Goin' both ways

USB cable developers have announced that a forthcoming version of the connector's plug is to be reversible. It means users of the Universal Serial Bus cables will no longer have to worry which way round the part is facing when plugging it into a device. The specification is due to be completed by mid-2014, and the first product on the market by 2016. It will neuter one of the advantages Apple's proprietary lightning cable currently has over the USB system. The first USB cables were released in the mid-1990s and, until now, could only be plugged into a computer or other device one way round to ensure a data connection. That's right, guys, USB has come a long way since its invention. But what the connectors don't have is a solution for Russia's homophobia problem. However, Elton John has urged Russia to end discrimination against gays as he performed at a concert in Moscow. The British singer said he was "sad to learn" of a law banning the "propaganda of homosexuality" to minors. The loosely-worded law can be used to ban gay rights events. Sir Elton became the first major Western star known for his support of gay rights to play in Russia since the law was signed by President Vladimir Putin in June. Last year, both Madonna and Lady Gaga used concerts in Saint Petersburg to speak out against similar local legislation. Speaking of speaking out, when you're making eight bucks an hour, which is pretty typical in the fast-food industry, it's tough to make ends meet. And increasingly, the working poor are asking this question: Why am I living in poverty, even when I'm working full time? That's the message that thousands of fast-food workers that rallied on Thursday in about 100 U.S. cities — from Oakland to Memphis to Washington, D.C. — are trying to get across. A living wage in big cities is closer to US$14 an hour, and it jumps to about US$20 an hour for an adult supporting a child. The protests are part of a growing campaign backed by a coalition of advocacy groups, religious organizations, and union organizers aimed at raising fast-food wages to US$15 an hour. But not everyone agrees that raising the federal minimum wage will fix the problems of fast-food workers struggling to make ends meet, and they're right because there's also the problem of the top brass living a greedy lifestyle. Case in point: McDonald's just bought a $35 million luxury Bombardier jet for its corporate executives. Yet many of the company's employees make so little that they rely on public assistance to get by. "It's not right to impoverish your employees while sailing above them at a rate of $2,500 an hour," reads a petition started by the Campaign For America's Future. "It's immoral to do it with a taxpayer subsidy." All that money could instead be going towards paying employees a better wage.