Year: 2019

Apple Pay activated on 383 Million iPhones Worldwide

CompuScoop Staff February 21, 2019 0

Apple Pay is continuing to grow as a major player in the mobile payments market thanks to its loyal users, Loup Ventures notes, estimating that 43 percent of all iPhone users around the world have enabled Apple Pay on their devices.

To read the rest of the article, go to: AppleInsider.com

UPS worked accused of stealing iPad and Laptop

CompuScoop Staff February 21, 2019 0

By: Katherine Wallace-Fernandez, The Independent Florida Allergator

A UPS employee accused of stealing a laptop and an iPad while on the job was arrested Tuesday.

Randell Mourice Turner, 33, of Gainesville, sorted packages at a UPS Customer Center, at 1941 NW 67th Place, according to a Gainesville Police arrest report.

On Christmas Eve, Turner stole a Lenovo ThinkPad laptop from the center, the report said. He later sold it at Best Jewelry and Loan Pawn Shop, at 523 NW Third Ave., on Jan. 9.

He also stole an iPad and sold it on Jan. 23 at an ecoATM at a Walmart, at 1800 NE 12th Ave., the report said. A customer filed a claim that day that her iPad was never delivered.

On Feb. 13, a UPS investigator asked police to look into the Florida pawn database for the missing iPad, the report said. Police found it and the ThinkPad under Turner’s pawn records.

The investigator reviewed surveillance footage around the time the items went missing and saw Turner wearing a backpack and ducking behind the conveyer belt, the report said.

Turner admitted to police to selling the Lenovo Thinkpad for $125 and the iPad for $155, the report said.

Turner was charged with grand theft, dealing in stolen property and giving false information on a pawn transaction form, the report said.

He remained in the Alachua County Jail Wednesday in lieu of a $35,000 bond.

Major New 270-Acre Solar Facility Now Online, Providing Clean Energy to Walt Disney World Resort

CompuScoop Staff February 20, 2019 0

We’ve got some big news to share from the Sunshine State today. Built in collaboration with the Reedy Creek Improvement District and Origis Energy USA, a massive new 270-acre, 50-megawatt solar facility is officially online and providing renewable clean energy to Walt Disney World Resort!

This facility is expected to generate enough power from the sun to operate two of our four theme parks in Central Florida annually. It will also significantly reduce net greenhouse gas emissions, joining the numerous efforts The Walt Disney Company has launched to deliver its 2020 goal of reducing emissions by 50% compared to 2012.

We will be celebrating this milestone in the coming months and look forward to sharing more details with you real soon. In the meantime, check out this time-lapse video – filmed with a solar-powered camera – to see how the facility has come to life.

It has come a long way since our most recent update last fall, when the first of more than half a million panels was installed! This project is certainly a giant leap forward in our emissions efforts, but it’s not the first. You may remember hearing about the 22-acre, 5-megawatt solar facility shaped like Mickey Mouse that opened in 2016.

So next time your travels bring you to Walt Disney World Resort, know that your visit may be partly powered by the sun. Be sure to keep reading the Disney Parks Blog and follow the Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment Facebook page for additional updates on the new solar facility and other exciting environmental projects.

CNBC: Disney and other companies pull YouTube ads

CompuScoop Staff February 20, 2019 0

Disney and Nestle have paused advertising on YouTube after reports of a pedophile network rampant in the comments of monetized videos, according to Bloomberg. Fortnite maker Epic Games has also paused some advertising, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC.

The controversy stems from reports that pedophiles have latched onto videos of young children, often girls, marking time stamps that show child nudity and objectifying the children in YouTube's comments section. The move is a familiar black eye for Google-owned YouTube, which frequently battles content moderation challenges and is losing market share of the digital advertising industry. The platform has come under fire before for selling ads against offensive and extremist content.

"We have paused all pre-roll advertising," said a spokesperson from Epic. "Through our advertising agency, we have reached out to Google/YouTube to determine actions they'll take to eliminate this type of content from their service."

Disney and Nestle did not immediately return requests for comment.

Advertisers like Peloton and Grammarly issued similarly strong statements and are urging YouTube to resolve the latest content challenge.

"Any content — including comments — that endangers minors is abhorrent and we have clear policies prohibiting this on YouTube. We took immediate action by deleting accounts and channels, reporting illegal activity to authorities and disabling violative comments," a spokesperson for YouTube said in a statement. "There's more to be done, and we continue to work to improve and catch abuse more quickly."

YouTube declined to comment on any specific advertisers.