Google's self-driving car secrets

In this edition of the Worldwide Wrap: Google lobbies Californian regulators for permission to keep minor accidents secret; and Microsoft quits the American Legislative Exchange Council.

According to documents obtained under freedom-of-information legislation and seen by online publication Quartz, Google lobbied Californian regulators for permission to keep minor accidents secret, as long as the car was not driving itself at the time.

Ron Medford, director of safety for Google's self-driving car programme, urged that the regulations "should be amended to limit required reporting to accidents involving vehicles operated in autonomous mode".
Via: Quartz

After a year of participating in the American Legislative Exchange Council, Microsoft has decided that even tangential alignment with a high-profile oil-funded lobby is not what it wants.

Redmond has reportedly sent a statement to The Sustainability Group of Loring, Wolcott and Coolidge and Walden Asset Management, which had criticised its involvement, saying it's no longer involved.
Via: The Register

Taking a selfie is almost an art form nowadays - but one electronics company may make it a thing of beauty.

Images that surfaced on Asian social media site Weibo this week allegedly show a Sony camera shaped like a perfume bottle, sparking rumours that the company could launch it in Asian markets soon.
Via: Mashable

It might seem like science fiction now, but in 25 years, we could call it a convenience. New technology is in the works that would essentially eliminate the need for a wallet.

Price tags are already being tested with RFID technology. That would allow the shopper to simply put items in a bag and walk out. The payment would be made before the shopper even got to their car.
Via: WWLP.com

Taxi and private car hire service Uber has launched a grocery delivery service in the US.

The Corner Store facility is available as an option via its main smartphone app and covers more than 100 items. The products are competitively priced against high street stores, and there is no delivery fee.
Via: BBC

Electric sports car maker Tesla has put out a public call for up to 30 full-time new employees from the hacking community to work on breaking its "Internet of things"-based vehicles.

Hackers at the DefCon security conference in Las Vegas last week already managed to take control of Tesla Model S lights, horns and sunroofs, much to the apparent delight of Tesla staff, who began handing out personal mentions on the company's Web site, as well as "challenge coins" to successful hackers, netting them free tours of the company's factory in Fremont, California.
Via: Computing.co.uk