The scientist on why studying elementary particles is only one way of explaining phenomena, how the 3D printer could change the world, and her optimism about women in scienceChiara Marletto is a research fellow at Wolfson College, University of Oxford. Her research is in theoretical physics – especially quantum computation, thermodynamics and information theory. Her broader interests include theoretical biology, epistemology and Italian literature. The Science of Can and Can’t: A Physicist’s Journey Through the Land of Counterfactuals attempts to forward a new foundational basis for physics. It is her first non-academic book.You argue for a radically different approach to physics, which you call the science of can and can’t. What does that mean?
The company has revealed 47,700 faulty boxes had to be replaced in just four months to March 2021 in NSW homesNBN Co has revealed it has been forced to replace close to 50,000 faulty broadband devices in homes across New South Wales in just four months due to lightning damage.Last week Guardian Australia reported NBN Co had been forced to replace 10,000 modems in the Blue Mountains after they had been fried after being struck by lightning. One resident reporting seeing blue sparks shooting out of the modem during a severe lightning storm this month. Continue reading...
Players such as Weezy or Getir aim to make ordering milk, wine or crisps as easy as turning to Spotify or NetflixCheap groceries, free delivery, on your the doorstep in 10 to 20 minutes. Fast-track grocery services have sprung up like weeds during the pandemic with players pulling out all the stops to tempt in shoppers.At least seven key players are vying for dominance in the UK. Most are currently focused on London, with only Weezy, Fancy and Gorillas venturing outside the capital so far. But all the major players, who also include Getir, Dija, Zapp and Jiffy, are planning to expand into new cities this year with Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and beyond in their sights. Continue reading...
False Covid claims, including that Scott Morrison faked getting his vaccine, among the content removed from the popular platformFalse claims about Covid vaccines – including that the Australian prime minister faked getting his jab – were among some of the hundreds of Australian videos TikTok removed from its platform as part of a misinformation crackdown.In February, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Microsoft, Redbubble, Apple, Adobe and TikTok signed on to a new voluntary industry code aimed at combating misinformation and disinformation online. Continue reading...
The Fortnite maker, the most popular game in the world, claims the way Apple runs its App Store amounts to a monopolyTim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, took the stand on Friday as the star witness in a high-stakes case brought by Epic Games that could upend the company’s business model.The trial stems from an antitrust lawsuit filed last year by Epic Games, the maker of the wildly popular video game Fortnite. The game became the most popular in the world in recent years, generating more than $9bn total for Epic in 2018 and 2019. Continue reading...
Retail giant offering $100,000 reward for more information on nooses, the first of which appeared on 27 April in ConnecticutAmazon has closed a construction site in Windsor, Connecticut, after seven nooses were discovered there in the past month.The retail giant is offering a $100,000 reward for more information on the nooses, the first of which appeared on 27 April, hanging from a steel beam of the building. Continue reading...
Justin McLeod, boss of the dating app, talks about its massive rise in users, his difficult romantic past – and why people are now ditching their partners and looking for someone newThe whiteboard on the living room wall behind Justin McLeod’s sofa frames his head like a halo. But it is also symbolic of the chasm between good intentions and reality that many of us may have experienced recently. This high-achieving CEO says that, while working from home, he was “going to write a lot on that”, but didn’t. He turns to look at its blank expanse. It’s comforting for those of us who also haven’t used this change of pace for vast plans and self-improvement. Which is not to say that McLeod has had a quiet year – far from it. Isolating at home, without the usual options of meeting people, he saw a 63% rise in the number of people downloading Hinge, his dating app. And revenues tripled.McLeod seems grounded and realistic – a romantic who doesn’t believe in “the one”, a tech founder with a concern about what tech is doing to us and a husband with a romcom-worthy story about how he met his wife, but who also admits to weekly couples’ counselling. The pandemic has had a big impact on the dating landscape, he says. People switched to video dating, for a start. It was moving that way anyway, he says, but the “pandemic accelerated it”. Continue reading...
Apps tracking hormones and a gadget combatting hot flushes are some of the latest innovations in the femtech market, which is predicted to be worth $60bn by 2027When lifelong worrier Louise Stevenson asked her husband whether her anxiety was damaging, his answer stopped her in her tracks. “He said it had a negative impact on absolutely everything.” It was the prompt she needed to seek help.Diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder, she searched for tech-based tools to complement her therapy. “But I couldn’t find an app that offered what I wanted,” she says. “I was literally scribbling down my worries on backs of envelopes.” So the 41-year-old mum from Herefordshire ditched her job in financial services, created Worry Tree – one of 15 approved mental health tools in the NHS app library – and entered the flourishing femtech sector. Continue reading...
The tech giant says it has taken down posts on fake preventative measures and exaggerated cures as part of a new voluntary industry codeFacebook has removed more than 110,000 pieces of Covid-related misinformation generated by Australian accounts in the first year of the pandemic, the company has revealed.In February, Facebook, along with Twitter, Google, Microsoft, Redbubble and TikTok, signed on to a new voluntary industry code aimed at combating misinformation and disinformation online. Continue reading...
There are nearly 10bn Google searches for skin, nail and hair issues each year, prompting the tech giant to create a ‘dermatology assist tool’Google’s entry into health diagnostics has alarmed health experts who fear a new artificial intelligence tool to identify skin conditions could lead to overdiagnosis, or rare and complex skin conditions being missed.At a technology conference in the US on Tuesday, Google revealed there are almost 10bn Google searches related to skin, nail and hair issues every year. In response, Google has developed an artificial intelligence “dermatology assist tool” for people with concerns about their skin. Users of the app can use their phone to take three images of their skin, hair or nails from different angles. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff and Graeme Wearden on (#5J0WE)
Digital currency under pressure from payment crackdown and tweets from Elon MuskThe price of bitcoin fell by almost 30% on Wednesday, after a Chinese government crackdown on banks’ use of cryptocurrencies accelerated a long-predicted sell-off, in a day of chaotic trading.The world’s largest digital currency tumbled to about $30,000 (£21,000) amid frenzied trading, a drop of more than 50% since it hit record highs of more than $64,000 in mid-April. However, by 10pm UK time, the bitcoin price had risen back to about $38,500, still down 11% on the day, according to Refinitiv data. Continue reading...
Zhang Yiming will change role after saying he lacks the right skills to manage and prefers ‘reading and daydreaming’The Chinese boss of TikTok’s parent company has said he is leaving the role because he lacks managerial skills and preferred “reading and daydreaming” to running the tech giant.Zhang Yiming, the co-founder of Bytedance – which created the popular short video TikTok app – said on Thursday that he will step down as chief executive and trainsition to a new role by the end of the year focusing on “long-term strategy”. Continue reading...
Riders say their pay rates don’t sufficiently account for time spent waiting for orders or time taken travelling to the restaurantUber Eats riders in Australia are earning as little as $5 for individual deliveries that cross multiple suburbs, as riders complain that their pay was cut by the global tech giant during the pandemic.New data provided to Guardian Australia by riders has revealed pay rates as low as $5.01 for a nearly 4km trip. Continue reading...
The company’s CEO authorized the payment as a means to restart the pipeline’s systems quickly and safelyThe operator of the nation’s largest fuel pipeline confirmed it paid $4.4m to a gang of hackers who broke into its computer systems.Colonial Pipeline said Wednesday that after it learned of the 7 May ransomware attack, the company took its pipeline system offline and needed to do everything in its power to restart it quickly and safely, and made the decision then to pay the ransom. Continue reading...
by Presented by Anushka Asthana with Alex Hern; produ on (#5J114)
The video game Fortnite has become a cultural phenomenon in recent years with up to 100 million users a month logging in to play the free online game. But for users of iPhones and iPads, the wildly popular game has been unavailable ever since it was ejected from the App store. This followed an attempt by Epic, the maker of Fortnite, to offer its own payment service for players, with a 20% cut in cost if they decided to bypass Apple’s in-app purchases.As the Guardian’s UK technology editor, Alex Hern, tells Anushka Asthana, the feud has now landed in court, in what could be a defining moment for the app industry: if (as many analysts predict) Apple wins, it will help consolidate its power in the mobile economy. But if it loses, it could radically alter what apps are available on iPhones and what users can do with them.
A number of cryptos are losing value after China signalled a Bitcoin crackdown. We’d like to hear from small investors – what will you do next?Amid a sudden crash of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin and Cardano, we’d like to hear from amateur investors on how they feel about this latest bout of extreme market volatility affecting alt coins.Whether you have invested a lot or a little in cryptos, we’re keen to hear what you’ll do next, whether you’ll hold or sell, whether you’ve lost money and whether you have any concerns. Continue reading...
The value of the most well-known cryptocurrency has plunged by nearly 30% after a massive rise in value. Here’s what you need to knowBitcoin is the world’s most popular digital currency. It allows people to bypass banks and traditional payment methods and is not controlled by any single entity, country or central bank. There are more than 18m bitcoins in existence. Continue reading...
From Mainstream to Profile to Sweat, three films released this summer attempt the rare feat of capturing the experience of being online in a hyper-connected worldThere are several elements of Mainstream, Gia Coppola’s dark satire of YouTube stardom released in theaters this month, that resemble a stick-figure rendering of internet fame. The film, written by Coppola, supposes that a technophobic, shady drifter named Link (Andrew Garfield) morphs, under the guidance of aspiring film-maker Frankie (Maya Hawke) into a messianic, exhibitionist star somewhat of the trolling Jake Paul variety; his avatar, No One Special, appears to aim for the irony-poisoned, frenetic attention spans of Gen Z, but is a thirtysomething whose gameshow specials are filmed on a Hollywood set with a live audience, as opposed to the DIY aesthetic massively popular on the video platform.Related: Rebels with a cause: how teens on screen grew up and found their voice Continue reading...
by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on (#5J0JC)
Super-premium tablet has TV-beating display, M1 chip from the Mac and smart camera for video callsApple’s latest iPad Pro gets upgraded with the game-changing M1 processor and a new screen that rivals the very best TVs, let alone tablets and laptops.The fifth-generation iPad Pro comes in two versions, one costing £749 with an 11in screen and the top dog with a 12.9in screen costing £999. Both have the new M1 chip, but only the larger model – reviewed here – has the stunning new screen. Continue reading...
by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on (#5J0BP)
Upgrade is big design overhaul, improves speed and privacy and adds new features to Maps and PhotosGoogle has announced its big update to Android 12, which will soon roll out in beta to the company’s Pixel devices and those made by third-party manufacturers.Announced as part of Google’s I/O developer conference in California, Android 12 introduces its biggest visual overhaul since 2014 along with improved performance, a new privacy dashboard and updates for Google Maps and Photos apps. Continue reading...
New privacy controls include allowing people to quickly delete the last 15 minutes of their search history and more reminders about location trackingGoogle is attempting a rebrand with a suite of new privacy controls that give people more power over their personal data – but the move may conflict with its core business of online search advertising.Being able to target people based on data collected by Google about their interests or demographics has been immensely valuable for advertisers, but a growing number of people are becoming more privacy-conscious and there is pushback from regulators and rivals such as Apple. Continue reading...
Joint venture shows deepening convergence between tech sector and car industry with software a key battlegroundStellantis and the iPhone assembler Foxconn have agreed a deal to work together on in-car information and entertainment technology, in a sign of the accelerating convergence between the tech and automotive sectors.On Tuesday, the companies revealed a 50-50 joint venture to develop touchscreens to control many of the car’s functions, as well as providing entertainment for passengers and “seamless” integration with apps on customers’ smartphones. Continue reading...
by Paul Haskell-Dowland for the Conversation on (#5HWZN)
The tech giant says it has security safeguards in place. But these tracking devices can be hacked and put to other nefarious purposesApple has launched the latest version of its operating system, iOS 14.5, which features the much-anticipated app tracking transparency function, bolstering the tech giant’s privacy credentials.But iOS 14.5 also introduced support for the new Apple AirTag, which risks doing the opposite. Continue reading...
Nurgul Sawut, who has been named on a Chinese blacklist, says she’s experienced online trolling, nasty messages and malwareA Uyghur activist in Australia who has been the target of cyber-attacks by hacker groups in China says the Australian government needs to do more to educate the Uyghur community in Australia to protect themselves online.Uyghur activists outside of China are frequently the target of hackers based in China. Continue reading...
by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on (#5HVMA)
Technology can help make your trip more fun. Here’s a guide to the most useful gearSummer is rapidly approaching and with it the possibility of getting away, whether within the UK or to one of the countries on the green list.It’s 2021 and holidays no longer mean leaving all your worldly possessions behind but your phone, tablet, e-reader, headphones and even your smartwatch all need to be kept ticking. To keep them charged, organised and ready to go, here’s a quick guide to the best tech gear. Continue reading...
Perhaps we wasted energy achieving privacy concessions, when we should have been building a more foundational critique of the power of big techFor privacy activists, 2021 brings one big victory after another. First, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, announced in March that it would stop tracking individual users as they roam from site to site. This decision was part of Alphabet’s broader campaign to phase out the use of third-party cookies – an old but controversial technology, increasingly blamed for today’s lax culture of data-sharing.Related: You should be worried about how much info WhatsApp shares with Facebook | Burcu Kilic and Sophia Crabbe-Field Continue reading...
The police cyber crime squad and IT forensic experts are investigating the ransomware attack by AvaddonNew South Wales Labor has warned its members their data could be posted online as early as Saturday after the organisation was targeted by a ransomware attack and the hacker group’s deadline passed.On 5 May, NSW Labor’s systems were taken offline after the party fell victim to a ransomware attack by a hacker group known as Avaddon. Continue reading...
IT systems shut down and some medical appointments cancelled after attempt to access dataIreland’s state health services provider has shut all its IT systems and cancelled some medical appointments after what it described as a “significant ransomware attack” overnight caused widespread disruption.Paul Reid, the Health Service Executive chief executive, told RTÉ there had been a “human-operated” attempt to access data stored on central servers for a presumed ransom. “There has been no ransom demand at this stage. The key thing is to contain the issue. We are in the containment phase.” Continue reading...
Cybercriminals have attacked solar power firms, water treatment plants and police departments in attempts to extort moneyThe wider American public was afforded an unwanted glimpse into the wild west world of ransomware this week, after a cyber-attack crippled Colonial Pipeline, causing fuel shortages across the eastern seaboard and states of emergency to be declared in four states.But experts warn that ransomware attacks – which are part-ransom, part-blackmail, part-invocation of squatters’ rights – are becoming more frequent, while the mostly Russia-based hackers are growing more sophisticated with their methods. Continue reading...
Tech industry struggles to keep up with demand brought on by the reopening of the world economyThe shortage of computer chips plaguing industries around the world and helping to fuel inflation could last another two years, the boss of IBM has said.With the global car industry estimated to lose $110bn this year thanks to the chip shortage, IBM’s president, Jim Whitehurst, told the BBC on Friday that the tech industry was struggling to keep up with demand brought on by the reopening of the world economy. Continue reading...
From the simplicity of Pong’s two bats and a ball to Space Invaders’ advancing ranks of aliens, the 70s saw the rise of a phenomenon that mesmerised the world15. Pong (1972, Atari)
But at least the person harassing me know they’re using the wrong pronouns!Instagram has unveiled a new feature that lets users display their gender pronouns in their account’s bio without having to manually enter said pronouns themselves. Which is cool! And also something untold numbers of people are already doing, in case you haven’t kept up with social media since the heavy-banged days of MySpace.“Add pronouns to your profile,” the social media platform said when announcing the news via Twitter on Tuesday. “The new field is available in a few countries, with plans for more.” Continue reading...
Digital currency, which is made with an energy-intensive process, falls 17% after the tweetTesla has suspended customers’ use of bitcoin to purchase its vehicles, Elon Musk said on Wednesday, citing concerns about the use of fossil fuel for bitcoin mining.Related: Dogecoin’s record-breaking rise shoots ‘joke’ cryptocurrency to wider attention Continue reading...
Announcement comes amid fuel shortages in south-east, with panicked drivers filling up their tanksThe largest fuel pipeline in the US has restarted operations nearly a week after a cyber-attack forced its shutdown, prompting distribution problems and panic-buying that drained supplies at thousands of gas stations.Colonial Pipeline initiated the restart of operations late Wednesday, saying in a statement: “All lines, including those lateral lines that have been running manually, will return to normal operations.” Continue reading...
A pre-approved list of pronouns are offered, but users can fill out a form to add more, which can be shared with followers only or publiclyInstagram users will now be able to more easily specify their gender identity, after the platform launched a dedicated section on account profiles to share pronouns.The new feature, announced on Tuesday, allows users to share up to four pronouns selected from a pre-approved list of common pronouns including she, he, they, ze and others. Continue reading...
Despite defeat in Alabama, workers are fighting to form and run unions at the tech giant on several frontsIn the wake of a defeated attempt to unionize an Amazon warehouse in Alabama, workers are continuing to fight to form and run unions at the tech giant on several fronts.Related: Amazon had sales income of €44bn in Europe in 2020 but paid no corporation tax Continue reading...
You might be surprised how much Google’s email service – and others – know about you. Here’s how to set some boundariesMost people are aware of the cookies that track them across the web, and the privacy-invading practices of Google search, but did you know Google’s email service, Gmail, collects large amounts of data too?This was recently put into stark focus for iPhone users when Gmail published its app “privacy label” – a self-declared breakdown of the data it collects and shares with advertisers as part of a new stipulation on the Apple App Store. Continue reading...
by Vanessa Thorpe Arts and media correspondent on (#5HMA2)
London’s first international festival for movies made on mobiles will celebrate innovation, diversity and accessSmartphone films are no longer just a fun experiment: they are the next step towards a new age of cinema, already attracting top performers and influential directors, believe the two award-winning film-makers behind Smart, next month’s first London International Smartphone Film Festival.“Anyone can now make an amazing film,” said producer Adam Gee, who has set up the festival with director Victoria Mapplebeck. “All you need is the vision and the talent. It is not a question any more of being able to afford the right equipment or securing a big distribution deal.” Continue reading...
The billionaire made the comment during opening monologue in much-anticipated debut hosting the comedy showElon Musk has told viewers of Saturday Night Live that he “is the first person with Asperger’s” to host the US sketch show, before joking about his son’s name and smoking cannabis on a podcast for the first global livestream of the programme.During the opening, the billionaire entrepreneur spoke of how he sometimes posted strange comments on his social media, saying: “To anyone I’ve offended, I just want to say ‘I reinvented electric cars and I’m sending people to Mars in a rocket ship, did you also think I was going to be a chill, normal dude?”’ Continue reading...
Colonial Pipeline said it shut down 5,500 miles of pipeline, which carries 45% of the east coast’s fuel suppliesOne of the largest pipelines in the US has been shut down after an apparent cyber-attack, its operator has said.Colonial Pipeline said it had shut down its 5,500 miles of pipeline, which carries 45% of the east coast’s fuel supplies and travels through 14 southern and eastern US states, after the breach of its computer networks. Continue reading...
A culture war between founders and employees at the software firm is a reminder that new industries aren’t any more caring than oldBasecamp is a plucky little (57-person) tech company that makes useful and imaginative project-management software and innovative email software. Or, rather, it was until a fortnight ago, when it suddenly became embroiled in a traumatic internal row between its employees and its two cofounders, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, a row that has transformed Basecamp into a much smaller company bearing the scars of collateral damage from a firefight in the culture wars.Although Basecamp is a minnow in the world of tech giants, what happened there reflects what is already commonplace in its bigger counterparts. This is because, at base, the company’s internal dissension highlighted that the conflict was actually between the sociopathic imperatives of a corporation and the feelings of skilled employees concerned about the racism and sexism that is endemic in both US society and in an industry that for decades pretended that it was above such sordid concerns. Continue reading...
Few of us will be back in the office full time – but does that have to mean endless video calls? Meet the weird and wonderful newcomers hoping to take a piece of the actionI’m playing online Pictionary while chatting with five people I’ve never met. This is not at all how I usually spend my Thursdays. We’ve all dropped into a virtual meeting space on a site called gather.town, which provides free customisable spaces for anyone who wants to organise a get-together without using Zoom. Gather is a virtual world and you choose an avatar before entering it: imagine a mid-80s Super Mario game in which, instead of jumping over his enemies, Mario has to go to the office. There are pixelated potted palms dotted about my screen, a couple of banks of desks and a sofa area, all rendered in that very specific 2D map style common to early computer games. I’m represented by a tiny, blocky avatar: a collection of dots arranged to look a bit like a person. As I move it around with keyboard keys, I can enter and leave conversations – when I do so, a small live video of whoever I’m talking to appears above the main screen.It might all sound mad, but Gather is 18 months old, has 4 million users, and recently raised $26m in investment. Universities use it to create virtual campuses; individuals use it to host games nights; groups of friends throw parties on it – and workers are collaborating on it. It is trying, like hundreds of other new platforms, sites and apps, to provide us all with a solution to a very 2021 problem: despite being ubiquitous since early 2020, video calls aren’t necessarily helping us work or stay connected effectively. Continue reading...
After punching below its weight for years, firm is building new tech and experimenting with charging usersBy any objective measure, Reddit is an internet giant. The social news site is one of the top 20 sites in the world, with more users than Twitter. They move markets, break news and source most of the viral images that float across your Facebook page a month later. Reddit’s co-founder Alexis Ohanian is tech royalty, not to mention Mr Serena Williams.But for years, the site has punched below its weight. As a business, its valuation is a fraction of its peers, and so too is its income; as a cultural phenomenon, it’s sidelined as a geeky pursuit. But now the company has a plan to turn that around, says Jen Wong, Reddit’s chief operating officer. Continue reading...
Technology | The Guardian