June 18 (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google told Reuters this week it is developing an alternative to the industry standard method for classifying skin tones, which a growing chorus of technology researchers and dermatologists says is inadequate for assessing whether products are biased against people of color. At issue is a six-color scale known as Fitzpatrick Skin Type (FST), which dermatologists have used since the 1970s. Tech companies now rely on it to categorize people and… Source link

Google announced a $50 million unrestricted grant to 10 HBCUs Thursday. The funds will go toward supporting scholarships, career support programs and technical infrastructure for in-person and remote learning.  Leaders of the institutions receiving the funds applauded the gift. The grant shows “a firm commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and an appreciation of the value HBCUs bring with regards to the talent and ingenuity of our students, faculty, staff and alumni,” Larry… Source link

Disaster always feels like it’s around the corner from the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that loves dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight in elimination games. Peril one minute, prosperity the next. Seventh heaven, seventh hell. It feels surer than ever that given the evidence and health of the participants, the Bucks are the better and deeper team compared to the Brooklyn Nets. They’ll enter Saturday night’s Game 7 in Brooklyn far removed from the club that trailed by nearly 50 in Game… Source link

Facing down the possibility of yet another ignominious Eastern Conference exit, the Milwaukee Bucks have forced a Game 7 against the NBA’s title favorites. Behind a playoff career-high 38 points from Khris Middleton, the Bucks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 104-89 on Thursday in Game 6 to even the series 3-3. The teams will play a Game 7 on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET in Brooklyn. The win is a welcome response for the Bucks, who fell behind 3-2 after blowing a 17-point second-half lead in Game 5… Source link

Shorting stocks can bring an investor serious profits – but there’s commensurate risk, as well. Basically, the short trader is betting that a stock will fall in price; it’s the opposite of most stock trading, in which the investor wants the shares to gain. Gaining, of course, is the risk in a short trade. There’s no ceiling on a stock’s potential gains, and in theory, a particular stock can see its price increase infinitely. But in a short sell, the trader has made the initial… Source link

AEW wrestler Nyla Rose. (Photo Credit: AEW) As a public figure, Nyla Rose has learned how to drown out the noise on social media. Although the 38-year-old All Elite Wrestling star receives negative and hate-filled messages on the internet, those aren’t the ones that get to her. Instead, Rose focuses on the messages that let her know she’s doing her job — not just as a professional wrestler, but as a symbol for an entire community. “I love every bit of positive energy, but what means… Source link

Alex Harvill reportedly landed short of his landing ramp. (Photo by Sergei BobylevTASS via Getty Images) An attempt at setting a world record for longest ramp-to-dirt motorcycle jump has reportedly ended in tragedy. Stuntman Alex Harvill, 28 years old, died Thursday while preparing for a 351-foot motorcycle jump at the Moses Lake Airshow in Washington state’s Grant County International Airport, according to the Columbia Basin Herald’s Charles Featherstone. The deadly crash reportedly occurred… Source link

Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony and his wife, La La, are officially calling it quits. La La reportedly filed for divorce Thursday, according to eonline.com. The couple reportedly had been separated for a while, according to TMZ. The divorce is reportedly amicable. La La and Anthony still remain friends. The two have a 14-year-old son, Kiyan, together.  The two have had an on-and-off relationship over the past couple years. They separated in 2017, but then reportedly were trying… Source link

Stock futures ticked up Thursday evening after a mixed session earlier, when the Nasdaq ended within striking distance of a record high while the Dow posted a fourth straight session of losses. Technology stocks rallied during Thursday’s regular session as Treasury yields fell. Traders piled back into bonds after selling immediately following the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decision and updated projections on Wednesday, which suggested two interest rate hikes could take place by… Source link

To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PDT, subscribe here. Welcome back to the Daily Crunch for Thursday, June 17. Thank you to Walter Thompson and the Extra Crunch staff for taking the reins I took from Alex. I was released from jury duty, so I’ll be seeing you through the remainder of the week, and we’ll be back to regularly scheduled Alex in no time. But before we get on with the show, I want to let you… Source link