whether to get it or skip it.

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MIT scientists accidentally create the blackest material ever

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The researchers had actually been experimenting with ways to grow CNTs on electrically conductive materials — such as aluminium — to boost their electrical and thermal properties. The color of the resulting material surprised the team, and they only realized what they had invented after they measured its optical reflectance.

The discovery is currently being showcased at an art exhibit titled “The Redemption of Vanity” at the New York Stock Exchange, where a 16.78-carat natural yellow diamond has been coated in the material. Instead of a brilliant, sparkling gem, the stone — which is worth an eye-watering $2 million — appears as a flat, black void.

However, the team says the material has practical applications, too. According to Brian Wardle, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, it could be used in optical blinders that reduce unwanted glare, to help space telescopes spot orbiting exoplanets. And, he says, the material could get even blacker still.

“There are optical and space science applications for very black materials, and of course, artists have been interested in black, going back well before the Renaissance,” Wardle says. “Our material is 10 times blacker than anything that’s ever been reported, but I think the blackest black is a constantly moving target. Someone will find a blacker material, and eventually we’ll understand all the underlying mechanisms, and will be able to properly engineer the ultimate black.”

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Google to pay $1.1 billion in France following tax probe

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Google’s tax status in the European Union has always been contentious. It pays very little tax in most European countries despite doing business on the continent, because a loophole allows it to avoid taxes by essentially running a shell company in Ireland. This well-known loophole is called the Double Irish arrangement and has been described as the largest tax avoidance tool in history.

French officials had originally hoped to claim €1.6 billion ($1.76 billion) from the search giant; far more than the £130 million (about $185 million) accepted by the UK for similar tax issues there. The French authorities raided Google’s Paris headquarters in 2016 as part of their investigation, but eventually a French court found in Google’s favor and said the company didn’t have to pay the fine.

That wasn’t the end of the issue though. Together with Germany, France pushed for stricter tax regulations over major tech companies including Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. With the latest settlement achieved with Google, other tech companies may face similar action in France too

Google has had other legal troubles in France as well. Earlier this year it was fined €50 million (about $57 million) by the French National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) for not complying with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation rules about data consent.

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‘Flying fish’ drone actually explodes out of the water

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According to IEE Spectrum, the AquaMAV combines combustible power and water in order to propel itself. The drone contains calcium carbide powder. When mixed with water, the drone creates acetylene gas, which then gets funneled into a combustion chamber along with air and water. When ignited, the mixture then explodes, forcing the water out of the combustion chamber and propelling the drone into air.

The AquaMAV can fly up to 26 meters in the air, and creates so much force it can even propel itself out of choppy waters. Scientists believe it can be used to collect water samples during natural disasters such as floods or to monitor ocean pollution. You can watch the AquaMAV in action in the video below.

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WarnerMedia signs J.J. Abrams to a massive exclusive deal

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Under the partnership, Bad Robot will work on all kinds of TV projects for all of WarnerMedia’s platforms, including its upcoming streaming service HBO Max and its cable channels. Abrams says his company will develop dramas and comedies, longform series and digital content for TV, as well as movies for theatrical release and even games.

Bad Robot has been looking for a media company to sign a mega-deal with since 2018, and it reportedly entertained offers from Amazon, Disney and Netflix, among others. In June, reports came out that Apple came close to winning the company over, but that it lost the bidding war to WarnerMedia. Abrams’ body of work includes Alias and WestWorld, as well as some of the most recent Star Trek and Star Wars movies, making him a desirable prospect for media giants vying for customers’ wallets.

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‘Anthem’ heads to EA Access after rocky launch

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So far, Bioware’s RPG has had a pretty rough ride since its launch back in February. The developer pushed hundreds of updates to the game since then, including a significant title update in September. The game earned $100 million in less than a month after its launch, but only a small fraction of that ($3.5 million) came from microtransactions. Given such in-game purchases are Anthem‘s bread and butter, this wasn’t a good sign for the game. Critical reception to the title hasn’t exactly been warm, either.

Still, Anthem‘s new availability on EA’s subscription services could give it another chance at success. EA Access and Origin Access subscribers can play for free on PlayStation4, Xbox One and Windows PC.

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Indie darling ‘To the Moon’ makes its console debut in January

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If you’ve not played To the Moon, it’s a meditative experience that explores human mortality. The story follows two charming doctors as they attempt to rebuild the memories of a dying man in order to fulfill his final wishes. In the process, they witness a heartwarming love story. Kevin Gao, the game’s lead writer and developer, created the 2011 original using RPG Maker, a toolkit that makes it easy to create SNES-era JRPGs. For the Switch re-release, developer XD is recreating the game using Unity. If you simply can’t wait to play the game on Switch, it’s currently available on PC, as well as Android and iOS.

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