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Technology

TECHNOLOGY

Chicago Passes Landmark Robot Sidewalk Ordinance; Delivery Units Must Now Yield to Pigeons, Aldermen, and Anyone Carrying More Than Two Grocery Bags

By Sofia Russo

The 47-page Autonomous Sidewalk Conveyance Etiquette Ordinance passed 40-10 this week, becoming the nation's most comprehensive legislative document to use the phrase 'motorized snack vessel.'

TECHNOLOGY

Two Food Delivery Robots Have Now Crashed Into CTA Bus Shelters, Which Raises Some Questions

By Rachel Kim

Serve Robotics and Coco Robotics each managed to find a CTA bus shelter within days of each other. Experts are calling it a learning opportunity.

TECHNOLOGY

Cubs Return to Hulu After 5.5-Year Blackout While White Sox Counter by Putting Games on Actual Antenna Television

By Rachel Kim

Marquee Sports Network finally lands on Hulu and Amazon Prime, ending a half-decade exile, while the Sox simulcast 10 games on free over-the-air WCIU — a strategy gap that perfectly mirrors everything else about these two franchises.

TECHNOLOGY

Marquee Sports Network Now Available on Every Streaming Platform Except Whichever One You Already Have

By Rachel Kim

The Cubs' regional sports network has expanded to Hulu + Live TV and Amazon Prime Video, bringing the total number of ways to almost watch Cubs games to a new personal record.

TECHNOLOGY

Chicago Officially Classifies Scrolling Through Instagram as an 'Amusement,' Files Now Being Prepared

By Rachel Kim

The city's new Social Media Amusement Tax charges platforms 50 cents per active user per month, a levy that Big Tech is now suing to block on the grounds that reading your aunt's political posts does not constitute entertainment.

TECHNOLOGY

Cook County's $47 Million Property Tax Portal 'Nearly Ready,' Officials Confirm for 17th Quarter

By Rachel Kim

After a software upgrade delayed tax bills by months, county officials say the system is 'performing within expected parameters,' which they have declined to define.

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TECHNOLOGY

New 'Power Rangers: SPD' Revival Will Stand for 'Seattle Police Department,' Film Entirely in Chicago

By Jordan Pryce

Hasbro and Disney+ have announced a revival of the beloved 2005 Power Rangers SPD series, reimagined as 'Power Rangers: Seattle Police Department,' which will be filmed on location in Chicago due to what producers describe as 'a permitting situation in Seattle that we are not going to get into.'

TECHNOLOGY

Local Startup Claims to Have Invented 'Smooth Potato Paste,' Seeks $40M Series A

By Jordan Pryce

Spudify says its patent-pending MashTech process — boiling potatoes and pressing them until soft — will disrupt the $900 billion global comfort food market.

TECHNOLOGY

Startup Claims Mysterious Chemical Smell That Blanketed Chicago Was Actually 'Ambient Brand Activation'

By Rachel Kim

As the Illinois EPA continues investigating the unidentified odor reported across the Midwest, a Fulton Market company has come forward to claim responsibility, calling the smell 'an olfactory disruption platform.'

TECHNOLOGY

Loop Startup Raises $200M to 'Harvest and Monetize' Chicago's Wind

By Rachel Kim

AeroVenture claims proprietary 'wind-capture mesh' technology will turn the Windy City's most abundant natural resource into a billion-dollar industry.

TECHNOLOGY

Startup Promises AI-Powered 'Smart Ketchup' That Knows When You Want It on Your Hot Dog

By Rachel Kim

A Chicago tech startup has unveiled an artificially intelligent condiment that uses machine learning to detect whether you're about to commit the city's greatest culinary sin.