Uber adds fuel surcharge due to spike in gas prices

Unusually high gas prices throughout the US and Canada has led to Uber tacking on a fuel surcharge to rides and deliveries, according to a blog post on the company’s website. This likely won’t surprise anyone who’s gotten behind the wheel recently. A rapid spike in crude oil and gas prices due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made paying anywhere from $50 to $80 to fill a tank the norm.

“We know that prices have been going up across the economy, so we’ve done our best to help drivers and couriers without placing too much additional burden on consumers. Over the coming weeks we plan to listen closely to feedback from consumers, couriers and drivers. We’ll also continue to track gas price movements to determine if we need to make additional changes,” wrote Uber spokesperson Liza Winship on the company’s website.

Uber’s fuel surcharge will vary by state and by the amount of miles driven. For Uber rides, the fuel surcharge will be anywhere between $0.45 to $0.55 per trip. For Uber Eats deliveries, the fee will be between $0.35 to $0.45 per trip. The company says the additional fee will go straight to Uber drivers, who pay for mileage out of their own pockets. The policy won’t apply at all in New York City, where drivers have a pay floor and the majority of delivery drivers are on bikes.

Interestingly enough, riders will have to pay the fuel surcharge even if they’re riding in an EV. According to The Verge, Uber hopes this will be an additional incentive for drivers to switch to electric vehicles. But given that Uber already charges passengers an additional $1 for its Uber Green option — which only deploys hybrid or electric vehicles— this could lead to some Uber Green customers opting for cheaper ride options.

High gas prices have led to some Uber drivers working for below minimum wage, especially in California, where the average price of a gallon of regular gas on Friday was $5.802, significantly higher than the national average. Some Uber drivers have opted to not work at all due to the price of gas.

Uber’s fuel surcharge will go into effect on March 16th, 2021, after which the company will re-evaluate the policy.

かけるだけで乾燥＋シワ伸ばし＋除菌までできる。「SONAEアイロン乾燥機」

毎日の面倒くさいアイロンから解放されたいあなたへ。 かけるだけで乾燥やシワ伸ばしはもちろん、除菌までできるアイロン乾燥機が登場！ 服だけではなく、下着＆タオル＆帽子＆靴まで様々なものに対応可能。 ■リスクとチャレンジについて クラウドファンディングのプロジェクトにつきましては、あらかじめ以下の点をご了承ください。 【商品に関して】 ●製品につきましては、デザイン・仕様が一部変更になる可能性もございます。もし変更になる場合は、必ず事前にお知らせいたします。 ●並行輸入品が発生する可能性があります。個人…

Russian TikTok creators have reportedly been paid to share propaganda

The White House isn’t the only one trying to steer discussion of Ukraine on TikTok. Vice News has discovered that Russian TikTok influencers are reportedly being paid to share videos promoting the Putin government’s narrative surrounding the invasion. An anonymous operator in a Telegram channel has been telling creators what and when to post, what goals they must meet and otherwise dictating their content. At least some of the followers have over a million followers.

It’s unclear who is behind the campaign, but the operator claims to be a journalist and has looked for posters for additional pro-government content (such as supporting Russian athletes in the Olympics) and private companies. However, TikTok’s ban on new videos from Russia apparently isn’t an obstacle. The channel administrator tells influencers how to dodge the ban, and at least some producers have posted videos after the ban took effect.

The channel suddenly shut down on March 9th as Vice conducted its investigation. Most of the videos have since been removed, but the campaign team reportedly asked them to do this. Others remain, and it’s not certain how many similar initiatives might be underway. It’s also unclear if the propaganda was effective.

TikTok hasn’t commented on the pro-Kremlin campaign and told Vice about its general efforts to spot “emerging threats” and “harmful misinformation” surrounding Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Whether or not the Russian government was involved with this TikTok effort, there’s little doubt the country has tried to control the online narrative on Ukraine. It has blocked social networks like Instagram, posted misinformation through its embassies’ accounts, circumvented bans on its state news outlets and criminalized media reports that contradict the official stance on the war. TikTok’s large user base may be a tempting target if Russia hopes to sway more of the internet to its side.

Spotify subscriptions can now be bundled with Soundtrap’s audio creation tool

If you’re a podcaster or a musician, it’s likely you’ve heard of Soundtrap, an online tool that lets you record, edit and collaborate on the fly. Spotify—which acquired Soundtrap back in 2017— is now offering a bundle with Spotify Premium and Soundtrap for $16.99 a month. The bundle includes Soundtrap for Music Makers Supreme (the highest tier service for musicians) and Soundtrap for Storytellers, which is geared towards podcasters. Given that Spotify Premium is $9.99 a month and both Soundtrap plans cost $11.99 per month each, this is a solid deal for those who subscribe to both.

The bundle will give creators access to unlimited projects, more than 19,000 loops, sound effects, live transcripts and autotune. Podcasters also have the ability to publish their podcasts from Soundtrap directly to Spotify, instead of using a podcast hosting service like Buzzsprout or Podbean. The live transcript can serve as a guide for editing, which is likely to be a timesaver. 

But there’s a big drawback to Soundtrap if you’re planning on also publishing on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or another podcasting service. Soundtrap won’t generate an RSS feed for each episode, which you will need to publish your podcast outside of Spotify. If you want to do that, you’ll need to download each podcast episode as an audio file and then re-upload them onto a third-party podcast hosting service.

All told, Soundtrap’s suite of podcasting and music editing tools is ideal for creators who need an easy, simplified option for making music and podcasts. If you’re looking for more advanced editing options or the ability to distribute to multiple podcast services, you may find better options elsewhere. But if Spotify is your audio streaming service of choice (as well as your primary source of distribution), this bundle could be worth checking out. 

モンスターの軍勢をなぎ倒せ！爽快感みなぎる『マスター 無双系3DアクションRPG』：発掘！スマホゲーム

星の数ほどあるスマホゲームの中から、話題になっているもの、気になったもの、何か面白そう、そんなタイトルをひたすらご紹介していきます！今回ご紹介するのは『マスター 無双系3DアクションRPG』です。…

NHTSA greenlights self-driving cars without manual controls

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened the door for self-driving vehicles to operate without manual controls under updated Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. While fully autonomous vehicles are likely several years away from going on sale, the new rule paves the way for automakers to remove the steering wheel and pedals.

“Through the 2020s, an important part of [the Department of Transportation’s] safety mission will be to ensure safety standards keep pace with the development of automated driving and driver assistance systems,” transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “This new rule is an important step, establishing robust safety standards for [Automated Driving Systems]-equipped vehicles.”

The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards regulate all elements of production cars, as Roadshow notes. The latest rule stipulates that whether or not they have a steering wheel and pedals, vehicles with automated driving systems need to offer the same level of protection to drivers and passengers as other cars.

Fully autonomous (Level 5) cars aren’t on the market yet. Teslas are at Level 2 (they have some autonomy, but a human driver needs to be ready to take control). Volkswagen is making a Level 4 version of its ID.Buzz EV, while pilot projects for robotaxis and self-driving shuttles are underway. At CES 2022, Cadillac showed off a luxury concept EV without a steering wheel or pedals.

NHTSA acknowledged uncertainty about the development and deployment of vehicles equipped with ADS. “Nevertheless, NHTSA believes it is appropriate to finalize this action at this time in anticipation of emerging ADS vehicle designs that NHTSA has seen in prototype form,” the agency said.

2019年3月12日、ワンセグ付き携帯所有によるNHK受信契約義務が、最高裁で確定しました：今日は何の日？

地裁ではNHKの敗訴となりましたが、高裁ではNHKの逆転勝訴となっていたワンセグでの受信契約義務問題。

最高裁への上告が棄却され、受信契約義務が確定したのが、2019年の今日です。