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Updated 2024-04-25 07:34
‘Can you steal back something that’s already stolen?’: how radical art duo Looty repatriated the Rosetta Stone
Tired of colonial artefacts being hoarded, Chidi Nwaubani and Ahmed Abokor use tech to redistribute them from museums in audacious digital heistsIn March last year, two men in tracksuits, wearing hockey masks and carrying matching laundry bags, headed for the British Museum. Just outside, patrolling police asked the two strange-looking men where they were going. We're going to the British Museum to loot back stolen goods," one of them said. Well, we'll see you in there then!" the policewoman answered.But no arrests were made, as nothing incriminating happened. What did take place was a digital heist" of one of the most famous objects in the British Museum, an artefact that is, according to Egyptologist Monica Hanna, a symbol of western cultural power" and of British imperialism": the Rosetta Stone. Continue reading...
Congress passed a TikTok bill. Will the US really ban the app?
A bill passed by Congress and signed by Biden requires owner ByteDance to sell or face a US ban - it's its biggest threat yet
Meta says revenue will be weak as it spends even more on AI
Push to integrate AI into Meta products boosts financial results, but share prices tumble with weak sales forecastMeta's drive to integrate artificial intelligence into its products yielded strong financial results for the second quarter in a row. The company plans to spend even more on AI in the coming months, though, and its share price slumped more than 15% as the company reported earnings Wednesday. A weak sales forecast and higher spending guidance rattled investors.Mark Zuckerberg said his main focus for the rest of 2024 and likely 2025 will be getting millions or billions of people to use Meta AI" rather than generating revenue from it. He cautioned that Meta products such Instagram Reels have in the past not immediately generated revenue as they scaled before they became profitable pieces of Meta's ad business. Continue reading...
TikTok reward-to-watch feature suspended after EU threats to block it
Service suspended in France and Spain amid safety and addiction concerns among children, in first use of new digital lawsA TikTok service offering rewards such as gift vouchers for watching videos has been suspended by the company shortly after the EU threatened to block it amid fears of addiction among children.On Monday the digital commissioner, Thierry Breton, said the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform had failed to prove" the feature on TikTok Lite, which launched recently in France and Spain, complied with obligations under sweeping new Digital Service Act (DSA) laws. Continue reading...
Why is US threatening to ban TikTok and will other countries follow suit?
Joe Biden signs into law bill requiring Chinese owner to sell app's US operations
UK competition watchdog steps up scrutiny of big tech’s role in AI startups
Microsoft and Amazon asked to comment on tie-ups, a move that paves way for formal investigationThe UK competition watchdog has stepped up its scrutiny of big tech involvement in artificial intelligence startups, asking for comment on three deals by Microsoft and Amazon.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it was examining Microsoft's investment in the French firm Mistral and the hiring of the DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman as head of the US company's new AI division. The watchdog is also scrutinising Amazon's $4bn (3.2bn) investment in the US AI firm Anthropic. Continue reading...
TopSpin 2K25 review – game, set and match to an engrossing tennis sim
PC, PS4/5, Xbox; 2K Games
How soon can Tesla get its more affordable car to market?
Shares jump after carmaker says it is looking to accelerate production of lower-price EVs
‘I may be a troll but I’m not stupid’: super-stan Harry Daniels on singing loudly at Biden, Dua Lipa and Anna Wintour for clout
Harry Daniels's TikToks of him singing awkwardly at stars alternate between trolling and displays of love for celebrities - but how does he do it?Billie Eilish has run from him. Doja Cat stopped her security detail to allow for a sidewalk serenade of Paint the Town Red. Charli XCX let him sing a few bars from I Got It before telling him You need to work on it," turning on her heel, and strutting back to her car.Harry Daniels stakes out celebrities such as Dua Lipa, Katy Perry, Ellie Goulding - and, uh, Joe Biden - and serenades them while filming their responses for TikTok. Most of these interactions appear spontaneous, as if the celebrities are genuinely surprised to be accosted by a 20-year-old man singing at them, usually terribly and oftentimes with their own songs. When Daniels found Jacob Elordi at a restaurant, the Saltburn star stayed across the room next to a bodyguard-type, looking amused but slightly wary as Daniels crooned Murder on the Dancefloor his way. Continue reading...
Senate passes bill banning TikTok if parent company does not sell it
Bill gives app owner, ByteDance, a year to divest, and while Biden is expected to sign it, the company plans to fight it
Tesla sees biggest revenue drop since 2012 but company shares still surge
Shares up despite dip in revenue and profits after company said it expects to release new vehicle models sooner than expectedTesla shares surged nearly 10% in after-hours trading on Tuesday after posting earnings results, despite a revenue miss for the first quarter of 2024, a steep decline in profits, and a recall of its most recently released car, the $100,000 Cybertruck.The electric vehicle manufacturer posted $21.3bn in revenue, lower than the $21.48bn that was estimated and a 9% drop year over year - marking its biggest decline since 2012. Profit was $1.1bn, a 55% decline from the first quarter of 2023, the company said. Continue reading...
‘Games are more important to Apple than ever’: what’s next for Apple Arcade?
The head of the company's gaming subscription service explains its priorities as it anticipates the Vision Pro revolution, and tries to bring originality to a market still dominated by free to play mobile titlesWhen Apple launched its games subscription service, Arcade, in September 2019, it drew a huge amount of attention - as with everything the company does. Offering 100 premium (ie, not ad-infested) mobile games for a monthly subscription fee of 4.99/$4.99 (now 6.99), and the promise of more titles to come, it was an attempt to bring the Netflix business model to gaming.It offered an alternative in a mobile gaming market in which free-to-play and ad-supported games were dominant. The dominance of behemoths such as Genshin Impact, Clash of Clans and Candy Crush previously made it difficult for the makers of paid-for, premium games to find an audience, but Arcade offered a range of curated titles that could run across Apple's devices - iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV - with no ads or in-app purchases. Games also worked offline, eliminating the annoyance of being kicked out of a game on the London Underground. Continue reading...
TechScape: No WhatsApp in China, no TikTok in the US, and the return of Llama
In this week's newsletter: While Apple removed the platform from App Stores without a squeak of public protest, its battle with the EU rages on. Plus, how a ban in the US could change TikTok everywhere Don't get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the full article hereAnother day, another set of troubles for Apple's App Store. This time, the company had bowed to orders from the Chinese state to remove WhatsApp and Threads, two of the last Meta apps still available in the country.From our story:Apple confirmed it had withdrawn the two apps - both owned by Meta, also the owner of Facebook - under instruction from the Cyberspace Administration of China, which regulates and censors China's highly restricted internet and online content.The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns," Apple said in an emailed statement to Reuters. We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree."The House of Representatives voted 360 to 58 on the updated divest-or-ban [TikTok] bill that could lead to the first time ever that the US government has passed a law to shut down an entire social media platform.The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week and Joe Biden has said he will sign the legislation. Continue reading...
‘Miss AI’ is billed as a leap forward but feels like a monumental step backwards | Arwa Mahdawi
AI models take every toxic gendered beauty norm and bundle them up into completely unrealistic packageMeet Madame Potato. She doesn't actually exist, but, if things go my way, she's going to be the world's first Miss AI". I recently created her image on a website that generates AI faces and then entered her into a beauty pageant. Now I am sitting back in anticipation of netting the $20,000 grand prize.What fresh hell is this, you ask? Well, I regret to inform you that AI beauty pageants are a thing now. A company called Fanvue, which is a subscription-based content creator platform along the same lines as OnlyFans, recently teamed up with the World AI Creator Awards (WAICA) to launch the world's first Miss AI" competition. A team of judges - comprising two humans and two virtual models - will sort through AI-generated pictures of women and choose one to crown as Miss AI". The winner gets a cash prize along with the chance to monetize their creation on Fanvue. Continue reading...
Paedophiles create nude AI images of children to extort from them, says charity
Internet Watch Foundation has found a manual on dark web encouraging criminals to use software tools that remove clothingPaedophiles are being urged to use artificial intelligence to create nude images of children to extort more extreme material from them, according to a child abuse charity.The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said a manual found on the dark web contained a section encouraging criminals to use nudifying" tools to remove clothing from underwear shots sent by a child. The manipulated image could then be used against the child to blackmail them into sending more graphic content, the IWF said. Continue reading...
Can AI image generators be policed to prevent explicit deepfakes of children?
As one of the largest training' datasets has been found to contain child sexual abuse material, can bans on creating such imagery be feasible?Child abusers are creating AI-generated deepfakes" of their targets in order to blackmail them into filming their own abuse, beginning a cycle of sextortion that can last for years.Creating simulated child abuse imagery is illegal in the UK, and Labour and the Conservatives have aligned on the desire to ban all explicit AI-generated images of real people. Continue reading...
EU threatens TikTok Lite with ban over reward-to-watch feature
App feature could be suspended unless child safety concerns addressed, in first use of sweeping new digital powersThe EU has said it will ban a new service launched by TikTok in Europe that it believes could be as addictive as cigarettes" unless the company offers compelling" fresh evidence that children are safeguarded.If the ban goes ahead, it would be the first time the EU has used sweeping new powers to impose sanctions on social media companies since its landmark Digital Service Act (DSA) came into force last August. Continue reading...
Elon Musk hits back at Australian court order against X images of stabbing
The Tesla billionaire uses posts on his social media platform to attack Anthony Albanese and the eSafety commissioner
Muting people on social media is fast and free and will change your life
Experts say setting boundaries online creates a healthier digital environment and helps preserve your mental wellbeingI don't generally believe in life hacks. As much as I'd love to imagine that one easy tweak could resurface my life like it's a cracked tennis court, time and experience have shown me that positive change usually comes slowly and incrementally.But there is one hack I fully believe in. It's fast and free, and will instantly change your life for the better: just mute people who annoy you on social media. Continue reading...
Tesla shares under pressure after carmaker announces price cuts
CEO Elon Musk postpones India trip ahead of results expected to show worst performance in seven years
TikTok says it will fight US ban or forced sale after bill passes
Platform's future in US in doubt after House approves bill ordering Bytedance to sell stakeTikTok has said it will fight any ban or forced sale of the app's US operation in the courts, after the House of Representatives passed legislation targeting the viral video platform.The company's future in the US was placed in further doubt over the weekend after lawmakers in Washington passed a bill that will ban the app if TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, does not sell its stake in the American business. Continue reading...
Australian court orders Elon Musk’s X to hide Sydney church stabbing posts from users globally
Judge makes interim order after eSafety commissioner orders social media outlet to remove footage of Wakeley stabbing
Lawsuit in London to allege Grindr shared users’ HIV status with ad firms
High court action will claim US owner allowed access to app users' private information in breach of UK lawGrindr faces the prospect of legal action by hundreds of users who will allege that the dating app shared highly sensitive personal information, including in some cases their HIV status, with advertising companies.The law firm Austen Hays is to file a claim on Monday in London's high court alleging that the US owner of the app breached British data protection laws. Continue reading...
Manchester women: filmed by voyeurs and stalked online
Two friends tell their story for National Stalking Awareness Week, as police bring in new powers to protect victimsMaddy Laing and Phoebe Collin had not seen the camera pointing at them as they walked down a busy Manchester street last April.It was a warm spring day and the women were wearing brightly coloured cycling shorts, oblivious to the fact that someone was taking voyeuristic videos of their bodies using a device held below waist level. Continue reading...
Tesla cuts prices around the world as sales decline in a chaotic week
Global vehicle deliveries fall for first time in four years amid growing competition, while Cybertruck faces recallTesla slashed prices of three of its five models in the US late on Friday, then went on to cut prices around the globe - including in China and Germany - as the company faces falling sales, a Cybertruck recall and an intensifying war for electric vehicles (EVs).On Friday, the company, led by the billionaire Elon Musk, cut the prices of the Model Y, a small SUV that is Tesla's most popular model and the top-selling electric vehicle in the US, and also of the Models X and S, its older and more expensive models. Prices for the Model 3 sedan and the Cybertruck stayed the same. Continue reading...
UK children bombarded by gambling ads and images online, charity warns
Young people feel their internet activity is overwhelmed by betting promotions and similar content, says GambleAwareChildren are saturated" with betting promotions and gambling-like content while using the internet, despite restrictions on ad campaigns targeting young people, new researchreveals.GambleAware, the charity funded by donations from gambling firms, commissioned research that found the risks of online gambling were not understood by children because of the blurred line" between betting ads and popular online casino-style games. It warns gambling ads with cartoon graphics are likely to be strongly appealing to children. Last week, one gambling firm was promoting a new online slots game on social media with three cartoon frogs, urging people to take a dip" with the ribbiting rascals". Continue reading...
The Game Boy at 35: a portal to other magical worlds
The handheld console introduced millions to the joy of video games, and remains one of the best-selling consoles everOn April 21, 1989, Nintendo released a chunky grey game-playing rectangle to stores in Japan. It's fair to say that nobody expected much of it. Internally, at Nintendo's Kyoto HQ, the portable console was reportedly not a well-loved project. But within two weeks, it had sold out its entire 300,000-unit initial run. The Game Boy would arrive later that year in the US, and across the rest of the world over the next couple of years. Everywhere it went, it proved just as popular. Thirty-five years and almost 120m sales later, it is still the fourth best-selling games console in history.Like Sony's Walkman, the Game Boy is a tech design icon of its time, still instantly recognisable from its silhouette alone. Developed by a team led by Satoru Okada and Gunpei Yokoi in Kyoto, the Game Boy is perhaps the preeminent example of Yokoi's lateral thinking with withered technology" maxim, a do-more-with-less technological principle that endures at Nintendo to this day. It's so simply designed - with four buttons and a cross-shaped directional pad - that you already know how to use it as soon as you look at it. Thanks to its greyscale screen, the battery lasted for days of play. And most importantly for accident-prone kids of the 90s (and their parents), you could throw it off a bridge and it would probably still work. Continue reading...
Sex offender banned from using AI tools in landmark UK case
The decision could set a precedent for future monitoring of people convicted of indecent image offencesA sex offender convicted of making more than 1,000 indecent images of children has been banned from using any AI creating tools" for the next five years in the first known case of its kind.Anthony Dover, 48, was ordered by a UK court not to use, visit or access" artificial intelligence generation tools without the prior permission of police as a condition of a sexual harm prevention order imposed in February. Continue reading...
US House passes bill that could lead to total TikTok ban
Bill - with updated language that extends deadline to a year for ByteDance to divest of TikTok - to go before Senate next weekThe House of Representatives voted 360 to 58 on the updated divest-or-ban bill that could lead to the first time ever that the US government has passed a law to shut down an entire social media platform.The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week and Joe Biden has said he will sign the legislation. Continue reading...
‘I was very nearly dead’: high achiever Martha Lane Fox is now on a mission to conquer mountains
After a car crash nearly killed her 20 years ago, the dotcom entrepreneur is climbing three peaks to make 300,000 for charityEven to the able-bodied, climbing Britain's three highest peaks might seem like a test of resolve. But Martha Lane Fox has had 47 operations, struggles with her balance, nerve damage and constant pain, and needs two sticks to walk anywhere - the legacy of a car crash 20 years ago that nearly killed her.On Saturday she completed the first leg of Martha's Mountain Mission" by reaching the summit of Snowdon, or Yr Wyddfa. England's highest peak, Scafell Pike, comes next, on 6 May, and she will be tackling Ben Nevis on 7 September. Continue reading...
The big tech firms want an AI monopoly – but the UK watchdog can bring them to heel | John Naughton
Microsoft, Meta and Google are snapping up small players in the burgeoning industry - but the Competition and Markets Authority is demanding fair playMonopoly," said Peter Thiel, Silicon Valley's answer to Darth Vader, is the condition of every successful business." This aspiration is widely shared by Gamman, the new acronynm for the Valley's giants - Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon and Nvidia. And the arrival of AI has sharpened the appetite of each for attaining that blessed state before the others get there.One symptom of their anxiety is the way they have been throwing unconscionable amounts of money at the 70-odd generative AI startups that have mushroomed since it became clear that AI was going to be the new new thing. Microsoft reportedly put $13bn (about 10.4bn) into OpenAI, for example, but it was also the lead investor in a $1.3bn funding round for Inflection, Deepmind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman's startup. Amazon put $4bn into Anthropic, the startup founded by refugees from OpenAI. Google invested $500m in the same outfit, with a promise of $1.5bn more, and unspecified sums in A121 Labs and Hugging Face. (Yeah, I know the names make no sense.) Microsoft has also invested in Mistral, the French AI startup. And so on. In 2023, of the $27bn that was invested in AI startups, only $9bn came from venture capitalist firms - which until recently had been by far the biggest funders of new tech enterprises in Silicon Valley. Continue reading...
What the Cybertruck’s many failures mean for Tesla
Recall represents another black eye' for the company, which saw its share prices fall this week, wiping away all its gains this yearTesla recalled all Cybertrucks Friday after federal safety regulators contacted the company over malfunctions with the vehicle's accelerator pedal. New Cybertruck orders have been reportedly cancelled or stalled. The news follows numerous reports of embarrassing Cybertruck failures.The recall represents a major blow to Tesla, which has weathered a difficult year, seeing poor earnings reports in recent quarters as competing Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers encroach on the electric vehicle market. Continue reading...
‘The model loved the departure from traditional portraiture’ – Kamzy Nuel’s best phone picture
The vibrant colours of Lagos take centre stage in this bold image by the Nigerian photographerWhen location scouting for this shoot, KamzyNuel was primarily hunting for colour. He settled on the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria. There are so many vibrant colours around, giving room to have as much as possible in the frame to work with," theNigerian photographer says.Hoping to portray afine blend of modernism and culture" in the styling, Nuel chose the red and yellow outfit for his muse, Kommie, a professional model. This was the pair's first time working together; they have since become friends. She's a great person," Nuel says, and she loved the departure from traditional portraiture." Continue reading...
Where do we draw the line on using AI in TV and film?
Recent controversies, including Civil War posters and altered photos in a Netflix documentary, have led to concern over the growing use of artificial intelligence on screenThough last year's writers' and actors' strikes in Hollywood were about myriad factors, fair compensation and residual payments among them, one concern rose far above the others: the encroachment of generative AI - the type that can produce text, images and video - on people's livelihoods. The use of generative AI in the content we watch, from film to television to large swaths of internet garbage, was a foregone conclusion; Pandora's box has been opened. But the rallying cry, at the time, was that any protection secured against companies using AI to cut corners was a win, even if only for a three-year contract, as the development, deployment and adoption of this technology will be so swift.That was no bluster. In the mere months since the writers' and actors' guilds made historic deals with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the average social media user has almost certainly encountered AI-generated material, whether they realized it or not. Efforts to curb pornographic AI deepfakes of celebrities have reached the notoriously recalcitrant and obtuse US Congress. The internet is now so rife with misinformation and conspiracies, and the existence of generative AI has so shredded what remained of shared reality, that a Kate Middleton AI deepfake video seemed, to many, a not unreasonable conclusion. (For the record, it was real.) Hollywood executives have already tested OpenAI's forthcoming text-to-video program Sora, which caused the producer Tyler Perry to halt an $800m expansion of his studios in Atlanta because jobs are going to be lost". Continue reading...
Oxford shuts down institute run by Elon Musk-backed philosopher
Nick Bostrom's Future of Humanity Institute closed this week in what Swedish-born philosopher says was death by bureaucracy'Oxford University this week shut down an academic institute run by one of Elon Musk's favorite philosophers. The Future of Humanity Institute, dedicated to the long-termism movement and other Silicon Valley-endorsed ideas such as effective altruism, closed this week after 19 years of operation. Musk had donated 1m to the FHI in 2015 through a sister organization to research the threat of artificial intelligence. He had also boosted the ideas of its leader for nearly a decade on X, formerly Twitter.The center was run by Nick Bostrom, a Swedish-born philosopher whose writings about the long-term threat of AI replacing humanity turned him into a celebrity figure among the tech elite and routinely landed him on lists of top global thinkers. Sam Altman of OpenAI, Bill Gates of Microsoft and Musk all wrote blurbs for his 2014 bestselling book Superintelligence. Continue reading...
Tesla recalls nearly 4,000 Cybertrucks over faulty accelerator pedal
US officials say pedal pad could come loose and get lodged in interior trim, causing vehicle to accelerate unintentionallyTesla is recalling all 3,878 Cybertrucks it has shipped since the vehicle was released in late 2023, according to a Friday filing from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), following reports of a faulty accelerator pedal.Cybertruck owners reported the vehicle's accelerator pedal pad could come loose and get lodged in the interior trim, causing the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally, and increasing the risk of a crash, the auto safety regulator said in a notice. Continue reading...
FBI chief says Chinese hackers have infiltrated critical US infrastructure
Volt Typhoon hacking campaign is waiting for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow', says Christopher WrayChinese government-linked hackers have burrowed into US critical infrastructure and are waiting for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow", the director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, has warned.An ongoing Chinese hacking campaign known as Volt Typhoon has successfully gained access to numerous American companies in telecommunications, energy, water and other critical sectors, with 23 pipeline operators targeted, Wray said in a speech at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday. Continue reading...
‘I was trying to create the sound of a really warm hug’: the poignant story behind Monument Valley 2’s music
Todd Baker composed the soundtrack for the indie puzzler as he was living through the loss of his mother. On the series' 10th anniversary, he reflects on the experienceThe part where the mother and child are separated on a red mountain, in a level quite early on in the game where you have to get back to the mother and find her ... I was completing the sound design and music for that in a hospital, right beside my mum when she was sleeping, recovering from open heart surgery."Todd Baker pauses for a second. He is recalling the development process of 2017's Monument Valley 2, an indie puzzler, the highly anticipated follow-up to the one of the biggest success stories in mobile game history. The second game is more experimental than the first; it has more of a story, which in turn changed its feel. Whereas the first title is all optical illusions and impossible objects, the sequel moves away from MC Escher-inspired towers and spires and towards non-Euclidean geometry and brutalism. Continue reading...
What is bitcoin halving – and will it affect the price?
Process has coincided with a rise in price in the past and is due to take place again on SaturdaySatoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of bitcoin, still has an influence on the cryptocurrency nearly 14 years after disappearing.This week the protocol designed by Nakamoto - an individual or group of individuals who went silent in December 2010 - will trigger what is known as a bitcoin halving", a process that has coincided with price increases in the past. The latest halving is expected to take place on Saturday. Continue reading...
Quarter of UK’s three- and four-year-olds own a smartphone, data shows
Campaigners express concern at new Ofcom figures, which also show that half of under-13s are on social mediaA quarter of three- and four-year-olds in the UK now own a smartphone, while half of children under 13 are on social media, according to new data that comes as ministers consider banning all children under 16 from owning a mobile phone.The figures, from the communications regulator Ofcom, show high and rising rates of online activity by children of infant-school age, with 38% of five- to seven-year-olds using social media, compared with 30% a year ago, and 76% of them using a tablet. Continue reading...
Terror watchdog condemns WhatsApp for lowering UK users’ minimum age to 13
Jonathan Hall, Britain's reviewer of terrorism legislation, says more children could be exposed to encrypted extremist contentThe UK's terror watchdog has criticised Mark Zuckerberg's Meta for lowering the minimum age for WhatsApp users from 16 to 13, warning that the extraordinary" move could expose more teenagers to extreme content.Jonathan Hall KC said more children could now access material that Meta cannot regulate, including content related to terror or sexual exploitation. Continue reading...
Meta steps up AI battle with OpenAI and Google with release of Llama 3
Tech firm released early versions of its latest large language model and a real-time image generator as it tries to catch up to OpenAIMeta Platforms on Thursday released early versions of its latest large language model, Llama 3, and an image generator that updates pictures in real time while users type prompts, as it races to catch up to generative AI market leader OpenAI.The models will be integrated into virtual assistant Meta AI, which the company is pitching as the most sophisticated of its free-to-use peers. The assistant will be given more prominent billing within Meta's Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger apps as well as a new standalone website that positions it to compete more directly with Microsoft-backed OpenAI's breakout hit ChatGPT. Continue reading...
Google fires 28 staff after protest against firm’s contract with Israeli government
Google workers linked to No Tech for Apartheid denounce flagrant act of retaliation' in dispute over $1.2bn cloud contractGoogle said on Thursday it had terminated 28 employees after some staff participated in protests against the company's cloud contract with the Israeli government. Employees staged sit-ins at their offices, some for more than eight hours.The Alphabet unit said a small number of pro-Palestine employees entered and disrupted work at a few unspecified office locations. They occupied the office of the chief technology officer of Google Cloud and held posters reading No cloud apartheid", Googlers against genocide" and Don't be evil, stop retaliation", a reference to Google's former corporate slogan. Continue reading...
The greatest Fender Stratocaster player you’ve never heard of | Brief letters
Rory Gallagher | Jim Perrin's Country Diary | Tory vacuum | A clear conscience | Smartphone addictionNice to see Andy Welch's article on the Fender Stratocaster reaching the age of 70 (With a Strat you can rule the world!' Nile Rodgers, Bonnie Raitt and John Squire on the electric guitar that changed everything, 10 April). It's a shame he omitted to mention the late Irish blues guitarist RoryGallagher, who played what was - and is - arguably the most iconically road-worn Stratocaster ever. He was a shy and modest musician, and remains underrated. When Jimi Hendrix was asked what it felt like to be the best guitarist in the world, he replied: Idon't know, ask Rory Gallagher."
Tell us: have you experiences last-minute cancellations on Airbnb?
We'd like to hear from people who have made a booking for accommodation on an online travel platform, only for their host to cancel it at the last minuteWe're interested in hearing from people who have made a booking for accommodation on an online travel platform, only for their host to cancel it at the last minute.Earlier this year, Taylor Swift fans in Australia were left without accommodation after Airbnb hosts cancelled their bookings. Airbnb's host cancellation policy" does not seem to have deterred hosts from then relisting their properties at a higher price. Has something similar happened to you? Are you a Swiftie whose plans to watch her European tour have been affected? Or have you made plans for a holiday elsewhere or another trip that have been thrown into disarray by a host's cancellation? Continue reading...
Reigns Beyond review – sci-fi silliness meets rock band road trip
iPad/iPhone, Nintendo Switch (version tested), PC; Nerial/Devolver Digital
Nothing Ear (a) review: cheaper, smaller, longer-lasting earbuds
Funky transparent design backed by good sound and noise cancelling make these budget buds winnersThe tech firm Nothing's latest set of cut-price Bluetooth earbuds offer great sound and noise cancelling for an even more competitive price, while continuing to stand out from the crowd through cool design.The London-based firm has launched the budget Ear (a), which keep almost everything that was great about previous Nothing earbuds and cost 99 (99/$99). That is 30 less than its previous offering and the new 129 (149/$149) Ear, which offer a few more customisations for sound and other features. Continue reading...
Best podcasts of the week: How one woman’s private paradise turned into her own personal hell
In this week's newsletter: Alice Levine's The Price of Paradise follows the story of Jayne Gaskin, and the Caribbean island that wasn't all it seemed. Plus: five of the best bad movie podcasts Don't get Hear Here delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe Price of Paradise
Students turning to cyberfraud as huge phishing site infiltrated, police reveal
LabHost enabled users to set up websites designed to trick victims into revealing personal information - with 70,000 allegedly duped in the UKUniversity students have turned to cyber fraud to boost their income, police have said, as they revealed they have infiltrated a huge phishing site on the dark web responsible for scamming tens of thousands of people.The site called LabHost was active since 2021 and was a cyber fraud superstore, allowing users to produce realistic-looking websites from household names such as the big banks, ensnaring victims around the world including 70,000 in the UK. Continue reading...
TikTok questioned by EU over Lite app that ‘pays’ users for watching videos
European Commission has concerns about app's impact on children, as well as addictionThe EU has given TikTok 24 hours to provide a risk assessment over a new service it has launched amid concerns it could encourage children to become addicted to videos on the platform.The watch-and-get-rewarded application, TikTok Lite, launched in France and Spain this month, in effect offers users prizes such as Amazon vouchers, gift cards via PayPal or TikTok's Coins currency for points earned through tasks". Continue reading...
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