Angry Robot

Why shopkeepers in one Ontario city have enlisted a low-income cleanup crew

In Peterborough

Pocketable Surface Render

Cooool. Reminds me of the tablets in Westworld.

Apple is rebuilding Maps from the ground up

Good, in-depth article. The section about the tech in the Maps vans is especially interesting given Apple’s interest in AR and autonomous vehicles.

Last call at Massey Hall: fans and musicians share their stories

It’s closing down for 2 years for renovations (that sound pretty great BTW)

Toronto wants mid-rise housing, but can we afford it?

Yes, but developers make more money from high-rise, so they’re not into it. I like this idea though, despite it paining me as well as it would transform many great (albeit unaffordable) neighbourhoods:

Expand densification deeper into Toronto’s sleepy, leafy, low-rise neighbourhoods. [Ted Kesik] argues that the city should open up the so-called “yellowbelt” (areas where single-family homes predominate) to allow for fourplexes and other mini-condos to be built. He suggests the return of the so-called Toronto Specials of the 1950s and ‘60s that responded to an earlier wave of immigration would do a lot to let homeowners unlock the value in their land, and create more affordable options for newcomers and new families.

I would also hope that the reforms to the OMB – it’s now the LPAT – might close the door to out-of-control high-rise construction.

Russian pop star involved in collusion story releases salacious music video slagging Trump

‘Westworld’ showrunner explains those finale twists, hints at season 3 plan

JAZZ.FM91 listeners stunned at changes, allegations of misconduct at beloved radio station

Sad! Hope someone can right the ship… “it’s one of only three all-jazz radio stations in North America.”

Facial recognition software is not ready for use by law enforcement

From the CEO of a facial recognition company

Experts Bet on First Deepfakes Political Scandal

This is one of the best political ads I’ve seen.

YouTube is the preferred platform of today’s teens

They still like Snapchat and Instagram, less so Facebook and Twitter.

Instagram announces IGTV, a standalone app for longer videos

Boooooo. I used to love Instagram but it is getting totally wrecked by Facebook. Isn’t it enough to be the world’s favourite photo sharing platform? Do they have to take on Snapchat and YouTube and who next, Uber? Amazon? The International Criminal Court?

Also, vertical video. What are we, animals?

Family Separation, Evil Via Policy and The Internal Contradictions of Trumpism

Performative cruelty and channel separation. This is excellent analysis.

Torontonians like to sound off on Americans’ inability to deal with guns and gun deaths. But Toronto’ s inability to deal with the car creates its own killing fields.

Mr. Rogers’s Simple Set of Rules for Talking to Kids

Simple but based on deep understanding of academic research about the topic.

The SARS crisis took 44 lives in Canada. Ninety-three pedestrians or cyclists have died on the streets of Toronto since Vision Zero was implemented two years ago. The time for half-measures is over — and the half measures are not working, anyway.

Shortcuts: A New Vision for Siri and iOS Automation

The Siri Shortcuts feature (and the rebirth of the app Workflow as Shortcuts) is the iOS 12 feature I’m most excited about

Trump Showed Kim Jong Un A Fake Movie Trailer Starring The Two Of Them As Heroes

Vice Was Built on a Bluff. What Happens When It Gets Called?

For almost 25 years, Shane Smith’s plan for Vice was that, by the time the suckers caught on, he’d never be stuck owning the company he co-founded.

The Lifespan of a Lie

The Stanford Prison Experiment was BS

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Electric Scooters

The Beam is Sonos’ ambitious attempt to win the living room

Voice-enabled soundbar, at $399 USD

Rob Ford’s widow sues Doug Ford, alleging he has deprived her and her children of millions

So that’s some news.

Meet the modders who play GTA 5 as mild-mannered British cops

This one’s for Maggo