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Alphabet, Walmart join U.S. effort to speed up coronavirus testing

reuters.com

121–130 of 223 posts

Re: Alphabet, Walmart join U.S. effort to speed up coronavirus testing

#121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a global health crisis that happens to impact millions of workers who are now worried they might contract coronavirus or they might lose their jobs if they were in some of the more impacted industries. To be shorting and attacking the economy and businesses during this time (all businesses are interconnected, especially ones that provide food/energy/medical supplies) and be so distrustful of efforts to help r…

I'm not supporting or opposing short selling, just pointing out that: - It was happening - The White House probably was aware of the extent of it - They wanted to get credit for the rise in stocks when their actions actually didn't have any effect (or perhaps even had a negative effect)

Seriously what do you want the White House to do? Run around like chickens with their head cut off? I am so damn disappointed at this site often enough to just delete the book mark. The partisan first, TDS, or call it what you will, on display here, makes me wonder if I landed on reddit/politics instead of a tech site.

The government's job is to assure calm, it that requires a little white lie or a bit of misdirection then so be it. the last thing we need is people in authority spreading doom and gloom.

Re: Alphabet, Walmart join U.S. effort to speed up coronavirus testing

#122

For what it's worth, here's what CNN was reporting Friday night: Google will not be publishing a national-scale website for coronavirus testing anytime soon, contrary to claims made by President Donald Trump during a Friday news conference. Instead, a health-focused subsidiary owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet, intends to launch a small-scale website next week to begin to triage California-based patients. Th…

This is older news. Latest news from today is Google is also working on a nationwide testing website.

Yes, after the speach, this is the point. Its trivial that google now is going to do it.

Re: Alphabet, Walmart join U.S. effort to speed up coronavirus testing

#123
post #2

Why is Google (and for that matter Apple) not helping to track the prior movement of every coronavirus patient where possible to identify additional potentially exposed individuals? Seems fairly straightforward given their massive surveillance infrastructure. Anyone at Apple or Google actually going to pitch in here and offer meaningful help? So far, crickets.

> Seems fairly straightforward given their massive surveillance infrastructure.

Because I doubt Google has the capability to do this, accurately, without false positives, without being a gross violation of privacy and without joining your location data to medical data, something which I'm fairly sure is illegal.

Usual disclaimer applies, Google employee but not in Geo.

Re: Alphabet, Walmart join U.S. effort to speed up coronavirus testing

#124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Verily is an Alphabet subsidiary. To the majority of Americans, 'Alphabet' is Google, because Alphabet is the successor organization to Google the company. All these ridiculous technicalities are nuts. No one cares that Alphabet decided to reorganize to maximize shareholder value. Alphabet is literally Google, and still trades under that ticker (GOOG). When people talk about Google the company, they mean Alphabet, an…

The important part is not google vs alphabet, it’s the fact that their site will only be available for the Bay Area.

And that there isn't 1700 people working on it.

Re: Alphabet, Walmart join U.S. effort to speed up coronavirus testing

#125
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I could see how someone could get the impression he said it was coming Sunday evening but watching the interview from start to finish it's clear that wasn't a direct response to the question like some people thought it was. Edit: Re-reading the transcript it looks like they only announced the announcement of plans for Sunday? >> Mike Pence: For Americans looking on, by this Sunday evening, we'll be able to give speci…

> I could see how someone could get the impression he said it was coming Sunday evening The media (and many, many commenters here) were foaming at the mouth for another ORANGE MAN BAD story. It's amusing to watch all the frantic spinning taking place in this comments section to avoid walking back the ORANGE MAN BAD narrative from this morning. You were wrong, guys. Just admit it. It won't kill you. I am no particular…

Here is my issue. I take what he says, and assume it’s not true. This works over and over again. T works so well, I default to this for everything he says. It makes things much easier to understand. Unless something gets fact checked as true, this serves me well. I didn’t start like this, but this is where I am. And I haven’t run into a situation where it wouldn’t have served me well.

Sometimes, I trust what he is saying. It has always proven to be worse for me to have done this.

Say what you want, but this is far worse than a web site that isn’t 100% on day one and designed by law. That site has worked for a long time, but the actions taken on this misinformation is permanent.

And as well as you think he’s done, he’s made it worse. Through policy decisions to calling it a hoax, he’s worked hard to make it as bad as possible without doing nothing.

When people are discussing where people can find food because they didn’t stock up enough and grocery stores are sold out, that’s pretty unreal. A hoax doesn’t go to something real in less than a week.

This is crazy. You hear orange man bad. Yeah, that’s because he legitimately is doing a bad job. Your standards are just in the dumpster. And honestly, don’t blame you. That’s where is actions belong.

Re: Alphabet, Walmart join U.S. effort to speed up coronavirus testing

#126
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it's yet another detail that he's gotten wrong and shows that he's not paying attention. He made several incorrect statements about who is building the site, how many people are working on it, when it will be ready and who the target audience is. It's been a valve of mistakes this week that just show he isn't treating this seriously.

...or that he's incompetent to the point of not being able to receive, process and relay information with any degree of reliability. Pick your poison I guess.

Last time I was reprimanded for making this point on these forums, but I'll say it again:

If you think a guy with a 40+ year career in the cut-throat New York real estate world, then in in media and entertainment world, culminating in the Presidency of the USA, can't "process or transmit information", it might be you with the issue. You can mock "Art of the Deal" all you want, but it's not possible to be that "lucky".

I wouldn't call what he's doing 4d-chess by any means, but everything he does or says is filtered for his base and/or for self-preservation.

Re: Alphabet, Walmart join U.S. effort to speed up coronavirus testing

#127

Found it strange that some parts of media decided to focus on the semantics of Google and Verily being different subsidiaries of Alphabet. This is an almost meaningless detail.

Because the guy’s been spewing incorrect information about the response for weeks.

A lot of that incorrect information is very high stakes. This inconsequential detail just came along for the ride.

If I were you I’d be extremely concerned with the slipshod handling of this. A lot of lives are at stake.

Re: Alphabet, Walmart join U.S. effort to speed up coronavirus testing

#128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...or that he's incompetent to the point of not being able to receive, process and relay information with any degree of reliability. Pick your poison I guess.

Last time I was reprimanded for making this point on these forums, but I'll say it again: If you think a guy with a 40+ year career in the cut-throat New York real estate world, then in in media and entertainment world, culminating in the Presidency of the USA, can't "process or transmit information", it might be you with the issue. You can mock "Art of the Deal" all you want, but it's not possible to be that "lucky"…

Did you watch the address Wednesday night? And how many critical points had to be corrected afterward?

That’s fully incompetent transmition of information.

Re: Alphabet, Walmart join U.S. effort to speed up coronavirus testing

#130
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it's yet another detail that he's gotten wrong and shows that he's not paying attention. He made several incorrect statements about who is building the site, how many people are working on it, when it will be ready and who the target audience is. It's been a valve of mistakes this week that just show he isn't treating this seriously.

Yes but that’s the point, the news coverage should help to focus on the important details that were wrong, like will this service ever be available and when. Misusing Google in place of Alphabet is not even worth correcting someone on in a casual conversation, much less focusing articles on during a crisis.

The media is also focusing on that. “The media” isn’t one guy with time for only one thing.

There are thousands talking and writing for hours each a day. There’s going to be a lot of trivia with the meaty content.

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