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‘Stay true to yourself and hit post’: a flashy, absurd ... 05:44	The Guardian
‘Stay true to yourself and hit post’: a flashy, absurd night at Australia’s TikTok awards More than 3m votes were cast for this year’s awards, which went heavy on T-shirt guns and brand activations, but stayed quiet on the government’s proposed social media banBetween them, the Australian online personalities who took the stage at the annual TikTok awards on Wednesday have more than 100 million followers – but if you’re over the age of 30, you probably haven’t heard of any of them.About 3.4m public votes were cast for this year’s TikTok awards, which honour the top creato... Read the full article on The Guardian »
The 8 best e-readers, tried and tested – from Kindle to... 27-11-24 19:00	The Guardian
The 8 best e-readers, tried and tested – from Kindle to Kobo and beyond In a world where books have to vie with smartphones for attention, a brilliant ebook reader is more necessary than everE-readers have been one of the greatest single-purpose gadgets for almost three decades. They offer an escape from technology and the endless distraction of mobile phones, despite also being tech devices.But that is starting to change. Colour ebook readers, for graphic novels, magazines and books, are now fairly common, and there are several models designed for note-taking. Plus... Read the full article on The Guardian »
How Sony could reclaim handheld gaming from Nintendo an... 27-11-24 16:00	The Guardian
How Sony could reclaim handheld gaming from Nintendo and the smartphone In this week’s newsletter: A new PlayStation portable device that will play the PS back catalogue is reportedly in the offing – it could be a gamechanger for the market• Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereA report from Bloomberg this week suggests that Sony is working on a new portable PlayStation device. As someone who still has a PlayStation Vita languishing in my desk drawer because I can’t quite bear to put it in the attic, this is an exciting prospect. ... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Will the Democrats finally realize that Big Tech is not... 27-11-24 12:00	The Guardian
Will the Democrats finally realize that Big Tech is not an ally? | Zephyr Teachout Tech titans, and big business in general, are not reliable partners against Trumpism. Progressives need to accept thisAs Democrats think about how to counter the Trump administration, they need to accept a very simple lesson from the last eight years. Big tech and big business are part of the political opposition working on behalf of Donald Trump, not the Democrats’ allies working against Trump and Trumpism.It shouldn’t seem necessary to point out what seems to be an obvious fact. Nonetheles... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Amazon, Google and Meta are ‘pillaging culture, data an... 27-11-24 07:25	The Guardian
Amazon, Google and Meta are ‘pillaging culture, data and creativity’ to train AI, Australian inquiry finds Among the report’s 13 recommendations is the call for the introduction of standalone AI legislation and protections for creative workers Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTech companies Amazon, Google and Meta have been criticised by a Senate select committee inquiry for being especially vague over how they used Australian data to train their powerful artificial intelligence products.Labor senator Tony Sheldon, the ... Read the full article on The Guardian »
TikTok to block teenagers from beauty filters over ment... 27-11-24 00:01	The Guardian
TikTok to block teenagers from beauty filters over mental health concerns Social media platform under pressure to improve security as it announces plans to block under-13s from signing upTeenagers are facing wide-ranging new restrictions over the use of beauty filters on TikTok amid concern at rising anxiety and falling self-esteem.Under-18s will, in the coming weeks, be blocked from artificially making their eyes bigger, plumping their lips and smoothing or changing their skin tone. Continue reading... Read the full article on The Guardian »
The best robot vacuums to keep your home clean and dust... 26-11-24 19:00	The Guardian
The best robot vacuums to keep your home clean and dust free, tested by our expert Our writer trialled the most powerful robot vacuums – some of which even mop your floors – and these are the ones he ratesRobot vacuum cleaners take the drudge work out of cleaning your floors and carpets. No more tiresome weekly stints of vacuuming, and no more last-minute panic sessions when you have visitors on the way. Instead, your compact robot chum regularly trundles out from its dock, sucking up dust, hair and debris to leave your floors looking spick and span.Over the past few years... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Online influencers need ‘urgent’ fact-checking training... 26-11-24 16:00	The Guardian
Online influencers need ‘urgent’ fact-checking training, warns Unesco Research shows six in 10 social media content creators do not verify accuracy of information before posting itSocial media influencers need “urgent” help to check their facts before they broadcast to their followers, in order to reduce the spread of misinformation online, Unesco has warned.According to a report by the UN’s educational, scientific and cultural organisation, two-thirds of content creators fail to check the accuracy of their material, making them and their followers vulnerabl... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Why the US wants to force Google to sell Chrome 26-11-24 13:30	The Guardian
Why the US wants to force Google to sell Chrome The Department of Justice suggested it should ‘divest Chrome’ and divest or submit to oversight of Android – seismic challenges for the tech giant• Don’t get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereGoogle is in trouble. As my colleague Dan Milmo reported, the US Department of Justice “has proposed a far-reaching overhaul of Google’s structure and business practices, including the sale of its Chrome browser, in a bid to end its monopoly on internet search”. The move follows... Read the full article on The Guardian »
How the far right is weaponising AI-generated content i... 26-11-24 06:00	The Guardian
How the far right is weaponising AI-generated content in Europe Experts say fake images raising fears around issues such as immigration have proliferated since EU electionsFrom fake images designed to cause fears of an immigrant “invasion” to other demonisation campaigns targeted at leaders such as Emmanuel Macron, far-right parties and activists across western Europe are at the forefront of the political weaponisation of generative artificial intelligence technology.This year’s European parliamentary elections were the launchpad for a rollout of AI-ge... Read the full article on The Guardian »
‘What many of us feel’: why ‘enshittification’ is Macqu... 26-11-24 02:36	The Guardian
‘What many of us feel’: why ‘enshittification’ is Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year The committee’s honourable mentions went to ‘right to disconnect’ and ‘rawdogging’“We’re all living through the enshittocene, a great enshittening, in which the services that matter to us, that we rely on, are turning into giant piles of shit,” author Cory Doctorow said earlier this year.In 2022, Doctorow coined the word “enshittification”, which has just been crowned Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year. The dictionary defined the word as follows.Sign up for Guardian Au... Read the full article on The Guardian »
‘Hatsune Miku has a special part in my heart’: the 16-y... 25-11-24 15:00	The Guardian
‘Hatsune Miku has a special part in my heart’: the 16-year-old pop sensation who does not exist Miku is a ‘Vocaloid’ – a holographic avatar that represents a digital bank of vocal samples – and performs sellout tours for thousands of very real mega-fansGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailCountless flowing green wigs risked spontaneous combustion on a 36-degree Melbourne evening as thousands of J-pop fans queued outside John Cain Arena on Friday night. But the heat was irrelevant to the night’s headline pop attraction, Hatsune Miku. She can’t sweat because she’s a digit... Read the full article on The Guardian »
See the light pour through: how art can free us from th... 25-11-24 09:00	The Guardian
See the light pour through: how art can free us from the exhaustion of smartphone addiction As tech giants hook us into endless scrolling, we are becoming less engaged, less creative, less connected, less human. Art reminds us to look outwards at the things that truly matterHow often do you look up at the sky, rather than down at the black mirror on which you might be reading this column? Will you read to the end of this page? How many tabs have you opened today? If you’re on a train, how many people are interacting with fellow humans rather than looking at their phones? I am not one... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Meta Quest 3S review: the best bang for your buck in VR 25-11-24 08:00	The Guardian
Meta Quest 3S review: the best bang for your buck in VR Headset offers near top-tier experience at cut-down price with good fit, fast chip, great controllers and large games libraryMeta’s latest virtual reality headset offers almost everything that makes its top model the best on the market but at a price that is far more palatable as an entry into VR.The Quest 3S costs £290 (€330/$300/A$500) – about 40% less than the £470 Quest 3 and cheaper than 2020’s Quest 2 that it directly replaces. Continue reading... Read the full article on The Guardian »
‘You get desensitised to it’: how social media fuels fe... 25-11-24 07:00	The Guardian
‘You get desensitised to it’: how social media fuels fear of violence Young people in Birmingham attest that violent content on apps is having a real-world impactIt took about 90 seconds for Rianna Montaque to see violence on her X account: a fight in a restaurant that escalated into a full-on brawl with chairs smashed over heads and bodies sprawling.The “Gang_Hits” account has plenty more clips like that – shootings, beatings, people being run down by cars. It is part of a grim genre of content which is often promoted by algorithms so it pops up in young pe... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Passwords are giving way to better security methods – u... 24-11-24 14:00	The Guardian
Passwords are giving way to better security methods – until those are hacked too, that is It’s a war that will never end. But for small-business owners, it’s all about managing risk while reaping rewardsWe humans are simply too dumb to use passwords. A recent study from password manager NordPass found that “secret” was the most commonly used password in 2024. That was followed by “123456” and “password”. So let’s all give praise that the password is dying.Yes, we know that we should be using 20-letter passwords with weird symbols and numbers, but our minds can’t c... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Don’t know what to buy your loved ones for Christmas? J... 24-11-24 09:00	The Guardian
Don’t know what to buy your loved ones for Christmas? Just ask ChatGPT Santa has a new little helper. But can an AI-powered shopping assistant really master the subtle art of gift giving?Some people love buying Christmas presents. Polly Arrowsmith starts making a note of what her friends and family like, then hunts for bargains, slowly and carefully. Vie Portland begins her shopping in January and has a theme each year, from heart mirrors to inspirational books. And Betsy Benn spent so much time thinking about presents, she ended up opening her own online gift busi... Read the full article on The Guardian »
AI increasingly used for sextortion, scams and child ab... 24-11-24 08:00	The Guardian
AI increasingly used for sextortion, scams and child abuse, says senior UK police chief The fast-developing technology is providing opportunities in ‘any crime type’ – and police must ‘move fast’ to catch upPaedophiles, scammers, hackers and criminals of all kinds are increasingly exploiting artificial intelligence (AI) to target victims in new and harmful ways, a senior police chief has warned.Alex Murray, the national police lead for AI, said that the use of the technology was growing rapidly because of its increasing accessibility and that police had to “move fa... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Jeff Jarvis: ‘Elon Musk’s investment in Twitter seemed ... 23-11-24 14:00	The Guardian
Jeff Jarvis: ‘Elon Musk’s investment in Twitter seemed insane, but it gave him this power’ The US media pundit on the dangers of overregulation online, why he’s more frightened of the tech bros than AI itself, and how to reclaim the web by getting rid of the geeksJeff Jarvis was born in 1954 and studied journalism at Illinois’s Northwestern University. He worked as a TV critic and created the magazine Entertainment Weekly, later leading the online arm of US media company Advance Publications. Since 2001, he has been blogging at Buzzmachine.com and in 2005 he became an associate pr... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Air fryers, heated throws and the world’s best jeans: B... 22-11-24 19:07	The Guardian
Air fryers, heated throws and the world’s best jeans: Black Friday deals on the products we love We recommended them in the Filter; now we’ve sifted through all the offers to find the genuinely good discounts on our favourite products Black Friday is still a few days away on 29 November, but stores are already dropping prices to compete for our attention and cash – and they’re offering some delectable discounts on products we’ve recommended in the Filter.We cautioned against getting carried away too early in our guide to not getting ripped off in the sales, because many prices conti... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Wire cutters: how the world’s vital undersea data cable... 22-11-24 16:58	The Guardian
Wire cutters: how the world’s vital undersea data cables are being targeted Carrying 99% of the world’s international telecommunications, the vulnerable lines are drawing nefarious interestThe lead-clad telegraphic cable seemed to weigh tons, according to Lt Cameron Winslow of the US navy, and the weather wasn’t helping their attempts to lift it up from the seabed and sever it. “The rough water knocked the heavy boats together, breaking and almost crushing in their planking,” he wrote.Eventually, Winslow’s men managed to cut the cable with hacksaws and disrupt... Read the full article on The Guardian »
The best iPhones in 2024: Apple smartphones tested, rev... 22-11-24 14:39	The Guardian
The best iPhones in 2024: Apple smartphones tested, reviewed and ranked Looking for the latest iPhone, or a good deal on a refurbished handset? Our expert has assessed and rated the current crop of Apple smartphonesThe best iPhone may be the one you already own. There is generally no need to buy a fresh phone just because new models have been released, as hardware updates are broadly iterative, adding small bits to an already accomplished package. But if you do want a replacement handset, whether new or refurbished, here are the best devices of the current crop of A... Read the full article on The Guardian »
‘An AI Fukushima is inevitable’: scientists discuss tec... 22-11-24 14:20	The Guardian
‘An AI Fukushima is inevitable’: scientists discuss technology’s immense potential and dangers Experts are optimistic about energy and drug production breakthroughs but also fear its potential misuseWhen better to hold a conference on artificial intelligence and the countless ways it is advancing science than in those brief days between the first Nobel prizes being awarded in the field and the winners heading to Stockholm for the lavish white tie ceremony?It was fortuitous timing for Google DeepMind and the Royal Society who this week convened the AI for Science Forum in London. Last mont... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Social media ban for UK under-16s ‘not on the cards’ fo... 22-11-24 06:00	The Guardian
Social media ban for UK under-16s ‘not on the cards’ for now, says minister Peter Kyle meets group of teenagers at NSPCC HQ who say imposing ban would reduce their social connectionsA social media ban for under-16s is “not on the cards at the moment”, a minister has said, as teenagers urged him to rethink plans to follow Australia’s lead and restrict access to sites such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.Peter Kyle, the secretary of state for science and technology, is trying to convince social media platforms to do more to prevent online harms, with new laws comi... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Deus in machina: Swiss church installs AI-powered Jesus 21-11-24 19:04	The Guardian
Deus in machina: Swiss church installs AI-powered Jesus Peter’s chapel in Lucerne swaps out its priest to set up a computer and cables in confessional boothThe small, unadorned church has long ranked as the oldest in the Swiss city of Lucerne. But Peter’s chapel has become synonymous with all that is new after it installed an artificial intelligence-powered Jesus capable of dialoguing in 100 different languages.“It was really an experiment,” said Marco Schmid, a theologian with the Peterskapelle church. “We wanted to see and understand how ... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Elon Musk to ‘summon MPs to US to explain threats to Am... 21-11-24 17:47	The Guardian
Elon Musk to ‘summon MPs to US to explain threats to American citizens’ World’s richest man responds to UK parliamentarians saying they will call him to testify about X’s role in spreading disinformation during riotsElon Musk has said UK MPs “will be summoned to the United States of America to explain their censorship and threats to American citizens” in a fresh escalation of tensions between the world’s richest man and Labour.Musk, who has been a fixture at the side of Donald Trump since his re-election as US president, was responding to a Guardian report... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl review – transfixing Ukra... 21-11-24 15:00	The Guardian
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl review – transfixing Ukrainian dystopia built on underlying tragedy GSC Game World; PC, XboxExplore the starkly beautiful landscapes of the irradiated Zone in this foreboding and remorselessly challenging survival adventureWhen Ukrainian developer GSC Game World released the apocalyptic adventure Stalker in 2007, it was considered a bleakly improbable piece of speculative fiction. Heavily inspired by cult novel Roadside Picnic, it imagined an alternative timeline in which a scientific experiment in 2006 caused a second Chornobyl disaster and a vast irradiated zo... Read the full article on The Guardian »
How an IRA spy named ‘Stakeknife’ got away with playing... 21-11-24 10:48	The Guardian
How an IRA spy named ‘Stakeknife’ got away with playing both sides A new BBC Sounds show investigates the complicated case of Freddie Scappaticci. Plus: five of the best podcasts to switch off to• Don’t get Hear Here delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe Optimist Project with Yara Shahidi Widely available, episodes weekly Yara Shahidi is the award-winning actor of comedies Black-ish and Grown-ish, but she reckons she could factor optimism into her life more – so she’s decided to make a podcast in which she learns how to do just that. Shahidi speak... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Apple Watch Series 10 review: thinner, lighter and basi... 21-11-24 08:00	The Guardian
Apple Watch Series 10 review: thinner, lighter and basically the same Tenth generation Apple smartwatch gets a bigger screen and body overhaul, but blink and you might miss itA larger screen and thinner body mark the biggest change to the Apple Watch in years, but you might have to squint to see it.That is because Apple has kept much the same design on the outside despite requiring significant changes on the inside to make the watch thinner and lighter. As a result, the Series 10 feels like another evolutionary, rather than revolutionary step for the Apple Watch Read the full article on The Guardian »
Google must sell Chrome to end search monopoly, says US... 21-11-24 06:51	The Guardian
Google must sell Chrome to end search monopoly, says US justice department Court filing comes after landmark ruling in August and judge will consider arguments from both sides next yearThe US Department of Justice has proposed a far-reaching overhaul of Google’s structure and business practices, including the sale of its Chrome browser, in a bid to end its monopoly on internet search.The DoJ proposals follow a landmark court ruling in August in which a federal judge ruled that Google maintained an illegal monopoly over search services. Continue reading... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Nvidia earnings: AI chip leader shows no signs of stopp... 20-11-24 23:02	The Guardian
Nvidia earnings: AI chip leader shows no signs of stopping mammoth growth World’s most valuable company delights investors as it reports $35bn of revenue in quarterly resultsThe AI chipmaker Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company and the engine of the artificial-intelligence boom, rolled out another set of quarterly results on Wednesday to investors’ delight.The company, whose value has soared by $2.2tn this year to $3.6tn on the back of near-doubling of chip sales, said it had revenue of $35.08bn, against expectations of $33.15bn. Its profits more than doubl... Read the full article on The Guardian »
FTX co-founder Gary Wang receives no prison sentence fo... 20-11-24 20:21	The Guardian
FTX co-founder Gary Wang receives no prison sentence for crypto fraud Prosecutors hailed ‘first FTX cooperator to come in the door’, helping put away Sam Bankman-Fried for decadesAn apologetic FTX co-founder was sentenced on Wednesday to no time in prison after a prosecutor and a federal judge praised his cooperation against Sam Bankman-Fried and his efforts to recover money for victims of the cryptocurrency fraud.Gary Wang testified three partial days at Bankman-Fried’s trial last year, explaining his role as FTX’s chief technology officer in a fraud that... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Opt out: how to stop tech companies spying on your phon... 20-11-24 18:55	The Guardian
Opt out: how to stop tech companies spying on your phone as Trump promises mass deportations There are no federal privacy regulations to protect your information – here’s how you can do it yourselfWelcome to Opt Out, a semi-regular column in which we help you navigate your online privacy and show you how to say no to surveillance. The last column covered how to talk to your family about not posting your baby’s photos on the internet.President-elect Donald Trump has promised to execute the largest mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in American history, and many rights grou... Read the full article on The Guardian »
From Astro Bot to Balatro, the 2024 ‘game of the year’ ... 20-11-24 16:05	The Guardian
From Astro Bot to Balatro, the 2024 ‘game of the year’ race is too close to call In this week’s newsletter: The shortlist for December’s Game Awards is out, and the top contenders are neck and neck• Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereMuch like Christmas is a lot less enjoyable for the person who has to organise all the presents and cook the dinner, game-of-the-year season is rather intimidating for the people who have to put together the shortlists. Every November, I tot up all of the year’s acclaimed games I’ve yet to play, the underg... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Flex your new visual super skills 20-11-24 11:47	The Guardian
Flex your new visual super skills We’ve all acquired new design smarts. Now it’s time to make the most of them Continue reading... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Saudi dissident pursues X legal case amid fears of tran... 20-11-24 11:30	The Guardian
Saudi dissident pursues X legal case amid fears of transnational repression Omar Abdulaziz, critic of crown prince now living in Canada, targeted by Saudi agents in 2014 security breach A prominent Saudi dissident who worked closely with Jamal Khashoggi said he will pursue further legal action against X after a US appeals court said that a 2014 security breach of the company – then known as Twitter – by agents of Saudi Arabia caused him injury.Private identifying information about Omar Abdulaziz, who lives in Canada and has been an outspoken critic of Saudi crown pr... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Can a fluffy robot really replace a cat or dog? My weir... 20-11-24 11:00	The Guardian
Can a fluffy robot really replace a cat or dog? My weird, emotional week with an AI pet Casio says Moflin can develop its own personality and build a rapport with its owner – and it doesn’t need food, exercise or a litter tray. But is it essentially comforting or alienating?It looks faintly like one half of a small pair of very fluffy slippers. It squeaks and wriggles and nestles in the palm of my hand, black eyes hidden beneath a mop of silvery-white fur. It weighs about the same as a tin of soup. It doesn’t need to be fed or walked and it doesn’t use a litter tr... Read the full article on The Guardian »
MPs to summon Elon Musk to testify about X’s role in UK... 20-11-24 06:00	The Guardian
MPs to summon Elon Musk to testify about X’s role in UK summer riots Commons inquiry into rise of harmful content on social media also expected to call Meta and TikTok executivesMPs are to summon Elon Musk to testify about X’s role in spreading disinformation, in a parliamentary inquiry into the UK riots and the rise of false and harmful AI content, the Guardian has learned.Senior executives from Meta, which runs Facebook and Instagram, and TikTok are also expected to be called for questioning as part of a Commons science and technology select committee social ... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Donald Trump joins Elon Musk for SpaceX Starship rocket... 19-11-24 23:36	The Guardian
Donald Trump joins Elon Musk for SpaceX Starship rocket launch The launch was Starship’s sixth experimental flight following first successful test in JuneDonald Trump joined Elon Musk in Texas on Tuesday to watch a successful test launch of SpaceX’s Starship rocket, a demonstration of the unprecedented closeness between the world’s richest man and the newly chosen president of the United States.Trump tweeted in advance of the launch: “I’m heading to the Great State of Texas to watch the launch of the largest object ever to be elevated, not only to... Read the full article on The Guardian »
TechScape: Betting markets come for everything – and th... 19-11-24 14:20	The Guardian
TechScape: Betting markets come for everything – and the FBI comes for a betting market This week in tech news, online predictors are riding high after a slew of accurate US election wagers. Plus, Trump and Musk try to weaponize the communications regulator• Don’t get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereGambling on the outcome of the presidential election became legal in the US at the start of October after decades of prohibition, becoming a new type of pre-election poll. Online prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket accepted billions of dollars in wagers o... Read the full article on The Guardian »
US justice department plans to push Google to sell off ... 19-11-24 13:08	The Guardian
US justice department plans to push Google to sell off Chrome browser Authorities seek to dismantle monopoly on search market and also want action related to AI and AndroidBusiness live – latest updatesUS justice department officials plan to ask a judge to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser to dismantle the monopoly it has over the internet search market, in a major intervention against one of the world’s biggest tech companies.The Department of Justice (DoJ) last month filed court papers saying it was considering enforcing “structural remedies” t... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Meta pushes AI bid for UK public sector forward with te... 19-11-24 12:28	The Guardian
Meta pushes AI bid for UK public sector forward with technology aimed at NHS Tech giant awards funding to project to shorten waits in A&E, after ‘hackathon’ on using Llama system in BritainMeta’s push to deploy its artificial intelligence system inside Britain’s public sector has taken a step forward after the tech giant awarded development funding to technology aimed at shortening NHS A&E waiting times.Amid rival efforts by Silicon Valley tech companies to work with national and local government, Meta ran its first “hackathon” in Europe asking more t... Read the full article on The Guardian »
AI cloning of celebrity voices outpacing the law, exper... 19-11-24 08:00	The Guardian
AI cloning of celebrity voices outpacing the law, experts warn David Attenborough among famous people whose voices have been exploited by fraudstersIt’s the new badge of celebrity status that nobody wants. Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey and Kylie Jenner have all had their voices cloned by fraudsters. Online blaggers used artificial intelligence to fake the Tiggerish tones of Martin Lewis, the TV financial adviser. And this weekend David Attenborough described himself as “profoundly disturbed” to have discovered that his cloned voice had been used to ... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Minecraft enters real world with $110m global theme par... 19-11-24 08:00	The Guardian
Minecraft enters real world with $110m global theme park deal Exclusive: Block-building game to appear in theme parks, hotels and stores, starting in UK and USThe global gaming phenomenon Minecraft is coming to the real world for the first time in a global deal to open themed rides, attractions, hotel rooms and retail outlets, starting with the UK and US.Minecraft has struck a deal with UK-headquartered Merlin Entertainments – Europe’s largest theme park operator and the second biggest globally after Disney – which runs more than 135 attractions in 2... Read the full article on The Guardian »
John Oliver on potential US TikTok ban: ‘May not be nec... 18-11-24 17:40	The Guardian
John Oliver on potential US TikTok ban: ‘May not be necessary, but it isn’t sufficient’ Last Week Tonight host looks into looming US ban over privacy concerns and fear of its Chinese parent companyOn Last Week Tonight, John Oliver looked into the looming US ban of TikTok, the “social media app many are addicted to thanks to its cooking tutorials and dances that are impossible for anyone born before 1985 to look cool doing”.TikTok has 170 million active users in the US – a third of US adults, and the majority of people under 30, use the app. “All of which makes it pretty rem... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Lend me your ears: great Shakespearean actors given hi-... 18-11-24 13:46	The Guardian
Lend me your ears: great Shakespearean actors given hi-tech talking portraits A radical new exhibition celebrates stars including Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart by combining subtly moving artworks with their own voices. The results are uncannyGreat actors have always attracted artists. I think of Edmund Kean looking wild-eyed and demonic as Sir Giles Overreach painted by George Clint; Ellen Terry as a green-gowned Lady Macbeth preserved by John Singer Sargent; and Ruskin Spear’s study in oils of Laurence Olivier as a tormented, guilt-haunted Macbeth. For well over a c... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Roblox to give parents more control over children’s act... 18-11-24 13:00	The Guardian
Roblox to give parents more control over children’s activity after warnings over grooming Parents will be able to see who children interact with and ensure they cannot play games with graphic violence as report accuses company of lax safety controlsWhat is Roblox? Everything you need to know about the online game platformThe fast-growing children’s gaming platform Roblox is to hand parents greater oversight of their children’s activity and restrict the youngest users from the more violent, crude and scary content after warnings about child grooming, exploitation and sharing of in... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Australian parliamentary inquiry stops short of backing... 18-11-24 10:04	The Guardian
Australian parliamentary inquiry stops short of backing social media ban for under-16s Joint committee supports giving users the power to alter, reset or turn off algorithms but hedges on key question of age barFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA parliamentary committee examining the impact of social media on Australian society has recommended users be given the power to alter, reset or turn off algorithms, as well as be provided with greater privacy protection, but has stopped short of recommending a b... Read the full article on The Guardian »
China’s ‘mind-blowingly’ cheap shopping app Temu hits r... 18-11-24 01:52	The Guardian
China’s ‘mind-blowingly’ cheap shopping app Temu hits roadblocks in south-east Asia Known for its deep discounts and viral marketing, the online marketplace has fallen afoul of regulators for threatening the livelihoods of local vendorsChinese online marketplace Temu has enjoyed explosive international growth off the back of an eye-catching and often absurdly cheap range of products, but those cut-price tactics have met increasing roadblocks as it seeks to conquer new markets in south-east Asia.Indonesia ordered Temu to be taken down from app stores in October, a move it said w... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Hi-tech recreation of Richard III’s voice has a Yorkshi... 18-11-24 00:46	The Guardian
Hi-tech recreation of Richard III’s voice has a Yorkshire accent A digital avatar of the king’s head, complete with ‘meticulously researched’ voice, is on display in YorkTechnology has been used to recreate the voice of the medieval king Richard III, complete with a distinctive Yorkshire accent.A digital avatar of the monarch went on display at York Theatre Royal on Sunday after experts helped to generate a replica of his voice. Continue reading... Read the full article on The Guardian »
My child is at camp and my phone pings nonstop with pho... 17-11-24 15:00	The Guardian
My child is at camp and my phone pings nonstop with photos. Does anyone really want this? | Celina Ribeiro Streams of images sent to parents not only threaten children’s privacy – they can damage their sense of selfSign up for a weekly email featuring our best readsAt 7am on a Wednesday I drop my child off for a two-night school camp. The first big school camp. Children carry their pillows under their arms and drag behind them suitcases whose wheels and weight they can barely manage. They’re nervous. Excited. Some cry. By 7.45am they have loaded their bags. Through the coach’s tinted windows ... Read the full article on The Guardian »
AI could cause ‘social ruptures’ between people who dis... 17-11-24 15:00	The Guardian
AI could cause ‘social ruptures’ between people who disagree on its sentience Leading philosopher says issue is ‘no longer one for sci-fi’ as dawn of AI consciousness is predicted for 2035Significant “social ruptures” between people who think artificial intelligence systems are conscious and those who insist the technology feels nothing are looming, a leading philosopher has said.The comments, from Jonathan Birch, a professor of philosophy at the London School of Economics, come as governments prepare to gather this week in San Francisco to accelerate the creation... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Lost your sense of direction? Turn off your phone and y... 17-11-24 13:00	The Guardian
Lost your sense of direction? Turn off your phone and you’ll soon reconnect Tech giants said today’s digital native kids would be the first generation who would not know what it meant to get lost. But is that a good thing?We’ve lost direction and our brains are shrinking – at least, our hippocampi are. These seahorse-shaped parts of the brain measure about 5cm, sit just above both ears and drive our spatial awareness and orientation. London taxi drivers, famed for taking the Knowledge, a test that involves memorising the central streets of the capital, have full-s... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Is this (finally) the end for X? Delicate Musk-Trump re... 17-11-24 09:00	The Guardian
Is this (finally) the end for X? Delicate Musk-Trump relationship and growing rivals spell trouble for platform The former Twitter could fade away, or help shape a dark future hosting voices of a new authoritarian worldWas that the week that marked the death of X? The platform formerly regarded as a utopian market square for exchanging information has suffered its largest exodus to date.Bluesky, emerging as X’s newest rival, has amassed 16 million users, including 1 million in the course of 24 hours last week. Hundreds of thousands of people have quit the former Twitter since Donald Trump’s elect... Read the full article on The Guardian »
‘Have your bot speak to my bot’: can AI productivity ap... 17-11-24 08:00	The Guardian
‘Have your bot speak to my bot’: can AI productivity apps turbocharge my life? I tried out organisational software to help streamline my work and build a ‘second brain’. I never knew there were so many different ways to take notes…Steven Johnson has a reputation as a research software nerd. The author of 13 nonfiction books, he’s constantly looking for digital tools to streamline his creative process. So when large language models – which power text-generating AI tools such as ChatGPT – started getting attention, he was most interested in what they could mean f... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Get away, grizzly: why scientists are chasing bears wit... 16-11-24 18:00	The Guardian
Get away, grizzly: why scientists are chasing bears with drones Wildlife experts in US west have found small aircraft are ideal for protecting humans and livestock from predatorsThe first time that Terry Vandenbos watched a bear run from a drone, on a spring day two years ago, he was chasing the animal himself. After he saw the grizzly cross a road near his property, the Montana rancher hopped on his all-terrain vehicle, planning to scare it away from his cattle if needed.But the bear began sprinting away when he was still far from it, looking over its shoul... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Elon Musk is not America’s new king. But he might be it... 16-11-24 17:00	The Guardian
Elon Musk is not America’s new king. But he might be its new Thomas Cromwell | John Naughton The billionaire was indispensable to Trump’s campaign and now has a senior job. He is about to become dangerously usefulPicture, if you will, the scene in Mar-a-Lago on election night at the moment when it’s become clear that Trump has won. The atmosphere is hysterical. Trump is in expansive form. He stands surrounded by his ghastly tribe of dependants, plus AN Other. In his victory speech, the president-elect praises his campaign staff, his prospective vice-president, and his family. Each g... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Best Christmas gifts for tweens, as chosen by 9- to 12-... 16-11-24 13:00	The Guardian
Best Christmas gifts for tweens, as chosen by 9- to 12-year-olds themselves, from Jellycat toys to slime Put Santa on alert – it’s Deadpool figures, bracelet-making kits, laptops and, yep, slime sets that are topping tweens’ Christmas present listsThe pros of buying a Christmas present for a tween (age nine to 12): they’ll tell you exactly what they want. The cons: they’ll tell you exactly what they want, and could very well change their mind 17 times before Christmas.Time moves fast for Gen A tweens, who start as children with a love of Beyblades and end as teens who likely have a more e... Read the full article on The Guardian »
What is Bluesky and why are so many people suddenly lea... 16-11-24 12:31	The Guardian
What is Bluesky and why are so many people suddenly leaving X for the platform? Users turn to the heavily moderated network after warnings about misinformation on Elon Musk’s XThe great X-odus is under way. More than 1 million new users have joined the social media platform Bluesky since the US election.Many are seeking to escape Elon Musk’s X amid warnings from anti-hate speech campaign groups and the EU about misinformation and extremism on the platform. Continue reading... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Turns out the zombie apocalypse isn’t as fun as they sa... 16-11-24 12:00	The Guardian
Turns out the zombie apocalypse isn’t as fun as they said it would be – Rebecca Solnit on our dangerously disconnected world A population numbed, dazed, present-but-not-present – had it happened overnight it would be a sci-fi horror movie. And if you looked up from your phone for long enough, you might notice it’s started already…Nobody’s home. Not in the young woman with the big headphones cycling against the light. Not in the person in the middle of the crossing staring at their phone, or the person talking to someone who’s not there and ignoring the one they’re pushing in the baby carriage, or the distr... Read the full article on The Guardian »
‘A fork in the road’: laundry-sorting robot spurs AI ho... 15-11-24 16:00	The Guardian
‘A fork in the road’: laundry-sorting robot spurs AI hopes and fears at Europe’s biggest tech event Humanoid called Digit fuelled boosterism at Web Summit, but also raised concerns about jobs, safety and climateThis year’s Web Summit, in Lisbon, was all about artificial intelligence – and a robot sorting laundry.Digit, a humanoid built by the US firm Agility Robotics, demonstrated how far AI has come in a few years by responding to voice commands – filtered through Google’s Gemini AI model – to sift through a pile of coloured T-shirts and place them in a basket. Continue reading... Read the full article on The Guardian »
AI isn’t about unleashing our imaginations, it’s about ... 15-11-24 15:00	The Guardian
AI isn’t about unleashing our imaginations, it’s about outsourcing them. The real purpose is profit Artificial intelligence doesn’t just incrementally erode the rights of authors and other creators. These technologies are designed to replace creative workers altogetherGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailBack in 2022, when ChatGPT arrived, I was part of the first wave of users. Delighted but also a little uncertain what to do with it, I asked the system to generate all kinds of random things. A song about George Floyd in the style of Bob Dylan. A menu for a vegetarian dinner party. A b... Read the full article on The Guardian »
UK flying taxi firm pins hopes on investors as cash run... 15-11-24 12:34	The Guardian
UK flying taxi firm pins hopes on investors as cash runs short Vertical’s crash and cash crisis highlight challenge of making flying taxis a reality after nearly a century of effortsOn a dreary November day in the Cotswolds, England, the VX4 – a cross between a plane and a helicopter – rose from an airport runway, hovered a few feet off the ground and set back down.It might not have reached a heady altitude, but for its British owner, Vertical Aerospace, it was a crucial moment. The company, which has received millions of pounds in UK taxpayer support... Read the full article on The Guardian »
‘We don’t go to Ravenholm’: the story behind Half-Life ... 15-11-24 11:00	The Guardian
‘We don’t go to Ravenholm’: the story behind Half-Life 2’s most iconic level On the 20th anniversary of the seminal game, we look back at the extraordinary moment where sci-fi dystopia turned into tense and terrifying body horrorAt the start of Valve’s Half-Life 2, the seminal first-person shooter game that turns 20 this month, taciturn scientist Gordon Freeman is trapped within a dystopian cityscape. Armed soldiers patrol the streets, and innocent citizens wander around in a daze, bereft of purpose and future. Dr Wallace Breen, Freeman’s former boss at the scientifi... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Companies building AI-powered tech are using your posts... 14-11-24 23:33	The Guardian
Companies building AI-powered tech are using your posts. Here’s how to opt out Even if you haven’t knowingly opted in, companies are still scraping your personal information to train their systemsWelcome to Opt Out, a semi-regular column in which we help you navigate your online privacy and show you how to say no to surveillance. If you’d like to skip to a section about a particular site or social network, click the “Jump to” menu at the top of this article.The competition to make the latest, greatest, most advanced artificial intelligence thing has turned an alrea... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Musk asks ‘high-IQ revolutionaries’ to work for no pay ... 14-11-24 23:25	The Guardian
Musk asks ‘high-IQ revolutionaries’ to work for no pay on new Trump project World’s richest man solicits applications for ‘tedious work’ in newly formed Department of Government EfficiencyElon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are asking Americans who are “high-IQ small-government revolutionaries” and willing to work over 80 hours a week to join their new Department of Government Efficiency – at zero pay.In a new X post on Thursday that doubled as a job announcement and another one of Musk’s trolling attempts, the account for the newly formed Doge wrote: “We don Read the full article on The Guardian »
Sophie Turner to lead Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Tomb Raide... 14-11-24 20:44	The Guardian
Sophie Turner to lead Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Tomb Raider series Game of Thrones actor reportedly in talks to play Lara Croft in Fleabag creator’s new take on the gaming franchiseSophie Turner will take on the role of Lara Croft in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s new Tomb Raider series.According to Deadline, the Game of Thrones actor is in negotiations to take on the lead in the Amazon series based on the hit gaming franchise. It had been reported last month that Turner was competing against Bohemian Rhapsody’s Lucy Boynton for the role. Continue reading... Read the full article on The Guardian »
‘The most expensive photos ever taken’: the space shots... 14-11-24 15:39	The Guardian
‘The most expensive photos ever taken’: the space shots that changed humanity’s view of itself Taken at 28,000km/h and costing billions of dollars, the first ever photos taken by astronauts are on show at Paris Photo. For Nasa print dealer Daniel Blau, they are proof that nothing is impossible when nations collaborateIt was one of history’s monumental moments – but if John Glenn hadn’t popped into the supermarket to pick up a Contax camera and a roll of 35mm film on his way to board the Friendship 7, there may have been no visual document of it. The photographs the American astronau... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Rise of the Golden Idol review – a gruesome, bizarre an... 14-11-24 15:00	The Guardian
Rise of the Golden Idol review – a gruesome, bizarre and brilliant 1970s detective game PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation 4/5, smartphones (via Netflix); Color Gray Games/PlaystackSolving these cases is extremely satisfying, but it’s the strangeness that makes the game so memorableA ghoulish scene: a shadowy figure has just shoved someone into a high-voltage circuit box. The victim is stuck at the moment of death, sparks flying as their body convulses; downstairs, everyone is frozen in surprise at the moment the lights went off. Scrutinising this scene, you must determine wh... Read the full article on The Guardian »
‘Fastest-growing fire risk’: why do lithium batteries k... 14-11-24 15:00	The Guardian
‘Fastest-growing fire risk’: why do lithium batteries keep exploding across Australia? Fire and Rescue NSW responded to 272 battery-related fires last year, while Victoria and Queensland authorities say they happen almost every dayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA faulty lithium-ion battery in an e-scooter likely caused an intense garage and house fire in Sydney’s south on Tuesday, fire investigators have found, the latest in a spate of incidents involving lithium-ion batteries.In early November, a ... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Seven tips to be better at Call of Duty Black Ops 6 – f... 14-11-24 11:30	The Guardian
Seven tips to be better at Call of Duty Black Ops 6 – from professional players Have you reduced your recoil, picked the best perks and maxxed out your XP gains? If you’re not sure … you’re in the right placeLet me guess: you recently bought Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, strayed into the multiplayer mode and now you’re being mercilessly pummelled by hundreds of teenagers with suggestive usernames? Don’t worry, that’s perfectly normal. Call of Duty has always been the arcade twitchfest of the online shooter scene, but Black Ops 6 has a whole new feel thanks to its o... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Best podcasts of the week: Serial tells the true tale o... 14-11-24 10:49	The Guardian
Best podcasts of the week: Serial tells the true tale of Free Willy’s titular whale In this week’s newsletter: For its 13th season, the investigative titan explores the complicated story of Keiko. Plus: five of the best podcasts to dip into• Don’t get Hear Here delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe Mysterious Affair at Styles Audible, all episodes available now Peter Dinklage is Hercule Poirot in this stunningly cast take on Agatha Christie’s debut novel. Rob Delaney, Harriet Walter, Jessica Gunning and Himesh Patel join him in a high-budget, immersive production.... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Mark Zuckerberg releases cover of Get Low with rapper T... 14-11-24 07:39	The Guardian
Mark Zuckerberg releases cover of Get Low with rapper T-Pain The Facebook and Meta founder said he recorded the track as a tribute to his wife, Priscilla Chan, in honour of their ‘dating anniversary’Facebook and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg has collaborated with US music star T-Pain on a cover of Get Low by rap group Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz.Zuckerberg said he recorded the track, under the band name Z-Pain, as a tribute to his wife, Priscilla Chan, in honour of their “dating anniversary”. Continue reading... Read the full article on The Guardian »
The 8 best video doorbells, tried and tested 14-11-24 07:00	The Guardian
The 8 best video doorbells, tried and tested Whether you want to bolster your home’s security or simply make sure you know when someone is at the door, the latest generation of smart doorbells will help put your mind at easeDoorbells have evolved. Today, they watch us as we approach, let the people inside the home know we’re coming sooner than our finger can hit the button, and give them a good look at our faces before they open the door. They’re essentially security cameras with a chime function.If you haven’t already installed on... Read the full article on The Guardian »
How ghost hunters turned weather meters into spectre de... 14-11-24 07:00	The Guardian
How ghost hunters turned weather meters into spectre detectors Paranormal investigators use the devices to show presence of ghosts – or give their claims a gloss of plausibilityGhost hunting has become a television sensation, with help from an unexpected accessory: the portable weather meter.Years ago, weather stations were static installations, but these days all the necessary instrumentation can be packed into an electronic device no larger than a smartphone, providing a handy scientific device for meteorologists – and for spirit seekers. Continue rea... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Amazon launches under-$20 online storefront to compete ... 14-11-24 00:21	The Guardian
Amazon launches under-$20 online storefront to compete with Temu Company says Amazon Haul will mostly feature products under $10, which it plans to ship from China warehouseAmazon has launched a low-cost online storefront featuring electronics, apparel and other products priced at under $20, an effort to compete with discount retailers that have increasingly encroached on the e-commerce giant’s turf.In a blogpost on Wednesday, the company said the new Amazon Haul storefront would mostly feature products that cost less than $10 and offer free delivery on ord... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Nintendo DS at 20 – the console that paved the way for ... 13-11-24 16:00	The Guardian
Nintendo DS at 20 – the console that paved the way for smartphone gaming In this week’s newsletter: With its clamshell design and innovative touch-screen, the DS was the bridge between handheld games devices and the iPhone• Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereBy 2004, video games were well into their adolescence. The war between Sega and Nintendo that defined the early 1990s was in the rear-view mirror – the PlayStation had knocked both of them off their perch, and Microsoft had released the Xbox. The critical and commercial hits of... Read the full article on The Guardian »
‘A phenomenon’: how World of Warcraft smashed out of ge... 13-11-24 15:55	The Guardian
‘A phenomenon’: how World of Warcraft smashed out of geekdom and conquered gaming The ultimate multi-player has survived ‘frat boy’ slurs, a ropey film, one mega lawsuit, legions of change-averse puritans – and Mr T in a Night Elf Mohawk. As it hits 20, join us on a trip to the green hills of Stranglehorn In 2004, Holly Longdale was a game designer on EverQuest, then the champion of a new genre of video game that allowed for multiplayer role-playing on a huge scale. In these online fantasy worlds, players could quest together rather than alone, adding a fascinating new ... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Tetris Forever is the real story of Tetris - and it’s f... 13-11-24 14:25	The Guardian
Tetris Forever is the real story of Tetris - and it’s fascinating An interactive documentary from Digital Eclipse goes deep on the 40-year history of TetrisBelieve me when I say: I truly thought I knew the story of Tetris. The puzzle game’s journey from behind the iron curtain in 1980s Moscow to multi-million-selling video game has been the subject of countless articles, a greatly entertaining book and a recent film. I have played Tetris in various forms for more than 30 years, from the Game Boy to the Nintendo Switch, even in VR. So when I loaded up Tetris ... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Guardian will no longer post on Elon Musk’s X from its ... 13-11-24 12:22	The Guardian
Guardian will no longer post on Elon Musk’s X from its official accounts Platform’s coverage of US election crystallised longstanding concerns about its content, says GuardianWhy the Guardian is no longer posting on XThe Guardian has announced it will no longer post content on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, from its official accounts.In an announcement to readers, the news organisation said it considered the benefits of being on the platform formerly called Twitter were now outweighed by the negatives, citing the “often disturbing content” found on it.... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Trump selects Elon Musk to lead government efficiency d... 13-11-24 06:29	The Guardian
Trump selects Elon Musk to lead government efficiency department Musk and ex-presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to head up Department of Government Efficiency (Doge)Analysis: Musk handpicked to carry out slash-and-burn cuts planElon Musk and the former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, Donald Trump said on Tuesday.Despite the name, the department will not be a government agency. Trump said in a statement that Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside government to offer the W... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Neom CEO departs as Saudi Arabia scales back mega-projects 12-11-24 20:24	The Guardian
Neom CEO departs as Saudi Arabia scales back mega-projects No reason given for departure of Nadhmi al-Nasr, longtime CEO of $500bn project launched by Mohammed bin SalmanNadhmi al-Nasr, the longtime chief executive of the $500bn Saudi development project Neom launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has departed, according to a Neom statement issued on Tuesday that did not give a reason for the departure.Prince Mohammed has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into development projects through the kingdom’s PIF sovereign wealth fund. Continue r... Read the full article on The Guardian »
French news titles sue X over allegedly running their c... 12-11-24 15:39	The Guardian
French news titles sue X over allegedly running their content without payment Social media site accused of violating law that requires platforms to pay media when republishing articlesSeveral leading French newspapers have said they are suing the social media platform X, accusing it of running their content without payment.The joint action against the company run by the US billionaire Elon Musk is being led by several daily newspapers – Le Figaro, Les Echos, Le Parisien and Le Monde – and includes other titles such as the culture magazine Telerama, Courrier Internatio... Read the full article on The Guardian »
TechScape: Will Elon Musk fire a third of the US govern... 12-11-24 13:30	The Guardian
TechScape: Will Elon Musk fire a third of the US government? Musk and Donald Trump propose a ‘Department of Government Efficiency’, crypto wins big in the election and a modern equivalent of Lysistrata takes hold on TikTok• Don’t get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereHello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m Blake Montgomery, US tech editor at the Guardian. In this week’s newsletter: Elon Musk and Donald Trump want to create a “Department of Government Efficiency”, crypto wins big across the board, and a modern equivalent of Lysist... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Musk’s influence on Trump could lead to tougher AI stan... 12-11-24 10:31	The Guardian
Musk’s influence on Trump could lead to tougher AI standards, says scientist Tycoon might help president-elect realise race for artificial general intelligence is a ‘suicide race’, says Max TegmarkBusiness live – latest updatesElon Musk’s influence on a Donald Trump administration could lead to tougher safety standards for artificial intelligence, according to a leading scientist who has worked closely with the world’s richest person on addressing AI’s dangers.Max Tegmark said Musk’s support for a failed AI bill in California underlined the billionaire’s ... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Bluesky adds 1m new members as users flee X after the U... 12-11-24 03:44	The Guardian
Bluesky adds 1m new members as users flee X after the US election Social media platform has become a ‘refuge’ from the far-right activism on X, experts say, after Elon Musk teamed up with Donald TrumpSocial media platform Bluesky has picked up more than 1 million new users since the US election, as users seek to escape misinformation and offensive posts on X.The influx, largely from North America and the UK, has helped Bluesky reach nearly 15 million users worldwide, up from 9 million in September, the company said. Continue reading... Read the full article on The Guardian »
PlayStation 5 Pro: is Sony’s console upgrade worth £700? 11-11-24 14:55	The Guardian
PlayStation 5 Pro: is Sony’s console upgrade worth £700? Four years after the PS5’s release, Sony has now put out a more powerful version. But the asking price is steepThe PlayStation 5 Pro was announced in September, and immediately people reacted with disbelief to the price: £699/$699, without a disc drive. Adjusted for inflation, it is the second-most expensive games console ever released – beaten only by the PlayStation 3, whose price was quickly slashed when it turned out nobody was willing to work a second job to afford one. It’s an addit... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Bitcoin price tops $87,000 for first time amid ‘Trump p... 11-11-24 13:35	The Guardian
Bitcoin price tops $87,000 for first time amid ‘Trump pump’ Price has more than doubled in a year as traders hope Trump will favour crypto when he returns to White HouseThe price of bitcoin has risen above $87,000 for the first time as it benefited from traders’ hopes that Donald Trump will favour cryptocurrencies when he returns to the White House.Bitcoin reached a record high of $87,198, before slipping back slightly on Monday. The price has more than doubled from about $37,000 12 months ago. Continue reading... Read the full article on The Guardian »
‘It gets more and more confused’: can AI replace transl... 11-11-24 12:10	The Guardian
‘It gets more and more confused’: can AI replace translators? A Dutch publisher has announced that it will use AI to translate some of its books – but those in the industry are worried about the consequences if this becomes the norm As anyone who has tried pointing their phone’s camera at a menu in a foreign country lately will know, machine translation has improved rapidly since the first days of Google Translate. The utility of AI-powered translation in situations like this is unquestionable – but the proposed use of AI in literary translation has ... Read the full article on The Guardian »
How a second Trump term could further enrich Elon Musk:... 10-11-24 19:00	The Guardian
How a second Trump term could further enrich Elon Musk: ‘There will be some quid pro quo’ Experts say new government could blunt regulation and appoint officials sympathetic to Musk’s brood of companiesDonald Trump owes his decisive 2024 presidential victory in no small part to the enthusiastic support of the world’s richest man. In the months leading up to the election, Elon Musk put his full weight behind the Maga movement, advocated for Trump on major podcasts and used his influence over X to shape political discourse. Musk’s America Pac injected nearly $120m into the former... Read the full article on The Guardian »
The images of Spain’s floods weren’t created by AI. Th... 09-11-24 17:00	The Guardian
The images of Spain’s floods weren’t created by AI. The trouble is, people think they were The rapid growth of ‘AI slop’ – content created by artificial tools – is starting to warp our perception of what is, or could be, realMy eye was caught by a striking photograph in the most recent edition of Charles Arthur’s Substack newsletter Social Warming. It shows a narrow street in the aftermath of the “rain bomb” that devastated the region of Valencia in Spain. A year’s worth of rain fell in a single day, and in some towns more than 490 litres a square metre fell in eight h... Read the full article on The Guardian »
How Elon Musk became Donald Trump’s shadow vice-president 09-11-24 13:00	The Guardian
How Elon Musk became Donald Trump’s shadow vice-president The world’s richest man has risen to become the second most powerful man in US politics. None of it was accidentalAs Donald Trump watched election results roll in from a party at his Mar-a-Lago compound, Elon Musk sat arm’s length away, basking in the impending victory he had helped secure. In less than five months, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO had gone from not endorsing a candidate to becoming a fixture of the president-elect’s inner circle.“The future is gonna be so ,” Musk posted to h... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Elwood Edwards, voice of AOL ‘You’ve got mail’ greeting... 09-11-24 11:15	The Guardian
Elwood Edwards, voice of AOL ‘You’ve got mail’ greeting, dies aged 74 Edwards taped message that became catchphrase and served as title of 1998 film starring Tom Hanks and Meg RyanElwood Edwards, who voiced AOL’s “You’ve got mail” greeting, has died, aged 74.Edwards died on Tuesday at his home in New Bern, North Carolina, his daughter Heather said. The cause was complications from a stroke late last year, she added. Continue reading... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Reasons to be hopeful: five ways science is making the ... 09-11-24 11:00	The Guardian
Reasons to be hopeful: five ways science is making the world better If Trump’s re-election is getting you down, these innovations in medicine and technology should cheer you upIan Sample Continue reading... Read the full article on The Guardian »
As a jaded tech journalist, I’m in a battle to keep ‘sm... 09-11-24 09:00	The Guardian
As a jaded tech journalist, I’m in a battle to keep ‘smart’ devices out of my home – despite my partner’s efforts | Victoria Turk The good news is, your phone isn’t listening to you. But that’s because your doorbell has already sold all your secretsThere’s one battle my husband and I have fought ever since we started cohabiting: whether to allow “smart” appliances in our home. He, an enthusiastic gadget fan, would happily connect all of our household goods to the internet so he could control them from his phone. I, a jaded tech journalist, am far too paranoid to surround myself with a bunch of data-guzzling surve... Read the full article on The Guardian »
The price of love: how much does dating cost – and who ... 09-11-24 08:00	The Guardian
The price of love: how much does dating cost – and who pays the bill? From subscribing to apps to who should foot the cost of nights out, it’s worth getting your finances rightBreaking the ice: nine ideas for dates on a budgetPutting yourself out there always comes at a cost: you have to be vulnerable, open yourself up and risk rejection. These days it can also come with a hefty price tag.It’s not just the cost of drinks or dinner to consider. Before you’ve even got to the awkward, age-old dance of who is going to foot the bill, you might have already f... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Ofcom warns tech firms after chatbots imitate Brianna G... 09-11-24 07:00	The Guardian
Ofcom warns tech firms after chatbots imitate Brianna Ghey and Molly Russell After ‘distressing incidents’, watchdog says content from user-made bots would be covered by UK Online Safety ActOfcom has warned tech firms that content from chatbots impersonating real and fictional people could fall foul of the UK’s new digital laws.The communications regulator issued the guidance after it emerged that users on the Character.AI platform had created avatars mimicking the deceased British teenagers Brianna Ghey and Molly Russell.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be co... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Elon Musk reportedly makes surprise appearance on Trump... 08-11-24 21:41	The Guardian
Elon Musk reportedly makes surprise appearance on Trump-Zelenskyy call X chief, who campaigned hard for Trump, spoke to Ukraine leader after being handed phone by president-electElon Musk reportedly made a surprise guest appearance on a call between Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, solidifying the Tesla chief executive’s role as the most influential civilian in the country come January.Musk was present with Trump during the call for roughly 25 minutes, according to Axios, which first reported the call. Trump handed Musk the phone and ... Read the full article on The Guardian »
Apple MacBook Pro M4 review: faster, better and cheaper 08-11-24 08:00	The Guardian
Apple MacBook Pro M4 review: faster, better and cheaper Chip, memory, battery and power upgrades add to laptop’s appeal along with new webcam and Apple IntelligenceApple’s upgraded MacBook Pro for 2024 gets a significant power boost with the M4 chip, double the memory as standard, even longer battery life and a price cut, ending the year on a high.The longstanding laptop line now starts at £1,599 (€1,899/$1,599/A$2,499), making it £100 or so cheaper than last year’s M3 models. Though still an expensive, premium laptop, it comes with at leas... Read the full article on The Guardian »
AI may displace 3m jobs but long-term losses ‘relativel... 08-11-24 07:00	The Guardian
AI may displace 3m jobs but long-term losses ‘relatively modest’, says Tony Blair’s thinktank Rise in unemployment in low hundreds of thousands as technology creates roles, Tony Blair Institute suggestsArtificial intelligence could displace between 1m and 3m private sector jobs in the UK, though the ultimate rise in unemployment will be in the low hundreds of thousands as growth in the technology also creates new roles, according to Tony Blair’s thinktank.Between 60,000 and 275,000 jobs will be displaced every year over a couple of decades at the peak of the disruption, estimates from ... Read the full article on The Guardian »

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