Theme Digital, Tech and Online EN

Google’s Stadia looks like an early beta of the future of gaming

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 15:00:44 +0100

“The future of gaming is not a box,” according to Google. “It’s a place.” Just like how humans have built stadiums for sports over hundreds of years, Google believes it’s building a virtual stadium, aptly dubbed Stadia, for the future of games to be played anywhere. You won’t need an expensive gaming PC or a dedicated game console. Instead, you’ll just need access to Google’s Chrome browser to instantly play games on a phone, tablet, PC, or TV. It’s a bold vision for where gaming is heading, and Google hopes its Stadia cloud streaming service will make it a reality.

Google may have just unveiled the future of gaming at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), but it’s a future the company has left us knowing very little about.

...

T-Mobile starts testing wireless home internet service

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 14:57:52 +0100

T-Mobile is starting to pilot a wireless home internet service, offering unlimited LTE data to the home for $50 per month. At launch, the service has extremely limited availability. T-Mobile says it plans to reach just 50,000 homes by the end of the year, primarily in rural markets and markets with limited internet options.

The pilot service is meant to test T-Mobile’s ability to deliver a high-speed home internet connection ahead of its 5G rollout. Eventually, T-Mobile plans to launch wireless home internet that relies on 5G, offering much faster service. For now, T-Mobile is only promising speeds of 50 Mbps over LTE — which is acceptable but not particularly fast — whereas the 5G service is supposed to deliver over 100 Mbps.

Microsoft starts notifying Windows 7 users about end of support

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 14:56:01 +0100

Microsoft has started rolling out an update to Windows 7 that will notify existing users about the end of the support. The software maker is stopping support of Windows 7 on January 14th, 2020, and it’s now starting to warn about this cutoff date. Microsoft is using a notification to warn Windows 7 users, similar to the prompts the company used to get people to upgrade to Windows 7.

Microsoft’s end of support date means that Windows 7 users will no longer receive security updates, and the company wants consumers to upgrade to Windows 10 PCs instead. While the notification doesn’t mention Windows 10, Microsoft links to a new Windows 7 site that encourages consumers to upgrade their PCs.

Microsoft revealed earlier this month that these...

Tesla accuses self-driving startup Zoox and former employees of trade secret theft

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 14:24:10 +0100

Tesla filed two lawsuits late on Wednesday against multiple former employees and the self-driving startup Zoox for allegedly misappropriating the company’s trade secrets.

The Silicon Valley automaker claims four former employees stole “proprietary information and trade secrets to help Zoox leapfrog past years of work needed to develop and run its own warehousing, logistics, and inventory control operations.”

Tesla also claims in a separate case that a former employee stole trade secrets related to the company’s Autopilot driver assistance feature before taking a job at Chinese electric automaker Xiaopeng Motors, or XPeng.

Developing...

Fish and bees in different countries now on speaking terms thanks to robots

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 14:20:40 +0100

The more imaginative out there might dream of a universal translator-like device that would allow humans to speak with animals, but in the real world, a new robot breakthrough is able to help animals communicate with one another like never before.

Announcing the news, a team of engineers from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and four other European universities revealed it has been able to get two extremely different species based in two different countries to interact with each other and reach a shared decision with the help of robots.

Detailing its findings in Science Robotics, the team said bees in Austria and fish in Switzerland were able to transmit signals back and forth to each other through a number of robots until they eventually coordinated their decisions.

The robots are not big, clunky machines, but rather small designs that have been made to blend into groups of animals and influence their behaviours and, recently, was able to infiltrate a school of fish in a circular aquarium and get them to swim in a given direction.

For this latest study, the team of engineers took things a little further by connecting them remotely with a colony of bees that live on a platform of robot terminals on each side which they naturally tend to swarm around.

The robots released into each group emitted signals specific to that species, so that the machine in the school of fish emitted visual signals, such as different shapes and colours, as well as behavioural signals such as vibrations or tail movements. Meanwhile, the bee robot emitted signals through vibrations and air movements.

An interspecies conference

This resulted in the fish starting to swim in a given direction, while the bees began to swarm around just one of the terminals.

“The robots acted as if they were negotiators and interpreters in an international conference,” said Francesco Mondada of EPFL’s Biorobotics Laboratory (BioRob). “Through the various information exchanges, the two groups of animals gradually came to a shared decision.”

The results showed that despite being 700km apart, the two species were ‘talking’ with one another after an initial period of chaos, followed by a certain amount of coordination. Eventually after 25 minutes, the two species synchronised with the fish swimming anticlockwise, while the bees stayed at one terminal.

Frank Bonnet of BioRob added: “The species even started adopting some of each other’s characteristics. The bees became a little more restless and less likely to swarm together than usual, and the fish started to group together more than they usually would.”

The team hopes that these findings could allow robotic engineers to develop machines that can could capture and translate biological signals, as well as better understanding animal behaviour.

The post Fish and bees in different countries now on speaking terms thanks to robots appeared first on Silicon Republic.

Tech Moves: OfferUp bulks up leadership team, taps former Starz exec Ameesh Paleja as first CTO

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 14:00:36 +0100

Ameesh Paleja. (OfferUp Photo)

Bellevue, Wash.-based mobile marketplace startup OfferUp has hired Ameesh Paleja as its first-ever chief technology officer. Paleja was previously the CTO of premium cable network Starz and the CEO of movie ticket service Atom Tickets.

Paleja also worked at Amazon for more than a decade, where he managed teams focused on products including Amazon Prime Instant Video and the Amazon Appstore.

“To disrupt an entire industry, you need a simple idea that’s brilliantly executed,” Paleja said in a statement. “OfferUp is a marketplace leader because of their passionate focus on the customer.”

Paleja is the latest addition to OfferUp’s leadership team. Last month it hired former Microsoft exec and Buddy co-founder Jeff MacDuff as director of engineering; Amazon veteran Bill Carr was named COO in October; and former eBay exec Rodrigo Brumana became CFO in September.

OfferUp is the most valuable startup in the Seattle region. The 8-year-old company has raised $221 million to date from investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Warburg Pincus, T. Rowe Price, Tiger Global Management and Jackson Square Ventures, among others.

This past August the 240-person company raised more cash as it aims for profitability and competes with Craigslist, eBay and Facebook Marketplace. OfferUp said it has 44 million active users and that its app has been downloaded 75 million times. The company added the ability to ship items last year, extending its reach beyond local commerce.

Sarah Bilton. (OfferUp Photo)

OfferUp also announced today that it hired Sarah Bilton as vice president of employee experience. Bilton was previously vice president of people practices at marijuana review and discovery platform Leafly. She also held senior human resources roles at e-commerce companies Julep Beauty and real estate tech company Zillow.

“As a top five shopping app on iOS and Android, we’re rapidly entering our next stage of growth by investing in maturing business lines, and continuing to build our executive roster with strong leaders who have proven experience scaling companies,” said OfferUp co-founder and CEO Nick Huzar.

Bellevue, Wash.-based OfferUp is ranked No. 13 on the GeekWire 200 list of the top Pacific Northwest privately-held companies.

Microsoft and University of Washington demonstrate automated DNA data storage

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 14:00:33 +0100

Microsoft and University of Washington researchers built an automated system that was fed by bottles of chemicals to encode date in custom-designed DNA molecules. (Microsoft / UW Image)

DNA data storage holds the promise of putting huge amounts of information into a test tube — but who wants to carry test tubes around a data center all day?

Researchers from Microsoft ahd the University of Washington are working on a better way: a completely automated system that can turn digital bits into coded DNA molecules for storage, and turn those molecules back into bits when needed.

They used their proof-of-concept system, described in a paper published today in Nature Scientific Reports, to encode the word “hello” in strands of DNA and then read it out. That may sound like a ridiculously simple task, but it served to show that the system works.

“We have conviction that DNA molecules are good candidates for data storage. But we are, at heart, computer architects. We really want to figure out what a future computer could look like,” Luis Ceze, a professor at UW’s Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, told GeekWire. “What’s exciting for us here is that It’s one step toward showing a computer system that has a molecular component and an electronic component.”

The mechanism for DNA data storage is similar to the way the DNA in our cells encodes genetic information: Instead of using electronic ones and zeros, the encoding system translates data into DNA base pairs, using the chemical “letters” for adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine (A, C, G, T). “Hello,” for example, could be coded into the chemical string TCAACATGATGAGTA.

It’s important to note that the custom-made molecule doesn’t do anything genetically. Rather, the system merely uses the chemicals in DNA as code.

“There are no cells, no organisms,” said Microsoft principal researcher Karin Strauss.

The method dramatically increases the density of data storage. Theoretically, you could store a billion billion bytes of data (known as an exabyte) in a cubic inch of fluid, Strauss says.

In past experiments, the Microsoft-UW team has used DNA to encode files ranging from historical texts to cat pictures to a high-definition OK Go music video. UW’s Molecular Information Systems Laboratory even has a “Memories in DNA” website where you can upload your own files for DNA storage.

But that work involved a lot of manual steps to figure out the code, send an order to get the molecules synthesized, wait for the DNA to come back in the mail and then run the experiments. Because so much handling was involved, there were lots of opportunities to make mistakes. That would never fly in a commercial setting.

“You can’t have a bunch of people running around a data center with pipettes — it’s too prone to human error, it’s too costly and the footprint would be too large,” Chris Takahashi, senior research scientist at the Allen School, said in a news release. That’s why an automated system is a big deal.

The system takes advantage of Microsoft software to translate digital code into DNA code. That code is then automatically sent to a synthesizer that combines the required chemicals and liquids, in just the right order and proportions, and then spits out the custom-made DNA molecules into a storage vessel.

To read out the data, the DNA is drawn into an apparatus that adds chemicals and pushes them through a nanopore DNA sequencing machine. The sequence is automatically converted into the ones and zeros of digital data.

Ceze said the procedure still took 12 to 16 hours, but the elapsed time wasn’t the point of this experiment. Rather, the point was to show that an automated system could do the work reliably from start to finish.

The Microsoft-UW team has also created a programmable system that can move droplets of fluid around on a digital microfluidic device dubbed PurpleDrop . The operating system, known as Puddle, can be used to issue commands for a microfluidic system, much as a more conventional operating system like Linux can issue commands for an electronic computing system.

Here’s a sample of Puddle code:

a = input(substance_A)
b = input(substance_B)
ab = mix(a, b)

while get_pH(ab) > 7:
    heat(ab)
    acidify(ab)

Eventually, a next-generation DNA data storage system could be combined with devices like PurpleDrop and software like Puddle to create a computer environment based on microfluidics instead of electronics. Ceze said that would probably lead to hybrid computer systems that blend the processing power of electronic computing with the data storage density of DNA.

“Our vision for using molecules is for applications that have a very large of data,” he said. “The kind of computing that we are exploring is pattern-matching and approximate search. If you have a large collection of images and video, how do you find similar images, how do you find similar videos?”

Ceze and his colleagues already have demonstrated how DNA-based computing can “fish” through huge databases for images that match a given query. That kind of capability is something that the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, is very interested in developing.

Also this week, researchers at Caltech and the University of California at Davis published a paper describing a data processing system that uses self-assembling DNA molecules to run algorithms. “It’s super-interesting,” Ceze said. “It allows you to do computation at the molecular scale … but it’s not really about processing large amounts of data, which is our goal.”

DNA-based computer systems aren’t likely to show up at Best Buy anytime soon.

“We’re really imagining this being deployed in the cloud. … The scenario that we see is replacing parts of a larger-scale system that sits in a data center with system components that use molecular data storage and molecular data search,” Ceze said.

Strauss isn’t willing to predict how long it will take to add DNA to Microsoft Azure, but she’s confident that Microsoft and UW will do what it takes to turn the experiment into a product.

“We have a very special team here,” she said. “We’ve very lucky to be in an environment where people are willing to make bets and innovate.”

The University of Washington’s Luis Ceze and Microsoft’s Karin Strauss are part of a team for the DNA data storage project. (Tara Brown Photography / University of Washington)

Apple’s show time special event: what to expect from the TV and news service announcements

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 14:00:23 +0100

Apple CEO Tim Cook will take the stage at the Steve Jobs Theater on Monday to unveil two new subscription services for the company. One is a highly anticipated video service that will put Apple in direct competition with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and other streaming heavyweights. The other is an all-in-one subscription news / magazine service that could change the way many iPhone owners keep up with current events and their favorite publications.

The company spent the first half of this week making new hardware announcements — including new iPads, iMacs, and AirPods — so that all focus at the event will be on its latest software and services.

Apple Video

Apple has spent years finding its way to this point. One of the more...

Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki on changing direction with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 14:00:00 +0100

For the last decade, From Software has been known primarily for one thing: demanding action role-playing games set in dark, intricately designed worlds. Starting with seminal Demon’s Souls, then continuing with the Dark Souls trilogy and the gothic masterpiece Bloodborne, From, led by director Hidetaka Miyazaki, established a distinct flavor of action, making the studio a household name and influencing countless developers.

But lately, the studio has started to change course.

It started last year with the short, mournful VR experience Déraciné, which retained many of the studio’s hallmarks — including cryptic, layered storytelling and a gothic fantasy setting — but it fused them with a completely different style of game. Now, Miyazaki...

Kickstart your career as a high-paid project manager with this $35 training

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 14:00:00 +0100

With the truly Comprehensive Six Sigma Certification Collection ($35, over 90 percent off from TNW Deals), you’ll not only have the skills to assemble an attack plan worthy of any sized project, but also the data background to be even more responsive to every possible hiccup and pitfall your task could face.

WhatsApp Business begins to roll out on iOS

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 13:55:56 +0100

WhatsApp Business, a separate version of WhatsApp that’s designed to allow businesses to communicate with their customers, has begun to launch on iOS. WABetaInfo reports that it discovered the app on the Mexican App Store, and users have subsequently reported that the app is also available in France and Brazil. WhatsApp Business was first released on Android in January last year.

The app is significant for WhatsApp because it’s one of the few ways the Facebook-owned service monetizes itself directly. Although businesses can respond to customers for free if they do so within 24 hours, Facebook will charge them after this initial period. Last year, a WhatsApp executive said that the service would also start showing ads to general users...

Belfast financial services firm HNH to take on 14 new recruits

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 13:46:40 +0100

Belfast-based financial services company HNH is set to create 14 new roles in the Northern Irish capital as a result of an investment of more than £1.3m. The company has said that there are positions available at all experience levels including managerial and directorial roles.

At the moment, the firm offers a diverse range of services in corporate finance, business restructuring, forensic accounting, recruitment and human capital advisory. This new investment, supported by Invest NI, will allow the company to add a transactions services division as well as a mergers and acquisition tax team. HNH also plans to further expand its forensics practice.

“Global economic growth has created opportunities in the financial advisory market and we are keen to act quickly to take advantage of this,” explained HNH director Wayne Horwood. “In particular, we are aiming to increase the number of clients we have in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland and so, as well as substantially expanding our workforce, we’ll be carrying out a range of promotional and marketing activity.”

George McKinney, Invest NI director of technology and services, praised the fact that the new roles will offer “an attractive range of employment opportunities for graduates and experienced professionals”, adding that it will generate almost £640,000 in additional salaries for the Northern Irish economy.

McKinney added: “Northern Ireland’s position as a hub for financial services continues to strengthen and we are seeing both inward investors and indigenous companies like HNH benefiting from the local talent and expertise available here.”

This announcement follows on from the spate of finance-oriented roles announced last week across the island of Ireland. Finance platform TradeIX announced that it is set to expand its Dublin headquarters and create 70 new roles. It is hiring in the areas of engineering, sales, customer service and product development.

Meanwhile in Galway, Australian payments company EML Payments is opening an innovation hub that will hire 20 new people. The investment, backed by both IDA Ireland and the Irish Government, will help EML expand its European offerings.

The post Belfast financial services firm HNH to take on 14 new recruits appeared first on Silicon Republic.

Mt. Gox readies to pay back creditors five years after hack

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 13:32:57 +0100

Troubled cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox is finally inching closer to settling its debt with creditors, some five years after it was hacked. According to new documents published by Mt. Gox‘s trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi (aka Tokyo Whale, as he’s known in cryptocurrency circles), a decision has been made with regards to creditor’s claims – they’ve been approved or disapproved – and the Tokyo District Court has been notified. Unfortuantely, though, the decision hasn’t been made public. The trustee’s decision is due to be known over the next few days, and creditors will be notified accordingly. The exchange‘s trustee said in the documents that…

This story continues at The Next Web

Upload filters and one-hour takedowns: the EU’s latest fight against terrorism online, explained

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 13:00:00 +0100

The EU wants to stop online extremist content in its tracks

Discovery that different realities can co-exist ‘breaks’ quantum physics

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 12:56:45 +0100

The belief that there are multiple versions of ourselves in an infinite number of dimensions has long been a staple of science fiction, but has so far remained only that. However, within the weird world of quantum mechanics, scientists are now coming to terms with the possibility that something vaguely similar could indeed be true in the real world.

According to Live Science, researchers in Austria recently published a paper appearing to confirm a decades-old theoretical question posed by the 1963 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, Eugene Wigner. In 1961, the physicist proposed the question that became known as ‘Wigner’s friend’, whereby it could be possible for two people to observe the same photon and see them existing in two different states, with both being technically correct.

When observed, the particle of light’s polarisation should be either vertical or horizontal, but because it is measured the laws of quantum mechanics state that it should exist in a ‘superposition’ where it is both polarisations at once.

Therefore, if ‘person A’ in the lab sees a fixed polarisation, ‘person B’ – who has no idea about the results of the lab measurements as they are outside the process – would then see it in a state of superposition. This results in two people seeing two different realities of the same thing.

Since Wigner first proposed it decades ago, the thought experiment has remained just that, but major advances in our understanding of physics in recent years have helped us actually put it to the test.

“Theoretical advances were needed to formulate the problem in a way that is testable,” said Martin Ringbauer, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Innsbrück. “Then, the experimental side needed developments on the control of quantum systems to implement something like that.”

Bob, Alice and friends

To conduct their experiment, the researchers took things even further by doubling the scenario: two labs with two pairs of entangled photons, meaning that knowing the state of one photon would automatically tell you the state of the other.

The photons were represented by names including ‘Bob’, ‘Alice’ and two ‘friends’, with the latter two split between both labs and each measuring one photon in an entangled pair. This resulted in the breaking of superposition, forcing the photon measured by the friends to be in a fixed polarisation.

The results of the experiments showed that even when the scenario was doubled, Wigner’s theory held up as both Alice and Bob would arrive at a conclusion that differed from their friends. If this is causing you headaches, spare a thought for quantum physicists who have to come to terms with the fact that this challenges the very meaning of quantum mechanics.

“It seems that, in contrast to classical physics, measurement results cannot be considered absolute truth but must be understood relative to the observer who performed the measurement,” Ringbauer said. “The stories we tell about quantum mechanics have to adapt to that.”

The post Discovery that different realities can co-exist ‘breaks’ quantum physics appeared first on Silicon Republic.

This app collects wallpapers designed to hide Samsung Galaxy S10’s camera

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 12:52:22 +0100

The hole-punch on the new Samsung Galaxy S10 lineup might not be as obnoxious as a notch. But, in case you wanted to hide it anyway, there’s now an app that collects creative wallpapers designed to camouflage the phone‘s camera cutout. As spotted by Android Police, Hidey Hole essentially scrapes Reddit for hole-punch wallpapers and stacks them in one place, so you can comfortably choose from a wide range to trick out your S10. What’s especially nifty is the app also lets you adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation settings for each image. There’s one catch though: you need to…

This story continues at The Next Web

Or just read more coverage about: Samsung Galaxy,Samsung

Microsoft’s disc-less Xbox One S reportedly launching May 7th

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 12:42:25 +0100

Microsoft’s disc-less Xbox One S console will reportedly launch on May 7th. Windows Central has obtained documents that indicate this is the launch date, alongside leaked box art images that the site has recreated. Microsoft is said to be calling this console the “Xbox One S All-Digital edition,” signaling a new model without the typical Blu-ray drive. It’s not clear how much cheaper this model will be, but the removal of a Blu-ray drive will definitely drive down the price.

Microsoft has not yet publicly acknowledged the company is even creating a disc-less version of the Xbox One S, but rumors previously pointed towards a mid-April announce and May retail date. Microsoft is also rumored to be creating an option to ship this disc-less...

Two arrested in South Korea over secretly filming 1,600 hotel guests with spycams

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 12:40:42 +0100

South Korean authorities have arrested two men and are investigating two more over a spycam website that live streamed 1,600 hotel guests without their knowledge, reports CNN. The men installed small, 1mm lens cameras into items ranging from hair dryer holders and wall sockets, and then streamed the footage online, where people could pay a monthly fee to watch.

The arrests are part of a South Korean epidemic of what’s known as “molka,” which is the secret filming of women in public places such as toilets and changing rooms, but sometimes even in their own homes. Last summer, tens of thousands of women took to the streets of Seoul over the epidemic, which saw 6,470 cases reported in 2017 alone, up from 1,353 cases in 2012.

After Google, Walmart is reportedly building a game streaming service

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 12:38:17 +0100

USgamer reports that retail giant Walmart is working on a game streaming service, hopping on the now-heavily-burdened bandwagon that includes Google, Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, and Sony. That’s from the media outlet’s sources, which say that the company has been in talks with game developers and publishers about it over the past few months. If the report is accurate, we may just have another major player in the game streaming space. But even if Walmart is working on this, it may well be a while before it launches its service. For starters, we don’t yet know if Walmart’s made any progress…

This story continues at The Next Web

Or just read more coverage about: Google

PSA: Don’t use this fake Wasabi wallet to ‘store’ your Bitcoin

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 12:34:56 +0100

Watch out! Wasabi, the popular anonymizing Bitcoin wallet, has been been duped in an apparent bid to steal your Bitcoin — and the ruse comes complete with an entirely phony website. Wasabi’s co-founder, nopara73, shared the discovery this morning: “The first malware that pretends to be Wasabi […]. Notice only the Windows download link points to their own website, the rest is to our GitHub?” he tweeted. Indeed, the fraudulent site (wasabibitcoinwallet [dot] org) features a download page that links to the latest version of “Wasabi.” It lists four versions for download (macOS, Windows, and two for Linux). All the links direct users to…

This story continues at The Next Web

Or just read more coverage about: Bitcoin

Apple’s new iPad mini is a terrific small tablet with no competition

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 12:00:00 +0100

Sometimes smaller is better

Here’s why you’re having issues with Reddit and Wikipedia in the EU

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 11:44:23 +0100

Redditors and Wikipedians (is that the correct term?) in the EU might have a hard time using their favorite websites today. The reason is the EU‘s upcoming Copyright Reform, which will be put to a vote on March 26. The directive includes the controversial Article 13 that will make platforms responsible for any copyright infringement by users. This will most likely damage the openness of the internet and make it harder to operate platforms dealing with user-generated posts — possibly outlawing content like Miley Cyrus’ birthday wishes to her hubby. To make people understand how serious the effects of the…

This story continues at The Next Web

Or just read more coverage about: Reddit,Wikipedia

Biggest oil nations killed UN resolution to investigate geoengineering

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 11:36:42 +0100

The UN’s attempts to get a hold of out-of-control climate change have taken many forms, but the increasing possibilities of geoengineering technologies – in particular carbon capture – remain somewhat controversial.

Now, according to Motherboard, a recent UN resolution put forward by Switzerland to “prepare an assessment of the status of geoengineering technologies” was shut down after member nations failed to come to a consensus on how the governmental body would assess it.

The resolution was officially declared withdrawn on 14 March, driven by the US, Saudi Arabia and Brazil, which are some of the largest producers and consumers of fossil fuels in the world. Those involved in the UN meetings about the resolution said the biggest sticking point was any deep investigation of CO2 removal technologies, including attempts to reflect sunlight back into space.

Speaking with Motherboard, an anonymous source from within the meeting said: “I think there was clear evidence of the fossil link, in that Saudi Arabia at least sees carbon removal forms of geoengineering as a means of sustaining fossil fuel use, while the US argued that carbon removal is an alternative to emissions reduction.”

In particular, the US objected to language in the resolution that said “geoengineering techniques should not be treated as a substitute for mitigation or emissions cuts” and that any investigation would throttle the development of CO2 removal technologies.

Kicking the can down the road

Academics in the US have been quite critical of the country’s decision to prevent the resolution from passing, with climate scientist Kate Ricke of the University of California San Diego saying it was a natural decision for a government sceptical of climate change in the first place.

“If a government’s position is that human-caused climate change is not a problem, it doesn’t make sense to advocate for research on extreme approaches to address the risks posed by human-caused climate change,” she said.

Among the most recent efforts to capture CO2 from Earth’s atmosphere to reverse the damage already caused include a team from RMIT University in Australia, which claimed it had found a way to efficiently convert CO2 from a gas into solid particles of carbon. Essentially, this means that CO2 in our atmosphere can be turned back into coal and reburied underground.

As for the failed resolution, the US has successfully punted it to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, where it will be investigated for its next major climate report in two years’ time.

The post Biggest oil nations killed UN resolution to investigate geoengineering appeared first on Silicon Republic.

European Wikipedias have been turned off for the day to protest dangerous copyright laws

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 11:30:26 +0100

Websites and businesses across Europe today are protesting controversial changes to online copyright being introduced by the European Union.

Ahead of a final vote on the legislation next Tuesday, March 26th, a number of European Wikipedia sites are going dark for the day, blocking all access and directing users to contact their local EU representative to protest the laws. Other major sites, such as Twitch and PornHub, are showing protest banners on their homepages and social media. Meanwhile, any users uploading content to Reddit will be shown this notice:

Critics of the Copyright Directive say it could lead to messages like this.

The law in question is the EU Copyright Directive, a long-awaited update to...

Introducing TQ South: TNW’s second Amsterdam space for tech companies

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 11:08:25 +0100

While we’re all still beaming after our recent announcement that the Financial Times acquired a majority stake in TNW, it turns out we’ve got more big news to reveal. Today, I’m thrilled to share that we’re opening a second TQ in Amsterdam South — a brand-new home dedicated to helping tech companies grow. With space for startups, scale-ups, and corporates, we can’t wait to apply all the lessons we learned from our first launch in a new environment. So, why did TNW create TQ? In October 2016, we opened the doors to our first TQ — a curated workspace for…

This story continues at The Next Web

‘The finance industry is a goldmine for marketers’

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 11:00:41 +0100

Inbal Lavi has been the CEO of Webpals Group, a performance marketing company, since January 2014.

Her career spans about 15 years in the online marketing industry, with expertise in marketing strategy, operations and P&L management. She holds a BSc and an MSc in industrial engineering from Tel Aviv University.

MarTechExec named Lavi as one of the 50 Women You Need to Know in Martech in 2018 and she was recently recognised in the 2018 Women World Awards in the Female Executive of the Year category.

Describe your role and what you do.

As CEO of Webpals Group, my role is to lead the company with a vision of being the global leader in online performance marketing, supported by a strategy to execute this vision according to the values we believe in.

I also direct the company’s growth by overseeing acquisitions, monitoring the development of each of our subsidiaries and divisions, and building a positive environment for our employees.

With clients in over 180 countries, I am tasked with leading our team under a cohesive mission: to create the most advanced user acquisition engine and provide the most relevant content, which delivers high-value users to our partners and empowers customers to make the best decision.

How do you prioritise and organise your working life?

As a mother of three, it is extremely important for me to create a work-life balance. Both jobs are highly rewarding; to meet the demands of both my role as CEO and of mother to the best of my ability, I try to keep my focus on each role separate. I try to dedicate quality time to be spent with my family and make an effort to keep anything else out of mind during that precious time.

I also make sure to have ‘me time’, which I like to spend dancing and exercising – these two activities help to relieve stress, allowing me to clear my mind and help me refocus.

What are the biggest challenges facing your sector and how are you tackling them?

Developing the tools that will enable scalable growth in all verticals is one of the biggest challenges we face today. Webpals is a leader and innovator in the online marketing sector, which is a crowded and constantly evolving market. Today’s consumers are inundated with information and want access to highly tailored content across all media channels. To stand out, companies must have unique value.

Therefore, we must always remain ahead of the curve to engage users through a wide variety of platforms and niche sites. In order to do so, we have utilised our knowhow to expand into new territories, such as South Korea, and new verticals, like personal finance.

‘I’m proud to lead a company with 50pc of its employees being women’
^{– INBAL LAVI}

What are the key sector opportunities you’re capitalising on?

In the past two years, Webpals Group announced $27.2m in acquisitions of financial sites, including the purchase of InvestorJunkie.com, MoneyUnder30.com, Greedyrates.ca and DoughRoller.net, among others.

This rapidly expanding industry is a goldmine for marketers as consumers flood the internet, looking for guidance and information regarding personal finance, robo-advisers, credit cards and more. By strategically expanding into the economic sector, Webpals has been able to empower consumers to make informed, financial decisions. As a result of this, our partners in the financial sector receive high-intent traffic.

What set you on the road to where you are now?

My journey started during my master’s degree in industrial engineering from Tel Aviv University. I wrote my thesis about machine learning and data mining, which wasn’t such a hot-button topic back then. There weren’t many companies that offered jobs relevant to my academic background, but I always knew the right job opportunity would present itself.

My first commercial position in the online world was in data mining at 888. With time, I moved into a business management position at the company and realised that is the direction I wanted to follow.

Later, when the opportunity arose to become the CEO of Webpals Group, I jumped at the chance.

What was your biggest mistake and what did you learn from it?

Something I’ve realised in recent years is that you don’t get ahead without making mistakes. Along the way I have made blunders, both big and small, but I believe my biggest learning opportunity came from underestimating the value of a strong acquisition strategy.

When companies acquire other, smaller companies, they have many reasons or motives. Understanding your most central corporate objectives and building a plan around them is vital to steady, prosperous growth. I have learned from each acquisition and consequently have adopted a three-pronged approach anchored by a focus on verticals, market leadership and technology.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to join a side-event with other inspirational thought leaders, all working towards social equality! Here's our CEO @inbalavi w/ @GilaGamliel, Minister of Social Equality! After last week’s horrific terrorist attack in New Zealand, early commentary focused on how the shootings at two Christchurch shootings seemed to be purpose-built for spreading on social media. “A mass shooting of, and for, the internet,” Kevin Roose called it in the New York Times:

The details that have emerged about the Christchurch shooting — at least 49 were killed in an attack on two mosques — are horrifying. But a surprising thing about it is how unmistakably online the violence was, and how aware the shooter on the videostream appears to have been about how his act would be viewed and interpreted by distinct internet subcultures.

In some ways, it felt like a first — an internet-native mass shooting, conceived and produced...

Continue reading…

Facebook is hiring a lead for its blockchain counsel

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 10:51:52 +0100

It seems Facebook isn’t content with its 50-strong team dedicated to building its proprietary cryptocurrency, as it’s now looking to hire someone for its blockchain counsel. The social media giant is looking for a “lead commercial counsel, Blockchain” based at their Menlo Park, California headquarters. The job posting is not dated and it’s still unclear when Facebook first started looking. The firm wants a “proactive team player” that will support the company‘s new initiative into the development of blockchain-based applications. I sincerely hope this doesn’t mean Farmville is getting put on the blockchain. The successful applicant will be responsible for…

This story continues at The Next Web

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Dublin’s WarDucks raises €3.3m to develop new AR game title

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 10:25:18 +0100

Irish video games company WarDucks has raised €3.3m in funding in a round led by EQT Ventures with participation from Suir Valley Ventures and other investors.

The funding will be used to drive the development of WarDucks’ new location-based augmented-reality (AR) game and expand the company’s development team.

‘There’s a huge opportunity in AR location-based mobile gaming, which combines the local appeal of real-world maps with engaging gameplay’
^{– NIKKI LANNEN}

“There’s a huge opportunity in AR location-based mobile gaming, which combines the local appeal of real-world maps with engaging gameplay,” said Nikki Lannen, CEO and founder of WarDucks.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with EQT Ventures as we race towards the launch of of our location-based AR game as the team’s extensive mobile gaming experience will be invaluable on the next phase of our journey. The fact that we’ve also had so many top gaming executives from around the world join our team is testament to the talent and vision of the team we’ve currently got in place.”

Lannen, formerly a senior member of Facebook’s gaming team, founded the company in 2013 with the aim of creating world-class content for mobile, AR and virtual-reality (VR) platforms.

A gathering of gaming legends

The team continues to attract global talent to work on its latest AR game as the company recently welcomed gaming legend John Romero as a creative consultant. Co-founder of the BAFTA award-winning Romero Games studio and winner of more than 100 awards, Romero is best known for his work on Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Doom II and Quake. In his role, Romero will be actively advising on WarDucks’ upcoming AR game.

WarDucks has also hired Doug Kaufman, the game designer behind Civilization II and FrontierVille, as its lead game designer. Kaufman will be joined by lead narrative designer Lawrence Schick, who was previously at ZeniMax where he was Loremaster on Elder Scrolls Online. Schick worked with Gary Gygax on Dungeons & Dragons in the 1970s and with strategy games legend Sid Meier at MicroProse in the 1980s.

WarDucks is the latest investment to be discovered by AI platform Motherbrain, the proprietary platform that is used by EQT Ventures to leverage data to identify and proactively contact promising start-ups.

In December 2018, EQT Ventures had its first exit when Small Giant Games, a Finnish mobile gaming studio, was acquired by Zynga in a deal worth $700m. Prior to co-founding EQT Ventures, investment adviser Lars Jörnow was at King Digital for six years where he, among other things, set up the mobile games team that launched Candy Crush Saga in 2012.

“WarDucks is a strong, proven games studio with an impressive team of passionate game experts ready to take on this rapidly growing genre of mobile gaming,” said Jörnow. “We believe that WarDucks’ next title will engage players all over the world and become a popular franchise.”

The post Dublin’s WarDucks raises €3.3m to develop new AR game title appeared first on Silicon Republic.

Huawei P30 Pro leaked photos reiterate specs and show off hot red color

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 10:18:39 +0100

Huawei is less than a week away from its next big flagship smartphone launch, so of course the torrent of leaks surrounding the upcoming P30 and P30 Pro has been full and comprehensive. The latest disclosures from mysmartprice add corroboration to some specs we’ve already seen leaked: the excellent 7nm Kirin 980 processor, a quad-camera system on the rear, and an in-display fingerprint sensor. The P30 Pro is set to differentiate itself with a 10x hybrid zoom periscope-style camera while the non-Pro P30 will have a 5x hybrid zoom system, according to the latest leak of marketing materials.

pic.twitter.com/nIlhxby1Ah
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 20, 2019

Additional images provided by evleaks flesh out the full color selection that...

New research targets anti-vaccination comments on Facebook

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 10:02:00 +0100

Anti-vaccination content on Facebook extends beyond the thoroughly debunked myth that vaccines cause autism, a new study reports. Instead, a team of researchers found four flavors of anti-vaccine misinformation that may discourage parents from vaccinating their children.

The findings, published today in the journal Vaccine, suggest that there isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” approach to curbing the spread of vaccine hesitancy, according to the study’s senior author Brian Primack, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Instead, understanding why parents are reluctant to vaccinate their kids will be critical in fighting vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, which continues to spread through pockets of unvaccinated people across the...

Could giving more pay increases help end austerity?

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 09:50:46 +0100

A version of this article was originally published by The Conversation (CC BY-ND 4.0)

In 2018, real earnings were 4pc below what they were in 2008 in the UK. The decade since the global financial crisis was a lost decade for British workers; their living standards have stagnated. Wages have not even kept up with inflation.

This is in sharp contrast to numerous decades before 2008. For example, from 1998 to 2008, wages, adjusted for inflation, grew by 25pc. For most households, wages are the most important source of income so they can only spend more if they run into debt. This creates a squeeze on living standards for workers and a skewed and unstable economy.

People cannot keep up their spending if their wages are not growing – unless they resort to borrowing. And this is what is happening in Britain. The UK household debt-to-income ratio is more than 150pc. On average, people’s debt exceeds their yearly income. Recently, the UK’s national statistics office reported, on average, each UK household spent around £900 more than they received in income in 2017. That amounts to almost £25bn in deficit for households across the country.

Longstanding debt addiction

Already before the 2007-2008 financial crisis, British growth was based on debt. At that time, growth was fuelled by a house price boom and ballooning mortgage debt.

Since the crisis, things have changed but not fundamentally. In fact, mortgage debt has been declining since the crisis, but now consumer credit is expanding fast. Economists speak of debt-driven growth. This is where people need to borrow to get by. It is a reflection of falling wages, and the UK remains addicted to debt.

The basic point is that households can’t spend on basic necessities (let alone luxury items) unless their wages are growing in line with economic growth. This is the essence of the idea of wage-led growth: wages should grow at least with inflation and average productivity growth. Today that would correspond to about 4pc. In fact, wage growth is only half of that.

Higher wage growth is good for workers, but under current circumstances it is also healthy for the economy overall. Britain needs to be weaned off its addiction to debt. For that to happen people’s incomes have to grow and so wages have to grow. Higher wage growth will boost spending as most of people’s wages is spent in the form of consumption.

Plus, higher wage growth creates incentives for companies to upgrade their production processes because higher wage costs motivate firms to modernise machinery. Wage growth speeds up technological progress. A 10pc wage increase typically leads to 3pc to 4pc higher productivity.

Unlocking wage growth

There are many factors behind weak wage growth. Some of these are global; manufacturing firms can move production abroad where workers cost less. But much of it is homemade and a result of government policy and austerity, like weakening trade unions and allowing zero-hour contracts to spread.

Key to establishing a wage-led growth model is strengthening collective bargaining, labour unions and the rights of workers.

Extend collective bargaining agreements to non-unionised firms
Encourage collective bargaining agreements in various sectors
Strengthen the right to strike for trade unions
Strengthen worker rights in the gig economy
End zero-hours contracts
Increase the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation and productivity growth
Link the pay of managers to their firm’s performance and keep it in line with average wage growth

Businesses might initially object, but employers will benefit from the stable growth that this approach offers, even if in the short term they are reluctant to raise wages. Importantly, they stand to benefit the most from a coordinated pay rise across the economy because of the boost it brings to both productivity and demand. This also strengthens the case for the state to take the lead in coordinating – and even subsidising – wage-led growth. It could also lead by example by lifting the public sector pay freeze.

Wages going up for the working population is an effective way to end austerity and boost economic growth. But for austerity to end in the long term, there must also be stricter regulation of the financial sector. Only this will stop the underlying dependence on the debt-led growth model.

By Prof Engelbert Stockhammer

Engelbert Stockhammer is professor of international political economy at King’s College London. He was previously professor of economics at Kingston University.

The post Could giving more pay increases help end austerity? appeared first on Silicon Republic.

Bill & Ted are embarking on a third excellent adventure next year

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 09:47:00 +0100

Bill & Ted 3: Face the Music, the long-awaited sequel to 1991’s Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, is entering production this summer and is due to be released in August next year. Details about the third entry in the comedy time-travelling series were announced on Twitter by its co-stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, who said “We want to say thank you to you the fans because it looks like we might, actually, hopefully, make a movie this summer.”

The film has been a long time coming. The second entry in the series, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, was released almost thirty years ago in 1991, and a draft for its third entry was completed way back in 2011. Eight years later, the film is finally entering production.

The world is about to get a lot...

Amnesty calls on electric car makers to come clean on batteries

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 09:39:58 +0100

Human rights organisation Amnesty International is demanding the electric vehicle (EV) industry comes up with an ethical and clean battery within five years.

The organisation has accused the EV industry of selling itself as being environmentally friendly despite producing batteries using polluting fossil fuels and unetheically sourced minerals linked to human rights violations such as child labour.

‘Without radical changes, the batteries which power green vehicles will continue to be tainted by human rights abuses’
^{– KUMI NAIDOO}

Amnesty has outlined a vision for battery production that can result in ethical and sustainably produced batteries within five years that involves extraction, a prohibition on deep sea mining, ethical manufacturing and re-use and recovery of batteries.

It called on companies to publicly disclose information about how human rights abuses and environmental risks are being prevented, identified and addressed throughout the lithium-ion battery’s lifecycle.

Human rights abuses in cobalt mines

A 2016 investigation by Amnesty found children and adults in southern DRC working in hand-dug cobalt mines facing serious health risks, neither protected by the government nor respected by companies that profit from their labour.

Amnesty’s research has linked these mines to the supply chains of many of the world’s leading electronics brands and electric vehicle companies.

“Amnesty International is today publicly challenging leaders within the electric vehicle industry to make the world’s first completely ethical battery within five years,” the organisation said during the Nordic EV Summit in Oslo.

It highlighted how lithium-ion batteries, which power electric cars and electronics, are linked to human rights abuses including child labour in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and environmental risks which could undermine their green potential.

“Finding effective solutions to the climate crisis is an absolute imperative, and electric cars have an important role to play in this,” said Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“But without radical changes, the batteries which power green vehicles will continue to be tainted by human rights abuses.

“The massive global corporations that dominate the electric vehicle industry have the resources and expertise to create energy solutions that are truly clean and fair, and we are challenging them to come back to Oslo next year with proof of real progress. With demand for batteries soaring, now is the time for a drastic overhaul of our energy sources that prioritises protection of human rights and the environment.

Guard against false positives

Amnesty warned that despite projections that the demand for cobalt will reach 200,0000 tons per year by 2020, no country legally requires companies to publicly report on their cobalt supply chains.

‘Companies who overlook human rights concerns as they clean up their energy sources are presenting their customers with a false choice; people or planet’
^{– KUMI NAIDOO}

It warned that with more than half of the world’s cobalt originating in southern DRC, the chance that the batteries powering electric vehicles are tainted with child labour and other abuses is “unacceptably high.”

This means that while EVs can play a role in shifting drivers away from fossil fuels and reducing greenhouse emissions, the production of batteries still produce a carbon footprint.

Meanwhile, it warns that rising demand for minerals like cobalt, manganese and lithium has led to a surge in interest in deep-sea mining, which studies predict will have serious and irreversible impacts on biodiversity.

Amnesty has also called on companies to ensure that EV batteries are also disposed of responsibly because waste from these batteries contain hazardous materials that could contaminate soil, water and air.

“Every stage of the battery lifecycle, from mineral extraction to disposal, carries human rights and environmental risks,” said Kumi Naidoo.

“We need to change course now, or those least responsible for climate change – indigenous communities and children – will pay the price for the shift away from fossil fuels. The energy solutions of the future must not be based on the injustices of the past.”

Amnesty said it is collaborating with Greenpeace to identify and map human rights and environmental impacts of EV battery production.

Countries too need to take a lead. For example, efforts are underway in Norway to ensure businesses conduct human rights due diligence.

“With a climate crisis looming, consumers have the right to demand that products marketed as the ethical choice really stand up to scrutiny,” Naidoo added.

“Companies who overlook human rights concerns as they clean up their energy sources are presenting their customers with a false choice; people or planet. This approach is gravely flawed and will not deliver the sustainable changes we need to save humanity from climate devastation. We are asking industry leaders to think hard about what kind of future they want to build.”

The post Amnesty calls on electric car makers to come clean on batteries appeared first on Silicon Republic.

Amnesty calls on EV makers to come clean on batteries

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 09:39:58 +0100

Human rights organisation Amnesty International is demanding that the electric vehicle (EV) industry come up with an ethical and clean battery within five years.

The organisation has accused the EV industry of selling itself as being environmentally friendly despite producing batteries using polluting fossil fuels and unethically sourced minerals linked to human rights violations.

‘Without radical changes, the batteries which power green vehicles will continue to be tainted by human rights abuses’
^{– KUMI NAIDOO}

Amnesty has outlined a vision for battery production that can result in ethical and sustainably produced batteries within five years, involving extraction, ethical manufacturing, reuse and recovery of batteries, and a prohibition on deep-sea mining.

Human rights abuses in cobalt mines

A 2016 investigation by Amnesty found children and adults in the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) working in hand-dug cobalt mines facing serious health risks, neither protected by the government nor respected by companies that profit from their labour.

Amnesty’s research has linked these mines to the supply chains of many of the world’s leading electronics brands and EV companies.

It highlighted how lithium-ion batteries, which power electric cars and electronics, are linked to human rights abuses including child labour in the DRC and environmental risks that could undermine their green potential.

“But without radical changes, the batteries which power green vehicles will continue to be tainted by human rights abuses.

Guard against false positives

Amnesty warned that despite projections that the demand for cobalt will reach 200,0000 tons per year by 2020, no country legally requires companies to publicly report on their cobalt supply chains.

‘Companies who overlook human rights concerns as they clean up their energy sources are presenting their customers with a false choice: people or planet’
^{– KUMI NAIDOO}

It warned that with more than half of the world’s cobalt originating in southern DRC, the chance that the batteries powering EVs are tainted with child labour and other abuses is “unacceptably high”.

Amnesty said that the environmental impact of producing batteries is also a concern. Most of the current manufacture of lithium-ion batteries is concentrated in China, South Korea and Japan, where production depends on coal and other polluting power sources. This means that while EVs can play a role in shifting drivers away from fossil fuels and reducing greenhouse emissions, the production of batteries still produces a carbon footprint.

Meanwhile, it warns that rising demand for minerals such as cobalt, manganese and lithium has led to a surge in interest in deep-sea mining, which studies predict will have serious and irreversible impacts on biodiversity. Amnesty has also called on companies to ensure that EV batteries are disposed of responsibly because waste from these batteries contain hazardous materials that could contaminate soil, water and air.

“Every stage of the battery life cycle, from mineral extraction to disposal, carries human rights and environmental risks,” said Kumi Naidoo.

Amnesty said it is collaborating with Greenpeace to identify and map human rights and environmental impacts of EV battery production. Countries, too, need to take a lead. For example, efforts are underway in Norway to ensure businesses conduct human rights due diligence.

“With a climate crisis looming, consumers have the right to demand that products marketed as the ethical choice really stand up to scrutiny,” Naidoo added.

“Companies who overlook human rights concerns as they clean up their energy sources are presenting their customers with a false choice: people or planet. This approach is gravely flawed and will not deliver the sustainable changes we need to save humanity from climate devastation. We are asking industry leaders to think hard about what kind of future they want to build.”

The post Amnesty calls on EV makers to come clean on batteries appeared first on Silicon Republic.

Microsoft is bringing its Defender antivirus software to the Mac

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 09:28:20 +0100

Microsoft is bringing its Windows Defender antivirus software to macOS today. The software giant is renaming Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) as a result. Microsoft has created a dedicated Defender ATP client for Mac, and it offers full virus and threat protection mixed with the usual ability to perform quick or full scans.

A limited preview will be available for businesses to try out the antivirus protection in environments that have a mix of both Windows PCs and Macs. Microsoft is using its AutoUpdate software on macOS to keep the client up to date, and it will be available on devices running macOS Mojave, macOS High Sierra, or macOS Sierra.

As ATP...

‘For small businesses adapting to remote working, connectivity is vital’

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 09:15:46 +0100

Treasa Doran keeps tabs on key trends in the digital transformation of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to make sure that Vodafone has the products and services that clients will need to keep up with them. These days, one of those key trends is flexible and remote working, or “smart working” as Doran calls it.

“Small businesses are dealing with digital transformation in a variety of different ways. Some companies that are new have been digital from the very beginning and for other companies they need to move from more traditional ways of working and adopt these new kind of skills into their business,” she said.

Doran, who is head of commercial management for Vodafone Business, spoke to Siliconrepublic.com ahead of the Vodafone Smart Roadshow. This will be a series of breakfast workshops around the country, starting in Cork today (21 March) and next heading to Limerick on 3 April.

Running in conjunction with the Small Firms Association (SFA), these workshops will be an opportunity for SMEs to discuss smart working, digital transformation, attracting talent and more with their peers.

Flexible working is a key trend for SMEs

“One of these key trends that we’ve identified around digital skills is flexible working,” said Doran. “In research that we recently conducted, we found there’s a huge appetite amongst employees to want to have flexible working arrangements. So companies need to adopt technology that will allow their employees to take advantage of this trend and to actually work remotely.”

However, while remote working is increasingly in demand, employers remain wary.

“As part of our research that we did last year there was a number of key challenges that arose with regards to smart working. These were mainly in the areas of culture, trust and basically just a fear of the unknown,” Doran explained.

“However, the benefits of smart working far outweigh this and actually a lot of the tools that are needed for smart working are already in the hands of many of the employees within the business.”

Doran speaks from experience in remote working. She’s been working for Vodafone for 13 years and says she has been part of a smart working culture from the beginning. “For me, smart working is being able to work from anywhere at any time. For small businesses that want to adopt a smart working culture into their business, it’s important that they recognise that technology is going to be a key enabler for them and, actually, connectivity is the vital component.”

Travelling around the country from today, Vodafone Business Workshops will give businesses with questions about remote working the chance to network with like-minded companies and to hear more about Vodafone’s research into this trend. Doran promised plenty of “food for thought” for companies thinking about embarking on a smart working roll-out, with key speakers from Vodafone, the SFA and Abodoo.

The post ‘For small businesses adapting to remote working, connectivity is vital’ appeared first on Silicon Republic.

Maynooth University scientist in DNA molecular computing breakthrough

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 09:06:46 +0100

Taking inspiration from the pioneering work of Alan Turing, Maynooth University computer scientist and his team has published a molecular computing discovery in prestigious journal Nature.

In a paper titled ‘Diverse and robust molecular algorithms using reprogrammable DNA self-assembly’, an international team designed DNA molecules that can carry out reprogrammable computations, for the first time creating so-called algorithmic self-assembly in which the same hardware can be configured to run different software.

Prof Damien Woods is joint lead author of a study whose leadership also includes Prof Erik Winfree of Caltech and Prof David Doty of University of California, Davis. Coauthors of the paper include Cameron Myhrvold, Joy Hui, and Peng Yin of Harvard University, and Felix Zhou of the University of Oxford. Funding to support this research came from the National Science Foundation and NASA. Woods’ ongoing work is being supported by the European Research Council (ERC), Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and Maynooth University.

The era of nano apps is here

“Think of them as nano apps,” said Prof Woods. “The ability to run any type of software program without having to change the hardware is what allowed computers to become so useful. We are implementing that idea in molecules, essentially embedding an algorithm within chemistry to control chemical processes.”

While silicon computers use electricity flowing through circuits to carry out tasks, the molecular computers attach strands of DNA together to make larger objects that execute a program, effectively, in computer terminology, manipulating ‘bits.’

According to the research a total of 21 different DNA programs have been developed, for example determining whether 6-bit inputs such as 011001 contain an odd or even number of 1s, or are palindromes that read the same backward as forward). Another generates random numbers.

The end result is a test tube filled with billions of completed algorithms, each one resembling a knitted scarf of DNA, representing a readout of the computation.

The pattern on the ‘scarf’ gives the solution to the algorithm that was run. The system can be reprogrammed to run a different algorithm by simply selecting a different subset of strands from the roughly 700 that constitute the system.

The algorithms have been able to carry out a variety of tasks, including drawing repeating and random patterns, counting to 63, and performing equality checks.

“We were surprised by the versatility of programs we were able to design, despite being limited to six-bit inputs,” said Prof Woods, who also carried out some of his research while based at the French national institute for computer science Inria.

“When we began experiments, we had only designed three programs,” Prof Doty added. “But once we started using the system, we realised just how much potential it has. It was the same excitement we felt the first time we programmed a computer, and we became intensely curious about what else these strands could do. By the end, we had designed and run a total of 21 circuits.”

Although DNA computers have the potential to perform more complex computations than the ones featured in the Nature paper, Prof Winfree cautioned that one should not expect them to start replacing the standard silicon microchip computers.

Nor would Prof Woods be drawn on potential applications in obvious areas like medicine and biotechnology. “That is not the point of our work. We are showing what can be done and it will be up to others to apply it to the real world. No one would have foreseen the iPhone back in Turing’s day, for example. We are proving what can be done at a molecular level, which opens up a whole world of possibilities.”

The breakthrough was welcomed by Maynooth University vice-president for Research and Innovation Prof Ray O’Neill.

“The work of Damien and his colleagues is truly ground-breaking and gives a genuinely exciting sense of what is possible in the new world of molecular computing. Our students will undoubtedly be beneficiaries of this. We are delighted to have welcomed Damien back home to Maynooth and look forward to future developments of this research.”

The post Maynooth University scientist in DNA molecular computing breakthrough appeared first on Silicon Republic.

Google’s AI-powered Doodle to celebrate Bach’s birthday is its best ever

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 08:20:56 +0100

Over the years, Google has consistently created beautiful ‘doodles’ – creative takes on its logo that show up on its homepage – to commemorate festivals, holidays, and significant events in history. Today, the company’s knocked it out of the park with its first-ever AI-powered doodle to celebrate the 334th birthday of Baroque composer extraordinaire Johann Sebastian Bach. The beautifully illustrated doodle has you write out a couple of bars of sheet music, choose a key, and then have Google‘s custom AI flesh out your melody with a harmony in Bach‘s signature style. There are a bunch of buttons that surface…

This story continues at The Next Web

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‘Flat Earthers’ are embarking on a bizarre journey to Antarctica to prove that YouTube makes you stupid

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 02:59:06 +0100

A group of Flat Earthers are prepared to set sail on a bizarre journey to the Antarctic to prove, once and for all, that we’re living a lie. The group, spear-headed by the intellectuals over at the Flat Earth International Conference — the same group that believes NASA is run by conspirators hell-bent on perpetuating the myth of a spherical Earth — plan to set sail early next year. Logan Paul, the internet’s favorite punching bag, is reportedly interested in attending. Paul, you may remember, launched a teaser for his upcoming documentary, “The Flat Earth: To The Edge and Back.”…

This story continues at The Next Web

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Acting Pentagon chief is facing an ethics investigation over charges of Boeing bias

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 01:34:09 +0100

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan speaks at an event presented by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. (Department of Defense Photo)

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who was a veteran Boeing executive before going to the Pentagon, is facing an ethics investigation amid complaints that he has been talking up his former employer and disparaging Boeing’s competitors.

The Defense Department’s Office of the Inspector General today acknowledged that it was looking into the complaints about actions that were “allegedly in violation of ethics rules.”

Shanahan, who spent much of his 31 years at Boeing managing commercial airplane programs, won Senate confirmation to become assistant defense secretary in 2017 and took over as acting defense secretary after James Mattis’ departure at the end of last year.

When Shanahan came to the Pentagon, he pledged to recuse himself from any matters involving Boeing. But in January, Politico quoted two unnamed former government officials as saying that he repeatedly praised Boeing and trashed Lockheed Martin during high-level internal meetings.

One former official quoted him as describing Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter program as “f—ed up” and complaining that the company “doesn’t know how to run a program.”

In late January, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.,wrote a letter asking Shanahan to respond to the reports, and this month the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington requested an investigation.

In statements sent to news media today, the inspector general’s office said it would follow through with an investigation into the allegations. The office noted that just last week, Shanahan told a Senate hearing he’d support an investigation.

Politico quoted a spokesman for Shanahan, Lt. Col. Joseph Buccino, as saying that the acting secretary “has at all times remained committed to upholding his ethics agreement filed with the DoD.”

Warren, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee and officially kicked off her 2020 presidential campaign last month, welcomed news of the investigation. “The American people should be able to trust that government officials are working for them – not for big defense contractors,” Warren said in a statement.

My, oh magenta! T-Mobile customers will see extra perks at Seattle’s newly renamed baseball stadium

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 00:17:16 +0100

The Seattle Mariners like to say that their fans are “True to the Blue,” but the new look and some of the amenities at T-Mobile Park, the team’s newly named hometown stadium, could lead people’s allegiances to take on a magenta hue.

T-Mobile, the Bellevue, Wash.-based wireless carrier, took over naming rights during the offseason for what had been Safeco Field for 20 years. Next Thursday, fans will enter T-Mobile Park for the first time for the Mariners home opener. GeekWire got an inside look on Wednesday, as workers busily hung new signage, painted, prepped a preview menu and tended to the grounds.

Giant pink and white T-Mobile Park signs are now hung above the home plate entrance (above the statue of Mariners great Ken Griffey Jr.) and elsewhere. But the sign T-Mobile customers will want to look for is on the left field side of the stadium, along South Royal Brougham Way. At the T-Mobile Customer Entrance, the carrier’s customers will gain fast-track entry through a gate with magenta accents — all they have to do is show the attendant their phone.

Gimme a P A R K. New T-Mobile signage gets lifted into place on Wednesday in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

The special entrance at T-Mobile Park, which allows faster access for customers of the wireless carrier. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

The ability to to use fast track and avoid the lines at other gates — presumably full of AT&T and Verizon customers? — is good for any event at the ballpark and is a practice that T-Mobile also employs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Once inside that particular gate, fans will be in close proximity to The ‘Pen, Powered by T-Mobile. The reimagined experience near the bullpen behind the left field wall and wrapping around behind center field, is probably where guests will see the most magenta.

Steel support beams were being painted magenta on Wednesday and will serve as indicators of where mobile charging stations are located. Each beam will have 32 outlets. Fans trying to use their phones, at least if they’r eon T-Mobile, will also see benefits.

“In regard to coverage, we’ve increased capacity in and around T-Mobile Park by three times,” said Krystal McIntosh of T-Mobile. “So there should be no problems uploading, streaming, showing all of your Instagram stories when you’re here at the game.”

Magenta signage points the way down to The ‘Pen where fans can watch a pitcher warm up or explore more food and drink options. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

A painter turns a green beam magenta to highlight the location of wireless charging stations at T-Mobile Park. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

T-Mobile also had an interactive Home Run Challenge set up on the plaza beyond center field in which fans are invited to step up to the plate and hit a ball off a tee into a screen. The animation — which makes it look like you’re hitting the ball toward the Space Needle — tracks the power of your drive. And, because it all ties back to T-Mobile, the challenge lets you hit in 4G and 5G settings.

I hit four balls on Wednesday and in 4G they were weak grounders back toward the infield and in 5G I hit towering home runs.

T-Mobile’s Tech Experience will also extend outside the ballpark, at least through opening day, as the company is taking over the corner of Edgar Martinez Drive South and 1st Avenue South, next to Henry’s Tavern. And T-Mobile Tuesdays, in which customers already get free stuff and deals as a gesture of appreciation, will extend to T-Mobile Park when the Mariners play at home on that day of the week.

GeekWire’s Kurt Schlosser takes the Home Run Challenge at T-Mobile Park. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota)

A “Welcome to T-Mobile Park” sign is attached below the press box behind home plate. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

T-Mobile didn’t just get into the game when it decided to go after naming rights in Seattle. The company was already a sponsor of Major League Baseball, and just extended that deal another four years. According to Forbes, T-Mobile continues to be the Official Wireless Sponsor of MLB, as well as the title sponsor of the T-Mobile Home Run Derby during All-Star Week. Customers can also get a free full season of MLB.TV through their T-Mobile Tuesday app from March 26 through April 1.

Elsewhere in The ‘Pen, where Seattle hip-hop star Macklemore will perform on Thursday before the game against the Boston Red Sox, fans can get their hands on a new signature cocktail called the Magenta Mojo. T-Mobile partnered with the Mariners and enlisted Anu Apte of Seattle’s Rob Roy to come up with the drink, which of course is just the right color for the new park.

Built to be refreshing and “disruptively light,” Apte said the drink will help fans “stay in that good-sportsmanship mood.” It will sell for $12.50, and if you want a blinking magenta ice cube tossed in, the price jumps to $15.50.

The Mariners and T-Mobile also hosted a menu preview to show off new vendors and food items that will be available at various points around the park.

Crowd Cow co-founder Joe Heitzeberg grabs a burger featuring his company’s beef during a menu tasting at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

The Grand Salami Sandwich is a tribute to Fave Niehaus, Hall of Fame broadcaster for the Mariners. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

Seattle chef and restaurateur Ethan Stowell is a partner with the Mariners and he was on hand Wednesday, as was a new burger with his name on it, featuring a hyper-local beef patty from Crowd Cow, the Seattle-based startup and online marketplace for quality beef products. We also sampled bites from burger chain Li’l Woody’s, Fat’s Chicken and Paseo.

And the tastiest fare may have been the new Grand Salami Sandwich, a tribute to beloved Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus that will be available at the ballpark’s Sultan of Sandwich.

Speaking of food, we did ask whether T-Mobile CEO John Legere would show up at the park to host an episode of “Slow Cooker Sunday,” his weekly show in which he plugs his company and shares a cock pot recipe. There will be at least one, we were told.

Old Safeco Field signage is ready to be taken away on the mezzanine at T-Mobile Park. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)

Meanwhile, as the smell of burgers and fresh magenta paint filled the air, signs of the old Safeco Field — including some signs — were still visible around the ballpark as workers scurried to get the name change in place before the team returns next week. Trash cans along the mezzanine still had the Safeco logo. Other directional signs marking seat sections and so forth had been removed but not yet been carted away.

But above the stands in left field, on a sunny and warm day that definitely felt like baseball weather, the iconic clock tower sign, with Seattle’s skyline rising behind it, had been changed to T-Mobile Park.

The time had come.

Dyson’s new ambient lamp promises to last up to 60 years and has a USB-C port built in

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100

Alongside today’s announcement of a new V11 cordless vacuum, Dyson also announced updates to its lighting and air purifier products. The first is the Dyson Lightcycle, its desk and floor lamp that can automatically adjust its lighting temperature based on ambient light or time of day. The high-end lamp also includes a scheduled lighting mode that gadgets like the new Casper Glow offer: you can now set wake and sleep times to gradually adjust as you prepare to rise or wind down.

Everything about the Lightcycle is as over-engineered as you’ve come to expect from Dyson products. It has a new control panel above the bulb (which Dyson claims can last up to 60 years) that uses touch-capacitive taps and slides to control the power, lighting...

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey says he will pay you to work on Bitcoin full-time

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 23:47:28 +0100

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has made an offering to the cryptocurrency community: he will pay developers to work full-time on Bitcoin Core and other “cryptocurrency ecosystem” projects. Are you currently contributing to bitcoin-core or other crypto ecosystem projects for free in your off-time? We’d like to pay you to do it full-time. If interested, DM @SqCrypto, and follow for updates on our progress. Thank you! — jack (@jack) March 20, 2019 Bitcoin Core is an open-source protocol. There is no one company funding Bitcoin development, and it has no leader. Any budding programmer from around the world can contribute building…

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Or just read more coverage about: Bitcoin,Twitter

New Oculus VR headset unveiled to tepid reviews, but survey finds optimism for immersive tech

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 23:09:36 +0100

(Oculus Photo)

Facebook-owned Oculus today unveiled its next-generation virtual reality headset that will reportedly some day replace its flagship Oculus Rift.

The new $399 Oculus Rift S headset connects to a PC to create a powerful VR experience. In a surprising twist, Facebook worked with Lenovo to manufacture the device, speed up production and improve on the original Rift design.

The device costs the same as the Oculus Quest, a standalone VR headset unveiled last year. Consumers will have a choice between a high-powered, PC-connected headset with the Rift S and a more simplified headset that doesn’t need to be tethered to a computer with the Quest.

The Rift S will debut this spring but Facebook did not provide a specific release date today at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Facebook’s big F8 developer conference is about six weeks away, and the company could launch both headsets then, or at least give a release date.

The Verge reports that Facebook will begin to phase out the original Rift when the Rift S launches. In the blog post announcing the new headset, Facebook says Rift owners will be able to take advantage of continued software updates.

Initial reviews of the Rift S are tepid. TechCrunch said the product “feels like a lateral move rather than a leap forward,” while Wired wrote that Oculus took “one giant half-step.”

New study shows “enormous potential of immersive technology”

(Perkins Coie Chart)

The hype for virtual and augmented reality has built for decades, but the hardware hasn’t met the technology’s full potential. However, a study released this week found that the tech industry sees an inflection point coming, where virtual and augmented reality devices will be as ubiquitous as smartphones within approximately six years.

Global law firm Perkins Coie surveyed 200 startup founders, technology company executives, investors, and consultants about the future of virtual and augmented reality. The respondents still see barriers to greater adoption, including a clunky user experience that needs to be ironed out and a lack of quality content. But roughly 90 percent of respondents see VR/AR becoming as popular as smartphones in just a few years. The study noted that investment in AR and VR spiked to $3.8 billion in 2018, up from $2.5 billion in 2017.

Facebook, HTC, Microsoft, Magic Leap and many other big tech companies continue to refine their virtual and augmented reality headsets, racing each other to make the devices more powerful and more comfortable.

Facebook has a huge VR research and development hub in the Seattle area where it works to advance the technology. The company recently confirmed plans for a huge new office building to serve as the centerpiece of the growing Oculus campus in Redmond, Wash., just a few miles down the road from Microsoft HQ. Oculus has been on a hiring spree to fill up all this space, and it lists nearly 200 open positions in Redmond on its job board.

Moto Mods aren’t dead yet, if this Moto Z4 leak is to be believed

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 22:40:52 +0100

Motorola’s Moto Z4 phone has leaked, and while it isn’t much of a surprise that the company would make a fourth iteration of its flagship Android phone, it’s the first indication we’ve seen that its Moto Mod initiative may still be alive and kicking — because you can clearly see the copper contacts for its modular Moto Mods accessories on the back of this alleged phone.

The release of new Moto Mods has slowed over the past couple years, so much so that it was unclear if the initiative had a future. After all, the last big wave of new Mods came along with 2017’s Moto Z2 Play. Since then, a promising fold-out keyboard developed by a third-party company was canceled in 2018. In an interview with Engadget at the time, Motorola insisted that...

Futuristic hover bike promises 15,000 foot climbs and 150 MPH top speed (and you can pre-order it now)

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 22:39:58 +0100

Earlier this month, JetPack Aviation threw down the gauntlet, offering up its futuristic hover bike, dubbed the Speeder, for pre-order. It promised delivery next year. The hovercraft features four turbojet engines capable of 750 pound-feet of thrust, an on-board vehicle stability system, touchscreen navigation, and a 360-degree automatic collision avoidance system. It’ll reach altitudes of 15,000 feet, and top speeds of 150 miles per hour. There’s even a consumer-friendly version that doesn’t require a pilot’s license, all for a cool $380,000. It comes with training, a personalized flight suit, a helmet, and a free t-shirt… so, there’s that. It’s a…

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Faraday Future just sold its headquarters to help keep the company alive

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 22:22:46 +0100

Faraday Future has sold its Los Angeles headquarters in a move to help fill the EV startup’s exhausted coffers, according to property documents obtained by The Verge. A subsidiary of New York-based real estate firm Atlas Capital purchased the headquarters on March 8th and immediately began leasing the building back to Faraday Future for an undisclosed amount.

The documents did not reveal how much Faraday Future received in the sale of its headquarters, which consists of two buildings just off of South Figueroa Street in the city of Gardena, California, about 15 miles from downtown Los Angeles. One former employee familiar with the sale pegged the number at around $10 million. It could be higher; Faraday Future took a $17 million loan...

Today’s AirPods launch underscores Apple’s latest AirPower misfire

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 21:52:53 +0100

Today, Apple finally announced its second-generation AirPods, most notably adding wireless charging to the popular headphones. Apple is even selling the wireless charging case separately, so that existing AirPod owners can join in the fun. The move brings Apple in line with its main competitors, whose phones and earbuds support similar Qi charging functionality. There was just one piece missing: Apple’s long-absent AirPower charger. If there was ever a moment to re-announce AirPower, this was the moment — instead, it’s a missed opportunity for Apple.

Back when Apple first announced the AirPower charger in 2017 (alongside the iPhone X), it was presented as an elegant, Apple-like solution to the present...

AT&T and Comcast announce system to combat robocalls

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 21:45:22 +0100

AT&T and Comcast are partnering to authenticate calls made between the two networks, letting customers know when there’s a genuine caller — not a spammer — on the phone. It won’t cover every call AT&T and Comcast customers receive, but it’s a step in the right direction to battling the scourge of robocalls.

AT&T says the deal is likely the “nation’s first” to authenticate calls between two providers through the SHAKEN/STIR (which stands for “Secure Handling of Asserted information using toKENs” and “Secure Telephony Identity Revisited”) protocol. The protocol lets consumers know when a call they’re receiving is actually being placed by the displayed number listed on caller ID. AT&T and Comcast said they hope to have the system up and...