Designer Rebecca Lynch found she couldn’t express herself through standard emoji when she was feeling unsociable. So she created her ownYou can express happiness, anger or the feeling of wanting to shake off haters – but what happens when you’d like to text someone that you just want to stay at home? Designer Rebecca Lynch decided to solve the problem of communicating introspective emotions, such as leaving stressful social situations or giving introverted friends and partners the space and time they need, by creating her own “introji” and posting them on Facebook. Continue reading...

As developers try to make money by creating Candy Crush clones, free-to-play mobile games are in danger of creative stagnation

62% of the 91 million people using location-based digital matchmaking apps are male, claims a new report – and a fifth of users are paying for premium servicesMore than 91 million people are using location-based dating apps like Tinder, Momo and Hinge, but nearly two thirds of those users are men, according to research firm GlobalWebIndex.The company’s latest report claims that 6% of internet users currently use a location-based dating app, although that puts the category behind niches like augmented reality (108 million monthly users), let alone games and social networking with 655 million and 582 million respectively.Related: Tinder: the 'painfully honest' dating app with wider social ambitions Continue reading...

Blogger and citizen journalist Eliot Higgins – aka Brown Moses – explains how he used open-source information to determine cross-border artillery attacks that appear to be being fired from Russian territory into Ukraine. His team used satellite imagery on Google Earth and crater analysis techniques Continue reading...

The New Yorker gained unprecedented access to Apple’s head of design to profile Jony Ive, revealing more about the man and the company than ever beforeHe has created some of the most recognisable and iconic objects of our age, but Apple’s head designer Jony Ive has always been something of an enigma. The Briton behind the iMac and the iPod is usually as secretive about himself as Apple is about its products, but recently he and and the tech giant gave unprecedented access for a New Yorker piece.The profile, by Ian Parker, runs to 20 pages in print and takes about an hour to read. Perhaps in the spirit of Ive, we’ve rounded the corners and – here are the key things we learned:Related: ‘Build your own lightsaber’ kit could send Star Wars fans into orbitRelated: Banksy works go under hammer in auction criticised by artistRelated: Apple 27in iMac with retina 5K display review: oh my that screenRelated: iPhone 6 review: thinner, faster and slightly cheaperRelated: Apple iPad Air 2 review : Apple's best tablet yet, but is that enough?Related: Apple iPad Air 2 review : Apple's best tablet yet, but is that enough?Related: Google Glass review: useful – but overpriced and socially awkward Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matterTuesday! Continue reading...

Unlike Katy Perry’s Left Shark, many have to provide multiple forms of ID to prove they are who they say they are in latest row over controversial policyChanges to Facebook’s “real name” policy have failed to stop users from being suspended from the site, leading activists to renew their push to have the tech giant change its policy.Dana Lone Hill, a Native American, had her account reinstated last week after being asked to provide multiple forms of identification. Lone Hill is one of many Native Americans to report having their accounts suspended or names changed to match Facebook’s policy.Related: Victory for drag queens as Facebook apologises for 'real-name' policyRelated: Facebook's 'real names' policy is legal, but it's also problematic for free speech | Jillian C York Continue reading...

Google’s vice-president Vint Cerf has warned that all digitally stored information could be wiped out by tech upgrades, putting the sum total of human knowledge under threat. An author and scientist explains why today’s systems are so vulnerable – and how pioneers are preparing for the worstA huge amount of the information we consume and transmit in our everyday lives is perilously ephemeral. Every second, thousands of new photographs are uploaded to social media. Most of the images we take today are uploaded straight from a digital camera or a phone, with the picture never actually existing as a physical artefact.So how will future historians and biographers piece together our lives and times without bundles of diaries, paper letters and professional correspondence? Family photos and emails are important to us personally, but what about more significant losses of our collective heritage? How do we preserve our interaction on Facebook, Twitter, comment threads and citizen journalism across the web? And does the “grey literature” of official reports, briefings and policy statements that are only published online also risk being lost to the future? In a speech last week, Google’s vice-president Vint Cerf warned that a whole century of digital material could be lost.Related: Google boss warns of 'forgotten century' with email and photos at risk Continue reading...

Feature-length VR film will include Oculus Rift support: ‘Imagine Fantasia and Tron in fully immersive surround 3D...’ Continue reading...

HBO announces special Game of Thrones edition of Monopoly for players to divide and conquer blood-soaked lands from the popular TV showWinter is coming. Get your houses prepped, your hotels built and your lands in order – Game of Thrones Monopoly is almost here.The perennial property game that either annoys or excites legions every Christmas with its almost endless toil of collecting rent and fighting off the housing inspector, is getting a very blood thirsty spin.“The Iron Bank is the Iron Bank.” Coming in 2015, Monopoly #GameOfThrones edition: http://t.co/UBuXb0iqcc @usaopoly pic.twitter.com/fubi9rdgKzRelated: Is the board-game revival down to computer games' popularity? – podcastRelated: Board games' golden age: sociable, brilliant and driven by the internet Continue reading...

Hacking group springs back into life, reportedly launching DDoS attacks against range of games and servicesNotorious hacking group Lizard Squad has reportedly launched a fresh series of attacks against games and game services this weekend, including Xbox Live.The anonymous group, which launched distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against both PlayStation Network and Xbox Live last Christmas, disrupting online game services for thousands of new PS4 and Xbox One owners, has been quiet for several weeks.Related: PlayStation Network attacked by hacker group – Xbox may be next target Continue reading...

Security firm warns that customers of NatWest, Barclays, HSBC and other British banks are being targeted by JavaScript malwareBritish customers of banks including NatWest, Barclays and HSBC are being targeted by a wave of malicious emails attempting to install the Dyreza malware on their computers.Security firm Bitdefender claims that RBS, Lloyds Bank and Santander customers are also receiving the emails, which direct them to websites with “highly obfuscated” JavaScript code, which installs the Trojan.Related: Will increasing cyber attacks spell the end of username and password security? Continue reading...

Biggest New York tech IPO since 1999 has some artists fuming over venture capitalist influence while others are planning to buy shares Continue reading...

An open letter signed by the people behind hits for Britney Spears, the Saturdays and Janet Jackson insists: ‘It’s time to say thank you for the music’Swedish songwriters have written an open letter demanding a bigger slice of the revenue generated from digital music streaming services such as Spotify and YouTube.The piece headlined ‘It’s time to say thank you for the music’ and published in Aftonbladet, one of Scandinavia’s biggest newspapers, is signed by 133 songwriters and producers behind hits by acts including Janet JacksonRobyn, the Saturdays and Britney Spears.

Predictions for the future of Google’s online video service, from sports rights and games to co-viewing and voice recognitionYouTube’s first video may have been uploaded on 23 April 2005, but the website’s domain name was registered on 14 February. Hence the 10th birthday milestone this past weekend at a time when Google’s online video service is more popular than ever.From zero to one billion viewers in a decade is some journey, but what lies ahead as YouTube moves towards its teenage years? Here are some predictions.Related: YouTube is 10 years old: the evolution of online videoRelated: YouTube vloggers are popular, but new study questions their influence Continue reading...

The AIR 2015 event in conjunction with the Royal Netherlands Air Force will be the first aerial entertainment show of its kind to rely on drone technologyThe world’s first drone circus is to be held in the Netherlands, where aerial robots equipped with lasers and projectors will spin in dizzying dances across the Amsterdam Arena.

As evidenced by Louis van Gaal’s World Cup goalkeeper switch, analytics can enhance rather than replace the Machiavellian instincts of sport’s master tacticians

(3DS, Nintendo, cert: 12)

(3D, 3DS, Nintendo, cert: 12)

Information acquired by the Guardian sparks fresh concerns about the cosy relationships between the public and private sector Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matter Continue reading...

Nintendo’s rejigged 3DS console has dramatically improved 3D effects, but there’s no change to the disappointing screen resolution Continue reading...

Security firm says hackers infiltrated more than 100 banks and ‘watched’ employees to gain knowledge of systemsA hacking ring has stolen up to $1bn from banks around the world in what would be one of the biggest banking breaches known, a cybersecurity firm says in a report scheduled to be delivered Monday.The hackers have been active since at least the end of 2013 and infiltrated more than 100 banks in 30 countries, according to Russian security company Kaspersky Lab. Continue reading...

Civil justice council calls for internet-based dispute resolutions system similar to eBay’s to be available within two years Continue reading...

Businessman with a distinguished war record in the Royal Navy, he went on to become chairman of British Shipbuilding Continue reading...

• India beat Pakistan by 76-runs in their 2015 Cricket World Cup opener

If you can’t make your mind up about colour, then Honda’s new Civic is the car for you – it only comes in black Continue reading...

As companies scramble to discover new uses for small unmanned aircraft, critics fear changes to laws will ignore privacy issues Continue reading...

Campaigners want blue plaque in honour of female labourers who helped construct Waterloo Bridge Continue reading...

As London fashion week begins, leading designers are working on smart garments that integrate phones and cameras Continue reading...

Xbox 360 & One, PS3 & 4, PC; Square Enix; £3.99 Continue reading...

‘The revving is ridiculous. Coming off every traffic light, you sound as though you’re challenging the rest of the road to a duel’ Continue reading...

Reports suggest Apple employees are designing and building a car Continue reading...

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during the White House summit on cybersecurity and consumer protection in Palo Alto, California, on Friday. Cook's remarks came Cook's remarks came as many in the tech community have expressed concerns about government attempts to weaken encryption Continue reading...

Highest-profile tech executive at cybersecurity summit calls privacy ‘life and death’ issue but hopes to work productively with government Continue reading...

Being able to access digital content in the coming decades could be less of an issue than one of the ‘fathers of the internet’ has implied.Vint Cerf, Google’s vice-president and one of the fathers of the internet, has warned that “bit rot” could lead to a “forgotten century” as our masses of digital files are lost to progress and become unreadable as technology evolves.Cerf said that the applications to read files are being lost because they will no longer run on newer computers, rendering some files unintelligible and the data, memories and important happenings they contain lost to future generations.Related: Can you recommend a device to make copies of old VHS tapes?Related: How can I organise all my digital photos? Continue reading...

Chief executive Tom Mockridge says first infrastructure expansion in 15 years is overdue as company reveals it has passed the 5 million cable customer mark Continue reading...

Ten years is a long time on the internet, especially when 300 hours of video are uploaded to your site every minute. On YouTube’s 10th birthday, we trace the growth and growing pains of online videoAllow me to make a bold statement: YouTube, at 10 years old, is the most interesting place on the internet. It’s not about the platform or the brand, of course, but rather the sheer amount of content it hosts and its diversity.300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Not all of it is worth watching but enough of it is that you won’t live long enough to see it all.After one listen I instantly fell in love with the song so for the entire ride [to LA from Las Vegas] to I kept playing it over and over so I could try to learn all the words. The second I walked into my apartment, I set up my camera ... I uploaded it to Facebook and got a huge response from all of my friends so I decided to upload it on YouTube as well. It went viral in a day. Continue reading...

‘It’s amazing, and makes 3D – a feature that used to be faintly migraine-inducing – into one you can’t believe you lived without’Although not as prolific as Nokia, Nintendo’s history of launching handheld games machines is a busy one. This year’s additions to the family are the unimaginatively named New 3DS (£149.99) and New 3DS XL (£179.99). Looking outwardly similar to their forebears, the differences are fairly subtle, and include an extra analogue stick and two new shoulder buttons. Easily the biggest addition, though, is its enhanced 3D functionality, which uses a camera to track the position of your eyes, automatically adapting the image to look as good as possible without silly-looking 3D glasses. It’s amazing, and makes 3D – a feature that used to be faintly migraine-inducing – into one you can’t believe you lived without. Its final upgrade is a faster processor, which for the moment just means games load more quickly, although in the future there will be games that only run on the new machines. Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matter Continue reading...

But in the final quarter of the year, publisher King made more money from other games as it reduces its reliance on sweet-swapping hitQuarterly spending on mobile game Candy Crush Saga fell steadily over the course of 2014, but its players still spent $1.33bn (£865.2m) on in-app purchases for the sweet-swapping hit.Analysis by the Guardian of publisher King’s latest financial results, as well as previous filings, reveals that Candy Crush Saga’s “gross bookings” – the term used to cover spending by players – totalled $1.04bn in the second half of 2013.Related: Why Candy Crush Saga likes to play on your sweet tooth Continue reading...

Apple’s business practices are seldom challenged in the tech world, but would consumers accept the same terms from any other kind of business?Dear Members of the Speckless Community,We’re not big believers in responding to our critics here at Absterge. We like to think that our products speak for themselves, and we know that you agree – that’s why you’ve helped turn us into the most successful kitchen appliance company in the history of the world. Continue reading...

The veteran game designer is at the centre of a raging controversy over his new game Godus. He says he is finished with the pressWhen things go wrong for modern game developers they go spectacularly wrong. This is an era of endless rolling news and mass social media judgement. There is no respite. Peter Molyneux knows this now – if he didn’t before. The veteran designer, famed for inventing the “god game” genre with his 1989 title, Populous, has spent the last three days under intense press scrutiny. His latest project, Godus, is in disarray, his reputation in tatters. Everyone wants a piece.“The only answer is for me to retreat,” he says, speaking via Skype from his office in Guildford. “I love my games and I love sharing them with people. It’s this amazing incredible thing I get to do with my life, creating ideas and sharing them with people. The problem is, it just hasn’t worked.” Continue reading...

Music fans have compiled 2.5m playlists for getting it on, with a healthy mix of cool, romance - and Celine DionIntro, the first song on the debut album of indie rockers The XX, is already fairly ubiquitous, appearing on adverts, trailers and low-budget montages in police procedurals.But according to Spotify, it also dominates another arena: the bedroom. Continue reading...

Great for telling general activity, but this fitness tracker doesn’t provide any meaningful, useful data from measuring heart rate

Tech giant facing renewed questions about user data as WikiLeaks lawyer says ‘The question I have is: what caused this six-month delay?’Google is facing renewed questions about its handling of subscribers’ private information following the revelation that it waited six months after the lifting of a gagging order to alert WikiLeaks that emails and other data belonging to its employees had been passed to the FBI.It was disclosed last month that Google had cooperated with federal agents after the search giant was served with secret warrants demanding that it hand over all emails and IP addresses relating to three WikiLeaks staffers. The warrants named the British citizen Sarah Harrison; senior WikiLeaks editor Joseph Farrell and the spokesperson for the organisation, Kristinn Hrafnsson. Continue reading...

Additional login step brings extra layer of protection against hackers for Apple’s messaging and video chat, but more can be can be done say expertsApple is finally enabling two-step authentication to help protect users of its iMessages and FaceTime on iPhone, iPad and Mac computers.

Sign abusing Benedetta Arese Lucini hung on electrical wire as local taxi drivers protest over potential relaxing of competition laws

Police investigate after bot created by web developer Jeffry van der Goot tweets ‘I seriously want to kill people’When Twitter user @jeffrybooks tweeted saying “I seriously want to kill people” at a fashion and cosmetics convention happening at Amsterdam, the Dutch police took the threat seriously.Jeffry van der Goot, a 28-year-old web developer who created the account, received a visit from the police in short order. The only problem was that Van der Goot – who is non-binary and goes by “they” – hadn’t written the tweet. Instead, Van der Goot had handed the Twitter account over to “jeff_ebooks”, a bot they created which could automatically send tweets and hold conversations as an eerie simulacrum of themselves. It was jeff_ebooks who had sent the threat, and it was its creator who was being held liable.Obviously they're automated and what they say is just based on the algorithm and the corpus, but like. Police involvment is... scaryOf course since I don't have any legal knowledge I don't know who is/should be held responsible (if anyone) but like. kinda scared right nowSo yeah, hope it never happens again. Continue reading...