Technology | The Guardian

At arms fair in London, Admiral Sir George Zambellas says navy plans to demonstrate a directed energy weapon at sea by end of decadeThe Royal Navy hopes to develop a ship-mounted “death ray” laser cannon by 2020, the first sea lord, Admiral Sir George Zambellas, has announced at one of the world’s biggest arms fairs.

They can’t drive, play football or get goosebumps from listening to music. So why are we so afraid of our mechanical offspring, asks the Scissor Sisters singerRobots are machines of human creation. Let me say that one more time: robots are machines. Though many of them have arms, legs and heads, they cannot move, sense touch, or see like humans. Artificial intelligence is just that: artificial. It is a simulation of human intelligence, becoming ever more human-like in its creative and problem-solving capacities, but it is not yet a mind. Robots come from us, but are not like us. There is so much more to the human brain than the ability to process information, and it’s this subtle intelligence that will always set us apart from our mechanical counterparts.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Azerbaijan and Bahrain are among 61 countries the UK government has invited to biennial eventAuthoritarian regimes including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and Azerbaijan are among the official guests invited by the UK government to one of the world’s largest arms bazaars, opening in London’s Docklands this week.The biennial weapons fair, which opens on Tuesday, is the focus of an increasingly heated debate between those who say major weapons producers such as Britain cannot claim at the same time to defend human rights, and those who say the arms industry provides tens of thousands of jobs and valuable exports. Continue reading...

Will the new generation of IoT­-related data benefit us enough to be comfortable giving up even more of our privacy?For most of us, the internet of things (IoT) might call to mind specific gadgets – slick innovations like Nest thermostats or the Apple Watch – that seem to owe their provenance to science fiction and promise a more wired world, as well as the inevitable automation of everyday life.Then there are people like serial entrepreneur Nova Spivack, someone who’s far less enamoured of the next IoT device than he is with something infinitely geekier: the data that can be captured. Continue reading...

The late singer’s sister says that Houston’s hologram tour is ‘a great opportunity for her fans to see a reinvention of one the most celebrated female artists in history’A hologram of the late Whitney Houston will take to the stage next year, as Hologram USA and Houston’s estate announce that fans will be able to watch the singer’s greatest hits during a new world tour.The singer’s sister-in-law and president of her estate, Pat Houston, said in a statement that the hologram is “a great opportunity for her fans to see a reinvention of one the most celebrated female artists in history and to continue a legacy of performances that will not be forgotten in years to come.” Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt’s Monday and it’s raining – what could be better?! Continue reading...

Andy Robson is the MD of Testology, which helps rid games such as Batman: Arkham Knight and Tearaway Unfolded of glitches and bugs to ensure smooth, stress-free playHow did you get into games testing?

The former Vodafone executive faced questioning from a Senate committee after the company admitted accessing a journalist’s call records and text messagesFormer Vodafone executive Bill Morrow says he did not report a serious privacy breach of a journalist’s phone to the police because he was not aware of it during his time with the company.

Do you know your LOLZ from your ROFLs, your number of followers and are you fluent in the language of emojis? Michael Hogan asks ten multiple choice questions to see how up-to-date you really are1How many social networks are you on?Three. Instagram, Pandora and Snapchat. The others are for old squares.Five. Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook and Vine. Wait, is Tinder one too?Also five. LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Definitely not Ashley Madison, honest.Just Facebook. Are there others? How ghastly.2When you share pictures, what do they tend be?Mirror selfies.Burgers, cocktails, holiday hotdog legs and smashed-avocado-on-toast brunches.Your kids or pets looking cute.Sunsets and gardens.3On which device do you most of your social networking?Your smartphone. It’s like an extra limb and you have a nervo if it’s out of reach or battery.Your laptop, which you whip out of your backpack any time you have a spare moment.Your tablet. Well, when you can wrestle it off your gaming kids.Your desktop computer, clearly. What else could you use?4What was the first social network you ever joined?Facebook. IKR? Maje cringeface.MySpace or Habbo Hotel.Faceparty or Bebo.Does the local Rotary Club count?5How many friends and followers do you have?HundredsThousandsYou’ve got no idea (or so you pretend).Mind your own business. Oh, you mean on social media? God knows. How do you find out?6Which celebrities do you keep up with on social media?Tay-Tay Swift, Justin Bieber and 1D.Kimye, Beyonce and the Beckhams.Nigella, Russell Brand and Barack Obama.Stephen Fry, Jeremy Clarkson and your local MP.7Do you use emojis?Duh, totes obv. Most of your social media posts are made up entirely of hearts, fistbumps and yellow cry-faces.You flirt and sext with aubergines and kisses, plus are partial to the nail-painting one and the smiley poo.The odd smiley face or dancing flamenco lady, but only ironically.Emojis... are they those Cuban cocktails?8What do you deem to be “oversharing” on social media?Nothing really.Sexy or icky health stuff. Anything else is fair game.Every meal, run or night out. Better to save it for the envy-inducing ones.Everything. You wish people would stop showing off.9What do LOL, bae and #onfleek mean?LOL srsly?Laugh out loud, babe and on point.Laugh out loud, which you try never to use. Either baby or babe, you’ve never been sure. You’ve made that third one up.Lots of love. No idea on the others. Speak properly, for pity’s sake.10What do you tend to share, forward and retweet?Hot pix of bare hench baes or clothes/shoes you’re lusting after.LOLZ, memes and ROFLs, plus the odd bit of self-promotion.Worthy political causes or broadsheet columns that chime with your worldview.Inspirational quotes on pretty backgrounds. Continue reading...

The ratings system introduced by the biggest car boot sale on earth is now used by everyone from Uber to AirbnbTwenty years ago this month, a French-born Iranian-American computer programmer named Pierre Omidyar added an experimental online auction section to his personal website, which at that time focused mainly on the Ebola virus. He called it AuctionWeb because it enabled people to bid to purchase items that other people were advertising for sale. One of the earliest, and most puzzling, sales on the site was of a broken laser pointer, which went for $14.83. The story goes that Omidyar wrote to the buyer asking if he understood that the laser pointer was broken. The guy replied that he was a collector of broken laser pointers. At this point, Omidyar realised he might be on to something.He was: he called it eBay. The idea that one could use the web as a way of putting buyers and sellers in touch with one another was not new. But up to then that affordance of the technology had been seen mainly in the context of firms. It was the basis, for example, for the early and rapid growth of so-called B2B (business-to-business) sites. The critical twist that Omidyar added was that the same technology could work for ordinary people. And so he created what turned out to be the greatest car boot sale in the history of the world. Continue reading...

The Scissor Sisters singer can’t wait to see what technology has in store for humanity, so long as it doesn’t involve FacebookYou’ve just published a book about robots. When did your love of them begin?

Driverless cars will revolutionise motoring, claim the manufacturers. But is the greatest danger that they will be too safe?In the BMW museum at the company’s solidly futuristic headquarters, next to the old Olympic stadium site in Munich, you can view a century of evolving mechanical desire. BMW has long prided itself in creating “ultimate driving machines” and all that Bavarian engineering pride is dramatised in the decade-by-decade progression of engines that harness ever more efficient power in steel, and car bodies that have moved with the ergonomic times. Each sequence of cars on show leaves a gap at one end, ready to showcase the next generation of technical advancement. Over the past century, innovation has smoothly followed innovation; it is likely, however, that the next stage will be a paradigm shift rather than a marginal gain. The next empty space, or the one after, is likely to be filled by the ultimate driverless machine.The person leading BMW’s prototype efforts to make that car a reality, Michael Aeberhard, does not want to see it in those terms. As he takes me for a drive in what seems a regular 5 Series, he is at pains to suggest that the new model now in gestation is simply another improved iteration of what has gone before. Continue reading...

Rustling up a meal becomes a whole new experience whn you can print your own food, use a smart oven or have a robot do all the work for youRead more of our future of food special:

Gay users are flocking to the photo network which offers support, belonging and taut absThink of Instagram and you probably imagine a stream of changing-room selfies, envy-inducing holiday snaps and an avalanche of smashed avocado on toast. But there’s another aesthetic which arguably defines the online social networking and photo-sharing platform which you may have missed if you’re straight.Instagram is being made over by gay men and, to a lesser extent, gay women. Search for the hashtags #gay, #gaygirl or #instagay and you’re hit with more than 45 million posts. Must-follows include: @thenexttopgay (buff guys who clearly don’t own any shirts); @lesbianfunhouse (honed girls with quiffs, tattoos and bow ties) and @thegaybeards (two guys who love to accessorise their whiskers). And recently a cluster of accounts have sprung up celebrating all things gay marriage, highlighted in a Buzzfeed listicle entitled 17 Beautiful Instagram Accounts That Will Bring Queer Love To Your Feed. Continue reading...

Apps to track your moods and a ‘life coach’ app that is part science and part interactive dramaARCADIA BY IAIN PEARSiOS Continue reading...

We share some of the newest, most fun and helpful tech ideasCan’t be bothered with pedals when you cycle? Then the Kick Varibike is for you. You can push along as though you’re on a scooter or turn the cranks by the handlebars to increase upper-body strength on the move. It has a three-gear system and brakes on the front and rear. With a prototype recently on show at the Eurobike exhibition, commercial versions are expected to become available soon. But with an estimated RRP of €1,600 (£1,160) it’s wheely expensive. Continue reading...

Apple would like to see its new set-top box become the next Nintendo Wii. But it’s questionable whether the company really understands gamingWith the launch of the new Apple TV, Apple has positioned its set-top box as the heir to the Nintendo Wii, bringing accessible casual gaming into the living room with the device’s app store and motion-sensitive remote control.The company’s all-singing, all-dancing press conferences regularly involve a quick play-through of a video game, but usually under the guise of a graphics demonstration. Hence the introduction of Vainglory, the mobile-first multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) that debuted alongside the iPhone 6, which was explicitly characterised as an example of what the company’s new Metal API could do for game developers; and Infinity Blade, announced as “Project Sword” by Epic Games alongside the introduction of Game Centre, again with the emphasis on its graphical fidelity. “Everything you see is in realtime”, Epic’s Mike Capps emphasised. Continue reading...

‘The handling is a bit creaky and stiff, like a person with a slightly bad back’Nissan has been going through a phase of making cars that look like their internal organs are on the outside of their bodies (chief among them, the marvellously ugly Juke, which once you notice, you become fascinated by, like ugly babies). In the Pulsar, they bring us a car that looks like a car: they are obviously a bit embarrassed by that, which is why they gave me a red one (they think we’re like bulls, and you hold our attention by waving a red thing at us: which in my case is broadly true).The look suited me fine: I prefer a hatchback to be sensibly close to the ground. The way they endlessly try to raise themselves above one another is vulgar. It has all kinds of nice finishes, from the classy textures on the ledge above the exhaust, to the alloy wheels, to the elegant fonts on all the displays. The boot looks large and is even larger, as I learned when I swapped cars while away and had to leave the dog in Kent (joking! I went back for him). Continue reading...

Temple University physics professor Xi Xiaoxing was accused of scheming to provide secret technology to China, but other physicists and experts backed himUS prosecutors have sought to dismiss charges against a Temple University physics professor accused of scheming to provide secret US technology to China. Statements from physicists said investigators had misunderstood the technology.The US attorney’s office in Philadelphia declined to comment on the four-page motion the office filed seeking to drop four counts of wire fraud against the professor, Xi Xiaoxing. Continue reading...

UK intelligence agency wants you to simplify your approach to online passwords. But will you take data-protection advice from the organisation famed for its snooping exploits?The UK intelligence agency responsible for vast amounts of snooping, as exposed by the Snowden revelations, has released new password guidelines.

British actor releases footage of himself performing Move It on Over in I Saw the Light in advance of Toronto film festival premiereThe first footage of Tom Hiddleston as country legend Hank Williams in the biopic I Saw the Light has been released on Twitter by the British actor.

In these simple, highly popular romance simulators, the dating game really is a game, with pitfalls, rewards and unexpected twists...What are they?Dating sims are games focused on building a romantic relationship with one of many possible partners and are popular in Japan. Often the protagonist is a male character with several potential female partners, but some titles – called otome games – have a female protagonist with male suitors and others feature same-sex pairings or don’t enforce gender restrictions. The game is won by building up enough of a relationship with a chosen partner to fulfil a relationship goal such as dating, sex, or marriage, often within a time limit. The inclusion of multiple available partners adds replay value. Continue reading...

The latest from Pac Man, Angry Birds and Lara Croft plus a war game where you help civilians survive

New games range from Star Wars to Homer Simpson in MordorDizzying number of toys-to-life products are coming out in the next six weeks, featuring the biggest entertainment names.Toys-to-life is the world’s most lucrative video game genre, having made an estimated £2.6bn since it began in 2011 with Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure. This month marks a manic time for the sector. Disney Infinity 3.0 has just launched, while Skylanders Superchargers and Lego Dimensions arrive over the next two weeks. More than 100 toys based on these games (plus Nintendo’s Amiibo range) will be released over the next 12 weeks. Here’s what to expect. Continue reading...

Sony’s machine had its US launch 20 years ago this week, a console that didn’t just coincide with my entry into games writing, it defined my careerIt was exactly 20 years ago, a warm, late-summer afternoon. My girlfriend and I arrived in Bath, unsure of where to park, marvelling at the sheer density of beautiful Georgian architecture – just like millions of tourists before us. I was there for a job interview, and I was nervous as hell because I had lied to get it.The PlayStation was launched in Japan in the winter of 1994, but it took several months for Sony to roll its impressive 32bit console out to the rest of the world. The US release was on 9 September 1995, a day of hype and expectation dominated by two launch titles: the arcade driving sim Ridge Racer and the now almost forgotten fighting game Battle Arena Toshinden. Both featured state-of-the-art texture-mapped polygonal graphics, both spoke of a future that would abandon old-school two-dimensional sprites and scrolling, in favour of fully explorable worlds with dynamic cameras. It was immense and exciting. Continue reading...

Automatic updates now include Windows 10 and up to 6GB of storage claimed on hard drives for those using Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, according to reportsMicrosoft has admitted that it is automatically downloading Windows 10 on to user machines even when they have expressed no interest in installing the new operating system.

Apple’s Siri interrupts a question about the intricacies of Barack Obama’s Iran policy on Thursday during a White House press briefing. The iPhone’s personal assistant beeped its question-acknowledgement tone as a journalist asked White House spokesman Josh Earnest if Obama is disappointed at not getting Republican backing for the Iran nuclear agreement. Siri then buts in, saying ‘Sorry. I’m not sure what you want me to change’ Continue reading...

UK-only app from Moshi Monsters maker is used by ‘hundreds of thousands’ of children, and will now launch elsewhere in the worldMoshi Monsters maker Mind Candy is selling its social app PopJam to fellow children’s entertainment firm SuperAwesome.The app launched in July 2014 as an Instagram-style photo-sharing app for children, and remains only available in the UK. Neither company is disclosing the acquisition price for the app. Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and stuffIt’s Friday. Continue reading...

Former Channel 5, Sky and ITV executive, who is advising the government on BBC charter renewal, will pursue ‘external opportunities’Dawn Airey, Yahoo’s top European executive, is to leave the company to “pursue external opportunities” after just over two years.Airey, the former Channel 5, Sky and ITV senior executive who is currently advising the government on BBC charter renewal, has left the company with immediate effect. Continue reading...

Charlotte Proudman told ‘no more briefs for you’ after shaming senior solicitor over his LinkedIn comment about ‘stunning’ photographThe barrister at the centre of a sexism furore over a complimentary LinkedIn message from a solicitor 30 years her senior has said she is facing a professional backlash over her decision to speak out.Writing for the Independent, the human rights lawyer Charlotte Proudman said she did not regret her decision to make public a message from Alexander Carter-Silk that commented on her “stunning” photograph, because it had led to an outpouring of similar experiences from other women. Continue reading...

Apple is doing users a disservice by offering its new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus with just 16GB by defaultWith its latest 16GB iPhone 6S and 6S Plus Apple has answered the question of what it thinks really matters: profit or user experience?

Artist Bill Shannon explores the gap between the artificial and what is realIf you think this looks like a 3D version of a Picasso, then you’re not far off. Inspired by the abstract ideas of cubism, artist Bill Shannon created the digital headgear to explore the disconnect between our real and digital selves.Acting as a “digital face in front of the face”, the mask projects pre-recorded footage of Shannon in different emotional states from an iPod app on to the screens, which are mounted on holders welded to a hard hat. The mask is accompanied by audio of Shannon constantly yelling out “status updates!” Continue reading...

Patrick is looking for a portable laptop/tablet hybrid with a screen big enough to work on. The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 fills the bill, but what about the cheaper alternatives?I am looking for a portable laptop/tablet hybrid with a screen that is a reasonable size for working from home (larger than 10 inches), and fairly good performance, as my partner wants to edit photos. I know the Surface Pro 3 is probably the safest bet, but I have seen a few far cheaper alternatives. They seem to have mixed reviews, though, and every time I look, different models appear. Patrick Continue reading...

Our woman on the golf course vows to improve her handicap after trying GameGolf, an app that monitors your performance … not to mention the US president’sGameGolf promises to help you “take the guessing out of golf” and, in the main, it does. It’s a PC/smartphone system with a red widget you wear on your belt that allows you to scan the club you’ve chosen to use and logs every shot you play via GPRS – Barack Obama has been spotted using one.When you get home, to the White House or wherever, you can indulge your inner golf-geek: you can download your round and fastidiously study where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Every shot and putt are there for you to see and compare with previous rounds. Continue reading...

Protesters say the online ride-sharing service is destroying their livelihoods by avoiding costly regulations and demand it should be outlawedTaxi drivers have staged rallies in Melbourne and Sydney demanding state governments outlaw the ride-sharing service UberX.Around 400 drivers and their supporters gathered outside the New South Wales parliament chanting, “Shame on Uber”, and demanding the state transport minister, Andrew Constance, resign. Continue reading...

With a motion-sensitive remote, voice control and an App Store, is the Apple TV the company’s first games console?Apple has announced a major upgrade to its Apple TV set-top box, bringing in voice control, a new motion-sensitive remote with a built-in touch pad, and the device’s very first App Store.The new features combine to make the device a potential games console as well as media player, with Apple’s Eddy Cue taking to the stage to discuss a raft of video games playable on the new hardware, including Disney Infinity and Guitar Hero. Continue reading...

Mixitl allows public to create own content such as ‘Soap Generator’ for comic-style storylines using different camera angles, sound effects and charactersThe BBC is launching a new online platform allowing the public to make their own content using brands such as EastEnders, Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing.Called Mixitl, the platform is part of the BBC’s Make It Digital project that launched on Wednesday. It will also include special programmes aimed at bringing digital technology and themes to a wider audience. Continue reading...

Just like Siri and Cortana, M will be fuelled by your personal data – this trust it expects must be earned and backed up by rulesFacebook’s announcement that it is testing a digital assistant called “M” means that each of the “big five” technology companies is now in the digital assistant game. Facebook M joins Apple’s venerable Siri app, along with Google Now and Microsoft’s Cortana. Even Amazon has the Echo, a voice-activated internet of things appliance.These assistants might revolutionise how we interact with our digital devices, our homes, and the world. They promise to effortlessly help us find, and even predict what we want. Facebook says M will make advances through leveraging its unmatched database of personal information, coupled with invisible human “trainers”. By applying artificial intelligence to your Facebook data, M could help you buy gifts, book travel, and reserve tables at restaurants. Continue reading...

Declaring this ‘the most advanced butter knife in the world’ is pretty much winning a race no one else was runningSpreadTHAT’s self-heating butter knife, Selfridges, RRP £19.99, a titanium-alloyed bronze wand, with its upper edge dully serrated. Used for paring chilled butter in thin, readily smear-able strips. Continue reading...

Chinese search company challenges Google, Apple and Facebook with artificial intelligence voice search capable of ordering food and giving pet adviceChinese technology company Baidu, often labelled as China’s Google has launched a digital assistant to take on rivals from Apple, Microsoft and Google.

Need an excuse to get off the sofa? Look no further than ‘Putinspiration’ – exercise motivation tips with a political twist“Fitspiration” is the Instagram hashtag de jour, with six million posts showing flat abs or toned arms coupled with captions like “the harder the struggle the more glorious the triumph” and “earn your selfie”.“Fitspo”, as it’s also known, is about hitting the gym and eating the right food, but has been criticised by some for fetishising thinness. Continue reading...

The internet has sped things up for Australian acts such as Tame Impala and Troye Sivan breaking the international market, say insiders at Big Sound

The fate of virtual reality could be decided by Hollywood and gaming, so how can these creative industries make the most of the new tech?While virtual reality is fast becoming a familiar term in the popular consciousness, the excitement and opportunities it offers need to be pushed front and centre by encouraging wider trialling and take-up.

Dazzle It puts artist’s recent ferry redesign into hands of fans as part of first world war commemorationsThe pop artist Sir Peter Blake will let his art be remixed by users of a new app inspired by the “dazzle art” painted on British ships during the first world war, in the hope of confusing German U-boats.Dazzle It was commissioned as part of the commemorations for the war’s centenary, and has been released as a free app for Android and for iOS devices. Continue reading...

The annual American football franchise returns with complex new features and an impressively deep franchise modeThe 2015-16 NFL season is very nearly upon us and it brings with it, Electronic Arts’ American football simulator Madden 16, which is arguably the closest most Brits will ever get to suiting up and taking to the field for some good old-fashioned gridiron.We are introduced to the latest iteration through EA’s prediction for Superbowl 50, which unsurprisingly has pegged this year’s AFC champions as the Pittsburgh Steelers and, somewhat more controversially, chosen the Arizona Cardinals as the NFC champions for 2015-16. Continue reading...

Three years ago 96% of smartphone users were making at least one standard voice call a week, but now just three quarters do according to a new surveyMore than three quarters (76%) of UK adults now own a smartphone, up from 52% in 2012. But the number of people using their phone to make voice calls is falling.The share of device owners saying they make at least one voice call a week has dropped down from 96% to 75% over the past three years, according to research carried out by Ipsos Mori for Deloitte.

A US college student got very drunk and designed an entire plane. His friend’s tweet about it has gone viral and been retweeted more than 30,000 times. We talk to the guys …The news is, to put it mildly, pretty depressing recently – social media equally so. Twitter timelines are filled with the horrors of war and unspeakable tragedy, so it was a blessed relief that late on Sunday night a tweet which was a source of unadulterated joy started to go viral.Enter Keith Fraley, a 19-year-old second year student of software engineering at Michigan Tech college, and his tweet about his roommate, Mark, a mechanical engineering student, who arrived home wasted and managed to design an entire plane – and woke up with no memory the next day. Continue reading...

Lidar sensor can be fooled into seeing fake people, cyclists, cars or walls with a $60 system built out of Raspberry Pi and a laser pointerHackers can easily trick self-driving cars into thinking that another car, a wall or a person is in front of them, potentially paralysing it or forcing it to take evasive action.

Latest recall designed to protect connected vehicles from remote manipulation, says automobile companyFiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has recalled a further 7,810 Jeeps affected by a widely reported bug that allows an attacker to wirelessly seize control of the vehicle.The recall affects the variants of the 2015 model of the FCA’s Jeep Renegade sports utility vehicle with a 6.5-inch touchscreen, more than half of which FCA says are still in dealer hands. Continue reading...