Joe Rogan causes problems for Spotify
Spotify has been receiving backlash from the public for having Joe Rogan on its platform. He was accused of spreading misinformation about Covid-19, especially information regarding vaccines. The popular podcast host has been the face of many controversies and this one maybe his biggest one. At the head of the protest were artists such as the legendary Neil Young. He, as well as other musicians, pulled their music from Spotify’s catalog as a way of expressing their concern with the music platform allowing Joe Rogan to continue promoting false information. Recently, a number of doctors also claimed that Spotify should stop Rogan from having a platform without control or regulation.
Spotify’s stated rules do not allow content that, “promotes dangerous…deceptive content about Covid-19.” However, this is a very fine line which has proven difficult to handle, according to Daniel Ek’s (the founder of Spotify) latest blog post, the company is defending free speech and will not engage in censoring. The way Spotify handled the complaints was by putting advisory warnings on every single podcast episode about Covid-19.
Spotify has received the heat since it has acquired the exclusive rights to distribute Joe Rogan’s podcast for more than $100 million. For some this represents a tacit way of support or at least some degree of responsibility for Spotify. However, on “The Joe Rogan Experience”, Rogan has the role of host and the most controversial things come from his guests.
Joe Rogan defended himself but also pledged to achieve more balance on his show and “try harder to get people with differing opinions”. He also has repeatedly said that he is not a doctor and should not be considered a medical source of information. He also has claimed that he is not against vaccines. All of this was on a 10-minute Instagram video in which he also thanked Spotify for the support during the hard times and lamented the backlash they have been receiving recently.
U.S. Deploys Additional Troops
Eastern Europe has been the center of attention and international tension the last few months. The main concern for some is the potential Russian invasion into Ukraine. The latest move from the U.S. has been to deploy up to 3000 military personnel in the days which follow. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Defense Department proposed to move the units already based in Europe further east as well.
Some serious verbal exchanges between Russian officials and Washington have taken place recently. Moscow’s ambassador, Anatoly Antonov, accused the American government of vilifying Russia as well as disseminating false information. After that, he criticized American “experiments”, in order to spread democracy in countries such as Iraq and Syria and strongly putting emphasis on the loss of lives. The deployment of American soldiers coincided with the timing of these statements.
NATO has allowed many countries around the previous Soviet region to join the organization and Russia have demanded to put an end to this. They also demand a promise to never allow Ukraine to join NATO, mainly due to the fact that the members can defend each other if under attack. According to Putin, they want to prevent Ukraine to be filled with dangerous weaponry which can later be used to start the retake of Crimea. Russia’s troops at its border with Ukraine amount to 100,000. Such a move by Russia has made it seem that it is the transgressor.
The U.S. has declared that they will not deploy their military forces in Ukraine if there is conflict there, for now they are sending their units to Poland and Romania. Washington has also sent its top cybernetic defense official to NATO in order to coordinate the protection of Ukraine’s communication systems, this is to better detect any cyberattacks that could indicate an imminent attack from Russia.
Sources: Washington Post, NYTimes.
Starlink will now offer “PREMIUM”
Starlink, operated by SpaceX, is a service targeted to bring connectivity to locations where traditional methods resulted in unreliable or unavailable networks. They focus on reducing the visibility of their satellites as well as setting their flight altitudes lower than other communication satellites in order to avoid their visibility and not disturb the night sky. They have also included the use of dark paints and lately, sun visors that prevent the reflection from the satellite to be directed towards Earth. The company stated that they will work hard in order to make the next satellites dark as well.
What does premium offer compared to the basic plan? Well, a bigger antenna, higher speeds and dedicated customer support. Premium will be offering double the antenna capability of Starlink. The company is promoting download speeds from 150 to 500 Mbps for their premium service. In comparison, the basic plan offers 100 to 200 Mbps. “Deliveries start in Q2 2022” says the company’s website.
The product comes with a kit that allows the user to make the installation alone. The first step is to measure the best space in your house via an app, and then the process is pretty straightforward. The design allows for durability against extreme weather conditions. The antenna was designed to work well on any setting around the world. They do not make you sign a long-term contract and they do not have data caps on their service.
The next Starlink launch is programmed on Thursday, February 9, 2022. There are 49 Starlink satellites on board the Falcon 9. The instantaneous Launch Window is at 1:13 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST). This will add to their current family of more than 400-hundred satellites.
Qatar 2022 is around the corner
The first Middle East football world cup has already got 15 national teams ready to fight for the crown. As the qualifiers come to an end, it is time for some teams to say goodbye to the chance of playing on the biggest football tournament in the world. For others, there is still time to fight for the chance of qualifying or even be lucky enough to have other match outcomes be favorable to them.
In the case of Asia, Iran became the first Asian country to qualify for Qatar after beating Iraq 1-0 last week. Now they consolidated their position as number 1 on group A, after beating UAE 1-0. South Korea, the second team on that group also qualified this week, after defeating Dubai 2-0; this will be their 10th World Cup appearance. On group B, Japan has scored 2 goals against Saudi Arabia. This puts them on track to classify for the seventh time.
In South America, both Brazil and Argentina will be present at the World Cup. Ecuador has been moving towards becoming qualified, even as they against Peru, they are still the biggest contender and are the third qualified team from that region. Colombia’s fate will be decided by the performance of others. Furthermore, they were beaten by Argentina and have not scored in their last seven matches. Chile won against Bolivia and they are now occupying the fifth position overall.
It is now possible to apply in order to get a ticket for the World Cup in Qatar; the highest demand has come from Qatar, Argentinean and Mexican fans. The first sales period will end on February 8 and everyone accepted will be notified by March 8. More than 1.2 million tickets have already been requested, with 80,000 for the opening match and 140,000 tickets for the final.
Sources: Al Jazeera, FIFA, ESPN.