News in Numbers
The proportion of Georgia counties that have joined the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing Analysis Center, EI-ISAC, which is a division of the Center for Internet Security. According to Secretary of State Raffensperger, Georgia is the first state with more than 100 counties to join this team. “Election security is the first goal for me and for our local partners, the counties that actually run elections in Georgia.”
The cost of cobalt, one of the most expensive metals used in electric vehicle batteries. Tesla aims to reduce its use of cobalt down to “almost nothing” to reduce vehicle prices, and the company plans to do so by using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for its cars produced in the Shanghai gigafactory. Tesla has not said to what extent these LFP batteries would be used and has only said that they are cheaper than the existing batteries by a “double-digit percent.”
The number of unique programs that were available to watch on TV last year, according to new data from Nielsen. The number includes programming across network broadcast TV, cable, streaming services, and all other kinds of outlets and includes past and present programs, though not individual episodes. “No, seriously. Someone counted.”
The age of Chuck Yeager. The former U.S. Air Force pilot, officer and flying ace who broke the sound barrier early in the space race was born on yesterday's date in 1923. Coincidentally, NASA announced yesterday that it would open the next class of astronaut applications from March 2 to 31. Minimum requirements include U.S. citizenship, an advanced STEM degree, and at least 1,000 hours as pilot-in-command of a jet aircraft. Members of the incoming class of astronauts could be candidates who could fly missions to the International Space Station, the moon or even Mars.
The price that Amazon paid for the Old Chicago amusement park and megamall site, which will probably be refitted for a fulfillment or customer service center, though Amazon hasn’t yet confirmed its future function. “This land purchase in Bolingbrook provides us with the flexibility to quickly respond to our future network needs.”
The amount that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. wants its customers to pay as a reimbursement for the company’s fire-prevention work that it has done in response to extreme weather and large wildfires over the past several years. The amount would translate to increased monthly bills by about $5 or $10 for about two years for the average customer. The California Public Utilities Commission still has to respond to the utility’s request.
The duration of British Airways Flight 112 that traveled from New York City to London, England, setting a new record for fastest subsonic transatlantic commercial flight. Due to strong winds, the plane was propelled at ground speeds of 800 miles per hour for certain periods throughout the flight. “We always prioritize safety over speed records, but our highly trained pilots made the most of the conditions.”
The year that a historic Presbyterian church was built in Newark, N.J., and has since been rebranded as “Innovation Cathedral” and a new office for Amazon-owned Audible. Audible has maintained some of the historic features of the church and the building is “proof that our efforts are yielding positive outcomes for business and invention culture.”
The proportion of California voters that participated in the 2018 midterm elections. The participation in the 2018 elections was the highest midterm turnout in about 40 years, but for some California lawmakers, that’s still not enough. A bill proposed on Tuesday would require all register voters to return their ballots, even if blank, by mail or directly to the voting center. If it passes, California will be the first state in the nation to enact compulsory voting.
The market capitalization of General Motors Co., which is only about two and a half times less than the market value of Tesla Inc. But GM hasn’t lost hope in this changing world: “We hope that you believe as we do that General Motors is uniquely positioned to take the industry forward,” says GM Chief Executive Mary Barra.
The amount that Americans are expected to spend on smart home technologies and services in 2022, according to Statista. As smart systems are becoming more integrated into everyday life, many are concerned about the security threat they pose due to the hacking risk. “Since they are connected to the Internet, they are a security risk and you need to be aware of that.”
The amount of phone companies that broke the law by selling location data for their smartphone users, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reported last week. The FCC was investigating reports from 2018 that claimed that U.S. phone companies were selling phone location data to third-party firms without the phone users knowing. “For just a few hundred dollars, shady middlemen could sell your location within a few hundred meters based on your wireless phone data.”
The number of electric delivery vans that United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) will buy in an attempt to reduce car emissions and delivery costs. The company will also test self-driving package delivery vehicles in partnership with Waymo. UPS hopes the partnerships “will help us continue to push the envelope on technology and new delivery models.”
The number of states that permit photos at a voting ballot box if a Wisconsin bill that allows selfies with completed ballots on Election Day gets approved. The state Senate approved the bill on Tuesday and it will now continue to the Assembly. Currently, there are only 18 states that ban photographic displays of marked ballots on Election Day, laws which are not strongly enforced.
The estimated market valuation of Apple Inc. by the end of 2021, analyst Dan Ives predicts. Apple currently has a $1.4 trillion market cap, joining only three other public firms — Microsoft, Alphabet, and Saudi Aramco — with market values over $1 trillion.
The amount of money available to college students through esport scholarships across more than 170 colleges and universities. Esports is a growing field and it is providing a way for non-athlete kids to get the same positive benefits of a team. “I think what makes this more sustainable overall is that we’re actually providing a structured environment for kids to play video games, which they would otherwise do unstructured.”
The amount of money that General Motors Co. has announced it will invest into the building of electric trucks and SUVs, creating 2,200 jobs. The company plans to invest a total of $7.7 billion over the next four years into its U.S. market, and hopes to have a family of electric vehicles by the end of 2021.
The amount of time left until midnight on the Doomsday Clock after ticking down from two minutes last Thursday. The clock is “a striking metaphor for the precarious state of the world, but most frighteningly, it’s a metaphor backed by rigorous scientific scrutiny.” When the U.S. tested its first hydrogen bomb back in 1953, the Doomsday Clock was also set to less than two minutes until midnight.
The average price of a ransomware attack during the third quarter of 2019, more than tripling the amount from the first quarter. While overall there were 6 percent fewer ransomware incidents in 2019 compared to 2018, the ransom amount has grown. These figures are prompting U.S. insurers to increase cyberinsurance rates by up to 25 percent.
The market value of Tesla Inc. after the electric car company surged on Wednesday, making it the first publicly listed U.S. automaker to ever cross $100 billion in market valuation. The number made the 17-year-old electric car company the highest-valued U.S. automaker of all time.
The predicted value of an electronic health record market by 2025. As more patients and health-care providers opt to put medical records and access online and via mobile apps, big tech companies like Google and Apple are trying to further step into the health-care fields. But many are still concerned about data sharing and privacy of sensitive medical information.
Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, became the fourth U.S. company to hit the amount in market value last Thursday. Alphabet, Apple, Amazon.com, and Microsoft are the only U.S. companies to reach this amount.
The number of customers that would be impacted by a T-mobile and Sprint merger. Several states oppose the deal because it would increase prices for customers and decrease competition in the telephone market as it “would leave the United States with three major phone carriers instead of four.” A U.S. District Court judge heard closing arguments on Wednesday, and will make his ruling “as promptly as possible.”
The proportion of people who said that they put “a lot” of trust in the U.S. Postal Service to do the right thing, a study from Morning Consult found. The survey asked participants, “How much do you trust each brand to do what is right?” and, overall, the USPS earned the top trusted spot with Amazon (38.8 percent) and Google (37.9 percent) following next. Only 7 percent said they had the same trust in the U.S. government.
The donation that Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO, has promised to give to the Australian wildlife recovery effort. Many are upset by the number as it is less than Bezos makes in 5 working minutes.
The number of new U.S. astronauts officially added to NASA ranks last Friday. “The new graduates may be assigned to missions destined for the International Space Station, the Moon, and ultimately, Mars. With a goal of sustainable lunar exploration later this decade, NASA will send the first woman and next man to the surface on the Moon by 2024. Additional lunar missions are planned once a year thereafter and human exploration of Mars is targeted for the mid-2030s.”
The amount requested by Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to replace old computer technology that’s being used by the state for things like payroll and accounting. The money will be stretched across the next eight years, starting with a $1.5 million installment in 2020’s budget. The upgrade will help the state phase out old systems, like paper timesheets, “which are still being used across Rhode Island state government.”
The amount of time that telecommunications companies would have to have in backup power for all cellphone towers in high-risk fire areas, as proposed by California lawmakers. The legislation was drafted after a Federal Communications Commission report revealed that during a power shutoff in late October, 874 cell towers were offline. Millions of people were affected during the shutoff and some were so isolated during the outage they couldn’t even call 911. “This bill is not about checking your Facebook status. It’s about life and death.”
The amount of single-day sales that the Apple App Store brought in on New Year’s Day. The company reported the record-setting amount of single-day sales in conjunction with the announcement that the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve brought in another record: $1.42 billion. The total amount of money that the App Store brought in last year was $54 billion.
The proportion of growth of tech jobs in New York City over the past decade. Big tech companies like Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon all have plans to move to New York City and establish large offices. By 2022 there is projected to be 20,000 workers between the four giants.
