Tesla comes clean about its fatal crash; Uber just cowers
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Tesla comes clean about its fatal crash; Uber just cowers

A self-driving Uber ran over a pedestrian in Phoenix. A Tesla in autopilot mode crashed into a safety barrier and killed the driver. Tesla released a statement about the crash that delivers specifics and clarity, while Uber said very little. It’s moments like this that clarify why we tend to trust Tesla, but not Uber….

Facebook’s sneaky “opt-in” defense for tracking all your texts and phone calls
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Facebook’s sneaky “opt-in” defense for tracking all your texts and phone calls

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica/Facebook scandal, we found out that Facebook was also logging the texts and calls of Android users. Facebook pointed out that all those users had agreed to the tracking on an opt-in screen. In other words, Facebook took advantage of the fact nearly everyone clicks on things without reading…

John Bolton’s writing is muddled. Is his thinking as well?
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John Bolton’s writing is muddled. Is his thinking as well?

Clear thinkers are typically clear writers. In fact, the art of writing helps clarify your thinking, or reveals the flaw in it. With this in mind, let’s look at some writing from John Bolton, President Trump’s soon-to-be new National Security Advisor. Bolton was UN Ambassador under George W. Bush. He scares people because of his…

Nothing significant will change at Facebook
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Nothing significant will change at Facebook

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg appear to be in trouble. Zuckerberg published an explanation, participated in an interview with The New York Times, and appeared on CNN. People are upset and some Facebook users are quitting Facebook. But nothing is going to change — Facebook will…

Creative agency jargon at J. Walter Thomson
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Creative agency jargon at J. Walter Thomson

People leave companies and executives have to write statements. These statements must say everything and nothing at the same time. This is not the place for creativity, but try telling that to J. Walter Thomson. Matt Eastwood, Chief Creative Officer of the agency J. Walter Thomson, is out. They’re not replacing him. This creates a…

Jack Dorsey proposes to measure the health of Twitter. But he won’t fix it.
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Jack Dorsey proposes to measure the health of Twitter. But he won’t fix it.

Jack Dorsey posted a tweetstorm about what’s wrong with Twitter and how the company will start to fix it. It’s too late, and probably too little, but it’s a start. Here’s what he posted: We’re committing Twitter to help increase the collective health, openness, and civility of public conversation, and to hold ourselves publicly accountable…

Delta draws the line on emotional-support peacocks, wild boars, and spiders (but not koalas)
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Delta draws the line on emotional-support peacocks, wild boars, and spiders (but not koalas)

Delta Air Lines is requiring new documentation if you want to bring an animal on board a flight. This is contentious, because people love their animals, but passengers often stretch the “emotional-support animal” idea well beyond what’s reasonable. While I endorse their bold, clear statement, their list of banned animals is capricious and weird. You…

P&G’s lame response to the “Tide Pod Challenge”
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P&G’s lame response to the “Tide Pod Challenge”

Idiotic teenagers are eating Tide Laundry Pods; poison control centers have reported 39 cases already in January. Procter & Gamble, the company that makes the detergent pods, had responded. I salute its social media response, but the CEO’s statement is tepid. Let’s address one thing right off: failing to talk about this problem isn’t a…