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Google Maps is heading in a new direction with artificial intelligence sitting in the passenger’s seat.Fueled by Google’s Gemini AI technology, the world’s most popular navigation app will become a more conversational companion as part of a redesign announced Wednesday.The hands-free experience is meant to turn Google Maps into something more like an insightful passenger able to direct a driver to a destination while also providing nearby recommendations on places to eat, shop or sightsee, when asked for the advice.“No fumbling required — now you can just ask,” Google promised in a blog post about the app makeover.The AI features…
The head of the air traffic controllers’ union said Wednesday that it could take the industry “weeks to recover” from the impacts of the government shutdown.Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the holiday season will be especially affected by the shortage of air traffic controllers, who missed their first full paycheck last week. The Department of Transportation has reported increased delays and ground stops as a result of the shutdown, now in its fifth consecutive week.”To somehow fathom we could go into the holiday season still in a government shutdown,…
As economic uncertainty and unpredictable travel logistics shape vacation options, data from the RV Industry Association’s Holiday Travel Intention survey indicates that 28 million Americans are choosing to RV for their holiday trips.With benefits that include cost-effectiveness, control over holiday plans, bringing pets along for the journey, flexible scheduling and bypassing expensive flights and congested airports, it’s no surprise that RV travel is predicted to increase by 33 percent compared to 2024. “In a season when travel can feel unpredictable and overwhelming, RVing puts travelers back in the driver’s seat,” Monika Geraci, RV Industry Association spokesperson said in a statement.…
Just over three years after taking the reins as the top leader of Sequoia Capital, Roelof Botha is stepping down as senior steward of the storied VC firm. The firm announced Tuesday that partners Alfred Lin and Pat Grady will succeed him as co-stewards. Lin joined the storied firm in 2010, where he has led major investments into category-defining companies like Airbnb, DoorDash, and Kalshi. Meanwhile, Pat Grady has been a partner for nearly 19 years and has led Sequoia’s growth-stage investing since 2015, backing iconic companies such as ServiceNow, OpenAI, and the legal AI platform Harvey. Since taking over…
Azamara Cruises is further solidifying its relationship with travel advisors with the introduction of the new Anything Azamara hotline – 888-575-9782 – which connects agents directly to the line’s contact center for personalized assistance.The new hotline is part and parcel of Azamara’s “broader initiative to simplify, support and strengthen relationships with its valued trade partners,” the line said, adding that the new enhancements were instituted based on input from an agent survey. The line will also add new chapters to the Azamara World Academy, its training and certification platform next year, and unveiled new RezA training for its RezA reservations…
Google announced on Tuesday that it’s launching new agentic capabilities in AI Mode, its feature that allows users to ask complex questions and follow-ups to dig deeper on a topic directly within Search. Users can now get help with booking event tickets and beauty and wellness appointments in AI Mode. For example, you can say, “Find me two cheap tickets for the Shaboozey concert coming up. Prefer standing floor tickets.” AI Mode will then search across multiple websites to find real-time ticket options that meet your specific requests. It will then present you with a curated list of ticket prices…
MONTCLAIR, New Jersey (AP) — On a sunny fall morning, children wearing helmets and backpacks gathered with their parents in Montclair, New Jersey, for a group bicycle ride to two local elementary schools. Volunteers in orange safety vests made sure everyone assembled in a neighborhood shopping area was ready before the riders set off on their 5-mile “bike bus” route.Every few blocks, more adults and kids on bikes joined in. Eventually, the group grew to over 350 people. Older students chatted with friends, while younger ones focused on pedaling. Cars along the way stopped to let the line of cyclists…
MUNICH (AP) — Germany’s famous river-surfing wave in Munich has mysteriously disappeared, leaving Bavarian surfers high and dry for the first time in decades.The Isar River’s man-made Eisbach (icy creek) wave has been drawing surfers to the landlocked city of Munich since 1972, when it was formed by concrete blocks that had been placed in the canal to control the strong current.SurferToday.com lauds the Eisbach as “the mother of all river waves” and says it can reach a height of 4 feet (1.22 meters). Surfers take turns jumping from each bank into the frigid water as spectators line a bridge…
Industrial outdoor storage in Elgin, Illinois.Courtesy of Alterra IOSA version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Property Play newsletter with Diana Olick. Property Play covers new and evolving opportunities for the real estate investor, from individuals to venture capitalists, private equity funds, family offices, institutional investors and large public companies. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.The rapid buildout of AI and quantum infrastructure is sparking a boom in an often overlooked commercial real estate sector. Industrial outdoor storage (IOS) is suddenly seeing significant demand and rent growth amid lean supply. IOS comprises all types of either paved…
Travelers looking to catch the next wave in both U.S. surfing meccas and popular international surfing destinations will find it easier to travel with their own surfboard thanks to a new surfboard policy instituted by Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.Hailed as the most generous among premium U.S. airlines, the policy now allows guests flying on Alaska and Hawaiian to check multiple surfboards into a single bag measuring up to 10 feet, 5 inches from nose to tail, and weighing up to 50 pounds. Flights on regional E175 aircraft, however, can only take surfboard bags that don’t exceed 9 feet, 7…