Technology | The Guardian

Rank’s bingo halls | Marx and Engels | Amazon drones | Children’s books | Interest ratesStern old Methodist though he undoubtedly was, J Arthur Rank could hardly have objected to the Rank Group’s bid for William Hill (Letters, 26 July), since he was responsible for the conversion of his Odeon cinemas into bingo halls in the 1960s. He had previously, as chairman of the National Savings Authority, been the public face of the introduction of premium bonds in 1956; it is said that one Methodist minister, appearing shortly afterwards on a platform with him, addressed him as “altogether such as I am, except these bonds” (Acts 26: 29).

Republican nominee simultaneously seeks to distance himself from Vladimir Putin as Clinton campaign accuses Russia of interfering with US electionDonald Trump appeared to incite Russia to hack into and publish Hillary Clinton’s private emails, as her campaign sounded “alarm” at growing evidence of a foreign power “interfering in an American election”.

Family Library will allow up to six people to share content and payment options, with purchase approval for childrenGoogle has launched a family sharing function that will allow up to six people to share purchases made via the Google Play store, including apps, movies, TV shows, books and games.

It’s claimed that our passion for narcissistic pictures is fuelling the growth of everything from lipstick to old-fashioned photobooths. Here’s a sector-by-sector breakdown

Lights flicker, shelves gather dust and cables twist like snakes – all that’s missing from this workspace are workers, leaving you feeling like a lab rat in a mazeChisenhale Gallery in east London recently closed its doors and sent its staff on a five-week break. It has now reopened. But as what? Is Yuri Pattison’s User, Space an office, a warehouse, temporary quarters or an art installation? Come to that, am I spectator or viewer; critic or user? Don’t answer that.

Exploits for advanced players, from working out whether your Pokémon are worth upgrading to rapidly boosting your trainer level, finding specific Pokémon to picking your Eevee evolutionOnce you’ve mastered the basics of Pokémon Go, advanced to curve balls and tried your luck in gyms, it’s time to turn it up a notch and start exploiting the game to boost your chances of being a champion.

Panel at Democratic convention reveals tech firm’s savvy PR operation, in the face of increased scrutiny over its effect on affordable housingAirbnb and Uber pitched the “sharing economy” as a key antidote to wage stagnation and inequality at the Democratic national convention with a campaign that critics say reflects the technology corporations’ pattern of deploying questionable data in its political battles.Coinciding with its panel discussion on Tuesday, the popular home-sharing startup also released results of a survey it commissioned, which claimed that 74% of millennials have a “favorable” impression of the sharing economy and that 81% “want Airbnb to be legal”. Continue reading...

Social network’s users will be able to see key moments and goals in real time via SkyFootball accountTwitter has signed a deal with Sky Sports to show Premier League highlights and goals on the social media site from the 2016/17 season.As part of the agreement, Twitter users in the UK and Ireland will be able to see video clips of key moments and goals from all games broadcast by Sky in real time via the SkyFootball Twitter account. Continue reading...

Conventional wisdom says apps aren’t for old people. But that may change as tech startups take on a sizable need: caring for elderly relativesWhen Alan’s wife, Toby, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s four years ago, the retired geophysicist turned to a not-for-profit in Palo Alto, California – called Avenidas Village – for guidance. Through Avenidas, Alan learned about several online platforms that connect individuals who need home care with workers who provide it.Now, once a week, Alan opens his Windows PC and logs onto the website of a company called Honor, which lets him summon a “CarePro” the way you would call an Uber. These “nice young women”, usually nursing students, look after Toby while Alan goes to attend a lecture or to rehearse with one of several chamber music groups, for which he plays violin. Continue reading...

Rob Rhinehart lacks permits for his ‘experiment in sustainable living’ and has ignored a removal order, which may lead to criminal charges, authorities sayAfter apparently abolishing the need for food with a meal-substitute drink, which spawned a $100m startup, Rob Rhinehart had another epiphany: plonk a shipping container on a hill overlooking Los Angeles.The red metal hulk would be his home, an eco-abode with solar panels and panoramic views that would set a new benchmark in hip, minimalist living. Continue reading...

California court ruled in favor of parents who filed lawsuit after children unknowingly spent hundreds of dollars on Facebook virtual currency for gamesFacebook must provide refunds for purchases made in apps and games by children should they or their parents request it, a California court has ruled.

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

Growing consensus within Obama administration is that Russians infiltrated DNC but there is less certainty that Vladimir Putin’s government is responsibleThe emerging consensus within the Obama administration is that Russian hackers successfully infiltrated the data networks of the Democratic National Committee, the Guardian has learned, although there is less certainty that the Russian government is definitively responsible for the attack.

The ALS Association says money raised by viral charity challenge, dismissed as ‘slacktivism’ by many, has helped identify a new gene associated with the diseaseIt is often easy to dismiss viral charity campaigns as “slacktivism”, which lacks in real-world impact (we never did catch the warlord Joseph Kony, after all) but a breakthrough discovery bankrolled by 2014’s ALS ice bucket challenge may give the lie to that cynicism.The ice bucket challenge was a phenomenon in the summer of 2014 in which people dunked a bucket of iced water over their heads in order to solicit donations before nominating others to do the same.

Chief executive Tim Cook said the computing platform is going to be ‘huge’ as he announced third-quarter revenue was down 15% from last yearApple’s CEO Tim Cook has told investors that augmented reality is going to be “huge” and that the company is investing in the technology.Responding to a question about Pokémon Go Cook said that the game had shown that “AR can be really great”. “We have been and continue to invest in AR in the long run,” he said. “We’ll see whether it’s the next computing platform, but regardless it will be huge.” Continue reading...

Cybercriminals also referred to as Guccifer 2.0 have invaded the White House, state department and German Bundestag between them, security firms sayGuccifer 2.0, the hacker behind the recent Democratic party email leak, is not a single operator but Russian cybercriminals designated Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear by investigators who have invaded the White House and the Bundestag between them, according to leading cybersecurity firms.Security firm ThreatConnect issued a comprehensive report on Tuesday using their own data and data from previous reports by rivals CrowdStrike, Mandiant and Fidelis. Continue reading...

Shares plunge 10% as revenue falls short of analysts’ estimates amid modest gain of 3 million usersTwitter is battling for a share of the internet’s booming video advertising budgets, its executives said on Tuesday, as the company reported its slowest growth in quarterly revenue since going public in 2013.Facing increasing competition from fast-growing competitors such as Snapchat and Instagram, Twitter is attempting to encourage users to stay longer on the platform by adding more live video content from Periscope and on Twitter itself. Continue reading...

Amazon want to fill the skies immediately above our heads with buzzing, swishing drones carrying packages (Amazon to test drone delivery in partnership with UK government, theguardian.com, 26 July). It is reported that the government’s transport ministry is happy to be a partner; and they see this mainly as a matter of sorting out safety issues (we look forward to hearing their plans to deal with terrorists’ use of this technology once the skies are full of “legitimate” drones).But do we, the people, get any say at all? Chris Grayling, the new minister of transport, was a leader of the leave campaign. The population voted leave in protest that unaccountable elites in Brussels were taking decisions behind our backs. Citizens were urged by Mr Grayling to “take back control”. If Amazon had announced this as an EU-backed plan to fill the air with drones, would Mr Grayling be queueing up to smooth its path through government? Continue reading...

Hackers deface technology site while telling visitors attack is only a security test in latest high-profile breachVerizon-owned prominent technology site TechCrunch has become the latest victim of the OurMine hacking group.

Tepco requests Niantic to remove Pokémon character from nuclear plant meltdown areas and evacuation zoneJapan is asking for the Fukushima nuclear exclusion zone to be classified as a no-go area for Pokémon after the discovery of at least one of the game’s characters on a power station’s site.Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco) has requested that Pokémon Go developer Niantic and the Pokémon Company prevent Pokémon appearing in and around areas affected by the nuclear reactor meltdown in Fukushima to help prevent encouraging players to enter dangerous areas. Continue reading...

A team at MIT has created technology that would allow for mass-market 3D consumption without the need for glassesA movie screen that can show 3D films without the need for glasses has been developed by researchers at MIT.Called Cinema 3D, the technology utilises multiple parallax barriers, rather than just the one used for regular 3D viewing. It allows for different viewers to have the same experience, no matter where they are sitting. Continue reading...

Media regulator Ofcom instead orders BT to give further independence and investment powers to broadband divisionBT will not have to sell off its Openreach broadband division despite concerns that it has been starved of investment and provides a poor quality of service to millions of homes.The telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has instead ordered BT to give more independence and investment powers to Openreach, which owns the fibre and copper wires that run from the local telephone exchange to homes and businesses. Continue reading...

The tech-driven city struggles with how to pay for the dark side of the tech boom – a boon for some, a bust for othersIn the 50s and 60s, San Francisco was known as the home of beat poets and hippies. Now, San Francisco is defined by hi-tech firms and the people who work there. Freaks have been replaced by geeks.But this transition has been messier than most. The tech boom has generated thousands of high-paying jobs and vast amounts of wealth. It’s also contributed to a spike in housing costs, a steady rise in evictions, a seismic shift in the identity of neighborhoods and an ever-widening gap between the city’s richest citizens and its poorest. Continue reading...

As the technology boom continues to transform San Francisco, Guardian reporter Dan Tynan speaks with residents about a proposal to tax tech companies in the city to provide more affordable housing and better services for the homeless Continue reading...

Mayer’s hiring in 2012 was deemed a ‘coup’ but costly gambles, such as the $1.1bn acquisition of Tumblr, came to epitomize her doomed effort to reinvent YahooThe sale of Yahoo to Verizon for $4.83bn (£3.62bn) marks the end of a period of intense speculation and ferocious investor activism at the embattled web company. And for the past four years, CEO Marissa Mayer has borne the brunt of that protest, while attempting to turn around Yahoo’s fortunes.

Drones are operating above some of South Africa’s national parks in an attempt to deter and intercept poachers. Poaching is at record levels on the continent, devastating elephant and rhino populations. These drones can fly 2.5 hours on a single charge and up to 22 miles from the control vehicle. The operators say they have seen a direct link between their presence in an area and a fall in poaching Continue reading...

A video animation shows a design by Norman Foster for the world’s first droneport. The facility in Rwanda would support planned cargo drone routes linking remote areas in Africa: a red-line network for emergency supplies and a commercial blue-line network. The team hopes to complete the droneport in 2017

This promotional footage from Silicon Valley tech startup Zipline shows how it would use drones to deliver emergency blood supplies. The company hopes to make up to 150 blood deliveries a day by drone in Rwanda. Difficult transport conditions mean rural health centres across Africa often lack supplies and delivering emergency blood is particularly challenging. A ‘zip’ drone can fly a 75-mile round-trip on a single charge Continue reading...

In sub-Saharan Africa, 38% of people live in cities and 62% live in rural areas. Only 34% of the rural population of sub-Saharan Africa has access to transport. Drones are being tested for use in healthcare, cargo delivery and in conservation. This footage illustrates the challenge of reaching people in remote areas

New Nexus and Android One phone app uses Google’s Caller ID system to identify, flag and block nuisance callersGoogle is taking action against spam callers with a new version of its phone app for Android devices that identifies and helps blocks spammers.

Marketing shock tactics are nothing new, but the product itself is becoming the source of outrage, rather than the techniques used to promote itDon’t have time to pick up your dog’s excrement but do have time to snap a photo and log its location in a smartphone app so that some poor soul can schlep across town to do it for you? Then Pooper is for you.

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

Solar Impulse 2, which landed in Abu Dhabi, is first plane powered by the renewable energy source to tour the globe

The company will run tests to explore the viability of drones carrying deliveries weighing five pounds or less – which make up 90% of Amazon’s salesAmazon has announced that it will partner with the British government to run tests exploring the viability of delivery of small parcels by drone – the first time such tests have been run in the UK.

Future of photo-sharing site remains unclear but its founders say the innovation at Flickr died as soon as it was acquired in 2005As Verizon gobbles up ailing tech company Yahoo for $4.8bn, the prognosis for photo-sharing site Flickr remains unclear.In an age of Instagram and hipster filters, it’s easy to forget that Flickr used to be hands down the best photo sharing tool on the internet, with loads of features and a huge, vibrant community of professional and amateur photographers. It combined a social, celebratory environment with image storage in an era long before Picasa, Dropbox and iCloud. Continue reading...

No injuries after woman fired at least four shots from rooftop on to street near Toronto where smartphone game placed a ‘gym’ for players to battle each otherA Canadian woman has been charged after she allegedly fired a pellet gun at Pokémon Go players from the rooftop of a Toronto-area home, local police said on Monday.Witnesses saw the 29-year-old woman fire at least four shots on Saturday night from the roof of a two-story building, police said in a statement, adding that no players were injured. Continue reading...

Twitter has launched a new ad campaign after discovering that many people still don’t understand it. Thankfully, the Guardian’s guide explains it allAlthough Twitter has been part of the cultural and political discourse for years, a vast percentage of the population still doesn’t understand it. To this blissfully ignorant percentage, tweets are simply the thing that journalists embed on to websites whenever they don’t feel like coming up with their own ideas.However, today Twitter unveiled a brand new advertising campaign aimed exclusively at those who don’t know what Twitter is. Unfortunately, the commercials are so bland and empty that they’re almost certainly doomed to failure. Instead, newcomers are advised to reference a much better resource: this clear, accurate and comprehensive Twitter glossary. Continue reading...

Federal judge bars company from using information gathered by investigating firm Ergo, which may have engaged in criminal conductA federal judge on Monday banned Uber and its CEO, Travis Kalanick, from using information from a background check on a passenger bringing a price-fixing lawsuit, saying the investigative firm conducting the inquiry may have engaged in criminal conduct.

Purchase will boost Verizon’s AOL with advertising technology tools and search, mail and messenger assetsVerizon agreed to buy Yahoo’s core internet business for $4.83bn (£3.62bn) in cash on Monday, marking the final chapter in the struggling fortunes of the fading web pioneer.Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s chief executive officer, has faced a barrage of criticism over her tenure. She hit out at “gender-charged” reporting in an interview with the Financial Times after the sale. Continue reading...

As the internet company sells its core web business to Verizon, we take a look back at AOL, Myspace and other faded firmsYahoo on Monday joined the elephant’s graveyard of fallen internet giants. While the company is officially still alive, now merged with fellow faller AOL and owned by Verizon, it lives on as a shadow of its former self with an uncertain future. The internet has proven a ferocious testing ground for tech companies. Here are some of the other once white-hot companies that have failed to adapt and survive. Continue reading...

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee, announced her resignation on Sunday following a leak of internal DNC emails that showed officials favoring Hillary Clinton during the presidential primary. The resignation comes on the eve of the Democratic national convention, and on Monday protesters voiced their support for Sanders though he is no longer in the running for the presidency Continue reading...

Verizon has acquired your emails, photos and embarrassing teenage blogs (plus a former NYT columnist and an ABC host)Verizon has acquired Yahoo in an all-cash deal for $4.83bn. The buy-out, which only covers Yahoo’s “core web business”, is an ignoble end for one of the original giants of the web: it places the value of the company, with more than 10,000 employees, at just half that of Finnish developer Supercell, the maker of the popular Clash of Clans mobile game.But perhaps the most surprising thing is quite how much Verizon is getting for its money. If you have an image of Yahoo at all, you probably know it as a search engine (now actually powered by Microsoft’s Bing, and before that by Google) and a listings site (originally a literal hand-created directory of good sites on the internet, now more focused on the company’s news aggregation service). But for those who haven’t kept tabs on Yahoo’s continued struggles to reinvent itself, the company is now sprawling, with fingers in almost every pie a web firm could want. Continue reading...

Shadow chancellor and Labour leader, who are proposing to scrap research tax relief for industry, had sponsored early day motionJeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell jointly called for the UK to remain “a world leader” in pharmaceuticals research two years ago, it has emerged, a day after a plan by the pair to crack down on tax relief for innovation relating to the industry was unveiled.An early day motion in April 2014 by Corbyn and McDonnell, then backbenchers, sponsored by three other MPs, called on the government to “protect employment and skills” within UK pharmaceuticals. Continue reading...

Russian authorities hope residents and visitors will be as keen to hunt Napoleon and Tchaikovsky as Nidoking and TirtougaMoscow authorities have developed a Pokemon Go-style app in the hope of piggybacking on the game’s popularity to promote the history of the city.The app encourages users to hunt for historic people connected to the city and “catch” them by taking a selfie with a 3-D representation of each figure on their smartphone, according to Moscow’s department of information technologies. Continue reading...

Wherever you are in the non-virtual world, if you’re playing Pokémon Go, we want to hear from you

With smartphone use and web penetration soaring, Africa is set for a tech revolution – but only if its infrastructure can support itYou can buy sunlight with your phone, conduct an eye test on someone 100 miles away and attend a church service on your iPad. There are apps for investing in cows, for sending parcels and for mapping unrest. And soon you’ll be able to deliver blood and medicines by drone.There’s free Facebook, mobile banking, and the promise of cashless societies and digitised land records. And from Accra in the west to Kigali in the east, a spray of “tech hubs” talk about “leapfrogging” technology and incubating start-ups. Continue reading...

As part of the Guardian’s series on technology in Africa, we meet 10 leaders of the continent’s digital transformationAfrica’s digital transformation would be nothing without the tens of thousands of people who have invested, and continue to invest, energy into propelling it forward.They are the leading lights driving change in infrastructure, mobile connectivity, online activism, e-commerce and financial services. Some are opening up digital cultural spaces or working to bring in investment for tech startups. Continue reading...

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

Openreach could have autonomous board with greater say on investment, ahead of Ofcom decision over whether company’s network hinders rivalsBT is willing to give more autonomy to its Openreach broadband network division, creating an independent board with a greater say over investment, its chairman has said.Rival telecom providers who rely on BT’s network have accused the group of not investing enough and providing a poor quality of service and regulator Ofcom has threatened to break up Britain’s biggest telecoms provider if it does not improve broadband access in the country. Continue reading...