TLDR 2020-04-21

Uber has launched Uber Direct and Uber Connect, two trial programs to help people get groceries, medications, and basic supplies. Direct brings items from stores to people's homes, while Connect allows people to send packages to friends and family members. The services are now available in 25 cities across the US, Mexico, and Australia. 🚀 Science &

Amazon has confirmed at least 75 coronavirus cases at more than half of its facilities. Experts have warned that the number of cases is likely to exponentially increase in the coming days and months as Amazon has failed to implement effective safety measures in its warehouses. More than 300 workers at 50 facilities have pledged to stay at home in the coming days to protest Amazon's handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Amazon has raised pay, implemented new cleaning and safety measures, and offered sick leave for employees who have tested positive for the coronavirus, but workers do not feel safe at its facilities.

Landing AI has developed an AI-powered tool capable of analyzing real-time video to check if social distancing protocols are being observed properly. Social distancing is the best tool we have to curb the spread of the virus until a vaccine becomes available. Landing AI's tool cannot identify individuals and is designed to only give an overview of how social distancing is being observed in a given place. While this technology might be good during a pandemic, there is a high potential for misuse. 💻

China has started trials for its digital currency. The district of Suzhou will be paying half of its travel subsidies given to public sector workers in May using the digital currency. China plans to expand its pilot schemes to Shenzhen, Xiongan, and Chengdu. The 2022 Winter Olympic games may be used as a test for the currency. China has not yet announced an official timetable for releasing the digital yuan. However, reports indicate that the currency will be available to the public later this year.

According to an unconfirmed report, macOS and iOS software developers will soon be able to use XCode on an iPad or iPhone. iPadOS 14 and the new iPhone equivalent will reportedly have support for XCode. XCode supports Swift, C++, Python, and more. Bringing it to iOS brings the iPad closer to being a 'real' computer.

While there has been remarkable progress on object detection and re-identification in recent years, little attention has been focused on accomplishing the two tasks in a single network to improve the inference speed. Initial attempts ended up with degraded results. This project aims to explain the reasons behind earlier failures and to present a baseline to address these issues. 🎁

Netflix has released more than 30 episodes of its factual entertainment shoes onto YouTube in order to support educators. Altogether, there is over 20 hours of content. The shows include Our Planet, Explained, and 13th. A link to the playlist is available in the article.

Oil futures recently dropped below zero for the first time ever. The move shows how oversupplied the US oil market has become with the country grinding to a halt as shutdowns extend. Oil prices have plunged since the beginning of the year. Demand has dropped but producers around the world are continuing to pump. Traders are running out of storage. It is possible that producers may soon have to pay to have crude oil taken off their hands. Banks are increasingly reluctant to give commodity traders credit as lenders grow more fearful over the risk of default. Give feedback by replying here or messaging me on Twitter @tldrdan! If you don't want to receive future editions of TLDR, please click here.