Cisco joins the list of tech companies announcing layoffs. Hashtag Trending, Friday Feb 16, 2024

Every once in a while, you have an interview that goes off in a totally different direction. That’s what happened this weekend.  My guest, Ed Wattel, an AI thought leader, came in to talk about elections and how we’ll deal with AI and deep fakes. And we ended up with a fascinating discussion on the future of the internet And that interview left me hopeful.  I hope it does the same for you.

Check it out on hashtag trending the weekend edition this Saturda

Cisco joins the list of tech companies announcing layoffs, Apple Pro users are returning the new headsets with a variety of complaints, Nvidia’s crusade for sovereign AI, Elon does it again and – and Apple issues a warning that you should NOT put your iPhone in a bag of rice after you drop it water…

All this and more on this – who said anything about a toilet – I dropped it in the sink edition of Hashtag Trending. I’m your host Jim Love, CIO of IT World Canada and TechNewsDay in the US.

Cisco Systems Inc. has announced a significant reduction in its workforce, planning to lay off approximately 4,250 employees, which accounts for 5% of its total payroll. This decision was disclosed alongside the company’s second-quarter financial results, where the company revealed that it would have to lower its revenue targets.

Cisco cited several reasons for the revenue drop and resulting layoffs, including heightened caution and scrutiny of deals by customers due to economic uncertainty, delayed deployment of products by customers, and weak demand from telecom and cable service provider customers.

Cisco’s layoffs reflect a larger pattern of retrenchment and workforce reductions in the tech industry. It’s an indication that the economic challenges continue to affect the tech sector.

Sources include: IT World Canada

Some Apple’s Vision Pro users are apparently returning the $3,500 devices. The device has won praise for its innovative features but has been criticized for its lack of comfort and claims that it causes headaches, motion sickness, and eye strain among some users.

The returns are happening as the first wave of buyers reaches the end of Apple’s 14-day return period.

These reports are anecdotal and we don’t have numbers but some users have reported that the headset’s weight and front-loaded design contribute to physical discomfort. Instances of headaches, motion sickness, and even a burst blood vessel in the eye have been noted.

Then there is the absence of enough compelling applications that fully utilize the Vision Pro’s capabilities. There is no “killer app” to drive usage. There are very few games and big entertainment providers like Disney and Netflix have not gotten behind the new device. This has left some users questioning its value, especially given the high price point.

Despite its potential, users have found the Vision Pro lacking in productivity applications. Difficulties with multitasking, unsupported file types, and inefficiencies in basic tasks like file management have been highlighted

Despite criticism, users are expressing continued interest in future iterations of the Vision Pro, hoping for improvements in comfort, functionality, and content.

So far the returns are from a vocal subset of early adopters. How much Apple can or should learn from this and the overall impact of these returns on the Vision Pro’s success and Apple’s strategy for wearable technology remains to be seen.

**Source:** The Verge

Jensen Huang, the CEO of NVIDIA, the world’s third highest valued company, is on a mission to promote the concept of ‘sovereign AI’ across the globe.

Huang has visited over a dozen countries, including India, Canada, France, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam, to spread his message about the importance of sovereign AI.

Huang’s vision of sovereign AI involves countries taking control of their AI development to ensure it reflects their unique values and priorities, especially in critical areas like healthcare and defense.

Huang emphasizes the importance of training AI on local data to protect cultural identities and ensure national security, advocating for the development of AI at grassroots levels.

NVIDIA has also made significant investments and formed partnerships in the countries Huang visited.  In India, NVIDIA collaborated with Reliance and Tata Group to build AI computing infrastructure surpassing India’s fastest supercomputer. I’m not sure what if anything concrete came out of the meeting in Canada. If anyone else knows, please enlighten me.

Huang’s global campaign for sovereign AI not only aims to democratize AI development but also to lay a foundation for generative AI that benefits all nations equally.

Source: Analytics India Magazine

Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), has banned an Irish journalist for criticizing the platform, but apparently has extended a welcome including verification, to leaders of designated terrorist groups such as Hezbollah.

This was uncovered by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), which highlights the platform’s broad interpretation of “free speech”.

Several leaders from Hezbollah, Iran-backed militants, Houthi Rebels, and Russian state media received premium services from X, including blue and gold checkmarks, which signify verification and a “Verified Organization,” respectively.

The investigation also found ads appearing in replies to sanctioned accounts, echoing previous concerns about inappropriate content appearing alongside advertisements from major brands, leading to a significant advertiser exodus from the platform. Whether this latest reveal will lead to additional losses of advertisers is an open question.

But there is another aspect to this situation. The U.S. has issued sanctions against these groups, prohibiting U.S. entities from conducting business with them. X’s actions raise questions about potential violations of these sanctions and its own terms of service, which restrict paid services to individuals facing economic sanctions.

Source: Gizmodo

Apple has issued a warning to iPhone users against the longstanding practice of placing a wet phone in a bag of rice. This popular hack, believed to absorb moisture and restore phone functionality, could potentially harm your device. Instead, Apple recommends alternative measures for dealing with a wet iPhone, emphasizing the importance of avoiding methods that could introduce further damage.

Apple warns that using rice could lead to small particles entering the iPhone, causing damage. This traditional method is now considered less effective and potentially harmful.

Newer iPhones notify users when their device is wet and advise against charging until it’s dry, to prevent corrosion and additional issues.

So how do you dry a wet iPhone? Apple suggests gently tapping the device with the connector facing down to remove excess water, then leaving it in a dry area with good airflow. Repeating this process and allowing the phone to dry for up to a day is recommended if the wet alert reappears.

BBC Focus suggests that using pure alcohol as a more effective drying agent due to its ability to displace water and remove mineral deposits, it’s important to note that alcohol is highly flammable and requires careful handling.

Hashtag Trending suggests following Apple’s recommendation and only using alcohol in the form of a stiff drink while you try not to think of how much it’s going to cost to replace that phone if it doesn’t dry out.

Shout out to Sarah Hooper in the British publication Metro for breaking that story.

Source: Metro

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