Airbnb is in the news for a mix of good and bad reasons. When it’s not extend the service to make it easier to stay between multiple properties on a single trip, its security team (and terrible rentals) become the the subject of a documentary series.
Now, according to a report by braked, April 2022, apartment rental inventory in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Northwest Queens was 7,699 units. That compares to somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 Airbnb listings of entire apartments or entire homes across New York City, according to calculations by AirDNA and Inside Airbnb.
New York City has banned short-term rentals (less than 30 days) in multi-unit buildings without the presence of the landlord since 2011, to even announce such announcements in 2016. The report did not determine whether Airbnb hosts follow these guidelines.
Airbnb hasn’t just caused New York’s housing shortage — a problem seen in most “desirable” cities around the world. In New York, rents are rising and permits for new apartments are down a “double-digit percentage,” the Airbnb spokesperson said.
However, the optics of having more Airbnb listings than apartments for rent is not good.
–Mat Smith
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The technology would have blinded satellites and destroyed drones.
Russia is reportedly testing new technologies on the battlefield as it continues its invasion of Ukraine. According to a Reuters report, the Russian government says it is using a new wave of laser weapons. One weapon, a destructive laser called Zadira, can apparently burn drones. Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said that in a test he incinerated a drone 5 km away in five seconds. A more established system, Peresvet, would have blinded satellites up to 932 miles above Earth.
The lander should end its scientific activities by the end of the summer.
Nasa
NASA’s Mars InSight lander will soon be unable to return data and images. It has been gradually losing power for some time as dust continues to accumulate on its solar panels. The darker skies expected in the next few months – also due to more dust in the air – won’t help either.
The space agency thinks the lander will no longer be able to power its seismometer by the end of the summer.
The new Fire 7 will cost you at least $60.
The new Fire 7 has double the RAM of the previous generation and is powered by a 30% faster quad-core processor. It also has 40% more battery life and can last up to 10 hours while browsing and watching videos. Unlike previous Fire 7 models, it now comes with a USB-C port instead of micro-USB. One day, I’ll shut up about USB-C, I promise.
The Fire 7 is available in black, denim, and pink and will set you back at least $60. It will start shipping on June 29 and is available for pre-order now.
The leader of the group was the target of harassment and threats.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “suspended” a disinformation governance council just three weeks after its April 27 announcement. Officials reportedly decided to shut down the board on May 16, but that decision appears to be on hold after a last-minute effort to retain board leader Nina Jankowicz. She resigned from the board and from DHS today (May 18). Far-right influencers and the media presented the board as a tool of censorship and vilified Jankowicz. The campaigns led to harassment and threats against the head of the council.
Lots of new Sony headphones to regret.
sony
Sony’s LinkBuds S are apparently designed for an “uninterrupted wearing experience”, with a transparency mode allowing you to connect to your surroundings as needed. Unlike the open-ear LinkBuds that debuted earlier this year, the LinkBuds S have a more “traditional” closed-back design, with a shape more similar to Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM4 buds. These are however much smaller.
The LinkBuds S are up for pre-order now, with general availability starting May 20.
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