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It's Friday, March 13, 2020. Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.  Just in case you were wondering how necessary ISP’s bandwidth limits are, Comcast and AT&T have found some wiggle room in response to the outbreak of coronavirus. AT&T told Motherboard it is suspending broadband usage caps for now, as children, college students and adults are all suddenly spending some extra time at home. For its part, Comcast is boosting broadband speeds for low-income Internet Essentials customers, which is an important first step. Canceling caps like AT&T or expanding them beyond current outdated limits could be a great second step -- especially if other ISPs do the same. And then keep the changes in place after the crisis is over, as step three. Just a thought. -- Richard (View in browser.) Lego, Nintendo. What’s not to love?  Lego Super Mario includes a chunky version of the plumber and it’s not just a reskinned figure, either. Mario is substantially larger than a standard Lego minifigure, with a couple of switches on his back and some digital displays that represent his eyes, mouth, and a chest area just above his blue overalls. Other pieces can be used to build and play through classic levels, including Goombas, Piranha Plants and question blocks. Mario will detect what he’s interacting with, and those digital displays will react accordingly. The technicalities are unknown for now, but we spotted a Bluetooth button on Mario and Lego pieces that included what seemed like RFID tags -- we’ll have to wait for more details. The first sets will launch later this year. | | The Apple Watch Series 5 Hermes Edition tops out at $1,500.  The third generation of TAG Heuer's Connected series merges the fitness and productivity features of Google's Wear OS with a design that might be mistaken for a classic chronograph at first glance. But there's a big price to pay for the upscale looks -- these are still luxury watches after all. The cheapest -- and least classy-looking -- model costs $1,800, and the most expensive one is $2,350. | | Sponsored Content by Stack Commerce | | Go slower. France is dealing with e-bike owners that boost the performance of their rides. The country has just introduced a law that could see offenders slapped with a maximum fine of €30,000 (US$34,000), and up to a year in jail. And they could have their driving license suspended for up to three years. There are no caveats or loopholes, either -- do anything to tune your e-bike for more speed or power, and you could feel the wrath of the new law, known as French statutory provision L317-1. The rules also apply to importers, distributors and dealers, including third-party companies that were once willing to tune your new bike for you. E-bikes and scooters (which France has also cracked down on) have proven to be a hazard for pedestrians -- an issue officials are trying to curb ahead of municipal elections in cities such as Paris. | | Another event's in-person element is canceled due to the coronavirus.  Microsoft's big developer event, scheduled for May, is the latest event affected by the pandemic. The show in Seattle is traditionally where it shows off a lot of things that also impact us as consumers. Yesterday, Washington governor Jay Inslee announced a ban on events with more than 250 people that will run at least until the end of March. While that's set to expire before the Build event in May, the company wants to prepare people for a "virtual format" instead of waiting any longer to see if it's extended. | | But wait, there's more... | | | |
