by Dani Anguiano, Kari Paul and agencies on (#6BSY5)
The state governor had on Wednesday signed into law the first US state-level ban on the appA group of TikTok creators have sued to block Montana’s ban of the platform, arguing that the new law violates their first amendment rights.Greg Gianforte, Montana’s governor, on Wednesday signed into law the first US state-level ban of the increasingly embattled social media app, effective 1 January 2024. The governor argued the move was “to protect Montanans’ personal and private data from being harvested by the Chinese Communist party”. Continue reading...
All you need to know about the US state becoming the first to prohibit the social video app for consumer usersTikTok has been banned in Montana. The first US state-level ban of the increasingly embattled social video app is already proving controversial, although it will not take effect until 2024. Continue reading...
While the US and EU announce bigger programmes, one British startup says the government’s investment figure is less than the cost of one basic plantThe UK government has announced an investment of up to £1bn in the domestic semiconductor industry, but has been criticised for declining to join the spending race that has seen the US and EU announce significantly bigger programmes.Labour accused the government of lacking ambition in its announcement, while one UK startup said the £1bn figure was less than the cost of one basic semiconductor plant. Continue reading...
Possible interventions include default smaller portions and prominently displaying low-calorie foodsFood delivery apps could help tackle the obesity crisis by making lower-calorie options more prominent on their sites, research suggests.A study, presented at the European Congress of Obesity in Dublin, involved creating a simulated food delivery app and conducting three randomised controlled trials involving 23,783 adult participants. Continue reading...
In his new memoir, Before We Go Live, the Twitch and YouTube star pulls back the curtain on the world of pro game streaming – and details some of the toxic behaviour he says he has witnessedStephen Flavall – or Jorbs as he is known on YouTube and Twitch, where he has more than 100,000 followers – rose to fame streaming strategy games such as XCOM and Slay the Spire, a game in which he has achieved several world records. He’s considered a high-ranking Twitch streamer, with a soothing monotone voice and an infectious laugh. He’s very consistent. When you watch Flavall’s Twitch channel, you know exactly what to expect: funny and cerebral anecdotes, informative strategy tips and a supportive community.But his new memoir, Before We Go Live, does something unexpected: it pulls back the curtain on the back end of professional game streaming – which, as anyone who follows online gaming culture knows, is rife with rampant toxicity, abuse and harassment. It’s a chilling wakeup call for the industry, from the top down. Continue reading...
by Alexi Duggins, Hannah Verdier, Hollie Richardson a on (#6BSJ3)
In this week’s newsletter: Why did Amanda Riley con the blogosphere into paying for her fake illness? Find out in Scamanda. Plus: five of the best podcasts to mend a broken heart
Video site recommended videos related to weapons, shooting and murderers to accounts for boys aged nine and 14, report saysYouTube’s recommendation algorithm continues to direct young video game fans down dark paths of violent and dangerous content, a report has found, years after critics first raised concerns about the system.A report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), a Washington DC-based nonprofit, observed the effects of the video sharing site’s recommendation algorithms on a spread of accounts identified as those of boys aged nine and 14. Continue reading...
You can now hand your phone to your partner without any danger of them reading your chats. But what’s the big secret?Name: Chat Lock.Age: The Chat Lock feature on WhatsApp is new. Cheating, by contrast, has been going on since Venus was carrying on with Mars behind Vulcan’s back, and probably long before that. Continue reading...
Technology be to deployed in city centre to identify wanted individuals, leading to concerns over normalisation of surveillancePolice will use live facial recognition technology in Cardiff during the Beyoncé concert on Wednesday, despite concerns about racial bias and human rights.The technology will be used in Cardiff city centre, but not at the stadium, to “support” the artist’s concert at the Principality stadium by identifying wanted individuals and ensuring safeguarding, South Wales police said, as the artist kicks off the UK leg of her first solo headline tour in seven years. Continue reading...
Twitter owner and Tesla chief defends tweet about George Soros after being accused of antisemitismElon Musk has said he will continue sending controversial tweets even it loses him money, as he defended himself against accusations of antisemitism over tweets about George Soros.The Twitter owner and Tesla chief executive said he is “allowed to say what I want to”, as he defended a tweet posted on Tuesday saying the billionaire financier “reminds me of Magneto” – the Jewish villain in the X-Men series. Continue reading...
Derided at first, in the 20 years since its launch this cartoonish high-seas adventure has claimed its rightful place as one of the best Zelda gamesWhen people ask what my favourite video game of all time is and I tell them, they inevitably wrinkle their nose and say: “What, the one with all the sailing?” To many, that’s all The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is: a 20-year-old GameCube release in which toon Link endlessly sails the vast sea on his trusty talking boat. In 2013, when the game was re-released on Wii U a decade after its debut, Nintendo took the criticisms on board (the talking boat) and added a “swift sail”, allowing players to bypass hours of sluggish seafaring. For shame. The seafaring was the point.It has now been two decades since the original Wind Waker was released in Europe in May 2003 and it’s time that landlubber critics accepted they were wrong. The game’s expansive ocean was not only soundtracked stunningly, but filled with endless side quests and mini-games, emphasising exploration in a way not seen again in a Zelda game until 2017’s Breath of the Wild. As an 11-year-old girl clicking the little gold disc into place inside her (sister’s) first GameCube, I realised just how engrossing video game worlds can be. Continue reading...
by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on (#6BRYX)
Thin and light performance machine continues to set standard for fixable, upgradeable laptopsThe fixable and upgradeable premium Framework Laptop 13 has been improved all round for 2023 and is packed with small changes that are backwards compatible with older models, making a great laptop even better.The original Framework broke new ground last year as a laptop designed to be taken apart and upgraded, and with a modular selection of ports, too. Crucially, the company followed through on promises to provide parts and upgrades for existing machines – first with 12th-gen Intel chips and now new 13th-gen Intel processors, with AMD Ryzen 7040 series chip options coming later this year. Continue reading...
Holmes, who was charged with defrauding investors in her blood-testing start-up, hoped to stay out of jail while she appealed her convictionTheranos founder Elizabeth Holmes must begin serving her prison sentence while she appeals against her conviction on charges of defrauding investors in her failed blood-testing startup and must jointly pay $452m in restitution to the victims of her crimes, a court in San Francisco has ruled.Holmes, who rose to fame after claiming Theranos’ small machines could run an array of diagnostic tests with just a few drops of blood, was convicted at trial in San Jose, California, in 2022 and sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6BRV6)
Report says people betting on prices of such assets ‘should be aware that all their money could be lost’UK authorities should regulate cryptocurrency trading as a form of gambling rather than a financial service, parliament’s Treasury committee has said after a fresh inquiry into the industry.The government must avoid wasting more taxpayer funds promoting tech innovations such as digital tokens, without demonstrating the clear benefits to the public, MPs said in a report published on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Justice department announces charges involving company’s self-driving car technologyThe US has charged a former Apple engineer accused of stealing the company’s technology on autonomous systems, including self-driving cars, and then fleeing to China.The Department of Justice on Tuesday announced charges in that case and several others involving the alleged theft of trade secrets and efforts to steal technology to benefit China, Russia and Iran. Continue reading...
Sam Altman says before Senate judiciary committee that he supports guardrails for technology to minimize harmsThe CEO of OpenAI, the company responsible for creating artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT and image generator Dall-E 2, said “regulation of AI is essential” as he testified in his first appearance in front of the US Congress.Speaking to the Senate judiciary committee on Tuesday, Sam Altman said he supported regulatory guardrails for the technology that would enable the benefits of artificial intelligence while minimizing the harms. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#6BRZG)
Government’s intentions revealed in document produced for surveillance camera commissionerMinisters are calling for facial recognition technology to be “embedded” in everyday policing, including potentially linking it to the body-worn cameras officers use as they patrol streets.Until now, police use of live facial recognition in England and Wales has been limited to special operations such as football matches or the coronation. Continue reading...
A collaboration between famed designer Yugo Nakamura and gaming auteur Tetsuya Mizuguchi has yielded one of the strangest, most compelling puzzle games of recent yearsHumanity was inspired by a throng of bodies. Specifically, the mass of people queueing for Comiket, the longstanding comic and pop culture convention in Tokyo. As its director Yugo Nakamura explains over a video call from the city, he was intrigued by the “orderly manner” in which these people were milling about. “We have our soul and mind,” he says, “but it was almost like they were moving without thinking.” The challenge the designer set himself and his colleagues at the award-winning Japanese studio tha ltd. was to simulate this gently surging crowd, the ebb and flow of the collective.The resulting puzzle game does something unusual for the genre. Yes, it stretches your grey matter in ways that will make you feel like an idiot and then a genius, but its hundreds, sometimes thousands of people moving in unison are capable of stirring up surprising emotions: delight, awe, even fear. The setup is simple: direct an endlessly spawning mass of people towards the light in a series of self-contained levels. The execution is anything but: a luminous shiba inu dog is the pack’s leader, scampering about brutalist architecture suspended high in the clouds. You are given the ability to manipulate the group in different ways with commands such as turn, jump, and branch, which siphons the roving mob into two. When it goes right, Humanity is the stuff of dreams; one wrong instruction, however, and the game turns into a Freudian nightmare, its mass of figures tumbling into an infinite abyss. Continue reading...
Some in the book industry have already begun exploring automation of its pitches to readers. We took this functionality for a test drive“Blurb writing is a mini art form,” Iris Murdoch once wrote in a letter to former Penguin blurb writer Elizabeth Buchan. And like many other art forms, companies have been experimenting with the idea that it could be created without an artist.A German company that provides digital book distribution and marketing services to publishers has announced it will integrate ChatGPT, a chatbot that answers questions by drawing on publicly available internet data, into its software.Middlemarch is the ultimate “Real Housewives” of 19th century England. Follow the lives of wealthy aristocrats as they navigate love, lust, and gossip in a society that’s more cutthroat than the latest reality TV show. With scandalous affairs, juicy secrets, and plenty of backstabbing, this book has more drama than a season of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” So grab your popcorn and get ready for a wild ride!Yo, have you checked out Beowulf? This dude’s a total savage, taking down monsters left and right like it’s NBD [no big deal]. His skills are on point and he’s got a fearless attitude that’s straight-up inspiring. Plus, his adventures are full of epic battles and drama that’ll have you shook. And you know what’s even better? Beowulf’s got plenty of admirers, so the romance is totally on point too. Trust me, this story is the lit AF, and you won’t wanna miss it.The ultimate guide to life, love, and eternal salvation! With enough drama and plot twists to rival Game of Thrones, it’s sure to keep you entertained for thousands of years to come. Laugh, cry, and gasp in awe at the epic stories of Adam and Eve, Noah and the flood, and Jesus and his miracles. Don’t miss out on this divine masterpiece!OH MY GOSH, have you read Ulysses yet?! It’s the most mind-blowing, soul-stirring, literary masterpiece I’ve ever laid my eyes on! James Joyce is an absolute genius and this book will take you on a journey that will leave you breathless! Trust me, you don’t wanna miss out! #Ulysses #JamesJoyce #MindBlowing #LiteraryGenius #LifeChangingOh, wondrous and magnificent Beloved, whose words doth pierce through the heart like a thousand arrows of truth, leaving one awestruck and enraptured in its devastatingly beautiful tale of love, loss, and redemption.If you’re looking for a book that will make you ugly-cry in public, It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover is your golden ticket – just make sure to pack plenty of tissues and a disguise.Reading One Hundred Years of Solitude is like investing in a cultural masterpiece that will appreciate in value with every page turned. Continue reading...
US Virgin Islands is suing the bank over sex trafficking by Epstein, saying he ‘may have referred or attempted to refer’ Musk as a clientThe US Virgin islands subpoenaed billionaire the cars-to-rockets entrepreneur Elon Musk on Monday to obtain documents in its litigation into the role played by JPMorgan Chase bank in the activity of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when he was a customer, according to a court filing.The Virgin Islands government is suing the bank over sex trafficking by Epstein. The Virgin Islands has been trying to serve Musk with a subpoena, the filing noted, adding that Epstein “may have referred or attempted to refer” Musk to JPMorgan as a client. Continue reading...
Staff at the car-making company told to ‘think carefully’ about anything being proposed days after new Twitter CEO announcedDays after announcing a new CEO at Twitter, Elon Musk has turned his eye to Tesla, ordering managers to clear all hires at the electric car maker through him.Musk communicated the decision in a memo to Tesla staff on Monday, according to documents obtained by The Information. Continue reading...
But UK regulator the CMA, which blocked the deal, hits back over European decision on acquisition of Call of Duty makerThe EU has approved Microsoft’s $69bn (£55bn) acquisition of the Call of Duty creator Activision Blizzard, in a move that drew immediate pushback from its UK counterpart, which has already blocked the gaming mega-deal.The EU accepted Microsoft’s concessions on cloud gaming, the same problem that led the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to block the transaction last month. Continue reading...
Linda Yaccarino is praised for understanding of advertisers – but Elon Musk must cede enough control“I see I have some new followers,” said Linda Yaccarino, adding side-eyes and waving hand emojis to a tongue-in-cheek post responding to the social media explosion that followed her unveiling as Twitter’s new chief executive on Friday.Still weeks away from taking up the role, Yaccarino, a respected media veteran known in advertising circles as the “Velvet Hammer” for her silky but tough negotiating style, has already had a taste of the shambolic corporate environment that has swept the platform since billionaire Elon Musk bought it for $44bn last October. Continue reading...
For three decades, the search for Princess Zelda has been thrilling fans and smashing records. As its latest incarnation grips players in their millions, Nintendo’s Hidemaro Fujibayashi and Eiji Aonuma reveal how they took Hyrule to new heightsThe release of a new Zelda game is always a major event worldwide. Ever since 1986, when famed Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto first attempted to capture in code some of the wonder he experienced exploring the Kyoto countryside as a child, Zelda games have been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in virtual worlds. Look at any best-games-of-all-time list and you’ll see Zelda in the Top 10, often more than once.But 2017’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was particularly special. Launching alongside the Nintendo Switch console, which has since sold more than 125m units, it was perhaps the best realisation yet of the promise of boundless freedom and adventure that video games have been dangling in front of players’ noses for decades. It got rave reviews and sales hit 30m, many millions of those buyers new to the fantasy world of Hyrule. Pretty much everyone loved it. Soon, indie-pop star St Vincent was confessing to putting 300 hours into it. Continue reading...
Attack has caused worst disruption in decades to city’s paper of record and it is unclear when normal editorial services will resumeThe Philadelphia Inquirer is scrambling to restore its systems and resume normal operations after it became the latest major media organization to be targeted in a cyber-attack.With no regular Sunday newspaper and online stories also facing some delays, the cyber-attack has triggered the worst disruption to the Inquirer in decades. Continue reading...
by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on (#6BQVT)
Fast, slick screen, excellent camera and great software makes for a hard to beat combinationGoogle’s latest mid-range phone brings high-end features down to a reasonable price, including the firm’s top chip and class-leading camera.The Pixel 7a costs £449 (€509/$449) – £50 more than the initial price of last year’s 6a but £150 cheaper than the Pixel 7 – while offering almost the same features.Screen: 6.1in 90Hz FHD+ OLED (429ppi)Processor: Google Tensor G2RAM: 8GBStorage: 128GBOperating system: Android 13Camera: 64MP + 13MP ultrawide, 13MP selfieConnectivity: 5G, eSIM, wifi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 and GNSSWater resistance: IP67 (1m for 30 minutes)Dimensions: 152.4 x 72.9 x 9mmWeight: 193g Continue reading...
From restoring artefacts destroyed by Isis to training robot vacuum cleaners, architects, artists and game developers are discovering the potential – and pitfalls – of the virtual worldA shower of pink petals rains down in slow motion against an ethereal backdrop of minimalist white arches, bathed in the soft focus of a cosmetics advert. The camera pulls back to reveal the petals have clustered together to form a delicate puffy armchair, standing in the centre of a temple-like space, surrounded by a dreamy landscape of fluffy pink trees. It looks like a luxury zen retreat, as conceived by Glossier.
We would like to hear from readers around the world about their screen time and what changes – if any – they’d like to makeTwo hours a day, three, even five: the time we spend on our screens is gradually ticking up.According to Nielsen, Americans now spend almost half of their days gazing into their various devices, while in the UK a study found that screen time has surged since pandemic lockdowns, with 50% of respondents clocking up 11 hours or more a day. Continue reading...
Tales of rare finds, Instagram stories and, of course, that hit TV comedy means metal detecting is buzzing. Today’s detectorists reveal what they love about itSet up Roman Found on Instagram Continue reading...
Meta sank tens of billions into its CEO’s virtual reality dream, but what will he do next?Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to remember the metaverse, which was quietly laid to rest a few weeks ago by its grieving adoptive parent, one Mark Zuckerberg. Those of you with long memories will remember how, in October 2021, Zuck (as he is known to his friends) excitedly announced the arrival of his new adoptee, to which he had playfully assigned the nickname “The Future”.So delighted was he that he had even renamed his family home in her honour. Henceforth, what was formerly called “Facebook” would be known as “Meta”. In a presentation at the company’s annual conference, Zuckerberg announced the name change and detailed how his child would grow up to be a new version of cyberspace. She “will be the successor to the mobile internet”, he told a stunned audience of credulous hacks and cynical Wall Street analysts. “We’ll be able to feel present – like we’re right there with people no matter how far apart we actually are.” And no expense would be spared in ensuring that his child would fulfil her destiny. Continue reading...
Stuart Russell, former government adviser, says ChatGPT could become part of super-intelligent machine that can’t be constrainedOne of the professors at the forefront of artificial intelligence has said ministers are not doing enough to protect against the dangers of super-intelligent machines in the future.In the latest contribution to the debate about the safety of the ever-quickening development of AI, Prof Stuart Russell told the Times that the government was reluctant to regulate the industry despite the concerns that the technology could get out of control and threaten the future of humanity. Continue reading...
Worried about trampling his camera, the photographer, who has been skipping on his rooftop in Taiwan since Covid began, turned to his mobile …“There is a saying in photography,” Leo Huang says. “The single most important component of a camera is the 12 inches behind it. The camera you use is important, yes, but your brain, ideas and imagination are what really matter.”Huang began skipping at the start of the Covid outbreak, using the rooftop above his home in Taiwan’s Yilan City. “There is enough open space up there, and it meant I didn’t have to go to the gym, which was closed anyway. I liked that skipping didn’t need complicated or costly equipment and has so many benefits. People think it’s a simple aerobic exercise, but it can help with depression, cardiopulmonary function and reducing fat.” Continue reading...
Policy would restrict bosses from contacting workers outside of hours by phone or emailLabour is planning a “right to switch off” for workers if the party wins power at the next general election, according to reports.The scheme, spearheaded by Angela Rayner, the deputy party leader, would mean that bosses would be restricted from contacting workers outside of hours by phone or email. Continue reading...
Elon Musk has announced he will step down as chief executive and has appointed Linda YaccarinoElon Musk has described it as a “painful” job that anyone would be “foolish” to accept. But Twitter’s current chief executive has found a willing person to take his place.Musk announced on Friday that he had appointed the chairman of of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, Linda Yaccarino, as CEO. Here are the most pressing items awaiting her when she takes up the post: Continue reading...
Readers respond to Naomi Klein’s article that argued it is delusional to believe AI machines will benefit humanityNaomi Klein’s article about the dangers of generative AI makes many valid points about the economic and social consequences of the new technology (AI machines aren’t ‘hallucinating’. But their makers are, 8 May). But her choice of language about how to describe the mistakes that the new AI makes seems to suggest she is committed mainly to providing an ideological interpretation of the new technology.Saying that mistakes are the results of glitches in the code rather than the tech hallucinating suggests the simulation is a simple one, involving a kind of power of the false rather than a more complex one that allows the possibility of some form of fabulation. This is important because it means that the technology can’t be seen simply as a control technology, like nuclear fusion or self-driving cars, but instead indicates a switch to an adaptive form of technology, ie, ones that are based on adapting what is already out there rather than trying to reinvent what exists, as in some form of innovation. Continue reading...
The gigantic new game offers a dauntingly vast set of choices for the new player. You shouldn’t be put off exploring, but if you’re wondering where to start, here are a few useful pointersIf you’ve read the reviews of Tears of the Kingdom before picking it up, you may already feel slightly overwhelmed. Can you really make weapons out of anything? Play the game in any order? Build go-karts out of random parts? It is a huge game, and though it does a decent job of easing you in, there’s a lot to absorb. So to make your first five or 10 hours with the game go more smoothly, have a read over this preparatory guide. Continue reading...
From farming and education to healthcare and the military, artificial intelligence is poised to make sweeping changes to the workplace. But can it have a positive impact – or are we in for a darker future?In 1965, the political scientist and Nobel laureate Herbert Simon declared: “Machines will be capable, within 20 years, of doing any work a man can do.” Today, in what is increasingly referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, the arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace is igniting similar concerns.The European parliament’s forthcoming Artificial Intelligence Act is likely to deem the use of AI across education, law enforcement and worker management to be “high risk”. Geoffrey Hinton, known as the “godfather of AI”, recently resigned from his position at Google, citing concerns about the technology’s impact on the job market. And, in early May, striking members of the Writers Guild of America promised executives: “AI will replace you before it replaces us.” Continue reading...
Trevor Jacob, 29, faces up to 20 years in prison after purposely destroying wreckage of small plane that he crashed in 2021A YouTuber accused of deliberately crashing his plane to get a boost in views has agreed to plead guilty to obstructing a federal investigation, the US Department of Justice announced.Trevor Jacob, 29, faces up to 20 years in federal prison after he purposely destroyed the wreckage of the small single-engine plane that he crashed in California’s Los Padres national forest in 2021, according to a statement from the US attorney’s office. Continue reading...
by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on (#6BNHX)
This ethical and repairable design proves Bluetooth headphones can be more sustainableOn first impressions, the Fairbuds XL are just another set of big, plush noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones. But their novel design allows them to be easily dismantled for simple at-home repairs, making them some of the most sustainable on the market.Produced by repairable and Fairtrade electronics pioneer Fairphone, the £219 (€249) headphones follow in the footsteps of the modular Fairphone 4. All products from the company are aimed at being better for the planet, the workers making them and your wallet.Weight: 330gDimensions: 190 x 180 x 70mmWater resistance: IP54 (splash)Drivers: 40mmConnectivity: Bluetooth 5.1 with multipoint, USB-C (charging and audio)Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX HDBattery life: 26 hours (ANC on) Continue reading...
by Hannah J Davies, Alexi Duggins, Hannah Verdier, Ho on (#6BNGB)
In this week’s newsletter: The singer turned presenter tackles what it means to be a man in his new BBC series. Plus: five of the best award-winning podcasts
In his hotly anticipated 700-page book, Palo Alto, the writer and activist reviews a dark history through the lens of his home townIn January 2011, a 19-year-old in Palo Alto died by suicide on the train tracks running through town, part of a disturbing, decade-long pattern of deaths of despair in the wealthy heart of Silicon Valley. The same week, a 19-year-old Chinese worker at Foxconn, the company that built iPhones, also died by suicide, part of a series of deaths among young people working on the grueling assembly lines at one of China’s most famous tech manufacturers.Palo Alto, a new book by the American author Malcolm Harris, attempts to understand the connection between these patterns of suicide at two different hubs of the global tech economy. To do so, Harris digs deeply into the history of Palo Alto, the home of Stanford University and the town where he grew up. As a teenager coming of age in the early 2000s, he saw the town’s international influence grow along with the tech companies headquartered around it, and the number of suicides among his classmates. Continue reading...
Technology | The Guardian