Plus the fascinating audio isolation AI Google's developed, and leaked memos!

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• Elon Musk says ‘humans are underrated,’ calls Tesla’s ‘excessive automation’ a ‘mistake’ | TechCrunch — In a rare mea culpa for the mercurial billionaire, Tesla CEO Elon Musk acknowledged that the company has been too reliant on robots for production.
• Russia starts blocking Telegram for failing to turn over encryption keys — The Russian state telecommunication regulator has began blocking Telegram as expected.
• Pandora's CEO is doubling down on podcasts
• In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information - Bloomberg — Company memo says it found 29 ‘leakers’ last year, 12 arrested
• 'GrayKey' iPhone Unlocking Box Seeing Wide Adoption Among Law Enforcement — Motherboard found that regional police forces like the Maryland State Police, the Indiana State Police, and the Miami-Dade County Police have purchased or are soon purchasing GrayKey technology
• Gmail’s new design will include a ‘Confidential Mode’ — Gmail on the web is getting a big update in the coming weeks with a new design and features, but Google is also introducing a new Confidential Mode.
• Google works out a fascinating, slightly scary way for AI to isolate voices in a crowd — Google researchers have developed a deep-learning system designed to help computers better identify and isolate individual voices within a noisy environment.

But it almost didn't happen.

Plus the tech news, Kickstarter of the week, and our plans for Season 1.

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Links:

• Facts About SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Rocket — Musk first announced a bigger rocket — the Falcon Heavy — in 2011. At the time, he said the rocket would carry 117,000 lbs. (53,000 kilograms) of cargo to orbit — twice the capacity of the space shuttle. Musk also predicted the first Falcon Heavy flight would come in 2013.
• Fresh off Falcon Heavy, Elon Musk launches broadband test satellites - ABC News — On Thursday, SpaceX on Thursday launched a pair of prototype satellites intended to form the basis for Starlink, a constellation of about 11,000 satellites that are designed to beam broadband internet down to Earth.
• Amazon plans to open as many as six more cashierless Amazon Go stores this year — New futuristic convenience stores could appear in Seattle and Los Angeles.
• Since October, Apple Made Around 1,600 Accidental 911 Calls — “We’ve been seeing these calls for the last four months from Apple,” said police dispatcher Jamie Hudso
• Using a laser to wirelessly charge a smartphone safely across a room — The beam charges the smartphone via a power cell mounted on the back of the phone. A narrow beam can deliver a steady 2W of power to 15 square-inch area from a distance of up to 4.3 meters, or about 14 feet.
• Kitchen Robot with Multi-Zone Cooking & Refrigeration by Suvie — Gourmet meals from fresh, raw ingredients ready when you come home; designed by former Apple engineer, appliance expert & gourmet chef.
• Google plans deeper Assistant integration with phones and wireless carriers — The other two announcements being made today will arrive throughout the year: deeper integration between the Assistant and both smartphones and carriers.