techlife_news_560_20

SUMMARY BAIDU UNVEILS LATEST AUTONOMOUS ELECTRIC VEHICLE: APOLLO RT6 06 TESLA 2Q PROFIT FALLS FROM 1Q, BUT IS STRONGER THAN EXPECTED 14 AMAZON TO BUY PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER ONE MEDICAL FOR $3.9B 22 NASA AIMING FOR LATE AUGUST TEST FLIGHT OF GIANT MOON ROCKET 30 NEW LUNAR ROVER IN THE WORKS AS NASA MOON MISSION ADVANCES 36 CHINA’S DIDI GLOBAL FINED $1.2 BILLION FOR DATA VIOLATIONS 42 AS AI LANGUAGE SKILLS GROW, SO DO SCIENTISTS’ CONCERNS 48 LOG4J SOFTWARE FLAW ‘ENDEMIC,’ NEW CYBER SAFETY PANEL SAYS 64 CARPLAY 2.0: THE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES FOR THE MOST EXCITING ‘NEXT BIG THING’ 74 DELTA PLACES ORDER FOR 100 BOEING 737 AIRCRAFT 98 NETFLIX Q2 SUBSCRIBER LOSS WIDENS, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS FEARED 104 CALIFORNIA SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION BILL DROPS PARENT LAWSUITS 112 US POSTAL SERVICE TO BOOST PURCHASES OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES 120 AUTOMAKERS TARGETING AVERAGE HOUSEHOLDS WITH NEW CROP OF EVS 124 ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLES FLOOD HAVANA AMID DIESEL SHORTAGES 134 LAWMAKERS, WILDLIFE OFFICIALS STUDY E-BIKES ON TRAILS 140 DEAL FOR $5.5B HYUNDAI PLANT IN GEORGIA NEARS FINAL APPROVAL 144 AMAZON SUES ADMINS OF 10K FACEBOOK GROUPS OVER FAKE REVIEWS 150 TWITTER-MUSK TAKEOVER DISPUTE HEADING FOR AN OCTOBER TRIAL 156 HIGH-FLYING EXPERIMENT: DO STEM CELLS GROW BETTER IN SPACE? 164 VIRGIN GALACTIC PICKS MESA AS SITE FOR SPACEPLANES ASSEMBLY 172 ‘THE SEA BEAST’ IS A CHARMING, ANIMATED ADVENTURE 178 STUDY: STUDENT GAINS LAST YEAR NARROWED COVID LEARNING GAP 196 RESEARCHERS: CHINESE-MADE GPS TRACKER HIGHLY VULNERABLE 202 AVIATION FACES HURDLES TO HIT GOALS FOR CUTTING EMISSIONS 208

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BAIDU UNVEILS LATEST AUTONOMOUS ELECTRIC VEHICLE: APOLLO RT6 07

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Baidu, a Chinese search engine and artificial intelligence firm, unveiled its latest electric autonomous driving vehicle on Thursday. The Apollo RT6 will be soon be part of Baidu’s robotaxi fleet, as China pushes forward with its autonomous driving ambitions. It is a fully electric vehicle with a steering wheel that can be removed or installed when required, and will cost 250,000 yuan ($37,000) per unit. “This massive cost reduction will enable us to deploy tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles across China,” Robin Li, co-founder and CEO of Baidu, said at the firm’s Baidu World conference. “We are moving towards a future where taking a robotaxi will be half the cost of taking a taxi today.” Baidu already runs Apollo Go, an autonomous ride-hailing service using self-driving robotaxis with safety staff seated in the driver or passenger seat. It has launched Apollo Go in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, although the service is limited to specific areas. The RT6 also attained the industry’s Level 4 out of five possible levels of technology. That means its systems can operate without a driver but must be pre-loaded with a detailed map, thus limiting the areas where the vehicles can operate. Lower levels of technology range from cruise control, a feature that has been available for decades, up to Level 3, which allows hands-free highway driving. Self-driving robot carts already are widely used in factories, warehouses and other tightly controlled settings. 09

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The Apollo RT6 was designed specifically with autonomous driving in mind, compared to previous generations where the technology was retrofitted on conventional vehicles, the company said. The steering wheel-free design allows more space for the installation of extra seating or other additions, even a gaming console or vending machine. Baidu is best known for its search engine and online advertising services, but in recent years has invested heavily in autonomous driving and artificial intelligence technology, including automated personal assistants and AI chips. China aspires to lead autonomous driving technology globally but lags the U.S. in introducing such services. Alphabet’s Waymo began offering driverless taxi services in Phoenix, Arizona in 2020. 11





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TESLA 2Q PROFIT FALLS FROM 1Q, BUT IS STRONGER THAN EXPECTED Tesla’s second-quarter profit fell 32% from record levels in the first quarter as supply chain issues and pandemic lockdowns in China slowed production of its electric vehicles. But the Austin, Texas, company still surprised analysts with a better-than-expected $2.26 billion net profit for the quarter. Tesla stuck with a prediction of 50% annual vehicle sales growth over the next few years, but said that depends on the supply chain, equipment capacity and other issues. The company made a record $3.32 billion in this year’s first quarter. 15

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Tesla’s sales from April through June fell to 254,000 vehicles, their lowest quarterly level since last fall. But the company predicted record-breaking production in the second half and said that in June it had the highest production month in its history. Industry analysts had been expecting lower earnings after the lower sales figures and tweets by CEO Elon Musk about laying off 10% of the company’s work force due to fears of a recession. In an interview, Musk described new factories in Austin and Berlin as “money furnaces” that were losing billions of dollars because supply chain breakdowns were limiting the number of cars they can produce. But Tesla exceeded Wall Street expectations from April through June with adjusted earnings of $2.27 per share. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $1.81. Revenue was $16.93 billion, beating estimates of $16.54 billion. Edward Jones analyst Jeff Windau said the earnings were better than expected. He noted that the decrease in automobile revenues from the first quarter was offset by stronger energy storage, solar and services performance. Musk reiterated the 50% annual vehicle sales growth forecast but said it depends a lot on circumstances that the company might not be able to control. Windau said the forecast “shows the confidence they have in their ability to grow the electric vehicle market.” Tesla shares rose 1.5% to $753.40 in extended trading after the announcement. 17

The company said it converted 75% of its bitcoin investment to government currency during the quarter, adding $936 million in cash to its balance sheet. It spent $1.5 billion on the investment last year. Overall, it booked a $106 million cost for bitcoin, plus added costs for employee reductions. CEO Elon Musk said the bitcoin holdings were sold to raise cash because of uncertainty over how long pandemic lockdowns would last in China. He said Tesla is open to increasing bitcoin holdings in the future. The price of bitcoin has fallen about 50% so far this year. Musk also said Tesla is seeing indications that inflation may be declining as prices for most commodities drop. He cautioned against making economic predictions but said commodity prices, such as steel and aluminum, are trending down. Musk said Tesla’s“Full Self-Driving”beta test software is on track to be released before the end of this year to all North American customers who want to buy it. And with regulatory approval, it will be released in Europe and other parts of the world, he said. Despite its name,“Full Self-Driving” cannot drive itself, and Tesla warns that drivers have to pay attention all the time. Chief Financial Officer Zachary Kirkhorn said the company is seeing“maybe a little”impact on demand due to macroeconomic issues. Musk reiterated that Tesla has a vehicle supply problem, not a demand problem, and said it now takes six months to a year to get a new vehicle. He said the company has increased prices to“embarrassing levels”due to inflation, but he hopes to reduce prices a bit. 18

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Image: Kazuhiro Nogi 22

AMAZON TO BUY PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER ONE MEDICAL FOR $3.9B Amazon announced Thursday it will acquire the primary care organization One Medical in a deal valued roughly at $3.9 billion, marking another expansion for the retailer into health care services. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant said in a statement it will acquire One Medical for $18 per share in an all-cash transaction. Its one of Amazon’s biggest acquisitions, following its $13.7 billion deal to buy Whole Foods in 2017 and its $8.5 billion purchase of Hollywood studio MGM, which closed earlier this year. 23

One Medical, whose parent company is the San-Francisco based 1Life Healthcare, Inc., is a membership-based service that offers virtual care as well as in-person visits. It also works with more than 8,000 companies to provide its health benefits to employees. As of this March, One Medical had about 767,000 members and 188 medical offices in 25 markets, according to its first-quarter earnings report, which also showed the company had incurred a net losses of $90.9 million after pulling in $254.1 million in revenue. The total deal value announced Thursday includes One Medical’s debt. Neil Lindsay, the senior vice president of Amazon Health Services, said in a statement the acquisition is geared towards reinventing the healthcare “experience” for things like booking an appointment and taking trips to the pharmacy. “We love inventing to make what should be easy easier and we want to be one of the companies that helps dramatically improve the healthcare experience over the next several years,” Lindsay said. Overall, consumer demand for telemedicine and virtual health care care visits has exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care bill payers like employers and insurers are also becoming more focused on improving access to patient care and making sure their patients stay tuned in to their health, see their doctors regularly and take their prescriptions. Health care costs have risen faster than wages and inflation for years and represent a huge expense to employers that offer 24

Image: Lea Suzuki 25

coverage. Employers and insurers think that by connecting people to regular care, they can prevent expensive hospital stays from happening or keep chronic conditions like diabetes from leading to bigger problems. For Amazon, the acquisition deepens its foray into health care services. In 2020, the retail colossus opened an online drug store that allows customers to order medication or prescription refills, and have them delivered to their front door in a couple of days. Last year, it began offering its Amazon Care telemedicine program to employers nationwide. Shares of 1Life Healthcare surged 68% to $17.13 after the announcement. The deal is subject to regulatory approval. On completion, Amazon said One Medical’s CEO Amir Dan Rubin will remain in his position. 26

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NASA AIMING FOR LATE AUGUST TEST FLIGHT OF GIANT MOON ROCKET On the 53rd anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, NASA announced it’s shooting for a late August launch of its giant, new moon rocket. NASA will attempt the more than month-long lunar test flight with three mannequins, but no astronauts, as early as Aug. 29. There are also two launch dates in early September, before NASA would have to stand down for two weeks. NASA’s Jim Free noted the test flight begins “our Artemis program to go back to the moon.” The space agency’s new lunar program is named Artemis after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology. 31

The 30-story Space Launch System rocket and attached Orion capsule are currently in the hangar at Kennedy Space Center, following repairs stemming from last month’s countdown test. Fuel leaks and other technical trouble cropped up during NASA’s repeated launch rehearsals at the pad. NASA officials assured reporters Wednesday that the problems have been resolved and that testing is almost complete. But they cautioned the launch dates could slip, depending on the volatile Florida weather and issues that might arise before the rocket is supposed to return to the pad on Aug. 18. “We’re going to be careful,” said Free, head of exploration systems development. At 322 feet (98 meters), the rocket and Orion capsule are taller than the Statue of Liberty. If Orion’s trip to the moon and back goes well, astronauts could climb aboard in 2023 for a lunar loop-around and actually land in 2025. Astronauts last explored the moon in 1972. The first of the 12 moonwalkers, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, stepped onto the dusty gray surface on July 20, 1969, while Michael Collins orbited the moon. The 92-year-old Aldrin, the sole survivor of the three, noted the anniversary in a tweet: “Neil, Michael & I were proud to represent America as we took those giant leaps for mankind. It was a moment which united the world and America’s finest hour.” 32

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NEW LUNAR ROVER IN THE WORKS AS NASA MOON MISSION ADVANCES A new lunar rover is under development by Lockheed Martin and Goodyear as NASA gears up for a return to the moon. Unlike the rover first used during the Apollo 15 mission in 1971, built to last only a few days and for short trips, the new lunar vehicle is being built for extended use. And this time, it’s not just for NASA. “We’re developing this new generation of lunar mobility vehicle to be available to NASA and for commercial companies and even other space agencies to support science and human exploration,” said Kirk Shireman, vice president 37

of Lunar Exploration at Lockheed Martin.“This approach exemplifies NASA’s desire for industry to take the lead with commercial efforts that enable the agency to be one of many customers.” Neil Armstrong became the first person to step onto the moon’s surface on this day in 1969 as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Goodyear, which was also involved in NASA’s Apollo missions, will employ the airless tire technology it uses here for autonomous shuttles and other passenger vehicles. Lockheed Martin, based in Fort Worth, Texas, has worked with NASA for more than 50 years, including NASA’s Orion exploration-class spaceship for Artemis and numerous Mars planetary spacecraft. The lunar vehicles will need to withstand extreme conditions on the moon’s surface, where temperatures drop to -250 degrees Fahrenheit (-156.67 degrees Celsius) at night and rise to over 250 degrees Fahrenheit (121.11 degrees Celsius) during the day. Aside from Goodyear, based in Akron, Ohio, and Lockheed Martin, MDA of Canada will provide its commercial robotic arm technology for the vehicles. The companies anticipate having their first vehicle on the moon’s surface at the same time as NASA’s mission, planned for 2025. 38

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CHINA’S DIDI GLOBAL FINED $1.2 BILLION FOR DATA VIOLATIONS China’s internet watchdog on Thursday fined ride-hailing firm Didi Global more than 8 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) following an investigation into the company’s cybersecurity practices. The probe found Didi violated China’s network security law, data security law and a law protecting personal information, the Cyberspace Administration of China said in a statement. A separate statement explaining the fine said Didi’s “illegal operations” had brought “serious” national security risks, affecting the country’s information infrastructure and data security. Didi’s chairman Cheng Wei and president Jean Liu were fined 1 million yuan ($148,000) each as they were held responsible for the company’s violations, regulators said. 43

“Didi’s violations of laws and regulations are serious, and in light of the network security review, they should be severely punished,” the statement read. Didi illegally collected nearly 12 million screenshots and 107 million pieces of passengers facial recognition data and more than 167 million records of location data, among other information, regulators said. The company’s violations first began in June 2015. Didi said in a statement posted to its official Weibo social media account that it “sincerely” accepted the decision. “We will take this as a warning, and persist in paying equal attention to both security and development,” Didi said, adding that it would work toward “safe, healthy and sustainable” development of its business. The decision comes over a year after Didi pushed forward with its New York stock listing in June 2021. Regulators, who reportedly did not approve of Didi’s listing, launched the investigation two days after the company went public and ordered it to take down more than two dozen apps, sending its stock price plunging. Didi moved to delist from the New York stock exchange, exiting on June 10. The ride-hailing firm is among a slew of internet technology firms that have faced close scrutiny during a crackdown on the technology industry that began in 2020, with regulators halting Alibaba-affiliated financial technology firm Ant Group’s initial public offering. 44

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AS AI LANGUAGE SKILLS GROW, SO DO SCIENTISTS’ CONCERNS The tech industry’s latest artificial intelligence constructs can be pretty convincing if you ask them what it feels like to be a sentient computer, or maybe just a dinosaur or squirrel. But they’re not so good — and sometimes dangerously bad — at handling other seemingly straightforward tasks. Take, for instance, GPT-3, a Microsoft-controlled system that can generate paragraphs of human- like text based on what it’s learned from a vast database of digital books and online writings. It’s considered one of the most advanced of a new generation of AI algorithms that can converse, 49

generate readable text on demand and even Image: Mary Altaffer produce novel images and video. Among other things, GPT-3 can write up most any text you ask for — a cover letter for a zookeeping job, say, or a Shakespearean-style sonnet set on Mars. But when Pomona College professor Gary Smith asked it a simple but nonsensical question about walking upstairs, GPT-3 muffed it. “Yes, it is safe to walk upstairs on your hands if you wash them first,”the AI replied. These powerful and power-chugging AI systems, technically known as“large language models” because they’ve been trained on a huge body of text and other media, are already getting baked into customer service chatbots, Google searches and“auto-complete”email features that finish your sentences for you. But most of the tech companies that built them have been secretive about their inner workings, making it hard for outsiders to understand the flaws that can make them a source of misinformation, racism and other harms. “They’re very good at writing text with the proficiency of human beings,”said Teven Le Scao, a research engineer at the AI startup Hugging Face.“Something they’re not very good at is being factual. It looks very coherent. It’s almost true. But it’s often wrong.” That’s one reason a coalition of AI researchers co-led by Le Scao —- with help from the French government — launched a new large language model that’s supposed to serve as an antidote to closed systems such as GPT-3. The group is called BigScience and their model is BLOOM, for the BigScience Large Open-science Open-access Multilingual Language Model. Its 50