89640559
submission
drunkdrone writes:
Former US President Barack Obama is in cahoots with Chinese communists. That is according to Google Home at least, which seems to be having a hard time separating fake news from facts.
As a result, the voice-activated speaker has been offering up some interesting answers to users' queries, including those related to the former Potus. Ask whether Obama is planning a coup, for example, and it'll tell you that "not only could Obama be in bed with the Communist Chinese but he may in fact be planning a Communist coup d'etat at the end of his term".
Google Home was caught giving this questionable response to BBC technology reporter Rory Cellan-Jones. Follow the answer to the source and you'll find that Google's digital assistant has taken the information from a conspiracy theory published in February 2014 by right-wing news website, Western Journalism.
89585315
submission
drunkdrone writes:
If you own Bitcoin, rejoice: A single unit of digital cryptocurrency is now worth more than an ounce of actual, physical gold.
According to CoinDesk's Bitcoin Price Index, the price of 1 Bitcoin is $1,281.95 at the time of this writing, while the gold spot price is $1,227.66 per ounce, according to Bloomberg Markets.
The two prices met after a shoddy day and a flat year for gold, in contrast to the amazing year Bitcoin has had in terms of price — exactly a year ago, the cryptocurrency traded at around $200 per one Bitcoin.
89533953
submission
drunkdrone writes:
An Australian man charged with 3D printing guns at home claims he is simply a fan of shoot-em-ups and cop shows. Sicen Sun, 27, has appeared in court for manufacturing firearms without a permit after police in Sydney found 3D-printed pistols at his home.
Police searched Sun's home following a tip-off when the account manager attempted to sell one of his home-made weapons online, ABC reports. Officers found a number of imitation handguns including a semi-automatic Glock, a SIG Sauer, two air guns and two 3D printers.
Sun has also been charged with possessing digital blueprints for the manufacture of firearms. However, Sun's lawyer told courts on Tuesday (28 February) that his client was simply a "fanboy" who had been "captured by provisions clearly designed to target more serious activity."
89512997
submission
drunkdrone writes:
LG could be planning a virtual reality headset to take on the HTC Vive, according to reports that the company is working on a high-end device developed in collaboration with game studio Valve. A prototype of the device will be on display at Valve's booth at GDC 2017, the company said.
Valve has suggested that LG's VR headset will offer room-scale 3D tracking much like the HTC Vive, meaning it will be able to track wearers as they move around a room. This suggests the headset will be a PC-based device similar to the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, rather than a mobile-based device akin to Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream View.
In a statement sent to UploadVR, the Half-Life developers said LG's device would be "a SteamVR tracking headset" that will offer "a high fidelity, next-generation VR experience".
89403271
submission
drunkdrone writes:
A piece of rare meta poised to revolutionise modern technology and take humans into deep space has been lost in a laboratory mishap. The first and only sample of metallic hydrogen ever created on earth was the rarest material on the planet when it was developed by Harvard scientists in January this year, and had been dubbed "the holy grail of high pressure physics".
The metal was created by subjecting liquid hydrogen to pressures greater that those at the centre of the Earth. At this point, the molecular hydrogen breaks down and becomes an atomic solid.
Scientists theorised that metallic hydrogen – when used as a superconductor – could have a transformative effect on modern electronics and revolutionise medicine, energy and transportation, as well as herald in a new age of consumer gadgets.
Sadly, an attempt to study the properties of metallic hydrogen appears to have ended in catastrophe after one of the two diamonds being used like a vice to hold the tiny sample was obliterated.
89380407
submission
drunkdrone writes:
A smartwatch designed for the blind will shortly go on sale after spending close to three years in development. The Dot watch uses a dynamic Braille face to relay messages and instructions to wearers and will begin shipping to customers in March.
Dot, developed by a South Korean start-up by the same name, uses a unique tactile watch face that incorporates rising balls to display Braille characters on-screen, allowing wearers to read messages they receive on their smartphone.
89333151
submission
drunkdrone writes:
Next time your smartphone or computer crashes, cosmic rays could be to blame. A new theory suggests that radioactive particles from outer space can interfere with electrical circuits and cause them to fail, and could explain why smartphones, laptops and other devices sometimes crash with no obvious explanation.
Cosmic rays are highly energised particles that travel through space close to the speed of light. When these crash into the Earth's atmosphere they shower the planet with ionised particles and electromagnetic radiation including protons, neutrons, electrons and gamma rays.
While these are harmless to living organisms, a study by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, US, claims that some particles carry enough energy to alter data contained in the microprocessors of electronic systems, in a phenomenon known as a single-event upset (SEU).
89237621
submission
drunkdrone writes:
A tech start-up has raised $27m (£22m, â26m) in second-round funding for an augmented reality (AR) app that lets users insert holograms into pictures and videos captured with their smartphone.
Holo, which is due to be released later this year by creators 8i, lets you map your surroundings using your phone's camera and then add "photorealistic" 3D characters on top. It's somewhat similar to Pokemon Go, which projects AR creatures into the real world using your smartphone's camera.
89231767
submission
drunkdrone writes:
Snapchat has already tackled wearables with its questionable Spectacles which, while of limited appeal, at least show that the plucky mobile start-up isn't afraid of dipping its toe into new territory. Really though, the company will need to come up with something with far broader appeal if it truly wants to cash in on hardware.
Could a Snapchat smartphone be the answer? While it would only attract the most dedicated of Snapchat fans, it would at least be more practical that a set of specs with the sole purpose of capturing ten-second video clips. Snap Inc's recent IPO suggests that it is interested in developing its hardware arm, a theory backed up by a handful of recent hires at the firm as well as the fact that Snap now refers to itself as a camera company.
Social media marketing agency Mediakix has put its nose to the grindstone and imagined how a Snapchat phone might look and function. It envisions a device with custom software built around the Snapchat app, retaining the iconic swiping system that takes users to Snapchat notifications, Stories and a Discover screen that connects users to nearby Snapchatters. For additional flair, the home button is replaced by one shaped like the iconic Snapchat ghost.
89210229
submission
drunkdrone writes:
A former Magic Leap vice-president is suing the company for sex discrimination and claims the lack of women at the Florida-based startup created a "macho bullying atmosphere" which led to missed deadlines. The lawsuit, filed by former VR of marketing Tannen Campbell, also backs up allegations that Magic Leap used misleading marketing materials to promote its mixed reality technology.
In the complaint, Campbell says she was brought into Magic Leap by CEO Rony Abovizt to help boost the number of women in the 1000-strong workforce. Campbell was also tasked with fixing what the company called its 'pink/blue problem', referring to its male-focused marketing.
Campbell claims the lack of female employees in leadership positions meant Magic Leap's device was designed predominantly for men, by men, and that the best solution it could devise to make the product female-friendly was to create a version of the product in pink.
89185355
submission
drunkdrone writes:
Tim Cook has dropped the biggest hint yet that augmented reality (AR) is on Apple's product roadmap in a telling interview in which the tech CEO liked the technology to the smartphone, saying it could become a global phenomenon enjoyed by everyone.
In an interview with The Independent, Cook made a number of telling comments about his vision for augmented reality and its potential for consumers. Rather than seeing it as a product, Cook said he viewed augmented reality as a "core technology" similar to that used in the iPhone.
Apple's iPhone is credited for revolutionising the mobile market when it was released back in 2007, and Cook's comments appear to suggest that Apple is aiming to bring about a similar paradigm shift with a future augmented reality product.
89128259
submission
drunkdrone writes:
Self-destructing gadgets favoured by the likes of James Bond and Mission: Impossible's Ethan Hunt have taken one step closer to reality. Researchers in Saudi Arabia have developed a mechanism that, when triggered, can destroy a smartphone or other electronic device in as little as 10 seconds.
The self-destruct mechanism has been created by electrical engineers at the King Abdulla University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and consists of a polymer layer that rapidly expands when subjected to temperatures above 80 degrees Celsius, effectively bursting the phone open from the inside. The mechanism can be adapted to be triggered in various ways, including remotely through a smartphone app or when it's subjected to pressure.
Once triggered, power from the device's battery is directed to electrodes that rapidly heat, causing the polymer layer to expand to around seven times its original size within 10-15 seconds. This crushes the vital components inside the device, destroying any information stored on board.
89118633
submission
drunkdrone writes:
Our growing reliance on mobile technology has given rise to all manner of unwanted behaviours, from social withdrawal, lowered self-esteem and even feeling 'phantom' phone vibrations. According to behavioural psychologists, the fear of being separated from your smartphone is called 'nomophobia', and it's something that hits more than three-quarters of people in the UK.
A recent study by Intel Security, co-opted by behavioural psychologist Jo Hemmings, found that 79% of Brits feel anxious or extremely anxious when they didn't have their phone with them. This could be having a harmful effect on relationships as partners increasingly finding themselves "playing second fiddle" to their loved one's mobile device.
In a study of 13,000 people worldwide, that including 1,000 UK residents, a third of Brits said that their partner often appeared more interested in their smartphone than them, and felt they had to battle for their loved one's attention. The survey found that couples were often left disgruntled as mobile technology got in the way of intimate or romantic moments.
89100635
submission
drunkdrone writes:
Overeager investors sent shares of little-known start-up Snap Interactive skyrocketing after mistaking it for Snapchat parent company, Snap Inc.
Shares of Snap Interactive, which creates mobile dating and social networking apps, shot up by 164% in the days after Snapchat made its Initial Public Offering (IPO) official on 2 February.
Snap Inc last week filed for a $3bn (£2.4bn, €2.8bn) stock market flotation under the ticker SNAP on the New York Stock Exchange. Analysts believe it could be one of the biggest technology IPOs in history, with previous estimations valuing the video chat app at between $20bn and $25bn.
89078475
submission
drunkdrone writes:
A fire broke out in the Chinese factory that supplied batteries for Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 on Wednesday 8 February, before being extinguished. Nobody was injured during the incident, which happened at 6am local time.
The "minor" blaze occurred at a waste depository at Samsung SDI's plant in the Northern Chinese city of Tianjin and not on the production line, a company spokesperson told Bloomberg. Pictures posted on Chinese social media showed thick black smoke rising from the building operated by the Samsung Electronics affiliate.
A total of 19 fire engines and more than 110 firefighters are reported to have been sent to tackle the blaze. While the cause of the fire hasn't been identified, the Tianjin Fire Department said that the materials that caught fire were lithium-ion batteries and "semi-manufactured battery products" in a statement posted to social media site, Sina Weibo.
