Peanut butter is stirring debate and Amazon is setting sellers straight, but first: a cartoon about telecommuting games. Here’s the news you need to know, in two minutes or less.
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Today’s News
As Covid-19 spreads, Amazon tries to curb mask price gouging
As the US prepares to see more cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by a novel virus that has spread around the world, Amazon is attempting to stop third-party sellers from exploiting the outbreak. Mask sellers on the site have increased their prices by as much as four or five times in recent months, and Amazon warned sellers they will get kicked off the site if they raise them to exorbitant levels. One consultant who works with Amazon sellers said that some listings for overpriced face masks have already been deleted.
Let’s have the GIF pronunciation debate forever
GIF maker Giphy and peanut butter maker Jif are teaming up for a special-edition peanut butter jar meant to settle the GIF pronunciation debate forever–but it’s much more likely to reignite it. In camp “soft g” is the GIF inventor Steve Wilhite, who (incorrectly) says this is how it should be pronounced, and that GIF follows the logic of g–i words like gin or giant. But others (correctly) believe it should be pronounced with a hard g, since it’s actually an acronym standing for graphics interchange format–a belief that is even held by former president Barack Obama.
Fast Fact: Yes
That’s the answer to the question: Am I liable for what I say in a text? Recently, record producer Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald sued pop star Kesha for defamation based on a message she sent privately to Lady Gaga four years ago. The judge ruled in favor of Gottwald, setting a surprising precedent that some lawyers believe calls for a reevaluation of how courts treat digital messages.
WIRED Recommends: Embr Wave
Are you the person constantly fiddling with the thermostat? This bracelet from Embr can cool you down or heat you up by sending hot and cold pulses into your wrist.
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