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Updated 2025-09-18 13:03
X sues watchdog group Media Matters after report on ads next to Nazi posts
Companies such as IBM and Comcast pulled ads from the firm after the non-profits's report said ads appeared next to harmful contentThe social media platform X on Monday sued the media watchdog group Media Matters, alleging the organization defamed the platform after it published a report that said ads for major brands had appeared next to posts touting Nazism.X, formerly Twitter, has faced growing outrage since Media Matters published the report on Thursday, which led IBM, Comcast and several other advertisers to pull ads from the platform in response. Continue reading...
OpenAI staff threaten to quit en masse unless Sam Altman is reinstated
More than 600 employees demand resignation of board after shock firing of chief executive
What’s been going on at the company behind ChatGPT – and why it matters
OpenAI has been at the centre of a Silicon Valley corporate drama since the recent sacking of CEO Sam Altman
Use of AI could create a four-day week for almost one-third of workers
Thinktank study highlights productivity gains, as well as improvement in work-life balance for 28% of the workforce in Britain and the US, as a result of implementing artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence could enable millions of workers to move to a four-day week by 2033, according to a new study focusing on British and American workforces.The report from the thinktank Autonomy found that projected productivity gains from the introduction of AI could reduce the working week from 40 to 32 hours for 28% of the workforce - 8.8 million people in Britain and 35 million in the US - while maintaining pay and performance. Continue reading...
Forget Debrett’s. Here is my phone etiquette advice – whatever your age | Zoe Williams
From Gen Z to boomers, each generation engages in some truly reprehensible smartphone behaviour. Don't get me started on voice notes...When Debrett's issued their ten commandments of mobile etiquette, the most surprising thing was that the first six were all a variation on don't just call someone, send a text first". So, in no particular order of importance because they are all the same; don't call without texting; don't call loads of times; don't be surprised if no one answers when you call, which you shouldn't have done; if you did all these bad things and no one picked up, send a text afterwards to explain why you are stupid; if someone does pick up, don't be surprised if they freak the hell out, because you shouldn't have called; make sure your opening gambit is nothing bad has happened".It reads like padding, which is weird, because there are at least a thousand other principles of mobile phone manners they could have mentioned. Please, gen X, stop leaving voice notes; it doesn't make you seem modern, it comes off as if some infirmity has prevented your texting, probably arthritic thumbs. Young people: Watch how I can text a perfectly accurate message without once looking at the screen" is not the spectator sport you think it is. Boomers: if you are in the middle of a conversation about something quite profound, such as the choreography of your low-carbon funeral, and whether a mariachi band would strike a discordant note against your wicker coffin, and the guy from the delicatessen calls, probably to tell you that he has made mini-lasagnes, you don't necessarily have to beg silence from the room and answer the phone. Continue reading...
Young Americans are picking up the Qur’an ‘to understand the resilience of Muslim Palestinians’
Readers find themes that align with their values as they seek to grow empathy' for a religion long vilified in the westMegan B Rice loves reading. She started a romance novel club on the instant messaging platform Discord and posts book reviews on TikTok. Last month Rice, who is 34 and lives in Chicago, used her social media accounts to speak out about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.I wanted to talk about the faith of Palestinian people, how it's so strong, and they still find room to make it a priority to thank God, even when they have everything taken away from them," she said in an interview. Continue reading...
‘Our goal is to keep Pokémon alive for hundreds of years’: Pokémon’s chief’s plans for Pikachu and pals
Not content with a billion fans, The Pokemon Company's COO Takato Utsunomiya talks about his plan to catch the rest of humanity - and for the far-reaching franchise to outlive us allWhen Satoshi Tajiri was a child, he developed a fascination with insects. Growing up in the greater Tokyo suburb of Machida, he'd spend summer days peeling back plants and scouring the undergrowth for creepy crawlies, carefully adding each new insect to his collection. This eyebrow-raising hobby earned him the playground nickname Mr Bug" from his teasing classmates, but Tajiri had the last laugh. After all, it was this formative obsession that inspired his crowning achievement - Pokemon.Thirty-three years later, that first duo of ambitious Game Boy games has blossomed into the world's highest-grossing media franchise, beating behemoths such as Star Wars and Marvel. Tajiri took a step back from his cutesy creation in 2012, and his developer Game Freak is now part of a larger Pokemon Company - whose COO, Takato Utsunomiya, now sits in front of me in Yokohama. Continue reading...
Sonos Move 2 review: serious quality sound with twice the battery life
Full-size portable speaker gets stereo and bass upgrade, plus better wifi, Bluetooth and touch controlsSonos's top-class battery-powered wifi and Bluetooth speaker has been given an all-round upgrade with double the battery life, impressive stereo sound and new touch controls.The Move 2 is certainly not your average portable speaker. It costs 449 (499/$449/A$799) and aims to be the only sound system you need for indoor and outdoor use, weighing 3kg and sized about the same as a traditional bookshelf speaker.Dimensions: 241 x 160 x 127mmWeigh: 3kgConnectivity: wifi 6, Bluetooth 5, USB-C, AirPlay 2, Spotify ConnectBattery: 44Wh (24 hours playback), 120 hours standby, three hours to chargeCharging: Included dock or USB-C 45WWater resistance: IP56 (dust and high-pressure water jets) Continue reading...
Do electric cars pose a greater fire risk than petrol or diesel vehicles?
The first in a series exploring the myths and realities surrounding EVsWhen a fire ripped through a car park at Luton airport last month it set off a round of speculation that an electric vehicle was to blame. The theory was quickly doused by the Bedfordshire fire service, which said the blaze appeared to have started in a diesel car.Yet the rumour refused to be quelled, spreading on social media like, well, wildfire. Even when these stories are patiently debunked, they come back as zombie myths that refuse to die. Continue reading...
Ousted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman ‘in talks to return at firm’s HQ’
Boss was sacked by ChatGPT developer over failure to be candid in his communications'
For which tasks is artificial intelligence least well suited?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsFor which tasks is artificial intelligence least well suited? Neil Hislop, ReadingPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday. Continue reading...
Magic touch: how ‘revolutionary’ changes are making braille better than ever
Braille is nearly two centuries old, but, rather than being supplanted by new technology, advocates say the script is having a new lease on life
Black Friday strike could mark the beginning of the end for Amazon’s war on unions
Rising GMB membership, cross-border action and a probable new government point to better times for thousands of workersTen months after their first historic walkout, GMB members at Amazon's huge Coventry warehouse are staging a 28th day of strike action this week, to coincide with Black Friday.The seeds of the dispute were sown in summer 2022, when some staff reacted furiously to being told their pay would rise by 50p an hour, taking the basic rate to 10.50. Continue reading...
The latest Google phone promises to transform my children into perfect, smiling angels. Why would I want that? | Tom Whyman
It can retouch, replace and remodel all it wants - I much prefer the fun and mess of unvarnished childhood snapsI love taking photos of my children. Not because I'm obsessed with sharing them on social media or anything like that (equally, I'm not one of those parents who considers doing this some sort of dreadful ethical violation). These are images to be scrolled through with their mother after we've spent another too-long day wearily struggling to look after them; to be shared, every now and again, on WhatsApp groups of family or friends.This has especially been the case since last year, when I, normally a committed luddite, finally got a smartphone with a camera good enough to take something other than murky, pixelated blurs. Now I long to do justice to the look of wild triumph on my son's face as he poses with the lollipop he has won for being the last reception kid standing at musical chairs; to catch my toddler daughter having inadvertently struck a pose straight out of a Mini Boden catalogue. I grab my phone, find the right angle, get a few shots - all before she spots me taking pictures and inevitably staggers over, gurning cheeeeeessse". Continue reading...
Sam Altman was the trusted face of AI. His firm, though, is much more complex
The conflicts of interest built into OpenAI's corporate structure may be a bigger story than the loss of its leaderThe news on Friday that Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, had been abruptly sacked by the company's board came as a shock to the tech industry.Mr Altman's departure," said the ponderous announcement, follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities. The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI." Continue reading...
‘We don’t hold anything back’: meet the Old Gays, TikTok’s most influential pensioners
When four gay men with an average age of 74 started appearing on TikTok, they became an instant hit. They talk about how, as their audience has grown, their outfits have shrunkNo written description quite captures the joy-inducing positivity of their online videos: bopping along to Taylor Swift in slinky striped swimwear; countless dance trends and TikTok challenges, completed in various seductive states of undress. Twirling and whirling in only feather boas and Speedos to Kylie. Clips neatly edited to cut from outfit to outfit, often climaxing in the skimpiest of one-piece swimwear. Over the last six years, the foursome have become certified social media superstars, but not like any other. We're The Old Gays," they say, collectively, a TikTok sensation with 11 million followers and counting. And if you're not on TikTok, honey, you're living in the past."Today, the four are sitting squarely together in front of a laptop camera: two on low chairs upfront, the others perched on stools right behind. We're here to discuss their new book: The Old Gays Guide to the Good Life. As always on occasions like this, they've coalesced at 80-year-old Robert's place: a house in Cathedral City, deep in the California desert. He's sitting back right, behind Mick, 67, a committed bodybuilder, and Robert's housemate for the past 10 years. Then there's Jessay, 70, whose home is directly across the street. He's a professional singer; the only Black member of the group. And I'm Bill, 79," comes the final introduction. I live a couple of miles down the road. Before the Old Gays, we'd all get together and have dinner parties, get stoned, celebrate the holidays. Now we see so much of each other at work we stay away in our spare time." He winks. More colleagues than friends." Continue reading...
Sam Altman ‘was working on new venture’ before sacking from OpenAI
Company behind Chat GPT said to be in turmoil as top staff join exodusSam Altman, the recently sacked boss of OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT bot, was telling investors he planned to launch a new company before his shock departure, it was claimed.The former OpenAI president, Greg Brockman, is also expected to join Altman after he quit the artificial intelligence firm along with other key senior executives following Altman's abrupt departure. Continue reading...
If you think ‘bossware’ surveillance culture in the workplace is new, think again | John Naughton
The rise of intrusive software that lets employers monitor workers' every move is part of ruthless corporate mindset, but its origins go back to 1900s scientific management theoriesThere are," F Scott Fitzgerald once observed, no second acts in American lives." Except when there are. Exhibit A in this connection is Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915), the founder of a religion originally called scientific management" and now colloquially known as Taylorism. Its founder believed that there was no such thing as skilled work, only work", and that all work could be analysed the same way. His idea, set out in The Principles of Scientific Management (1911), was that every worker should be trained into new working habits until he continually and habitually works in accordance with scientific laws, which have been developed by some one else", such as managers or time-and-motion experts.The formula could be boiled down to this: stopwatch plus coercion minus trade unions, and in an age of mass production, it created the world memorably satirised by Charlie Chaplin in his film Modern Times. The management guru Peter Drucker once wrote that Taylor should be ranked with Charles Darwin, Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud as one of the makers of the modern world". Continue reading...
‘I employ a lot of hackers’: how a stock exchange chief deters cyber-attacks
Six Group, which operates the Swiss and Spanish bourses, is a target for cyberwarfare and must be on guard, its boss saysSix Group counts its profit in millions, but the financial pipework it controls moves billions. Its operations, which include the Spanish and Swiss stock exchanges, count as critical national infrastructure and this gives it a close relationship with governments and regulators in Madrid and Zurich.Those relationships are critical in an age where digital warfare makes financial infrastructure a prime target for hackers linked to hostile states. Jos Dijsselhof, the Dutch chief executive of the Swiss-based stock exchange group, is open about the scale of the challenge. I employ a lot of hackers," he says, tapping the table sharply. Sometimes it takes one to know one." Continue reading...
Elon Musk to file ‘thermonuclear lawsuit’ as advertisers desert X
Social media firm boss says he will sue media watchdog that said ads were being placed alongside antisemitic contentElon Musk has said he will be filing a thermonuclear lawsuit" against Media Matters and others, after major US companies paused their adverts on his social media site over concerns about antisemitism.The media watchdog Media Matters said earlier this week that it found corporate advertisements by IBM, Apple, Oracle and Comcast's Xfinity were being placed alongside antisemitic content, including that praising Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Continue reading...
‘The cars’ lights flowed like a river’: Koichi Miyase’s best phone picture
The Japanese photographer finds beauty in an Osaka traffic jamOne evening after finishing work, I looked out of my hotel room window and saw a long traffic jam on the expressway below," says Koichi Miyase, a Japanese freelance photographer. I was struck by how the cars' lights flowed like a river through the city's buildings."Miyase often uses his smartphone to capture casual" scenes. I'm attracted to them because you can edit photos and post them all in one place on social media." Continue reading...
Apple, Disney and IBM to pause ads on X after antisemitic Elon Musk tweet
Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, attempted to do damage control as Paramount and Warner Bros among others also pulled adsApple will pause all its advertising on X, formerly Twitter, two days after owner Elon Musk tweeted his enthusiastic agreement with an antisemitic post.A cascade of other major technology and media companies, from IBM to Disney, made similar announcements on Friday. Continue reading...
OpenAI fires co-founder and CEO Sam Altman for allegedly lying to company board
AI firm's board said Altman was not consistently candid in his communications with the board' and had lost its confidence
White House condemns Elon Musk’s ‘abhorrent’ antisemitic tweets
The X owner tweeted that a post about Jewish people hating white people was the actual truth', prompting backlashJoe Biden has excoriated Elon Musk's abhorrent" tweets two days after the X owner posted his full-throated agreement with an antisemitic post.A statement from the White House issued on Friday said: We condemn this abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate in the strongest terms, which runs against our core values as Americans." Continue reading...
Microsoft releases AI tool for photorealistic copying of faces and voices
In response to criticism that Azure AI Speech was simply a deepfakes creator', Microsoft said it had implemented safeguardsMicrosoft announced its latest contribution to the artificial intelligence race at its developer conference this week: software that can generate new avatars and voices or replicate the existing appearance and speech of a user - raising concerns that it could supercharge the creation of deepfakes, AI-made videos of events that didn't happen.Announced at Microsoft Ignite 2023, Azure AI Speech is trained with human images and allows users to input a script that can then be read" aloud by a photorealistic avatar created with artificial intelligence. Users can either choose a preloaded Microsoft avatar or upload footage of a person whose voice and likeness they want to replicate. Microsoft said in a blog post published on Wednesday that the tool could be used to build conversational agents, virtual assistants, chatbots and more". Continue reading...
Anti-hate group says lawsuit from Elon Musk’s X ‘riddled with deficiencies’
Center for Countering Digital Hate files motion to dismiss claim by X, formerly TwitterThe anti-hate speech group being sued by Elon Musk's X has accused the company of lodging a claim riddled with legal deficiencies" and trying to intimidate and censor it, amid growing pressure over the platform's pro-Nazi content and its owner's support for an antisemitic post.The Center for Countering Digital Hate has filed a motion to dismiss a civil lawsuit brought by X, formerly Twitter, which accused the non-profit organisation of a number of legal breaches. Continue reading...
Experience: I invented the lickable TV
My creation was well received - the BBC described it as netlicks'During the pandemic, Tokyo's bustling Meiji University campus stood still. My students were confined to their homes, appearing only as small figures on my screen during Zoom lectures on human-computer interaction. I spent the days in my lab, looking for ways to pass the time.On a particularly bland day in 2020, I was reminiscing about how, before the pandemic, Tokyo used to be packed with people who had flown across the world to enjoy the exciting food scene. But now restaurants were empty and people longed for foods they once relished. I missed drinking wine in a bar, watching others enjoying their evenings. I wondered how I could contribute during these trying times. That's when inspiration struck: why not create a device to bring the flavours of the world into people's homes? Continue reading...
The creators of Bluey: The Videogame on making a kids’ game that’s also about parenting
The Bluey TV show has blossomed into a cultural phenomenon, not least because of its frank, empathic take on parenting. But how to replicate that in a children's video game?Following Peppa Pig's capable reign as the most bearable option for overwhelmed parents looking for respite from the gaudy assault that is preschooler TV, a family of Australian dogs has set a new standard for what kids' shows can offer grownups. That family are the Heelers, stars of the tremendously popular children's animated sitcom Bluey - at one point Australia's most watched television programme, and more popular than Succession in the US.
Elon Musk agrees with tweet accusing Jewish people of ‘hatred against whites’
Owner of X responds to antisemitic tweet calling it the actual truth' and criticizes Anti-Defamation LeagueElon Musk tweeted his fervent agreement with an antisemitic statement on Wednesday night.A tweet posted by @breakingbaht on Wednesday night read: Jewish communties [sic] have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them." Continue reading...
Apple agrees to improve texting between iPhones and Androids
After years of reluctance, company announces iPhones will support RCS messaging standardApple plans to adopt a messaging standard that will allow for a smoother texting experience between iPhones and Android devices, long a point of contention with rival Google.For years, Apple has refused to make its products play nice with devices not designed under its roof, a dynamic exemplified in the green background that is the hallmark of iPhone-to-Android chats. Continue reading...
TikTok ‘aggressively’ taking down videos promoting Bin Laden ‘letter to America’
Platform says content promoting letter - published on the Guardian's website two decades ago - clearly violates our rules'TikTok is proactively and aggressively" taking down videos boosting a letter written by Osama bin Laden laying out his justification for the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the company said in a statement on Thursday.Videos referencing the 2002 letter, which was published on the Guardian's website two decades ago, had spread across multiple social networks earlier in the week, though how widely was unclear. Continue reading...
Meta deflects child harm inquiry by pointing to Apple and Google app stores
As US Senate began looking at the firm's failures to shield children, it called for laws requiring parental approval of app downloadsMeta called on US lawmakers on Wednesday to regulate Google and Apple's app stores to better protect children, the same day that the Senate began investigating Meta's failures to shield children using its platforms.In a blogpost titled Parenting in a Digital World Is Hard. Congress Can Make It Easier, Antigone Davis, Meta's global head of safety, called for federal legislation that would mandate app stores to notify parents whenever a child between the age of 13 and 16 downloads an app, and would solicit the parents' approval. Children under 13 are already prohibited from creating accounts and downloading apps without a parent's go-ahead. Continue reading...
Atari 2600+ review – a perfect 1970s pop cultural relic
This painstaking reproduction of one of the earliest and most beloved games consoles is light on games, but heavy on nostalgic kickThe Atari 2600 is, for a certain generation of gamers, the most nostalgia-igniting console ever made. From its wood veneer fascia to its chunky carts and the legendary CX40 joystick, the machine evokes the very dawn of the games industry, before Sony, Microsoft or even Nintendo arrived to dominate it all. Even for those of us never fortunate enough to own one, the image of it was everywhere, from Grattan catalogues and comic book adverts, to TV programmes and movies such as ET, Electric Dreams and Gremlins. It was a machine that brought seminal arcade experiences to 30m homes around the world.Now it is back as the 2600+, in a mini format, with HDMI connectivity for modern TVs and a cartridge slot that will play not just newly manufactured carts, but most of the original 2600 and later 7800 titles. Perhaps even more than the mini consoles from Sega, Sony and Nintendo, it captures the technical and aesthetic features of the original machine. As well as two joystick ports (which allow you to plug in the original pads, if you have any that still work), the console has switches to select game difficulty, as well as reset and choose game modes, and you can opt between colour and black and white graphics - all features from the original 2600 models. You even get a reproduction of that wooden front panel. Fans of the original will get a rush of memories with every flick of the power switch and jab at the fire button. Continue reading...
AI is coming for our jobs! Could universal basic income be the solution?
Artificial intelligence will bring huge changes to the world of work - and dangers for society. Some think they can be solved by just handing everyone money. Is there a catch?The idea of a guaranteed income for all has been floating around for centuries, its popularity ebbing and flowing with the passing tide of current events. While it is still considered by many to be a radical concept, proponents of a universal basic income (UBI) no longer see it only as a solution to poverty but as the answer to some of the biggest threats faced by modern workers: wage inequality, job insecurity - and the looming possibility of AI-induced job losses.Elon Musk, at the recent Bletchley Park summit, said he believed no job is needed" due to the development of AI, and that a job can be for personal satisfaction". Economist and political theorist Karl Widerquist, professor of philosophy at Georgetown University-Qatar, sees it differently. Continue reading...
John Legend and Sia among singers to trial AI versions of voices with YouTube
Google-owned video platform opens up Dream Track experiment to produce 30-second soundtracksYouTube has teamed up with music artists including John Legend and Sia to offer AI-generated versions of their singing voices as soundtracks for creator videos.The Google-owned video platform is using a music generation model created by the search company's AI unit to produce the unique 30-second clips in a limited trial. Continue reading...
Best podcasts of the week: From Spice Girls to Sugababes, how Britain’s girlbands conquered the world
In this week's newsletter: The Saturdays' Mollie King explores the history of Britain's dominant female groups in Where It's At. Plus: five of the most underrated podcasts Don't get Hear Here delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereSpringleaf
Rishi Sunak’s AI plan has no teeth – and once again, big tech is ready to exploit that | Georg Riekeles and Max von Thun
Tech companies are pushing the idea that the only way to make AI safe is to leave them in control. Trusting them could lead to disasterThis month, the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, convened government representatives, AI companies and experts at Bletchley Park - the historic home of Allied code-breaking during the second world war - to discuss how the much-hyped technology can be deployed safely.The summit has been rightly criticised on a number of grounds, including prioritising input from big tech over civil society voices, and fixating on far-fetched existential risks over tangible everyday harms. But the summit's biggest failure - itself a direct result of those biases - was that it had nothing meaningful to say about reining in the dominant corporations that pose the biggest threat to our safety.Georg Riekeles is associate director of the European Policy Centre, an independent thinktank based in Brussels. Max von Thun is director of Europe and transatlantic partnerships at the Open Markets Institute, an anti-monopoly thinktank
Meta allows Facebook and Instagram ads saying 2020 election was rigged
Policy was reportedly introduced quietly in 2022 after the US midterm primary elections, according to the WSJMeta is now allowing Facebook and Instagram to run political advertising saying the 2020 election was rigged.The policy was reportedly introduced quietly in 2022 after the US midterm primary elections, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the decision. The previous policy prevented Republican candidates from running ads arguing during that campaign that the 2020 election, which Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden, was stolen. Continue reading...
Pushing Buttons: How Grand Theft Auto 6 has been a decade in the making (so far)
In this week's newsletter: It has been a decade since Rockstar's last instalment of its close-to-the-bone satire of the US underworld. But will it have the same resonance in a post-truth world? Don't get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereLast week, Rockstar revealed in a blogpost that the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 would debut in early December. This sent everyone into paroxysms, particularly publisher Take-Two's shareholders, who enjoyed a nice little bump in their theoretical wealth. Meanwhile, delirious fans are attempting to use the moon to predict the game's release date.Let's remember that Rockstar hasn't actually revealed a game: it just announced the reveal of a game. But that game is Grand Theft Auto, so that was enough to make it the biggest news of the month. Continue reading...
Goodbye Omegle: how the anonymous chatroom traumatized our teen years
My generation became a target for abuse on the video-chat site - and our parents had no idea
From Sensible Soccer to Sociable Soccer: Jon Hare is back with a new football game
Hare's new opus Sociable Soccer 24 aims to bring the joys of arcade-style football games to a new generation of players and consolesFor a sports video game to have any sort of life even a couple of years after release is rare nowadays. But when I meet Jon Hare, the genial, garrulous co-founder of Britsoft powerhouse Sensible Software (and one of Norwich City's biggest fans) at Bafta in London, he invites me to a forthcoming event where enthusiasts will gather to play and celebrate his game Sensible Soccer - which was originally released for the Commodore Amiga in 1992.Sensible Soccer exerted tremendous influence at that time, helping to put football games on the map in an age before Fifa, and it has demonstrated unfeasible longevity. But Hare, now head of Tower Studios, is initially keen to talk about something else: the imminent release of his newest game, Sociable Soccer 24, out this week on PC and a little later on consoles. Continue reading...
Techscape: NFTs were meant to change everything – what happened?
In this week's newsletter: in early 2022 non-fungible tokens' were a supposedly revolutionary million-dollar asset. Now, they're practically worthless Don't get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereA funny thing happened in Hong Kong earlier this month. Well, funny unless you were there.The annual ApeFest, where collectors of Bored Ape NFTs (remember them?) took place in Hong Kong (for the uninitiated, NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, can be linked to products like digital artworks and traded for cryptocurrencies on the open market). Nouveau-riche investors who got rich off the back of the revolutionary technology and investment products came together to party. Hard. Continue reading...
Nepal says it will ban TikTok, citing effect on ‘social harmony’
Minister for communications and information technology says the popular video-sharing platform disrupts family structures'Nepal has said it will ban TikTok, citing negative effects on the country's social harmony".The popular video-sharing platform, which has around a billion monthly users, has faced restrictions in many countries for alleged breaches of data rules and for the potentially harmful impact on youth of some content. Continue reading...
Bose QC Ultra earbuds review: top-class noise cancelling with audio upgrade
New immersive sound and better Bluetooth update for comfortable and popular earbudsBose's commuter favourite QuietComfort earbuds have been given an upgrade, setting the standard with best-in-class noise cancelling and new immersive audio features.Costing 300 (350/$300/A$450) the QC Ultra earbuds are 20 more than the excellent QC Earbuds II they effectively replace, rubbing shoulders with the best in the business from Sennheiser, Sony and Apple.Water resistance: sweat resistant (IPX4)Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 (SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive)Battery life: 6 hours (up to 24 hours with case)Earbud dimensions: 17.2 x 30.5 x 22.4mmEarbud weight: 6.24g eachCharging case dimensions: 59.4 x 66.3 x 26.7mmCharging case weight: 59.8gCase charging: USB-C Continue reading...
How Chinese firm linked to repression of Uyghurs aids Israeli surveillance in West Bank
Cameras made by Hikvision, which is blacklisted in US, blanket the occupied West Bank, according to Amnesty InternationalIn the occupied Palestinian territories, there are cameras everywhere. In Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem, residents say cameras were installed by Israeli police up and down their streets, peering into their homes. One resident named Sara said she and her family could be detected as if the cameras were just in our house ... we couldn't feel at home in our own house and had to be fully dressed all the time."Surveillance cameras now cover the Damascus Gate, the main entrance into the old city of Jerusalem and one of the only public areas for Palestinians to gather socially and hold demonstrations. It's at that gate that Palestinians are being watched and assessed at all times", according to an Amnesty International report, Automated Apartheid. These cameras have created a chilling effect on not just the ability to protest but also on the daily lives of Palestinians who live under occupation, according to Amnesty investigators. The organization had previously concluded that Israel has established a system of apartheid against Palestinians. Continue reading...
‘I just love how sisterly they are. I love the mischief’: William Lepper’s best phone picture
A meander through north-east London led the photographer to a fun, spontaneous moment of family bondingSome people need directions when you're taking their photo," William Lepper says. Some people just perform. Chani and Kamaria were definitely in the latter camp."Photographer Lepper was in his local area of Walthamstow, north-east London, on a sunny August afternoon this year, passing down Pretoria Avenue. He spotted Chani and her granddaughter, Kamaria, up ahead. Chani had just picked Kamaria up from nursery and was taking her to a cafe for lunch, but the pair had passed a friend along the way and stopped to chat. Continue reading...
Nvidia to release three new AI chips for China after US restrictions – report
Reports come weeks after US blocked Nvidia from selling two high-end AI chips and a top gaming chip to Chinese firmsNvidia is planning to release three new chips for China, according to local media reports, weeks after the US blocked it from selling two high-end artificial intelligence (AI) chips and one of its top gaming chips to Chinese firms.Nvidia could announce the chips - the HGX H20, L20 PCIe and L2 PCIe - as soon as 16 November, the Star Market Daily news outlet reported, citing people familiar with the matter Continue reading...
Like horses laid off by the car: BT tech chief’s AI job losses analogy draws anger
Harmeen Mehta criticised for equating human workers with beasts of burden' and denigrating right to strikeBT's technology chief, Harmeen Mehta, has suggested workers whose jobs are threatened by AI accept their fate as evolution", comparing them to horses replaced by the car.In an interview with the business website Raconteur, Mehta said: I dont know how horses felt when the car was invented, but they didn't complain that they were put out of a job; they didn't go on strike. Continue reading...
Apple suffers setback in fight against EU order to pay £11bn tax bill in Ireland
Top adviser to European court of justice says ruling three years ago in tech giant's favour should be set asideApple has suffered a setback in its battle against an order to pay an alleged 13bn (11.3bn) tax bill in Ireland, after one of the top advisers to the European court of justice (ECJ) said a ruling in the tech company's favour should be set side.It is the latest twist in a near 10-year saga over allegations that Apple received favourable tax status in Ireland which resulted in a 13bn benefit, in which the tech company sided with the Irish government in battling an order to pay up issued by Europe's competition watchdog. Continue reading...
Best podcasts of the week: Tales of transition, queer joy and more to mark Transgender Awareness Week
In this week's newsletter: Figures from Charlie Craggs to Mika Onyx celebrate the full spectrum of the trans experience in a new Anthem Talks series. Plus: five of the best podcasts about recent history Don't get Hear Here delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereAnthems Talks: Transgender Awareness Week
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