PERSONAL TECH

This is going well: Meta adds anti-grope buffer zone around metaverse VR avatars
Removing characters' hands evidently not enough to halt harassment

Thomas Claburn in San Francisco

Sat 5 Feb 2022 

Meta Platforms Inc, better known for its controversial turn as Facebook, says its mission is to, "Give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together." But not too close, it seems.

The mega-corp wants to keep people apart in its metaverse. The ad biz, besotted with virtual reality now that it can no longer move fast and break things with impunity in the real world, has committed to cartoon social distancing.

Henceforth, avatars in its Horizon Worlds and Horizon Venues will be able to approach no closer than four feet – as that distance would be rendered to whatever scale fits the viewer's display screen – to prevent virtual molestation.

Vivek Sharma, VP of Meta's Horizon group, refers to the company's grope gap as a "Personal Boundary."

"Personal Boundary prevents avatars from coming within a set distance of each other, creating more personal space for people and making it easier to avoid unwanted interactions," he explained in a blog post on Friday.

These Personal Boundaries, he says, will prevent other avatars from invading your avatar's personal space, without any haptic feedback to simulate a collision.

"This builds upon our existing hand harassment measures that were already in place, where an avatar’s hands would disappear if they encroached upon someone’s personal space," Sharma explained.

Online harassment, trolling, and toxic behavior has been a problem on the internet since modems and bulletin boards. Those who have followed the tech industry for a while may recall a 1993 Village Voice article by author Julian Dibbell titled, "A Rape in Cyberspace," about text-based torment.

Well, that sort of behavior, something every mass market multiplayer game has had to confront, found its way into graphic environments where it has proven to be no more welcome and no easier to get rid of. It was a problem more than a decade ago in the precursor to the modern headset-based metaverse, Second Life, where virtual rape was sold for Linden dollars and sexual assaults on avatars are said to have accounted for about 20 per cent of reported infractions.

And it's a problem today. As the MIT Technology Review put it two months ago, "The metaverse has a groping problem already." The word "already" here might be better interpreted to mean "since forever."

Facebook fined peanuts after Giphy staff quit and firm didn't tell UK competition regulators

Grab some tissues: Meta's share price tanks after Facebook emits latest figures

Carked it, Diem? Zuckerberg's grand cryptocurrency thing may sell off assets for $200m

A Pew Research study last year found 41 per cent of Americans have experienced some form of online harassment, a rate comparable to 2017. But certain forms of harassment show signs of rising: 11 per cent reported online sexual harassment, up from 5 per cent in 2014.

About 79 per cent of Pew Research respondents said social media companies are doing "an only fair or poor job at addressing online harassment or bullying on their platforms."

In a move underscoring the risk that unchecked cartoon abuse poses to Meta's multibillion dollar metaverse pivot, ad biz is activating Personal Boundary by default. "[W]e think this will help to set behavioral norms – and that’s important for a relatively new medium like VR," explained Sharma, allowing that such safety measures may get more customizable over time.

When Facebook grudgingly rolled out privacy controls for its social ad platform, they generally were not on by default.

So strap on your VR headset and enjoy a romp in a pixelated world, secure in the knowledge that between the hand-hiding and invisible barriers no one will "reach out and touch someone," as AT&T used to suggest. Just be careful not to injure yourself, which happens occasionally, and if you experience nausea, eye strain, or loss of balance, discontinue use immediately. The Health and Safety warning documents for Meta Quest (Oculus) headsets are extensive [PDF].

If you lose your lunch cavorting at a safe distance from VR trolls, know that Meta is losing its cash to bring this not-so-safe experience to you. At the company's recent earnings fiasco, Meta for the first time broke out revenue for Reality Labs, its metaverse division. In 2021, Reality Labs recorded a $10.2bn loss, having spent $12.5bn to earn $2.3bn in revenue.

That's more than twice the $1.1bn in revenue Reality Labs saw in 2020, but it's not yet close to being a healthy business. ®

Suspected Chinese spies break into cloud accounts of News Corp journalists

Read all about it – Beijing probably already has

Gareth CorfieldFri 4 Feb 2022 

Online work accounts of News Corporation journalists were broken into by snoops seemingly with ties to China, it was claimed today.

Rupert Murdoch's empire announced the security breach on Friday, describing it as a "persistent cyber-attack," and saying it had hired Mandiant to figure out what happened. It is believed the intruders were seeking messages, files and other internal information for Beijing's spymasters.

The intrusion was discovered on January 20, the corporation's flagship British newspaper The Times reported this afternoon. The cyber-attack "included the targeting of emails and documents of some employees, including journalists," wrote defense editor Larisa Brown.

Murdoch's Wall Street Journal also said [paywall] it was targeted along with its stablemate the New York Post and other publications.

In a quarterly financial filing [PDF, 321 pages], submitted to the SEC and dated February 4, News corp stated:

The company ... relies on third-party providers for certain technology and 'cloud-based' systems and services that support a variety of business operations. In January 2022, the company discovered that one of these systems was the target of persistent cyberattack activity. Together with an outside cybersecurity firm, the company is conducting an investigation into the circumstances of the activity to determine its nature, scope, duration and impacts. The company’s preliminary analysis indicates that foreign government involvement may be associated with this activity, and that data was taken. To the company’s knowledge, its systems housing customer and financial data were not affected.

What cloud-based systems could News Corp be referring to here, precisely? Well, we're not going to speculate but doubtless some readers will notice that the corporation appears to use Google for email, at least. MX records for the aforementioned newspapers' domain names point to the backend servers of Google Workspace, the internet monolith's productivity suite that includes Gmail.

We have asked Google for comment and will update this article if the ad-tech titan responds.

David Wong, a veep of consulting at Mandiant, said in a statement: "Mandiant assesses that those behind this activity have a China nexus, and we believe they are likely involved in espionage activities to collect intelligence to benefit China's interests."

Google sours on legacy G Suite freeloaders, demands fee or flee
Security experts dissect Google China attack
Spy agency GCHQ told me Gmail's more secure than Microsoft 365, insists British MP as facepalming security bods tell him to zip it
Google opens Workspace to anyone with a Google account, but you'll need to cough up for the good stuff

No further detail on whether the intrusions were state-sponsored, state-directed, or merely originated from Chinese servers was given by News Corp. Neither was any detail given on whether the attacks defeated security protections on a cloud provider's servers or whether luckless journalists had their work or personal devices or accounts individually compromised, giving the attackers direct access to email and file-hosting accounts and.

Along with the intrusion, News Corp also announced a $56m share buyback program today in a filing with the SEC. ®

Bootnote
Last year a fake email was sent around announcing the chairman of Parliament's foreign affairs committee had resigned, citing Chinese sanctions as the reason. In fact Tom Tugendhat MP had done no such thing.

FOR PROFIT HEALTHCARE USA

Lower-cost formulations of prescription drugs could cut costs by 40%, study finds


Rising costs for prescription drugs paid by insurance and consumers may be in part due to more expensive formulations being ordered, according to a new study. File photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- People in the United States can save up to 40% on prescription drug costs by switching to different formulations of the same medication, when available, a study published Friday by JAMA Health Forum found.

In the analysis of costs for 28 medications available as a tablet or capsule, 33% of prescription orders were placed for the high-priced formulation, the data showed.

Similarly, for 21 drugs dispensed as a cream or ointment, 47% of orders involved the more costly formulation, the researchers said.

If the lower-cost formulation had been ordered, spending for the analyzed drugs -- both in terms of out-of-pocket expenses and those covered by health insurance -- would have been reduced by 42%, according to the researchers.

RELATED Study: Nearly 13M in U.S. skip, delay meds due to cost

"Our findings illuminate the stark and often unexplained variation in prices that can exist between similar medication treatments," study co-author Sunita Desai told UPI in an email.

"They also highlight the need for more transparency of prices to allow patients and providers to balance both clinical and cost considerations when making treatment decisions," said Desai, an assistant professor of population health NYU School of Medicine in New York City.

Out-of-pocket costs, or expenses above and beyond what is covered by insurance, have increased in recent years in the United States, fueled at least in part by rising prices for brand-name drugs and reduced availability of generic alternatives, research suggests.

RELATED As many as 18M in U.S. can't pay for needed medications, study says

Studies have found that up to 18 million people nationally cannot afford their prescribed medications, and about 13 million skip doses or delay taking drugs due to costs.

Prices of drugs can differ based on a number of factors, including the formulation being used, according to Desai and her colleagues.

For example, the commonly used antibiotic amoxicillin is available as a tablet or as a capsule.

RELATED Rising out-of-pocket drug costs linked to increase in brand-name prices

In their analysis, the researchers found that the more expensive tablet formulation was ordered about 45% of the time, they said.

Had the less-expensive capsule been ordered instead, users of the prescription drug would have saved about 30% in out-of-pocket costs, the data showed.

Similarly, hydrocortisone, which is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, among other conditions, was ordered in its more expensive ointment formulation when the less costly cream option would have saved the patients prescribed the drug about 10% in expenses, the researchers said.

Although prescribing healthcare providers may prefer one formulation over another due to convenience, safety or effectiveness, increased transparency regarding price differences would allow patients and providers to make more informed decisions, according to the researchers.

"Many medications are offered in multiple formulations, and the prices between two formulations can vary substantially," Desai said.

"In many cases, convenience or clinical differences may be minor and, in these cases, the patient and payer could save if they knew about these price differences," she said.

CDC bolsters efforts to use wastewater monitoring to track COVID-19


Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plan to increase efforts to monitor wastewater for the presence of COVID-19 across the country in the coming weeks. File photo by David McNew/EPA-EFE

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced plans Friday to ramp up monitoring wastewater across the United States for the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19 to spot potential outbreaks.

As of this week, 400 communities across the country are participating in the program, called the National Wastewater Surveillance System, with "hundreds more" expected to come online "in the coming weeks," officials said.

For the first time, data collected from the system, which launched in September 2020, is available online as part of the CDC's COVID-19 Data Tracker, with daily updates, they said.

This system is "providing critical info on COVID-19 trends nationally," Amy Kirby, program lead for the National Wastewater Surveillance System, said Friday on a call with reporters.

RELATED Scientists can detect new COVID-19 variants by analyzing wastewater


"The data offers public health officials and better idea of COVID-19 trends in their local communities and serves as an early warning system for outbreaks," she said.

Since its launch, the system has collected and analyzed more than 34,000 wastewater samples, representing 53 million people across the United States, according to Kirby.

It is up and running at 400 sites in 37 states, four cities and two U.S. territories, with 250 more communities expected to be online within the next few weeks, she said.

RELATED Wastewater testing for COVID-19 could soon be a reality

She was unable to provide estimates as to how many people nationally or what percentage of the U.S. population the system would be able to monitor with the additional sites.

Research suggests 40% to 80% of people with COVID-19 shed the virus in their feces, which makes wastewater monitoring a "valuable tool" for tracking infections as well identify new variants, such as the Omicron strain, Kirby said.

The CDC plans to expand the program to monitor for other infectious pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria, by the end of the year, she said.

RELATED Spread, mitigation of COVID-19 could be tracked in municipal wastewater

The system can be used to test treated and untreated sewage to help officials track the spread of COVID-19 and, perhaps, identify cases in people who are not showing symptoms, according to the CDC.

The method could also serve as a tool to determine whether or not containment initiatives, such as social distancing, are working to eradicate the virus from an area, Kirby said.

In most cases, samples are collected using a device called an auto-sampler -- though some may be captured manually -- and sent to CDC-affiliated testing labs for evaluation, she said.

Environmental microbiologists have used sewage monitoring programs to study pathogenic viruses for decades, most notably as part of efforts to globally eradicate the polio virus.

It can also be used to track consumption of legal and illegal drugs in a given area.

A study published by the research team in 2008 suggests the approach can be used to effectively spot coronaviruses in general -- and notes that they die off in wastewater, with a 99.9% reduction in two to three days.

What makes wastewater monitoring so effective is that "it does not rely on healthcare access or access to testing," Kirby said.

"It will allow us to detect cases [earlier] so hospitals and public health officials can prepare for surges," she said.

VEGAN ELECTRICITY

Battery made from 2,923 lemons breaks Guinness World Record

The Royal Society of Chemistry earned a Guinness World Record when a battery made from 2,923 lemons generated 2,307.8 volts of electricity. 

Photo courtesy of the Royal Society of Chemistry/Twitter


Feb. 4 (UPI) -- A team of chemists gathered 2,923 lemons in Britain to break the Guinness World Record for the highest voltage from a fruit battery.

Guinness said the Royal Society of Chemistry, an international organization of scientists, cut the lemons in half in Manchester, England, and hooked strips of zinc and copper to each end to extract a total 2,307.8 volts from the fruit.

The resulting battery broke the previous record by 1,521 volts, Guinness announced.

Professor Saiful Islam, a material science professor from the University of Bath who participated in the attempt, said the lemon juice acts as an electrolyte, with the zinc and copper acting as electrodes.

The lemon battery was used to activate an LED attached to a light sensor that triggered a relay and activated a pyrotechnic system to kick off a go-kart race.

The lemons used in the attempt were processed by Refood, a company that uses food waste to generate renewable energy for the National Gas Grid, and the remaining liquid was used to make bio-fertilizer for local farms.

Experts: Pandemic prevention strategies far less costly than impact of outbreaks


The proposed strategies are intended to help political and public health leaders prevent future pandemics by stopping the "spillover" of diseases from animals into humans 

Photo by Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society | License Photo

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Three strategies designed to prevent future pandemics would cost less than 5% of the lowest estimated value of lives lost every year due to infectious disease outbreaks, researchers said in an analysis published Friday by Science Advances.

The strategies are intended to help political and public health leaders prevent future pandemics by stopping the "spillover" of diseases from animals into humans, according to the researchers.

They include better surveillance of pathogens, better management of wildlife trade and hunting and reduced deforestation, they said.

The annual costs of what they call "primary pandemic prevention" actions is about $20 billion, or less than 5% of the lowest estimated value of lives lost from emerging infectious diseases every year and less than 10% of the annual economic costs of outbreaks, the data showed.

"If COVID-19 taught us anything, it is that testing, treatments and vaccines can prevent deaths, but they do not stop the spread of viruses across the globe and may never prevent the emergence of new pathogens," Dr. Aaron Bernstein, one of 20 researchers behind the analysis, said in a press release.

"Spending only 5 cents on the dollar can help prevent the next tsunami of lives lost to pandemics," said Bernstein, director of the Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

About 3.3 million people worldwide die each year from viral zoonotic diseases like COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization.

Through Friday, 5.7 million people have died from COVID-19, including a world-leading 894,000 in the United States, based on estimates from Johns Hopkins University.

The estimated value of these lost lives is at least $350 billion, with an additional $212 billion in direct economic losses, Bernstein and his colleagues said.

This amount is based on lives lost from every new viral disease that has "spilled over," or spread from animals to humans into humans, since 1918 and killed at least 10 people, the researchers said.

In 2021, a task force led by Bernstein found that the spillover of pathogens with the potential to cause pandemics occur from livestock operations, wildlife hunting and trade, land-use change and the destruction of tropical forests and rapid, unplanned urbanization.

Climate change also is shrinking habitats and pushing animals on land and sea to move to new places, creating opportunities for pathogens to enter new hosts, the task force found.

Preventing spillover at the source is rarely addressed when policymakers discuss pandemic risks, despite the fundamental role these events play in spreading emerging infections, they said.

To address this, they recommend revising the World Health Organization's "phases of infectious disease emergence" guidance to include a specific phase for spillover.

They also coin a new term, "primary pandemic prevention," to describe actions that stop new diseases before they spread, rather than actions that address disease outbreaks after they occur, they said.

Primary prevention actions and recommendations include improved monitoring for pathogens that may spread from animals to people, with special training for veterinarians globally as part of that effort, according to the researchers.

Enhanced management of wildlife trade and hunting, including more resources for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the World Organization for Animal Health, and reduction of deforestation, particularly in the Amazon, are others, they said.

As part of this latter step, agriculture must be reformed to minimize or reverse land conversion and demand for less sustainable food must also be curtailed, the researchers said.

"Resources placed into reducing deforestation are an investment to prevent future epidemics, but also to mitigate current threats, such as malaria and respiratory diseases," Marcia Castro Andelot, another of the researchers involved with the new report, said in the press release.

"Making these investments in prevention brings returns to human health, to the environment, and to economic development," said Andelot, a professor of demography and chair of global health and population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School.

ALL CAPITALI$M IS STATE CAPITALI$M; P3

Quebec And Airbus Make $1.2 Billion Investment in A220 Program

THIS INCLUDES DEJARDINS AND CASSIE POPULAIR; THE QUE PENSION FUND

BY SUMIT SINGH

The investment seeks to maintain and create new jobs in Quebec while scaling up the A220 program.

The Quebec government and Airbus yesterday announced that they are jointly investing US$1.2 billion in Airbus Canada. This move seeks to increase the production rate of the A220 in Mirabel, Quebec.
Local presence

Mirabel, an off-island suburb of Montreal hosts the A220 program. Along with several other crucial steps of the process, the main final assembly line can be found here. Airbus recognizes the value of the plant, previously announcing other significant investments. Additionally, the company recently shared the need to recruit at least 500 workers at the site as output rises.

Now, the manufacturer has proudly revealed a joint investment by the government of Quebec to help scale the A220 program’s production at the site. In February 2020, the province's authority became the joint owner of the A220 program with Airbus as Bombardier exited commercial aviation.

With over 660 orders and nearly 200 deliveries, the Airbus A220 is increasing in popularity since its introduction under its previous umbrella of the Bombardier CSeries. Airlines are highlighting the narrowbody's balance of economics of comfort a key reason for its deployment. Split between the -100 and 300 variants, Delta Air lines, airBaltic, Air Canada, EgyptAir, Korean Air, jetBlue, Air France, Air Tanzania, Air Austral, Iraqi Airways, and Breeze Airways all hold A220 family aircraft.

Airbus has a 75% holding in Airbus Canada Limited Partnership while the government of Quebec holds the other 25%.

Helping the economy

Amid, the demand for quicker output in the ever-changing conditions of the global aviation industry, Quebec is investing US$300 million, while Airbus is investing US$900 million. The initiative will help maintain thousands of jobs in the province's aeronautical sector while supporting the creation of new roles.


François Legault, Premier of Quebec shared the following in a statement.

“Today's announcement is significant for our aerospace industry. We are going to invest 300 million US dollars in the Airbus A220 program. It will make it possible to protect 2,500 well-paid jobs in Mirabel . Airbus is a good partner for Quebec. The company continued to rely on Quebec engineering to build one of the most promising aircraft in the world.”

Notably, the investment marks the possible postponement of Quebec's stake buyout, which was set to take place to 2026. Now, the buyout may be scheduled for 2030, highlighting the long-term value that Quebec's government sees in the program.

Guillaume Faury, Chairman and CEO of Airbus added in the statement:

“The global aerospace industry has been showing signs of recovery for several months. Single-aisle aircraft, including the A220 designed and assembled in Mirabel, are the first to recover from the aftermath of the pandemic. Moreover, our recent announcements of A220 orders and delivery figures for 2021 bear witness to this. The A220 has a strong order book, with nearly 500 aircraft to be delivered over the next few years.”

Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.

While there is a second assembly line in Mobile, Alabama, the final assembly line is based in Mirabel. Photo: Airbus

The growth continues

Altogether, with a backlog of 475 aircraft, the investment will help Airbus Canada ramp-up their deliveries to carriers across the globe. There has been additional interest in stretched and extended range variants, along with increasing interest in different regions. So, we can expect plenty of further developments with the A220 program this decade.

Quebec invests another $300M US to maintain stake in old C Series program

Social Sharing

• Facebook

• Twitte

• Email

• Reddit

• LinkedIn

By keeping its 25% stake in Airbus A220 aircraft, province 

hangs onto 2,500 full-time jobs

The Canadian Press · Posted: Feb 04, 2022 2:00 PM ET | Last Updated: February 4

An Airbus employee works under the wing of an Airbus A220 at the assembly plant in Mirabel, Que., Feb. 20, 2020. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Quebec is maintaining a 25 per cent stake in the old C Series commercial jet program and at least 2,500 full-time jobs in the province by investing $300 million US more in the Airbus A220 aircraft.

Premier François Legault and Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced the investment Friday in Montreal.

By injecting more funds into the program, the government wants to avoid seeing its investment diluted by a next round of financing led by Airbus, which purchased the program from Bombardier Inc. in 2018.

Quebec's minority stake stemmed from its initial $1 billion US investment in the program in 2016. As of March 31, 2021, Investissement Québec estimated the value of this investment to be nil.

• Bombardier to lay off 2,500 workers as demand for business jets drops amid pandemic

Airbus is investing an additional $900 million US to maintain its 75 per cent stake in the 110- to 130-seat plane assembled in Mirabel, Que., and Mobile, Ala.

Bombardier sold its remaining investment in the old C Series program in 2020, about two years after it shed a controlling stake in the program for $1.

"Today's announcement is significant for our aerospace industry,'' said Legault. "The company continued to rely on Quebec engineering to build one of the most promising aircraft in the world.''

The French company had until 2026 to buy the government shares, but the investment postpones the buyout until 2030.

Airbus does not expect the program to be profitable before 2025.

Why the heck is there still an automotive chip shortage?

As with most things in this convoluted industry, it's complicated. But the situation should start to improve later this year.

Craig Cole

Feb. 4 2022

Aside from the raw, human toll, COVID-19 has dramatically changed how we live, from travel and education to the way people work. This pandemic has also had an outsized -- and unfortunate -- impact on the automotive industry, snarling global supply chains and limiting vehicle production. But perhaps nothing has hamstrung car companies more than the ongoing semiconductor shortage, which is still a major issue two years after coronavirus went global.

For several important reasons, "The chip shortage is still very much a problem," said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions.

 "This is not a quickly solvable issue," he added.

Automakers large and small are still being affected by an acute lack of semiconductors, which are absolutely necessary, even in the most basic cars and trucks. Everything from advanced driver-assistance features to infotainment systems to heated steering wheels are powered by some sort of computer chip, and that's only going to accelerate in future.

Chipmakers' manufacturing capacity has been gobbled up, effectively blocking automakers from getting the semiconductors they need.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

Toyota continues to face shortages that will affect manufacturing. "Our teams are working diligently to minimize the impact on production … in North America we are projecting a reduction of approximately 25,000 to 30,000 vehicles in February," the automaker told Roadshow. The good news is, Toyota does not anticipate these shortfalls will impact employment.

GM has similar challenges. Late last year, the company confirmed it wasn't able to offer certain features on a range of models due to a lack of chips, though things are getting better. "Fortunately, at the moment we do not have any North American assembly plants that are on downtime due to the global shortage of semiconductors," a spokesperson for the Detroit-based automaker told Roadshow. Second shifts have just resumed at its assembly plants in Fairfax, Kansas, home of the Chevy Malibu and Cadillac XT4, and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, where the Chevy Blazer and Equinox SUVs are built.

Ford missed out on an estimated 1.25 million sales last year. Volkswagen fell short of planned production by 1.15 million, GM and Toyota missed out on 1.1 million and Stellantis came up short by about 1 million units.

Global ramifications

Overall vehicle production was dramatically reduced in 2021 because of the chip shortage. According to Jeff Schuster, president of the Americas operation and global vehicle forecasting at LMC Automotive,"Ford was hit the hardest and they were hit early." This is because it had several super-high-profile launches, including a redesigned F-150. According to Schuster, the Blue Oval missed out on an estimated 1.25 million units last year.

But Ford wasn't the only automaker to stumble. Volkswagen fell short of planned production by around 1.15 million vehicles, GM and Toyota were both out about 1.1 million and Stellantis came up short by around 1 million units. But not all companies were affected equally. "As a group, I would say the Japanese and Korean OEMs were a little more insulated," noted Schuster. They're closer to China, where many chips are made. This is why Chinese manufacturers felt less impact than their global competition.

According to a study released by the US Department of Commerce, the median inventory of computer chips held by consumers -- like automakers and medical device manufacturers -- fell from 40 days in 2019 to less than 5 in 2021. The implications of this are dire. "If a COVID outbreak, a natural disaster or political instability disrupts a foreign semiconductor facility for even just a few weeks, it has the potential to shut down a manufacturing facility in the US, putting American workers and their families at risk," the report noted, a danger that isn't lost on car companies.

Continental

How could this happen?

The auto sector employs some of the brightest and most prescient people of any industry. They're used to planning things out years in advance and sweating every detail to meet safety and fuel economy standards as well as customer needs. This is what makes the industry's collective semiconductor misstep such a surprise. Schuster said he doesn't think anyone thought this would mushroom into the problem it became, though car companies should have been aware of the potential risks.

"Chips go into virtually everything we buy anymore," Fiorani said. At the beginning of the pandemic, automakers cut their semiconductor orders, anticipating a big downturn in sales. "OEMs stepped out of line and the manufacturers that make chips reallocated that factory space to much more profitable, much more in-demand chips for iPhones and PlayStations and other things," he added. Now that auto sales are red-hot again, chipmakers can't meet demand because their capacity has been spoken for. Unfortunately, it's not as simple as turning the lights back on and ramping production up again.

Profitability is another issue Fiorani pointed out. The automotive industry requires older chips, ones that make semiconductor manufacturers less money. It takes only a fraction of the processing power to run a few parking sensors than it does an iPhone 13 Pro. Additionally, for safety, car companies use proven designs, reliable chips that function for decades in all temperatures, humidity levels and other conditions. Whether it's Nvidia, Texas Instruments, TSMC or any other manufacturer, chipmakers have been incentivized to produce more advanced semiconductors at the expense of their automotive customers.

LMC Automotive projects it will likely take all of 2022 and maybe a portion of 2023 for things to start getting back to normal.

Solutions to a microchip-sized problem

Still, there are a couple options to ensure a reliable supply of automotive-grade chips in the coming years. Foreign companies can increase capacity, or we could make more of them here in the US. Schuster said both strategies are likely key to solving this issue because global chip demand is only going to increase, and not just from the automotive sector. Gaming, smartphones and the burgeoning internet of things are going to consume more and more semiconductors in the coming years.

Making chips domestically is important, but it is not a silver-bullet solution. Fiorani explained, "The biggest problem is, one of these plants can't just pop up overnight." He said it takes months, if not years, to construct a new facility, which has to be located in a place with certain resources. Converting an existing building into a chip factory is not really an option because they're so specialized. And then there's the cost. "The number I've been told is $10 billion," and that's just to get started, he said. This is a hugely capital-intensive business, another hurdle.


Powerful but beautiful.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

One additional option, though, is forming some sort of automotive industry chip consortium. Fiorani said this might be the best way to prevent future supply bottlenecks, though he admitted getting cutthroat car companies to work together on something this big is likely a major challenge.

The prognosis: Cautious optimism

If there's any good news in all this, vehicle demand remains strong and companies are able to sell whatever cars and trucks they can build. Schuster said the chip shortage should ease this year, though LMC Automotive projects it will likely take all of 2022 and maybe a portion of '23 for things to start getting back to normal, whatever normal is in a COVID-19 world. Likewise, Fiorani said he estimates everything will start coming together in the second half of the year, when -- fingers crossed -- vehicle production could return to preshortage levels.

"There is some investment in this field and government and industry are stepping up to increase the output of automotive-grade chips," Fiorani said. "We're just hoping it's enough to offset the losses." Obviously, plenty is still up in the air right now, but hopefully the worst of the auto industry's semiconductor shortage is in the rearview mirror.

Ford announces public-private partnership for its Michigan Central campus
By Clyde Hughes

The Ford logo is displayed on the new Focus C-Max at the 2011 North American International Auto Show at the Cobo Center in Detroit, January 11, 2011. Ford on Friday announced a public-private partnership for its Michigan Central Station campus in Detroit. 

File Photo by Mark Cowan/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Ford Motor Co. said Friday it will sign a public-private partnership with the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit at a 30-acre "innovation district" campus centered on the redeveloped historic Michigan Central Station.

Google won a six-year contract last year to work with Ford and provide the project cloud-computing services. The tech giant, in turn, will become a founding member of the district and also offer computer science classes at Michigan Central for local high school students.

The state will provide $126 million to support the campus and innovation district at Michigan Central. Some of the funds will go to reconstruct some streets and develop new housing.

Ford began redeveloping Michigan Central Station in 2018 and is scheduled to finish the project in 2023. The $950 million project is expected to bring 5,000 workers to the district, including 2,500 Ford employees and 2,500 from other businesses and entrepreneurs.

"By embracing a whole-of-government approach in our collaboration with Michigan Central and the city of Detroit, we are writing the playbook for a new kind of partnership that keeps Michigan at the forefront of mobility for generations to come," Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, according to WXYZ-TV.

"Together, we can continue growing Michigan's economy, putting Michiganders first, and win the next century of auto-manufacturing and technology development."

Ruth Porat, Google's senior vice president and chief financial officer, said on Friday its Michigan partnership will allow more people to have access to its products.

"In order for the United States to build the next great technologies, people need access to the latest data and digital tools," Porat said on the company's blog.

"That's why we are bringing Google Cloud technology, including our Cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities and data and analytics tools, to Michigan Central to be used on projects and research for future mobility solutions."

Hundreds of children killed by toppling TVs, furniture since 2000

By HealthDay News

Between 2018 and 2020, an average of 22,500 Americans a year required emergency department treatment for tip-over injuries, and nearly 44% were under 18, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). 

Photo by mojzagrebinfo/Pixabay

Before your eyes become glued to the Super Bowl or the Winter Olympics, make sure your TV and furniture are anchored to the wall to protect little ones from potentially deadly tip-overs.

Between 2018 and 2020, an average of 22,500 Americans a year required emergency department treatment for tip-over injuries, and nearly 44% were under 18, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Since 2000, there have been nearly 600 tip-over deaths involving furniture, TVs or appliances, and 81% of those victims were children 17 and younger.

"People either don't know about the risks, or they think it can't happen when an adult is nearby," said CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric.

RELATED Study: Thousands of kids hurt each year in accidents with furniture, TVs

According to the new CPSC report, 71% of all child deaths involved a TV, 62% of deaths in all age groups involved a TV, 55% of deaths involved people being crushed and 66% of deaths resulted from head injuries.

In 2015, CPSC launched a campaign called AnchorIt! to educate Americans about the dangers of tip-overs. Between 2011 and 2020, there was a 55% decrease in tip-over injuries treated in U.S. emergency rooms, largely due to fewer TV tip-overs.

"We're pleased to see the decrease in tip-over injuries over time," Hoehn-Saric said in a commission news release.

HELMET LAWS APPLY ONLY TO CHILDREN

RELATED

Bike-linked head injuries plummet for kids, but not adults

Protection is inexpensive and easy to install, he said.

"Most anti-tip-over kits cost less than $20 and can be installed in fewer than 20 minutes," Hoehn-Saric said. "We urge parents and caregivers to protect their children and families and make the time to secure heavy items in their homes."

The CPSC offers these suggestions:
Anchor TVs and furniture such as bookcases and dressers securely to the wall.
TVs should be on a sturdy, low base and placed back as far as possible, particularly if they can't be anchored.
Don't display or store items such as toys and remotes where kids may be tempted to climb to reach for them.
Store heavier items on lower shelves or in lower drawers.
When you buy a new TV, consider recycling your old one.
If you move the older TV to another room, be sure it is anchored to the wall properly.
Keep TV and cable cords out of children's reach.
Even when TVs and furniture are anchored, children should still be supervised by an adult.

More information

Safe Kids Worldwide has more about preventing tip-over tragedies.

Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.