uWe’re Finally Getting A Bacon Emoji, 37 Others In Update Next Yearr

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  On the list. Avocado is pretty delicious, too.

  The good news is, we’re getting a bacon emoji, allowing current and future generations to adequately express their pork-related emotions. The bad news? You’ll have to wait about a year for it to happen.

  Bacon and 37 of its illustrated brethren will join the emoji family in June 2016, after the Unicode Consortium’s approval goes through.

  The group’s emoji subcommittee, otherwise known as the people who hold your carefully crafted emoji communications in the palms of their hands, released the finalizer list of additions [PDF], slated to show up in a June 2016 update of Unicode 9.0, reports Yahoo!.

  Unicode 8.0 just came out a month ago, updating existing emojis with varied skin tones and adding a much-needed taco, unicorn and others. Still not hot dog, however.

  Below, the full list of emojis you will have to wait a year to use:

  • Face with cowboy hat
  • Clown face
  • Nauseated face
  • Rolling on the floor laughing
  • Drooling face
  • Lying face
  • “Call me” hand
  • Selfie
  • Raised back of hand
  • Left-facing fist
  • Right-facing fist
  • Handshake
  • Hand with first and index finger crossed
  • Pregnant woman
  • Face palm
  • Shrug
  • Man dancing
  • Prince
  • Man in tuxedo
  • Mother Christmas
  • Wilted flower
  • Scooter
  • Motor scooter
  • Octagonal sign
  • Clinking glasses
  • Black heart
  • Croissant
  • Avocado
  • Cucumber
  • Bacon
  • Potato
  • Carrot
  • Fox face
  • Eagle
  • Duck
  • Bat
  • Shark
  • Owl

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uTime Warner Cable Also Being Wooed By French Suitorr

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  (Lyman Green)

  It’s like something out of a romantic comedy that stars a couple of mid-level TV actors and gets dumped into theaters in mid-March: Fresh on the heels of being left at the altar by big-bucks beau Comcast, Time Warner Cable apparently finds itself being courted by a pair of very different suitors — a nice guy from Connecticut with rich friends and a mysterious French billionaire currently on a stateside shopping spree.

  We already knew about Charter trying to play rebound-romance with TWC. Even though the Stamford, CT-based cable/ISP operator is significantly smaller than the target of its affection, the move is really being driven by billionaire John C. Malone, the Chairman of Charter’s biggest shareholder, Liberty Media.

  Geographically, that deal would make sense, as Charter’s current markets would give the combined companies increased coverage in the Northeast — TWC already blankets New York City and much of upstate NY; Charter would fill in several markets in Connecticut and Massachusetts — the Carolinas — TWC is the dominant provider in North Carolina and has spotty markets in the South; Charter would increase coverage in both states — and in the Los Angeles area where TWC is the prime pay-TV and broadband provider.

  So it would be a sensible deal from a business perspective, melding two of the country’s largest providers. Whether or not regulators approve it is another topic entirely, though FCC Chair Tom Wheeler has let it be known that his Commission is not taking a default anti-merger stance.

  But is the deal that Charter and its American billionaire backer put together going to be sexier than the one reportedly being handcrafted by French billionaire Patrick Drahi and his company Altice?

  Altice has already made a deal this month to acquire 70% of regional broaband/cable company Suddenlink for $9.1 billion, and yesterday the Wall Street Journal reported that Drahi met with merger-mad TWC CEO Rob Marcus to chat about the possibility of an international romance.

  Then this morning Reuters reports that things are getting serious, as Altice looks to line up banks to back its bid for the Manhattan-based #2 cable company.

  Reuters’ sources say it’s not definite that Altice will make an official bid for TWC, but that talks are ongoing.

  We’d be shocked if any bid for TWC comes close to the $45 billion price tag of the failed Comcast merger. Charter only offered around $31 billion before being dumped because TWC knew it could get a lot more from Comcast, but now TWC may be more flexible about its worth.

  Altice has already splashed down $40 billion for different acquisitions in just the last 18 months. Is the company prepared to double that just to acquire Time Warner Cable?

  
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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uThe “Floppy Organ” Is An Instrument Made Out Of 49 Floppy Disk Drivesr

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  Just because technology is obsolete in one way doesn’t mean it can’t still be put to use in another. Proving that point is a group of German designers who have resurrected floppy disks from the box of irrelevant computer technology, using 49 of them to create sweet digital music on an instrument called the “Floppy Orgel.” Which yes, translates to “Floppy Organ” in English.

  And to be clear, when I say “sweet,” I mean, it sounds exactly like a floppy disk drive that’s making music. Or rather, 49 of them.

  The good-humored gang at Toolbox Bodensee e.V., non-profit youth group out of Markdorf, Germany says the Floppy Organ’s disks are connected to an Arduino Uno controller board that runs a code to translate MIDI signals from an electronic keyboard into motor pulses for the drives.

  Thus far, the Floppy Organ has a few classics under its belt, including the Pirates of the Caribbean theme, Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” and the Tetris theme.

  Now go ahead and snicker at the headline, you know you want to because inside, we are all 12 years old.

  (h/t UPI)

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uTaco Bell Tests Return Of Beloved Beefy Crunch Burritor

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• The Beefy Crunch Burrito is a Taco Bell menu item that periodically reappears on the menu. It has developed a cult following because of these sporadic appearances, sort of like the McRib. Now it’s part of a “throwback burrito” promotion that the chain is testing in Louisville, which is how we learned of the strange subculture obsessed with this product.

  The earliest appearance that we know of at Taco Bell was in 2011. It was a delightful pairing of Taco Bell food and Frito-Lay chips, with Flamin’ Hot Fritos, beef, rice, sour cream, and nacho cheese. We’re not sure where the cult following came from, but the “movement” to bring the burrito back everywhere has 4,576 Twitter followers and more than 17,000 Facebook fans.

  After word got out through Reddit that the burrito was being tested in Louisville, people began to make plans.

  UM HELLO I NEED $500 STAT SO I CAN GET A #BEEFYCRUNCHBURRITO http://pic.twitter.com/Ijr76shr94

  — Daniella Trujillo (@dani_tru1027) May 22, 2015

  Probably not serious plans, but when people are even joking about doing things like flying most of the way across the country for a $2 burrito, you know that people are excited about a product.

  The other throwback burrito is the Cheesy Double Beef Burrito, which is different from its previous version because it adds some rice. That burrito dates back to 2009.

  Taco Bell Testing “Throwback Burritos” Including the Return of the Beefy Crunch Burrito [Brand Eating]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uCDC Links Salmonella Outbreak Reported in 9 States To Sushi Made With Raw Tunar

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  (Not the sushi in question. ChrisGoldNY)

  Raw seafood might be delicious, but there’s always that chance that it could make you sick: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that while it hasn’t conclusively determined the cause of a recent salmonella outbreak that’s spread to nine states and infected up to 53 people, it could be linked to sushi made with raw tuna.

  The CDC says in a news release that the outbreak of a specific strain called paratyphi B occurred between March 5 and May 1.

  As for where this sushi is coming from, it’s unclear: Health authorities have discovered five clusters where people had all eaten sushi in the same restaurants, though “a common brand or supplier of raw tuna has not been identified and there are no specific steps for restaurants, retailers, or consumers to take to protect their customers or themselves.”

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is on the case, however.

  “If a specific food or source linked to the illnesses is identified, the FDA will work to remove it from the marketplace and alert consumers to avoid it,” it said.

  Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B variant L(+) tartrate(+) Infections [CDC.gov]
  FDA Investigates Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B variant L(+) tartrate(+) Infections [FDA.gov]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uFCC Chair: Relax, Cable Companies, Not All Mergers Are Necessarily Doomed Foreverr

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  FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler speaking at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference on May 4, 2015.

  
  The collapse of the much-discussed, absolutely enormous Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger earlier this year might have been an occasion for consumers and consumer advocates to cheer — but for businesses, it was much less good news. Cable companies that want to buy other cable companies are kind of freaked out: what if the FCC is hostile to their plans, too?

  The advice to them from FCC chairman Tom Wheeler? Chill out: the FCC is not entirely anti-merger, and will review each case on its own merits.

  That’s what Bloomberg reports Wheeler told the top execs at TWC and Charter in a pair of phone calls this week, anyway.

  The news is almost certainly exactly what business leaders want to hear, as talks about cable mergers are still all the rage — and TWC is still considered a very attractive acquisition target. Not only is Charter still interested but also, Reuters reports today, French telecom firm Altice is interested in a bid.

  And apart from TWC, there is of course the still-pending DirecTV/AT&T merger, as well as lots of moving and shaking with smaller, regional companies as well.

  It should not necessarily have to be news, either to business leaders or to consumers, that a regulatory agency plans to do its job carefully each time it is asked, and to analyze each singular merger as a distinct entity on a case-by-case basis. And yet, here we are.

  That Wheeler called TWC and Charter specifically would seem to indicate that the Commission would not be as averse to that merger as they (and the rest of us) were to the idea of a combined TWC and Comcast. It’s not exactly an encouragement, but it does seem to imply that if Charter extends a second offer — and if TWC is inclined this time to accept — it seems likely that move would face less opposition all around than the TWC/Comcast deal did.

  No Merger Ban, FCC Said to Tell Time Warner Cable, Charter [Bloomberg]

  
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by Kate Cox via Consumerist

uNHTSA Once Again Flexes Regulatory Muscle Over GM, Manufacturers Who Used Takatar

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  (Eric Norris)

  Since taking the helm of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in January, Mark Rosekind has made his intention to hold automakers responsible for safety issues well known. This week, the agency continued tightening the reins by extending oversight requirements imposed on General Motors stemming from its ignition switch defect and invoking its legal authority to speed up the recall process related to millions of vehicles recalled for Takata airbag defects.

  The Detroit Free Press reports that the two separate actions provide evidence that Rosekind and NHTSA are taking a more rigorous approach to recalls and enforcement.

  The first action extends the agency’s overnight of GM’s review, decision-making and compunctions about potential safety issues for another year.

  Under the extension, GM is required to submit reports to the agency and meet with NHTSA staff on a monthly basis in order for regulators to monitor the manufacturer’s investigation process for potential safety issues.

  “We expect to see the improvements they’ve made continue and that their new approaches are applied to every GM safety issue and every recall,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. “Today’s action will help keep them on the right track.”

  Oversight by the agency was part of a 2014 agreement with GM, following the recall of 2.6 million cars with potentially faulty switches, an issue the automaker allegedly hid for nearly a decade.

  In a statement to the Detroit Free Press, a GM spokesperson said the meetings have allowed it to “foster a relationship that’s candid, transparent and totally focused on the safety of our customers. We’ve come a long way and we fully intend to build on this progress.”

  The second action involved what is now the largest auto recall in history: Takata airbags that can spew pieces of shrapnel upon deployment.

  For the first time in its history NHTSA invoked its legal authority under the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation Act (TREAD Act), that it was given nearly 15 years ago.

  The agency filed documents with the Federal Register on Thursday that will speed up and coordinate the recall for the millions of vehicles equipped with Takata airbags, the Detroit Free Press reports.

  “NHTSA is launching a legal process that will allow us to bring together auto manufacturers whose vehicles are affected, along with Takata and other parts suppliers,” Foxx said in a statement. “That way, they can organize this recall effort and get it done as quickly and effectively as possible.”

  The stepped up legal action comes just days after Takata announced it would recall 33.4 million vehicles equipped with the potentially deadly airbags that have been linked to six deaths and more than 100 injuries.

  NHTSA tightens oversight for Takata, GM [Detroit Free Press]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist