Internet users are not happy about Comcast’s data caps, Elon’s Musk is up to some monkey business, and SpaceX could be launching 100 more broadband satellites.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Tuesday, February 2, and I’m your host Baneet Braich.
People are not preaching Comcast’s data caps in the US. Comcast Xfinity which is America’s largest cable and home-internet provider expanded its 1.2 TB broadband cap to 12 additional cities. It didn’t take long for people to take to Twitter, angrily posting photos of their shrinking internet allowances. Some argue that these caps are not fair and Comcast is exploiting American consumers during a pandemic as internet access becomes increasingly important. Many critics describe the situation as a telecom giant making its own rules that lawmakers are happily playing by. 71 state lawmakers In Massachusetts have strongly urged Comcast to discontinue this plan which hurts especially low-income folks and is unnecessary because of Comcast’s healthy network capacity.
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Elon Musk has caused quite the buzz this past week and now is up to some monkey business. Literally. Musk’s Neuralink company implanted a chip into a monkey’s brain and now the monkey can play video games using his mind. Yes. You heard that. Musk’s human-computer-interface company gave the monkey a wireless implant with tiny wires and he can play video games with that. The fact that it’s wireless is important because it could eliminate infections mixing wires and organic material. Neuralink has been testing neural interfaces on animals for a while. Musk says the Monkey is not uncomfortable or weirded out by the chip, and that you can’t tell where the chip was even inserted.
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If it’s not monkeys, Musk is busy launching rockets into space. SpaceX could launch more than 100 broadband satellites this week from Florida. This Wednesday, the next Starlink mission is scheduled to blast off from Kennedy Space Center. The Falcon 9 first-stage booster will be making its eighth launch. SpaceX is working to have faster turnaround times on it’s rockets. CNET is reporting that Musk says he’d eventually like to see his rockets landed and turned around for another launch within 24 hours.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. I’m Baneet Braich, thanks for listening!