Catie Keck, Author at Gizmodo

Only 45 Percent of Businesses Plan to Rehire the Same Workers Once They Reopen, Facebook Survey Finds

A new Facebook survey of small- and medium-sized businesses has found that, among those who have shut down amid the global covid-19 health crisis, only 45 percent plan to rehire the same employees when they reopen. Facebook’s State of Small Business Report, released Monday, was published as part of the company’s collaborative effort with the…

Tech News Catie Keck

Jack Ma Is Out as Softbank’s Year From Hell Spirals Into Outright Disaster

Alibaba founder and Michael Jackson enthusiast, Jack Ma, is stepping down from his role on Softbank’s board just as the company is reporting the biggest losses in its history. The company announced that Ma is set to resign June 25, a departure that comes as Softbank continues to reel from its no good, very bad…

Tech News Catie Keck

At Least 7 Amazon Workers Have Died of Covid-19 as Company Refuses to Release Official Numbers

Amazon has confirmed two more deaths of workers at its facilities in two different states amid a growing chorus of lawmakers and activists demanding that the company release official figures on the number of cases and confirmed deaths related to covid-19. The most recent deaths appear to put the total number at seven, though Amazon’s…

Tech News Catie Keck

Tesla Factory Inspected by Police While It’s Supposed to Be Shut Down, Elon Not Arrested

The Fremont Police Department this week conducted an inspection of Tesla’s Fremont, California, factory to assess the facility’s safety measures and its degree of operation, a police spokesperson said, the latest development in the county’s standoff with CEO Elon Musk over the latter’s very dramatic, incredibly stupid refusal to comply with an order to cease…

Tech News Catie Keck

HBO Beats Netflix to Officially Rolling Out One of the Most Coveted Features in Streaming

As many of us are sheltering in place or social distancing right now, our ways of connecting with friends and family have been severely limited. One way we’re still able to connect with others, regardless of their physical distance from us, is watching a movie together on the same streaming service. But if you’ve found…

Internet Catie Keck

Guess How Much Uber and Lyft Would Owe California If Drivers Were Employees? Try $413 Million

If Lyft and Uber had classified their drivers as employees rather than independent contractors as the companies currently do (and would very much like to continue doing), what would they have hypothetically owed to California in unemployment insurance tax? According to an estimate from the UC Berkeley Labor Center, the two companies would have had…

Tech News Catie Keck

Quibi’s Real Issue Isn’t Covid-19 or Screencasting, It’s Ego

After reversing its stubborn insistence on making Quibi a mobile-exclusive streaming service, the company will finally begin rolling out casting support to its, uh, relatively small group of subscribers. Speaking to founder Jeffrey Katzenberg for an interview, the New York Times reported that Quibi’s iOS users will get casting support “this week,” while Android users…

Internet Catie Keck

Texas Courts System Hit by Ransomware Attack

The network that supports the Texas court system was targeted by a ransomware attack late last week, the Office of Court Administration said Monday. The security breach impacting bodies within the Texas Judicial Branch, including appellate courts and state judicial agencies, was discovered early Friday after it began overnight, the agency said. The agency added that…

Tech News Catie Keck

Creator Behind Famed ‘Double Rainbow’ Meme, Paul Vasquez, Dies at Age 57

Paul Vasquez, the colorful character behind the viral “double rainbow” video, has died. Vasquez, 57, died Saturday in the emergency unit at the John C. Fremont Hospital in Mariposa, California, a spokesperson for the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Gizmodo. The spokesperson did not comment on Vasquez’s cause of death; however, Vasquez posted on…

Tech News Catie Keck

Seattle Announces Permanent Street Closures to Give People Space to Exercise

During a time when more people are sheltering at home and practicing social distancing, Seattle is making the closure of some streets permanent to allow residents and families to use them for outdoor health and exercise at a safe distance. Back in April, Seattle announced a pilot for what it called the Stay Healthy Streets…

Tech News Catie Keck

CBS All Access Is Good Now

Until recently I was not the biggest fan of CBS All Access. As a smaller service with pretty niche offerings, I didn’t see a ton of appeal when stacked against the many, many other options out there. But I’ve got a confession: This is a streaming service you should absolutely consider subscribing to as your…

Internet Catie Keck

Alamo Drafthouse Saves Us From the Deluge of Bad Content With Its Curated Streaming Service

Alamo Drafthouse is bringing a slate of very good films to your desktop, and soon your phone, with its new streaming service Alamo on Demand. Alamo on Demand—available now to stream in-browser with iOS and Android apps on the way—offers a highly curated selection of films for rental or purchase, with many ranging between $3…

Internet Catie Keck

Twitch Is Reportedly Pivoting to Reality TV

Twitch, the service popular for live gameplay streams, is reportedly planning to launch a slate of unscripted series that include dating and game shows—because we certainly have nowhere near enough half-baked reality TV being churned out already. Citing an internal document it obtained, Bloomberg reported Wednesday that Twitch plans to drop between $50,000 and $250,000…

Internet Catie Keck

Uber Lays Off 14 Percent of Its Staff as Pandemic Pummels Ride-Share Business

Uber announced this week that it’s cutting 3,700 roles as the coronavirus crisis pummels its ride-share business and that of its competitor Lyft. An Uber spokesperson confirmed to Gizmodo that the layoffs will affect roughly 14 percent of the company’s employees. According to a memo CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sent to the Uber team, the eliminations…

Tech News Catie Keck

Despite Record Streaming Subscriptions, Disney Is Tiptoeing Around the Movie Theater Drama—For Now

As a very ugly standoff between legacy theaters and legacy studios plays out in real time, Disney appears to be treading lightly around the sensitive issue over how studios will handle releases now and in a post-covid-19 future. Last week, remarks by NBCUniversal executive Jeff Shell about releasing new premiere films on demand even after…

Tech News Catie Keck

Adam Neumann Is Evidently WeHurt Over Failed $3 Billion Dollar WeWork Bailout Deal

Adam Neumann, the controversial co-founder and former chief executive of spectacular startup failure WeWork, is suing Softbank over that failed multibillion-dollar bailout deal and claims that the company breached the terms of their agreement in doing so. The suit, which was filed this week in Delaware’s Chancery Court, argues that Softbank broke the terms of…

Tech News Catie Keck

Mozilla Is Experimenting With an Email Alias Feature to Help Keep Spammers Out of Your Inbox

Mozilla is currently testing a feature that can generate an email alias with just a single click to help protect users from hackers as well as keep their actual email address off those dreaded spam lists. Gizmodo confirmed that the feature, called Private Relay, is currently in an experimental phase. According to a landing page…

Tech News Catie Keck

Walmart Is Betting You’ll Ditch Amazon Prime for Its Expensive 2-Hour Delivery

In its latest attempt to keep up with Amazon’s indomitable hold on the e-commerce space, Walmart has announced it’s introducing two-hour delivery for nearly 2,000 stores in the coming weeks. The announcement follows a pilot program of the service at 100 stores that began in mid-April. In a statement, Walmart’s chief customer officer Janey Whiteside…

Tech News Catie Keck

Plex, the Build-Your-Own-Netflix Streaming Service, Is Now Streaming Crackle for Free

Plex’s free tier is getting a boost of thousands of TV and film titles thanks to a partnership with fellow free streaming service Crackle. Plex—the build-your-own streaming service hub for your content as well as that of its partners—offers free movies and TV on-demand with a login for its free, ad-supported tier. (Its premium tier,…

Tech News Catie Keck

Movie Theaters Are Screwed

A long-standing debate about movies at home versus in the theater is reaching a tipping point. At the heart of the debate now is a public pissing match between AMC, one of the U.S.’s largest movie theater chain, and Universal Pictures, one of it largest production studios, over premium video on demand and theaters’ rights…

Tech News Catie Keck

Catie Keck

Only 45 Percent of Businesses Plan to Rehire the Same Workers Once They Reopen, Facebook Survey Finds

Jack Ma Is Out as Softbank’s Year From Hell Spirals Into Outright Disaster

At Least 7 Amazon Workers Have Died of Covid-19 as Company Refuses to Release Official Numbers

Tesla Factory Inspected by Police While It’s Supposed to Be Shut Down, Elon Not Arrested

HBO Beats Netflix to Officially Rolling Out One of the Most Coveted Features in Streaming

Guess How Much Uber and Lyft Would Owe California If Drivers Were Employees? Try $413 Million

Quibi’s Real Issue Isn’t Covid-19 or Screencasting, It’s Ego

Texas Courts System Hit by Ransomware Attack

Creator Behind Famed ‘Double Rainbow’ Meme, Paul Vasquez, Dies at Age 57

Seattle Announces Permanent Street Closures to Give People Space to Exercise

CBS All Access Is Good Now

Alamo Drafthouse Saves Us From the Deluge of Bad Content With Its Curated Streaming Service

Twitch Is Reportedly Pivoting to Reality TV

Uber Lays Off 14 Percent of Its Staff as Pandemic Pummels Ride-Share Business

Despite Record Streaming Subscriptions, Disney Is Tiptoeing Around the Movie Theater Drama—For Now

Adam Neumann Is Evidently WeHurt Over Failed $3 Billion Dollar WeWork Bailout Deal

Mozilla Is Experimenting With an Email Alias Feature to Help Keep Spammers Out of Your Inbox

Walmart Is Betting You’ll Ditch Amazon Prime for Its Expensive 2-Hour Delivery

Plex, the Build-Your-Own-Netflix Streaming Service, Is Now Streaming Crackle for Free

Movie Theaters Are Screwed

Roborock F25 Ultra Steam Wet Dry Vacuum Is Now at Its Lowest Price, but Only During the Spring Sale Window

This $450 Semi-Dumb Phone Is Barely Even a Phone

Startup Successfully Ignites World’s First Fusion Rocket

Shokz OpenDots One Earbuds Hit Their Lowest Price Yet Across All Color Options, Including the New Ones

INIU Portable Power Bank Is Small in Size and Smaller in Price for Amazon’s Big Spring Sale (45W, 10,000mAh)

Humans Were Already Dog People 16,000 Years Ago, DNA Suggests

California Regulator Says Tesla’s ‘Robotaxis’ Are More Like a Limo in the Eyes of the Law

Dyson Airwrap Falls to an All-Time Low in Amazon’s Spring Sale, Lowering the Barrier for This Premium Multi-Styler

The ‘Tales from ’85’ Trailer Wants You Back in ‘Stranger Things’ Already

Forget Ray-Ban Meta, XREAL 1S AR/XR Virtual Screen Smart Glasses Drop to Record Low on Amazon

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Apple Studio Display XDR Review: It Looks So Good, I Wish It Were an iMac

RayNeo Air 4 Pro Review: My Eyes Love These Video Glasses, but My Nose Disagrees