Every day we wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and get ready for work. Following are a handful of stories from around the tech world condensed to fit into one single cup of coffee. These are the things you need to know before you step foot out of your door (or in front of a webcam) and into the real world this morning.
So sit back, grab a cup, and start your morning off right with a few “Quick Bytes” from Innovation & Tech Today.
VW EVs Will Offer Bi-Directional Charging Next Year
Volkswagen will begin mass-producing electric vehicles with bi-directional charging beginning in 2022. The hope with bi-directional is that EVs will be able to put power they don’t need back into the grid to help lower their carbon footprint. As manufacturers become more convinced that a well-managed battery pack can last for years, this technology is something they have become more comfortable investing in.
AI-Written Songs Channel the 27 Club
The 27 Club is a pop culture name given to famous rockers who died at age 27: Jimmy Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin and others. Now a group of mental health professionals is using AI to create music from these late rockers in a project called Lost Tapes of the 27 Club. One such song is a Nirvana tribute track called ‘Drowned in the Sun’ that you can listen to here.
Uber Wants to Prevent Drivers from Seeing Their Destinations
An article in the San Francisco Chronicle says Uber is thinking about taking away drivers’ ability to see destinations and potential prices of upcoming fares. The moves comes just months after the company succeeded in passing a law ensuring its drivers remain independent contractors due to those specific features. The company threatened more expensive rides if the their law didn’t pass — and they won.
The US Will Pay $500k to the Person Who Designs A Less Annoying Mask
Have an idea for a protective, yet less annoying face mask? The US government’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) wants to hear about it. The Mask Innovation Challenge comes with a whopping $500,000 prize to the winner. The hope is a new design could address common issues like fogging up glasses, maskne (acne due to masks) and be easier to communicate through. For more information on the contest, follow this link to the official challenge.
