Art

TechCrunch Mobility: The battle over robotaxi rules

• Uber and Waymo clash publicly over proposed D.C. robotaxi regulations.
• Waymo backs the bill; Uber and most rivals oppose its fees and rules.
• Uber separately agrees a $14.8bn deal to acquire Delivery Hero.

A political and lobbying battle is unfolding in Washington, D.C. over a proposed bill that would allow autonomous vehicles to operate in the city, with Uber and Waymo now firmly on opposing sides. Uber opposes the bill, arguing it would displace human for-hire drivers and effectively hand Waymo…

4 Pop Songs That Are So Bittersweet, Listening to Them Hurts and Feels Good All at Once

American Songwriter has put together a short feature highlighting pop songs that manage to convey "bittersweetness" — the tricky emotional mix of happiness and sadness that the outlet says rarely finds its way into catchy, mainstream hooks. The piece argues that while pop music is generally built for…

Jan and Dean’s Dean Torrence Is Still Cruising, 60 Years After ‘Deadman’s Curve’ Crash

• Dean Torrence, 86, reflects on Jan and Dean's career 60 years after Berry's crash
• Partner Jan Berry was left brain-damaged after 1966 crash near "Dead Man's Curve"
• Torrence built a design career and still performs occasionally today

Dean Torrence, the last surviving member of surf-pop duo Jan and Dean, has spoken to Rolling Stone about the car crash that derailed the group's career 60 years ago. Torrence and Jan Berry formed the act as schoolboys in Los Angeles in 1957, scoring early hits before achieving…

The 1960s band Roger McGuinn never wanted to join: “I had two aces in the hole”

• McGuinn was initially reluctant to join The Byrds.
• Dylan and the Beatles shaped his musical strategy.
• The Byrds became pioneers of folk-rock.

Roger McGuinn was initially reluctant to join the group that became The Byrds, preferring his own direction as a folk performer. The article frames his eventual involvement as consequential because the band helped establish folk-rock as a major 1960s sound, blending electric guitars with folk songwriting. McGuinn believed…

Health officials identify source of US explosive diarrhoea outbreak

• Taylor Farms lettuce confirmed as source of US cyclosporiasis outbreak
• At least 94 hospitalised; no deaths reported so far
• Recalls span 27 states; Taco Bell has removed affected lettuce

US health officials have traced a nationwide outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection causing "explosive diarrhoea", to iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms, which supplies Taco Bell. The Food and Drug Administration confirmed a positive sample came from lettuce sourced in central Mexico, but the affected batch falls…