Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Uber’s Anti-Lyft Playbook, the Best Cancelled Comedy Central Shows and More Morning #Mustreads

It looks as though Uber took a page from “The Wire” with burner phones, secret credit cards and more dirty tactics.

Good morning!

Here’s some of the freshest #content on the ’Net, brought to you by Re/code:

  1. How seriously is Uber taking competition from Lyft? Very seriously. The Verge’s Casey Newton has the goods, in the form of an internal Uber memo detailing how company recruiters planned to poach Lyft drivers using burner phones. On Twitter, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is defending himself by quoting Tweeters that describe him as “hungry.”
  2. Comedy Central has a great slate of shows right now — “Broad City” and “Key & Peele,” to name a couple — but it’s fun to remember some of the channel’s less-than-successful projects. Splitsider has clips and a few quick write-ups about some memorable Comedy Central flops, including “That’s My Bush!” and “Stella.”
  3. The Washington Post’s Wonkblog reports on a University of Buffalo study that links marijuana to lower rates of domestic violence. Well, weed is cheaper than couples’ therapy. So I’ve heard.
  4. The iPad was supposed to revolutionize the way technology was used in education, providing students with innovative learning tools and apps at a much lower cost than conventional laptops or desktop computers. Gizmodo, drawing on a Los Angeles Times story, says that the revolution failed, and that we should find better tech with which to teach our kids.
  5. You’d think that it’s virtually impossible to be completely off the Internet, as evidenced by Europe’s “right to be forgotten” law, or the countless headlines of American burglars who left their Facebook up on victims’ computers. Well, the Atlantic has a story about one writer who attempted to find his long-lost grandmother on the Internet, and wasn’t able to come up with much.

If you see any stories you’d like to send our way (or have any questions/comments about stories we’ve recommended), feel free to shoot an email to noah.kulwin@recode.net.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Politics
OpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agendaOpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agenda
Politics

The AI company released a set of highly progressive policy ideas. There’s just one small problem.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.
Future Perfect

Protecting astronauts in space — and maybe even Mars — will help transform health on Earth.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
The importance of space toilets, explainedThe importance of space toilets, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

Houston, we have a plumbing problem.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Technology
What happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputerWhat happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputer
Technology

How they’re using AI at the lab that created the atom bomb.

By Joshua Keating
Future Perfect
Humanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious missionHumanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious mission
Future Perfect

Space barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk don’t seem religious. But their quest to colonize outer space is.

By Sigal Samuel