1. Conference canceled over fake women speakers
From a planned online developers conference – strange developments. Organizers of DevTernity canceled its upcoming event in the wake of accusations they fabricated female speakers’ profiles. The allegations led several high-profile tech execs to flip the JavaScript and pull out. Top developers from Google, Microsoft and other BigTech were slated to virtually attend. That chilled when participants identified women on the speakers’ list who don’t exist. DevTernity says they were just placeholders because of speakers who dropped out. But the auto-generated profiles auto-generated mistrust. Softwary developers suspect organizers were being HTMLame – using fake females to imply the conference was more diverse than most male-dominated tech events.
Not masters of their domain here…
2. Merriam-Webster’s getting real with its 2023 top word
Maybe DevTernity peeps should’ve paid more attention to Merriam-Webster’s pick for 2023’s top word of the year – “authentic.” The publisher says online searches for “authentic” substantially increased. So, are humans having a metaphorical look in the mirror? Shedding the masks they don in public, trying to get real in a photoshopped, filtered, social-media-polluted world? Some are. Celebs and influencers love to talk about being authentic on social media (irony alert). But experts say it’s mostly, about the artificial intelligence boom. As the lines between real and fake get harder to see, people are searching for what “authentic” means more often.
3. Karma’s a subpoena: Congress demands concert pricing info
Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation face questions about their pricing and a subpoena. A Senate Subcommittee began investigating months ago after ticket prices for 2023’s hottest concerts, particularly Taylor Swift’s, gave consumers a cruel summer. Prices reached numbers average fans could only afford in their wildest dreams. Lawmakers say Live Nation knows all too well it fails to combat ticket brokers and bots. That’s because it uses dynamic pricing algorithms that spike costs when bots buy up tix. They accuse Live Nation of not cooperating with the investigation. But the ticket behemoth says everyone needs to calm down, they’ve forked over more than 10K documents and attended meetings.
4. Wealthy Switzerland’s proposing the cheapest Olympics
Switzerland’s tried three times to get citizens to approve a bid to host the Winter Olympics. After all, winter sports were reportedly born there, and it hosts the International Olympic Committee. But each time local opposition to the amount of Swiss cheese it would cost sent proposals to the bunny slopes. What’s one of the world’s wealthiest countries to fondue? Leaders have put together a proposal for 2030 that at $1.6B would be the cheapest Winter Olympics on record. And it seems to be gaining more popular support. Though some are skeptical Switzerland could deliver Games at a cost that equals 10% of average cost of the past seven Winter Olympics.
5. Heavy woof damage strikes car dealership
Tongues are wagging over vandals at a Texas car dealership. They’ve hit the property three times causing up to $350K in damage to five cars. Surveillance videos show two suspects chasing a third perp, ripping bumpers and fenders off cars. But police say despite footage that clearly identifies those responsible, they can’t unleash officers to help. The vandals are stray dogs and that third perp’s an onery cat leading chase. Their nightly pursuit of the cat has taken on Loony Tunes proportions, though owners found no evidence of Acme Dynamite or Rocket-Powered Roller Skates – just bumper and fender carnage. Pro tip: call Acme fence repair.
