Technology | The Guardian

What happens when a meme reaches peak popularity? We discuss whether memes can survive brand associationIn this week's Updog, our podcast dedicated to memes and the internet, Elena Cresci and Alex Hern debate whether the meme Netflix and chill, the internet's joke about casual sex, has died a death now it's reached the pages of the Sunday Times and the Guardian. Can some memes live forever? Or will we inevitably be talking about some other cool internet thing next week?• How 'Netflix and chill' became code for casual sex Continue reading...

Riverdance gets the Corden treament, Homeland star goes techno, Tony Hawks slips up and Chewbacca loo paper roarsWho is Ronnie Pickering? It’s the question that has echoed across social media this week after a motorcyclist’s video of a road rage incident went viral. The angry driver the rider encounters pulls over and, after a stream of swearing, says: “Do you know who I am? I’m Ronnie Pickering”. He then repeats this over and over again, spawning a whole host of spoofs, including Batman really is Ronnie Pickering! and Trainpotting’s Begbie is Ronnie Pickering, which didn’t make our list and Who Do You Think You Are? (Feat Ronnie Pickering) a Christina Perri spoof and Who Are You, which did.James Corden doesn’t have an identity crisis, but he has undergone a huge change of image since his early days as a TV actor in the UK to his role now as host of CBS’s Late, Late Show. By way of contrast, enjoy Corden’s take on Riverdance, in which he displays some nimble footwork (albeit shadowly lit), with his portrayal of Jamie Rymer in ITV’s Fat Friends. Jamie Rymer, which won him a nomination for network newcomer on screen at the 2000 RTS awards. Continue reading...

Revealed: Watchkeeper surveillance drones commissioned in 2005 have only completed six days of active duty in total after a decade in developmentA British army drone developed as an affordable solution is four years late and expected to cost £1.2bn to become fully operational, an investigation has found.The order to design and build 54 Watchkeeper surveillance drones was announced by the then defence secretary John Reid in 2005, who said they would be “key to battlefield surveillance of the future”. He signed off on costs of about £800m, with the contract going to a consortium led by the French defence firm Thales. Continue reading...

Using Google’s new domain buying service, Sanmay Ved purchased world’s most popular website for $12 before transaction was cancelled

It began just five years ago, with a photo of a dog and his girlfriend’s foot. Now Instagram has outstripped Twitter, with 400 million users. But is there life beyond selfies and sunsets?Kevin Systrom is posing for a photograph when we meet at Instagram HQ, arms splayed across the back of a sleek black sofa, with a knowing grin. “More photos!” he sighs, as he is moved to another spot in the room, with all the unconvincing exasperation of someone who quite likes having his picture taken. And so he should, because as the co-founder of Instagram, he gets asked a lot.Systrom is a rangy 6ft 5in and prides himself on dressing smartly, by Silicon Valley standards; today he wears a light grey jacket over his T-shirt, and dark trousers. He seems older than his 31 years and has a certain swagger, exuding the self-assurance that comes with having built a $35bn technology company and a personal fortune of around $400m. Continue reading...

Every week or two, from now on, will see new privacy disasters, each worse than the lastOn September 13, 2001, four US Senators from both sides of the aisle introduced the first version of the USA Patriot Act, a sweeping, 342-page bill that overturned virtually all US privacy laws and led to the creation of the global, pervasive surveillance programs that Edward Snowden disclosed in June 2013.

BMW, Chrysler, GM, Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz diesel models also being investigated by US Environmental Protection AgencyThe Volkswagen emissions-testing scandal is deepening, with authorities in France and Italy launching investigations into the embattled German carmaker.

Taxi hailing company says regulator and court case aim to protect black cabs rather than give public what they wantUber, the under-fire taxi-hailing app, has hit out at London’s transport regulator, Transport for London (TfL), for taking it to the high court on Monday in the latest threat to its explosive growth in the London taxi market.The high court case, which will determine whether the Uber app breaks the law by effectively acting as a meter, is piling on the pressure for the ride-hailing firm. Continue reading...

Carmaker says it has now halted sale of 4,000 diesel-fuelled VW, Audi, Skoda and SEAT vehicles because they contain emissions-cheating softwareVolkswagen has admitted that it continued selling new cars in the UK fitted with “defeat devices” to cheat diesel emissions tests even after US authorities uncovered the scandal.The revelation piles pressure on the German carmaker. Richard Lloyd, executive director at consumer group Which?, accused VW of “adding insult to injury” for consumers.

Ugo is a PC user, but his daughter thinks he should buy a Mac. Rather than compare narrow specifications, it’s worth considering the attractions of the rival ecosystemsThe question is the usual: PC or Mac? I am a very normal PC user. My daughter says “when you try Mac, you never come back”. I bought an iPhone 5c and sold it after two months … UgoThat’s a very unusual question nowadays, but the stock answer remains the same: pick the one that does what you want at a price you are willing to pay. Since you don’t appear to have any specific requirements, and you haven’t given me a budget, you will have to decide. Your money, your choice. Continue reading...

Changes to act are now in effect, giving gamers much more power to request refunds on faulty purchases, including digital downloadsChanges to the Consumer Rights Act have come into effect in the UK today, and with key amendments designed to deal with software purchases and digital goods, there are some important gains for gamers.Most obvious is the provision of a clear 30-day period in which consumers can return goods that they deem to be faulty, and ask for a refund or a replacement. In the past, the act ambiguously required that goods needed to be returned within a “reasonable time”, which allowed more wriggle room for retailers, who could also insist on just offering a repair.

We talk to co-founder of Instagram Mike Krieger about five years of brunch photos and retro filtersWhen Instagram launched it had 25,000 users. Now, almost five years later, the app has more than 400m regular users.Olly Mann heads to Instagram HQ to talk to co-founder Mike Krieger about its stratospheric rise. They discuss whether video will take over from photo and what it's really like to live within the Facebook empire. Continue reading...

Spotify rival also strikes deal to offer Bundesliga coverage as it seeks to expand into news, talk and entertainmentDeezer has struck a deal with TalkSport to offer Premier League and FA Cup matches on its streaming service in the UK.The Spotify rival, which is planning an initial public offering that could value the business at €1bn (£737m), has also struck a deal with Sport1.fm to provide match commentary from the Bundesliga on its service in Germany. Continue reading...

His Caribbean mobile phone operator is to block web companies’ advertsA mobile phone company controlled by Denis O’Brien, the Irish media mogul, has started blocking advertisements on its networks.Digicel, the leading operator across the Caribbean, has launched the initiative as a way of forcing internet companies, such as Google, Yahoo and Facebook, to pay for access its customers. Continue reading...

Metadata+ and Ephemeral+ provided news alerts on deaths from US drone attacks, but fell foul of Apple’s regulationsTracking the number of deaths caused by US drone strikes in countries like Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia? There are apps for that. Or rather, there were – until Apple removed them from its app store.

Dorsey, who has been acting chief executive for the past three months, was fired as CEO in 2008 but could retake job as soon as ThursdayTwitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, who has been acting chief executive of the company for the past three months, is expected to be named permanent CEO as early as Thursday, technology news website Re/code reported, citing sources.

Businessman and Labour party donor’s FreeVolt project uses ambient wireless and mobile network waves to power CleanSpace tag for app designed for cyclists and pedestrians

For blind, learning disabled or epileptic people, autoplaying videos and adverts make many websites inaccessible. So making it easier to block them can only be a good thingWe’ve all been there: we want to shop online, find a new recipe for supper, catch up on the latest news or watch a video – only to be dazzled by a moving, blinking or flashing advert. These “autoplaying” ads are annoying for most internet users, but for those with disabilities or long-term conditions, they make those websites largely inaccessible.For people with photosensitive epilepsy, frequently flashing or flickering images could trigger or increase the risk of a seizure, while automatic advertising can be distressing for those with learning disabilities because it hinders concentration and therefore comprehension of the content they are trying to consume. Continue reading...

Uber says ACT’s new regulations will underpin its own which ‘are of a higher standard than the taxi industry’, but it will not ‘put cabs out of business’Uber has welcomed the introduction of regulations for ride-sharing services in the Australian Capital Territory, saying the new rules simply underpin its existing annual driver background checks and vehicle inspections.Related: NRMA urges governments to regulate Uber and other ride-sharing services Continue reading...

eMarketer report forecasts British mobile ad spend will increase by 45% this year to £3.26bn and rise by another 35% next year to £4.4bnThe explosion in the popularity of handheld devices will see mobile advertising overtake the £2.6bn newspaper and magazine market this year, and leapfrog TV to become the biggest ad medium in the UK, according to a new forecast.Mobile ad spend is expected to increase by 45% this year to £3.26bn in the UK, easily surpassing the £2.67bn that will be spent on print advertising across national and local newspapers and magazines, according to a report published on Wednesday by eMarketer. Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt’s Wednesday! Continue reading...

British architect Norman Foster proposes drones which would fly from three ports from 2020, delivering ‘precious supplies to remote areas’It sounds like science fiction: unmanned drones carrying emergency medicine zooming above the rolling hills of Rwanda.But there are proposals – including one by the eminent British architect Norman Foster – to set up “cargo drone routes capable of delivering urgent and precious supplies to remote areas on a massive scale”, and the East African nation of Rwanda has been chosen as a test case. Continue reading...

Motoring body says Uber is ‘here to stay’ as the ACT becomes first jurisdiction to announce rules for prospective driversRelated: Uber proves 40% cheaper than Sydney taxis and more reliable in Choice testThe NRMA says Uber is “here to stay” and is urging state governments to regulate all ride-sharing services as the Australian Capital Territory becomes the first jurisdiction to announce rules for prospective drivers.

CEO told executives at BoxWorks conference that businesses must helm progress where government has stalled: ‘This is not making a partisan statement’Tim Cook has told a conference of business executives that American corporations have a responsibility to help improve equality, the environment and public education because of a lack of government progress in the past few decades.Speaking at the BoxWorks conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, Cook insisted his position was not partisan but that equality should not still be an issue in 2015. Continue reading...

TfL considers measures such as forcing operators to provide booking details at least five minutes before journeyUber, the taxi-hailing app that is taking on traditional cab drivers around the world, faces the prospect of a severe crackdown in London under proposals from the capital’s transport authority.Transport for London is launching a consultation that includes measures such as forcing operators to provide booking confirmation details to the passenger at least five minutes before a journey starts. However, Uber picks up passengers three minutes after they request a car on average. Continue reading...

Prime Now will offer up to 60 frozen and chilled food products to customers in Birmingham and parts of LondonAmazon has taken the first step towards offering a full grocery delivery service in the UK, turning up the pressure on the big supermarket chains.The American online retailer is testing the market by offering between 50 and 60 frozen and chilled food products as part of its Prime Now one-hour delivery service. It started in Birmingham on Tuesday and will expand into some London postcodes next month. Continue reading...

Next generation Nexus phones lead the roll out of company’s Android 6 ‘Marshmallow’, bringing fingerprint scanners and claiming better battery lifeGoogle has launched two new flagship smartphones, the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, to demonstrate what its new version of Android “Marshmallow” can do.

Made end-to-end by company, rather than by partnering with a third-party manufacturer, new Android tablet follows in Chromebook Pixel’s footstepsGoogle is making its own Android tablet called the Pixel C, its second wholly Google-made machine after the Chromebook Pixel.

British sports channel has more than 1m subscribers, but YouTube is giving it a promotional push like it did for Zoella and Vice News in 2014When media types talk about YouTube and football, there is often speculation that Google’s online video service will at some point throw its hat into the ring for live rights – whether the Premier League or World Cup.

Prevention of communication constitutes exclusion from society. Access to online services should be protected in the same way water and electricity are

The head of Sony Computer Entertainment has suggested that mobile gaming killed Playstation’s Vita, but that’s not strictly true

Pupils at London Acorn School banned from using smartphones and computers and watching TV at all times, including during holidaysAt the London Acorn School, which is housed in a picturesque listed building owned by the National Trust and set in beautiful parkland in Morden, there are no smartphones, no iPads, no expensive ICT suites, interactive whiteboards or television screens.What’s more, parents who enrol their children have to commit to the same strict regime at home, with no television, computers or films, either during term-time or holiday.

Would-be delivery drivers can use their car and phone to deliver parcels for Amazon FlexAmazon has made its first serious foray into the so-called “gig economy”, advertising for part-time delivery drivers in Seattle as part of a programme called “Amazon Flex”.The drivers, who will be delivering packages ordered through its same-hour delivery product Amazon Prime Now, will be paid between $18-$25 an hour to work for the company, but they have to provide their own car and Android phone. Continue reading...

DJ and country star are the search terms most likely to land you on a page that will steal your details and corrupt your computerIf you’re planning to look up Usher, Luke Bryan or producer Armin van Buuren on the web, take heed.Intel Security announced on Tuesday that the musicians top its ninth annual list of the most dangerous celebrities online. Searches for those famous names are most likely to land users on websites that carry viruses or malware. The company used its own site ratings to compile the list. Continue reading...

Last year saw bending issues for Apple’s iPhone 6, but it seems the 6S is stronger, more durable and potentially waterproof. Just keep it away from knives and gritEvery new smartphone is meant to be better than the last, but hardiness is often not included in that upgrade. Now the iPhone 6S has been dropped, bent, scratched and now submerged in water, how tough is it?Last year users complained about the iPhone ending up bent after trips through user pockets. Testers then took their thumbs to various other large and thin smartphones, including Samsung’s Galaxy Note series. Continue reading...

Oscar-winner Sorkin extends olive branch after rounding on tech firm’s CEO for branding forthcoming cinematisation of Jobs’ life opportunisticAaron Sorkin has apologised for mounting a scathing attack on the Apple chief executive Tim Cook after the pair clashed over the forthcoming Oscar-tipped biopic Steve Jobs.Related: Steve Jobs review: Fassbender excels but iWorship required if you're to care Continue reading...

SoftBank tells customers buying Pepper they ‘must not perform any sexual act’ on the humanoid

Australia’s Halfbrick Studios reflects on how it struck gold with an app perfectly timed to showcase the pleasures of touchscreen devicesFruit Ninja has just turned five. The slice-and-dice game has been downloaded more than a billion times. That’s no small number, so its Brisbane-based creator, Halfbrick Studios, celebrated with cake.“One of the guys here who was from the team that made Fruit Ninja, his wife makes cakes,” says Halfbrick’s chief executive, 40-year-old Shainiel Deo. Continue reading...

The toy-to-game franchise revs its engines for a new incarnation, PS Vita’s lost classic comes to the PS4, and the footballer’s football game returns in triumphSkylanders responds to intensified competition from Disney Infinity and Lego Dimensions with articulated toy vehicles that add racing to the game’s usual puzzle-and-brawling action when placed on the portal peripheral. Much more than a gimmick, this revolutionises gameplay adding air, land and sea driving challenges to the campaign, as well as a standalone kart-racing mode. Continue reading...

Watchdog wants jail for those who breach data protection laws by selling lists of phone numbers to companiesA cold-calling company that has been pestering householders with automated calls on an “industrial scale” will be hit with a record fine next week.The fine, which will be issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on Wednesday, is believed to be in the region of £200,000 and is the latest move in a concerted crackdown by the ICO and other agencies on nuisance calls. Continue reading...

Magic: the Gathering’s ‘Arena of the Planeswalkers’ may be the best tabletop game of 2015, even if it does come with woefully poor components.

‘It is the first time, by popular lore, Kia has ever come up with anything you’d want to spend 30 grand on’The Kia Sorento is the kind of car that will cause acquaintances to ask, “What are you driving now?” when you arrive. If you like that kind of thing – and God knows, I love it – you’ll burst with pride. It has a slightly militaristic exterior, more imposing in black, I should think; in white more redolent of plain money. It’s long, wide and low, spacious inside, bullish on the road. There are potentially three rows of seats, though I never needed them and left the boot as was. As low as it is, the boot is an extremely high jump for an elderly dog, not that I would ever put a dog in his twilight years in a review car, oh no.City driving, as with anything not designed for a city but that city people love to drive, is not ideal: it’s sluggish in the lower gears. If you’re in first and second a lot, you may feel vexed by the effort. But cruising is a pleasure: give it an A road or a motorway and it will take care of itself. The acceleration is confident, the steering is true, the traction is reassuring, the handling invites trust, the leather seats make you feel as though everything’s going to be OK. Continue reading...

Federal Trade Commission will see if operating system has been privileging its products over competitors’ in second inquiry into Google in less than three yearsFor the second time in less than three years, Google is under investigation by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over antitrust concerns, Bloomberg reported Friday morning.The inquiry will look into whether the company’s Android operating system has violated antitrust laws by privileging its own products and services over its competitors’ to an untenable degree, according to the Bloomberg report, which cited competing tech company executives who had complained about Google to the commission. Continue reading...

His three forthcoming films – Assassin’s Creed, Macbeth and Steve Jobs – function as a sort of cross-section of where the extraordinarily diverse actor now finds himself

The expected lines outside Apple’s stores in London and beyond were still 400-strong but down 60% on last year’s iPhone 6 launchThe now-yearly queue for the new iPhone release was back again, but outside Apple’s Covent Garden store – the biggest in Europe – the mass of people queuing for the just released iPhone 6S wasn’t quite as big as last year.

Datacentre web servers, such as those used by Google and Facebook, to blame for 2% of greenhouse gas emissions – about the same as air travelWatching another episode on Netflix, reading the Guardian online and downloading apps are not obvious ways to pollute the atmosphere. But collectively, our growing appetite for digital services means the datacentres that power them are now responsible for about 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a similar share to aviation.

Horror game specialist Frictional Games returns with another terrifying descent into the unknownSoma is a horror game that should try to act less like a horror game. Taking place in a remote underwater research facility, it plays on fears of the deep sea, of drowning and darkness and the disturbing alien lifeforms that dwell down there – all a welcome change from the mansions and asylums that tend to haunt horror titles. But the sea is rarely a threat – the ocean floor is often just a beautiful corridor between the underwater bases in which you experience more traditional horror gaming fare: ie running away from monsters. The thing is, this game is horrifying enough without them.Soma is essentially an existential nightmare about personal identity. “Soma” is Greek for “body”, as in “psychosomatic”, but the question Soma asks is whether identity can continue through psychology alone.

YouTube star’s first mobile game is far from a cash-in: rewarding fans with well-crafted gameplay and an emphasis on skill, not in-app purchases“A 25 year old man that acts like a hyperactive adolescent on speed – no thanks … I hope his camera falls on his foot and his toe goes septic … Some arsehole talking shit while playing games … an annoying bell-end … He’s absolutely obnoxious … basically the Pitbull of YouTube; nobody knows anyone that likes them, but inexplicably they’re huge … I feel old.”PewDiePie certainly divides opinion: those are all real comments posted on Guardian articles about the YouTube star Felix Kjellberg over the past 18 months. Yet he has plenty of fans too: 39.5 million subscribers to his channel, where his gaming videos have been watched more than 10.2bn times. Continue reading...