Last minute geek

1. YouTube thinks Notre Dame burning down is footage of 9/11
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

This ain’t it, chief. Previously: Fire at Notre Dame cathedral UPDATE: Ryan Broderick points out the plain fact: YouTube's little truth widget is algorithmically-generated fake news. I'm not sure ...

2. Fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

A fire at Paris’ Notre Dame cathedral was reportedly started by accident, and is related to ongoing work, according to France 2 News which cites police. The Paris bureau chief for Reuters said the news ...

3. RIP, science fiction and fantasy Grand Master Gene Wolfe, 1931-2019
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... him to be the proverbial jolly old elf, full of wit and charm and mischief, the kind of person who looked and acted exactly as you'd expect he would, based on his marvellous body of work (this is a rarity ...

4. Water pipe dig in England unearths site of human sacrifices
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... glimpse into the beliefs and superstitions of people living in Oxfordshire before the Roman conquest," said Neil Holbrook, chief executive of Cotswold Archaeology. "Evidence elsewhere suggests that burials ...

5. Kate McKinnon to star as Elizabeth Holmes in limited series for Hulu
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... the limited drama series, whose length is expected to be between 6-10 episodes. She executive produces with the ABC News trio behind The Dropout podcast: host /creator Rebecca Jarvis, who is ABC News chief ...

6. EFF is hiring an international policy director!
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... international issues are a much bigger deal for us, with bad policy ideas ricocheting around the globe and needing a coordinated response; the below is from my colleague Rainey Reitman, EFF's Chief Program ...

7. Judge orders Elon Musk and the SEC to settle Tesla tweet dispute
(English/engadget)

Tesla chief Elon Musk told reporters outside the Manhattan Federal Courthouse that he was "very happy" over the outcome of the SEC's latest complaint against him. The commission sought to ...

8. Former Mozilla CTO was detained at US border and told he had no right to a lawyer
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

Andreas Gal, former chief technical officer of Mozilla, filed a civil rights complaint against US Customs and Border Protection after he was detained in late 2018 for several hours at the San Francisco ...

9. Gentleman doesn't want his pickup truck towed
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... the owner failed to make payments. The driver was arrested and "charged with grand theft and criminal mischief." Image: Reddit Read the rest Read all  ...

10. NASA says satellite that India shot down may threaten the ISS
(English/engadget)

NASA chief Jim Bridenstine called India's destruction of one of its satellites a "terrible, terrible thing" that could endanger astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Addressing ...

11. If Trump shuts Mexico border US will run out of avocados in three weeks
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... is avocados. From The Guardian: Avocados would run out in three weeks if imports from Mexico were stopped, said Steve Barnard, president and chief executive of Mission Produce, the largest distributor ...

12. Investigators say Saudi Arabia accessed Jeff Bezos' phone
(English/engadget)

... Saudi Arabia had access to the Amazon chief's phone. Team leader G... Read all  ...

13. Sting operation: the NRA explains to white nationalist Australian political party how to deflect gun control calls after a massacre
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... next mass shooting happens. In the secret recording, two One Nation officials -- Chief of Staff James Ashby and Queensland party boss Steve Dickson -- seek up to $20 million from the NRA's US supporters ...

14. Uber is expected to buy its Middle Eastern rival Careem
(English/engadget)

After years of backing out of major international markets, Uber appears ready to go on the offensive. Sources talking to Bloomberg claim the ridesharing firm is poised to buy Careem, its chief competitor ...

15. GameStop's new CEO is expected to lead a major overhaul
(English/engadget)

GameStop announced today that it is naming George Sherman as its new chief executive officer. The former head of Verizon retailer Victra has served as an executive at Advance Auto Parts, Best Buy Services, ...

16. Leaked memo promises major Xbox streaming news at E3
(English/engadget)

Google had some major news on the gaming front Tuesday when it announced Stadia, its game-streaming service. Microsoft's Xbox chief Phil Spencer was among those who paid attention to Google's ...

17. Uber used spyware to surveil and poach drivers from Australian rival service Gocatch
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... company was fighting with regulators. GoCatch's co-founder and chief executive, Andrew Campbell, has told Four Corners that while GoCatch survived, Uber's tactics damaged the company. "The fact that ...

18. Microsoft's latest preview program lets you test 'Halo' PC releases
(English/engadget)

There was already a preview program for the Master Chief Collection when 343 Industries was fixing the Xbox One version, but it's giving the concept another shot now that the PC ports are on the way. ...

19. Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles cleared of embezzlement charges
(English/engadget)

Former Mt. Gox chief Mark Karpeles has been found guilty of falsifying financial records but acquitted of all other charges, including embezzlement. According to Bloomberg, the court has given him a two-and-a-half ...

20. Facebook's chief product officer and head of Whatsapp are leaving
(English/engadget)

In a note today, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the departures of two high-ranking executives. Chris Cox was the company's chief product officer and had been with Facebook for 13 years, while ...

21. Facebook Chief Product Officer Chris Cox & WhatsApp VP Chris Daniels are leaving
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

Facebook executive shakeup comes one week after company announced "privacy-focused" brand makeover. Read all

22. Canada bans Boeing's 737 MAX; U.S. now the last major country where it can fly
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... the US Federal Aviation Administration said a review had showed "no systemic performance issues" and that there was no basis for grounding the aircraft. On Wednesday, the chief executive of Ethiopian Airlines, ...

23. 'Halo: The Master Chief Collection' heads to PC with 'Reach' included
(English/engadget)

After years of waiting and more than a few hiccups, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is coming to the PC. Microsoft and 343 Industries have unveiled plans to release the whole anthology one game at a ...

24. Larry Page approved $150M stock grant to Andy Rubin despite sex abuse allegations & without board's OK, lawsuit claims
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... Rosenblatt and Gerrit De Vynck at Bloomberg: Alphabet Inc. Chief Executive Officer Larry Page didn’t get board approval when he awarded a $150 million stock grant to Andy Rubin, the creator of the Android ...

25. Lawsuit accuses Google of hefty payouts to execs accused of misconduct
(English/engadget)

Google's handling of sexual misconduct by executives is coming under more scrutiny thanks to new details emerging from a shareholder lawsuit. Investors have claimed Google chief Larry Page granted ...