Amazon is rolling out grocery carts that let shoppers skip checkout lines, bag their groceries and walk out
- Amazon is launching smart shopping carts at its Woodland Hills, California, grocery store in 2020.
- Dash Carts are embedded with cameras, sensors and a smart display that automatically track a shopper’s order.
- Similar to Amazon’s cashierless Go stores, Dash Carts allow shoppers to avoid checkout lines as they exit the store.
Amazon is launching shopping carts that track items as shoppers add them, then automatically charges them when they remove the grocery bags, allowing them to skip the checkout line.
The Dash Carts will roll out at Amazon’s new Los Angeles-area grocery store, which is slated to open this year, the company announced Tuesday.
Dash Carts build on the “Just Walk Out” cashierless technology first deployed at Amazon Go convenience stores. Amazon Go stores, which opened to the public in 2018, let customers buy items without waiting in checkout lines. The company has made inroads into the grocery market over the past several years, but with cashierless technology, Amazon is hoping to make the shopping experience more enjoyable and set itself apart from other physical retailers.
Shoppers must have an Amazon account and a smartphoneto use a Dash Cart. After entering the store, users scan a QR code, located in the Amazon app, that signs them into the cart and loads Alexa shopping lists.
Each cart is equipped with cameras that use computer vision to identify items as they’re placed in bags inside the cart, and a built-in scale to weigh them if necessary. For items like fresh produce, shoppers type in the item’s four-digit code and quantity on the display, which registers the weight and price. The cart is also equipped with a coupon scanner that applies any rebates to the shopper’s order. The carts are designed for small- to mid-sized grocery trips, where shoppers might leave the store with one or two bags.
As shoppers add and remove items, a display on the front of the cart adjusts the total price.
When they’re ready to leave, shoppers exit via the store’s Dash Cart lane. The company charges the credit card linked to their Amazon account and emails a copy of the receipt.
Unlike Amazon Go locations, which offer a variety of on-the-go meals and snacks, the Woodland Hills, California, grocery store resembles a conventional supermarket in its offerings and layout. The Woodland Hills location will be a part of a new chain of Amazon grocery stores, expected to open this year, that the company has been using to fulfill grocery delivery orders during the coronavirus pandemic.
The California store’s expanded offerings presented new challenges when Amazon designed the Dash Cart, since the full-size supermarket features a “huge catalog of items,” said Dilip Kumar, Amazon’s vice president of physical retail and technology.
“You need to be able to add that and keep track of all of that and it just increases the complexity,” Kumar said in an interview. “Plus, the weighing component of it also has to be very robust to be able to allow for a very accurate receipt experience for a customer.”
Dash Carts are embedded with an array of cameras and sensors, yet, aside from the display, they look just like a standard shopping cart.
“We try to hide that complexity away from customers so you don’t have to learn any new shopping behaviors,” Kumar said. “Once you’re signed in with your phone, you can put the phone away and your normal way that you shop stays the same.”
Amazon has continued to expand its cashierless technology beyond its Go convenience stores. In February, it opened its first, full-size, cashierless grocery store, called Amazon Go Grocery, in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The store is stocked with about 5,000 items, such as fresh produce, baked goods, meats and household items like paper towels.
Article via CNBC
Squirrel tests positive for the bubonic plague in Colorado
Symptoms of plague include sudden high fever, chills, headache, and nausea.
Public health officials have announced that a squirrel in Colorado has tested positive for the bubonic plague.
The town of Morrison, Colorado, in Jefferson County, which is just west of Denver, made the startling announcement saying that the squirrel is the first case of plague in the county.
“Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, and can be contracted by humans and household animals if proper precautions are not taken,” officials from Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) said in a statement released to the public.
It is possible for humans to be infected with the bubonic plague through bites from infected fleas and by direct contact with blood or tissues of infected animals such as a cough or a bite.
Jefferson County Public Health said that cats are highly susceptible to the plague from things like flea bites, a rodent scratch or bite, and ingesting an infected rodent. Cats can die if not treated quickly with antibiotics after contact with the plague.
Officials also said that dogs are not as susceptible to the plague as cats are but still may pick up and carry plague-infected rodent fleas. Any pet owner who suspects that their pet is ill should contact a veterinarian immediately.
“Symptoms of plague may include sudden onset of high fever, chills, headache, nausea and extreme pain and swelling of lymph nodes, occurring within two to seven days after exposure. Plague can be effectively treated with antibiotics when diagnosed early. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should consult a physician,” said JCPH.
Risk for contracting the bubonic plague is extremely low as long as the proper precautions are taken and JCPH published a list of them including eliminating all sources of food, shelter and access for wild animals around the home, not feeding wild animals, maintaining a litter and trash-free yard to reduce wild animal habitats, having people and pets should avoid all contact with sick or dead wild animals and rodents, using precaution when handling sick pets and having them examined by a veterinarian, consulting with a veterinarian about flea and tick control for pets and keeping pets from roaming freely outside the home where they may prey on wild animals and bring the disease home with them.
“All pet owners who live close to wild animal populations, such as prairie dog colonies or other known wildlife habitats, should consult their veterinarian about flea control for their pets to help prevent the transfer of fleas to humans,” JCPH said.
According to the CDC, even though there is no vaccine for the plague, it can be treated successfully with antibiotics if caught within 24 hours of exhibiting symptoms.
“Arguably the most infamous plague outbreak was the so-called Black Death, a multi-century pandemic that swept through Asia and Europe,” according to National Geographic. “It was believed to start in China in 1334, spreading along trade routes and reaching Europe via Sicilian ports in the late 1340s. The plague killed an estimated 25 million people, almost a third of the continent’s population. The Black Death lingered on for centuries, particularly in cities. Outbreaks included the Great Plague of London (1665-66), in which 70,000 residents died.”
However, the CDC says that there is now only an average of seven human plague cases per year and the WHO says the mortality rate is estimated to be between 8-10%.
Article via ABCNews
Star Wars: The Bad Batch, An All-New Animated Series, to Debut on Disney+ in 2021
Clone Force 99, from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, returns!
Today, Disney+ ordered its next animated series from Lucasfilm, Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Fresh off of the critically-acclaimed series finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Disney+ original series will premiere on the streaming service in 2021.
The series follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in The Clone Wars) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch — a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army — each possess a singular exceptional skill, which makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. In the post-Clone War era, they will take on daring mercenary missions as they struggle to stay afloat and find new purpose.
“Giving new and existing fans the final chapter of Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been our honor at Disney+, and we are overjoyed by the global response to this landmark series,” said Agnes Chu, senior vice president, Content, Disney+. “While The Clone Wars may have come to its conclusion, our partnership with the groundbreaking storytellers and artists at Lucasfilm Animation is only beginning. We are thrilled to bring Dave Filoni’s vision to life through the next adventures of the Bad Batch.”
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is executive produced by Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance) and Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) with Carrie Beck (The Mandalorian, Star Wars Rebels) as co-executive producer and Josh Rimes as producer (Star Wars Resistance). Rau is also serving as supervising director with Corbett as head writer.
Article via Disney
Amber Heard was ‘Machiavellian’, claims Johnny Depp’s aide
Stephen Deuters alleged actor’s ex-wife subjected him to ‘years of abuse’ in Sun libel trial
Actress Amber Heard Admits To Hitting Johnny Depp on TAPE~The Media Shows Their Hypocrisy
Amber Heard was “sociopathic”, a “Machiavellian overlord” and the “abuser” in the relationship between her and Johnny Depp, the actor’s former personal assistant has claimed in the high court.
Stephen Deuters was giving evidence on the fifth day of Depp’s libel action against the Sun over an article that labelled him a “wife beater” and referred to “overwhelming evidence” that he attacked Heard, 34, during their relationship, which he denies.
In his written witness statement, Deuters alleged that Heard subjected Depp, 57, to “years of abuse”, and said he was “extremely surprised and outraged” when it became public that she had filed for a temporary restraining order against the Hollywood star.
Giving evidence in court on Monday Deuters was asked by Sasha Wass QC, representing News Group Newspapers, publisher of the Sun, how he felt when Depp and Heard finally split up. He agreed that he would have been “relieved”.
The barrister then read out a text from Deuters to a friend of Depp’s, the actor Paul Bettany, on 26 May 2016, which read: “That moment when everything comes home to roost and all the shit compounds itself into one monstrous steaming pile of catastrophe.
“Just trying to keep him upright at the moment. But at least the bitch is gone. Yes, I do mean Amber – not the Mom.
“Poor Betty Sue [Depp‘s mother] has been on her way out for the last six months – it was a relief to all, most of all herself.”
The next message by Deuters, apparently describing Heard, read: “Sociopathic show pony. Machiavellian overlord.
“Talentless cunt. Good riddance to bad shit. Yes, I do mean Amber not the Mom, even though she was a devil herself.”
Wass said Deuters had previously said he would not have used such a word to describe a woman, to which he replied: “I certainly regret that.”
Wass accused Deuters of being part of “a public relations initiative to discredit Ms Heard in the public eye”.
Depp’s barrister, David Sherborne, later asked Deuters how he would describe the relationship between Depp and Heard.
Deuters replied: “Not great. I think they were two people that were in love with each other that shouldn’t have been together.”
Sherborne asked: “Did you see Mr Depp hit Ms Heard at any time?
“Did you see him act violently towards Ms Heard at any time?”
Deuters replied “no” to both questions.
Sherborne then asked: “If you had seen him do so, would you have just sat back and let it happen?”
Deuters said: “Absolutely not.”
The trial continues.
Article via TheGuardian
‘Empire’ actor Bryshere Gray arrested on allegations he abused his wife
The 26-year-old was taken into custody after SWAT and crisis negotiators responded to his Arizona home
“Empire” actor Bryshere Gray has been arrested in Arizona on accusations he abused his wife, police said.
The Goodyear Police Department said 26-year-old Gray was booked Saturday, KPNX-TV reported.
The woman had visible injuries when she flagged someone down to ask for help near Gray’s home in the Phoenix suburb of Goodyear, saying her husband had assaulted her, police said. She told emergency responders that Gray had strangled her, according to authorities, and she was taken to a hospital.
Gray refused to leave his home when police arrived but was arrested after SWAT and crisis negotiators responded, police said.
Gray, who played Hakeem Lyon on the Chicago-based TV show, was pulled over in Chicago in 2019 after authorities said a temporary license plate didn’t match the 2014 Rolls-Royce he was driving. He was arrested on a misdemeanor registration charge and ticketed.
Article via Fox
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Tamera Mowry exits ‘The Real’ after 7 years
Tamera Mowry announced Monday she is departing “The Real” after six seasons.
“For seven years, my home and heart has been at The Real,” the 42-year-old wrote on Instagram. “The friendships that I’ve made there will last a lifetime, and the people that I’ve had the blessing to interview have changed my life for the better.”
Mowry added she is “so proud” of what the cast has accomplished, “including two well-deserved NAACP Images Awards and a Daytime Emmy.”
“However, all good things must come to an end, and it’s with a bittersweet smile that I announce that I am moving on from The Real,” Mowry continued. “To my fellow hosts, I love you, I will miss you, and I will always be there for you. Thank you for teaching me, supporting me, and loving all of me.”
Mowry said she’ll be “rooting” for her castmates from afar.
“I look forward to spending more time with my family, pursuing amazing new opportunities, and embarking on the next chapter of my life,” she concluded.
Mowry also stated that while she did not intend to address her exit Monday in the wake of Naya Rivera’s death, she wanted to be the one to break her personal news.
In response to Mowry’s post, fellow “Real” co-host Adrienne Bailon commented, “SISTERS FOREVER & EVER & EVER.”
Mowry’s husband Adam Housley also replied, “The kids and I are so very proud of everything you do. ❤️.”
Article via PageSix
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Virginia woman makes history as U.S. Navy’s 1st Black female Tactical Aircraft pilot
The U.S. Navy has welcomed its first Black female Tactical Aircraft pilot.
“MAKING HISTORY!” the U.S. Navy tweeted Thursday in response to a post that Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle had completed naval flight school and would later this month receive the flight officer insignia known as the “Wings of Gold.”
The Naval Air Training Command tweeted that Swegle is the Navy’s “first known Black female TACAIR pilot.”
According to Stars and Stripes, Swegle is from Burke, Virginia, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2017.
Officials said she is assigned to the Redhawks of Training Squadron 21 in Kingsville, Texas.
Swegle’s milestone comes more than 45 years after Rosemary Mariner in 1974 became the first woman to fly a tactical fighter jet, according to news outlets.
Photo Credit: Anne Owens/U.S. Navy via AP
Ford workers ask to stop making police cars amid brutality protests
Ford employees are prodding the company to stop making cop cars amid a nationwide uprising against police brutality.
Ford staffers made the demand in a letter to Chief Executive Jim Hackett and Executive Chairman Bill Ford that was recently circulated at the company’s Dearborn, Mich., headquarters, according to news reports.
“Throughout our history, the vehicles that Ford employees design and build have been used as accessories to police brutality and oppression,” the letter reads, according to an excerpt published by the automotive news website Jalopnik. “As an undeniable part of that history and system, we are long overdue to ‘think and act differently’ on our role in racism.”
The excerpt also says that a Minneapolis cop killed George Floyd — whose death sparked a massive wave of protests across the country — next to a Ford Police Interceptor. The concerned employees reportedly want Ford to take action by July 15.
In response, CEO Hackett indicated that Ford won’t be getting out of the market any time soon. While he condemned the “systemic repression and racism” evident in some law-enforcement encounters, Hackett said the “issues plaguing police credibility have nothing to do with the vehicles they’re driving.”
He also suggested that Ford could help the cause by using its cars to provide data to “make police safer and more accountable” rather than taking vehicles away, which would do “harm to their safety and [make] it harder for them to do their job.”
While it’s unclear how many Ford staffers signed the letter, the Detroit Free Press reported that at least 100 employees have called on the automaker to rethink its police vehicle program. The issue has come up in at least one virtual town hall as well as a “series of letters” penned in the wake of Floyd’s death, according to the paper.
Ford’s police vehicles account for roughly 62 percent of the law-enforcement market, the company said. While Ford’s Crown Victoria sedan was once a ubiquitous patrol car, the dominant model is now its Police Interceptor Utility, an SUV that outsold all other police vehicles combined in 2017, according to a 2019 news release.
In a letter to Ford employees that was shared with The Post, CEO Hackett said the company will “continue to be a powerful voice for Black Lives Matter, holding ourselves accountable for significant change, while also continuing to help keep communities safe by producing Police Interceptors and partnering with law enforcement in new ways to strongly support the safety for all members.”
Hackett joined the chiefs of the other big three US automakers — GM’s Mary Barra and Fiat Chrysler’s Mike Manley — in skipping a White House dinner with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/07/10/ford-urged-to-stop-making-cop-cars-amid-george-floyd-protests/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Wisconsin driver intentionally crashes into motorcyclist because he was white
A Wisconson man who struck and killed a motorcyclist told investigators he intentionally crashed head-first into the victim because he believed all Harley riders are “white racists,” local officials said.
Daniel Navarro, 27, of Fond du Lac, has been charged with a homicide as a hate crime after he allegedly veered across a road around 6:45 p.m. last Friday to hit former Marine and police officer Phillip Thiessen, 55, on his Harley Davidson, the county sheriff said during a press conference Thursday.
“Navarro told detectives that he believed the person driving the motorcycle was white because in Wisconsin, white people drive Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and the Harley culture was made up of white racists,” Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt said. “He admitted he could not specifically see who was driving this motorcycle.”
Navarro, who is Hispanic, told investigators during a 3.5-hour interview his attack was motivated by increasing instances of racism against him — though Navarro had never previously met Thiessen or known anything about him, Sheriff Waldschmidt said.
“Navorro told detectives he believed he had been intentionally poisoned by coworkers and by a neighbor; that people drive by his house and rev their engines and squeal their tires to try to upset him; and that people make racist comments towards him — all because he’s Hispanic,” Waldschmidt said.
He added that, “Navarro said if President Donald Trump and white people are going to create the world we are living in, he has no choice and people are going to have to die.”
Navorro also allegedly told investigators that he decided to crash into a motorcycle because there was a greater chance that he would kill the victim than if he had crashed into another car.
The suspect also said he “wanted to go to prison” so his parents would not have to take care of him “as his health deteriorates” and so he would be free of the people who harass him, Waldschmidt said.
The sheriff’s office declined to comment on Navorro’s mental or physical health.
Thiessen, a 1983 graduate of L.P. Goodrich High School, was a Marine who later served as a police officer in Fairfax, Va.
He later worked for the Wisconsin Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children unit before moving back to Fond du Lac for retirement in 2018, where he volunteered at a local food pantry.
“Phillip was a generous, caring, loyal man that made friends easily anywhere he went, and maintained long-distance friendships for many years,” Thiessen’s obituary reads.
“He believed in giving back to his community and was a volunteer at the Fondy Food Pantry.”
Navarro is being held on a $1 million bond on charges of 1st Degree Intentional Homicide, Hate Crime; Use of a Dangerous Weapon and 1st Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/07/11/wisconsin-driver-intentionally-crashes-head-first-into-motorcyclist/
Photo Credit: Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office