Sci-Tech news

• Starbucks to block porn on free wi-fi in US

  29-11-2018 23:54 via bbc.co.uk
  The coffee chain says watching porn has always been banned, but it will now block access to content.
  
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• Ancient toothless whale was forerunner of modern...

  29-11-2018 23:42 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  A prehistoric 15-foot-long (4.5 meters) whale that sucked prey into its mouth represents a key missing puzzle piece concerning the evolution of today's huge filter-feeding whales, scientists have revealed.
  
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• Native Americans began smoking tobacco long before the arrival of European colonizers

  29-11-2018 23:29 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Recent discoveries on the history of tobacco suggest the plant may have played an important role in North America’s transition to farming, with indigenous tribes likely cultivating it over 1,000 years ago.
  
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• Climate change could trigger an 'extinction domino effect' that would annihilate all life on Earth

  29-11-2018 23:22 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The European Commission study simulated 2,000 'virtual earths' linking animal and plant species, and found the loss of one species could trigger catastrophic knock on effects.
  
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• MeToo founder Tarana Burke: Campaign now 'unrecognisable'

  29-11-2018 23:10 via bbc.co.uk
  Tarana Burke first used the phrase 12 years ago before it became a global movement last year.
  
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• Carmichael project: Visiting Australia's controversial Adani mine

  29-11-2018 23:04 via bbc.co.uk
  The BBC's Vineet Khare visited the controversial Carmichael project by Indian energy giant Adani.
  
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• Facebook Messenger goes down AGAIN: Chat app crashes for users around the globe

  29-11-2018 22:42 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Facebook's chat app has crashed unexpectedly for users around the world.
  The Messenger app was hit with outages beginning around 9am (ET) this morning, according to Down Detector.
  
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• Moon rocks sell for $855,000 in New York: Sotheby's

  29-11-2018 22:16 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Three moon rocks brought to Earth nearly half a century ago and the only known documented lunar samples in private hands, sold for $855,000 in New York on Thursday, Sotheby's said.
  
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• Weaponized AI: The Future Of Algorithmic Forever Wars

  29-11-2018 22:09 via technocracy.news
  Whatever AI is to civilian populations, to a war zone it is killing on steroids, and could play the central role in our so-called ‘forever wars’ like Afghanistan. ⁃ TN EditorThe US military is creating a more automated form of warfare – one that will greatly increase its capacity to wage war everywhere forever.
  ast month marked the 17th anniversary of 9/11. With it came a new milestone: we’ve been in Afghanistan for so long that someone born after the attacks i
  
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• America is going back to the moon! NASA to team up with nine firms to create lunar base

  29-11-2018 22:05 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  NASA will partner with nine private firms to take America back to the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in December 1972, it has been revealed.
  
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• Ancient stone tools and cut-marked animal bones suggest ALL of Africa was the 'cradle of humankind'

  29-11-2018 22:03 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Ancient human ancestors settled in Northern Africa 2.4 million years ago, new archaeological evidence reveals. Early hominins and their material culture have previously been traced to East Africa.
  
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• Is Alibaba’s Jack Ma Using AI To Create Dystopian Cities?

  29-11-2018 21:56 via technocracy.news
  Alibaba and Jack Ma are to China what Google and Eric Schmidt are to the U.S. Both are billionaires, both push dystopia cities and both are closely tied to their government. Note that Schmidt was appointed head of a Pentagon committee designed to integrate Silicon Valley into the intelligence services. ⁃ TN EditorNews that tech giant Ma is a member of Communist party of China should set alarm bells ringing – and not just in China.
  On the outskirts of Hangzhou, eastern China, in&
  
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• Turmoil at Google as 500 employees pen letter saying firm SHOULD move ahead with Project Dragonfly

  29-11-2018 21:46 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  In a surprising new letter, 500 employees urge the company to continue work on Project Dragonfly, saying it aligns with Google's broader mission 'to organize the world’s information.'
  
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• Hackers steal customers information from Dunkin Donuts Perks loyalty accounts

  29-11-2018 20:56 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Dunkin' Donuts is warning customers that information tied to their DD Perks accounts may have been stolen as part of a hack.DD Perks is Dunkin's rewards program for frequent customers.
  
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• Jeep unveils the Gladiator – the first pickup truck produced by the off-road giants in 26 years 

  29-11-2018 20:17 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The new Gladiator, set to hit production lines next year, is intended to be part SUV-part pickup and will be the first truck the company has made since the Comanche went out of production in 1992.
  
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• All of the starlight EVER produced has been measured by scientists 

  29-11-2018 20:00 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Astrophysicists at Clemson University in South Carolina discovered a way to measure every bit of starlight ever created in the lifetime of the universe.
  
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• Arabian stone tools linked to ancient human ancestors were made just 190,000 years ago

  29-11-2018 19:22 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Archaeologists unearthed more than 500 tools at Saffaqah made in the Acheulean style, which emerged 1.5 million years ago and is said to be the longest-lasting tool-making tradition in history.
  
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• Microsoft wins $480 million Army contract to use Hololens goggles to 'increase lethality' in combat

  29-11-2018 19:16 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The U.S. Army has awarded Microsoft Corp a $479.2 million contract to supply prototypes for the Army's augmented reality systems helping soldiers in training and combat missions.
  
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• Facebook Messenger is DOWN: Chat app crashes around the globe for the second time in a week

  29-11-2018 19:10 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Facebook's chat app has crashed unexpectedly for users around the world.
  The Messenger app was hit with outages beginning around 9am (ET) this morning, according to Down Detector.
  
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• Climate change: Can 12 billion tonnes of carbon be sucked from the air?

  29-11-2018 19:00 via bbc.co.uk
  Is it remotely feasible to remove 12 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air?
  
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• Delta to launch first 'biometric terminal' that lets passengers use facial recognition technology

  29-11-2018 18:50 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Getting through airport security is now as simple as scanning your face.
  Delta Air Lines today launched what it's calling the first 'biometric terminal' in the US at the Atlanta International Airport.
  
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• Metal detectorist unearthed a 2,000-year-old Roman signet ring

  29-11-2018 18:48 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  An amateur metal detectorist has found an ancient signet ring in a field in Suffolk. Kevin Cracknell. 59, first thought he had unearthed a farmer's signet when he dug up the ring a year ago.
  
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• Ancient copper ring with the engraving 'of Pilatus' belonged to the man who crucified Jesus

  29-11-2018 18:39 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The stamping ring was found by Professor Gideon Forster from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on the fortress built by King Herod in 1969.
  
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• Why you can't listen to two people speak at once: Our brains have a 'bottleneck' for speech

  29-11-2018 18:02 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  We struggle to listen to more than one conversation at once at dinner parties because of a 'bottleneck' in our perception of speech, according to scientists at the University of Maryland.
  
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• #MostRead Today: Rural couple told they’re too near the exchange to get fast broadband ow.ly/Hf2O30mNNrg

  29-11-2018 17:47 via twitter.com
  #MostRead Today: Rural couple told they’re too near the exchange to get fast broadband ow.ly/Hf2O30mNNrg
  
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• #MostRead Today: Open banking revolution begins as AIB first out of gate with open APIs ow.ly/ycoK30mNNsj

  29-11-2018 17:47 via twitter.com
  #MostRead Today: Open banking revolution begins as AIB first out of gate with open APIs ow.ly/ycoK30mNNsj
  
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• #MostRead Today: ‘I will hunt for the best start-ups in Ireland and Europe’ ow.ly/7CAU30mNNny

  29-11-2018 17:47 via twitter.com
  #MostRead Today: ‘I will hunt for the best start-ups in Ireland and Europe’ ow.ly/7CAU30mNNny
  
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• #MostRead Today: 33 Irish-based researchers listed among world’s elite scientists ow.ly/rrF830mNNqg

  29-11-2018 17:47 via twitter.com
  #MostRead Today: 33 Irish-based researchers listed among world’s elite scientists ow.ly/rrF830mNNqg
  
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• #MostRead Today: 10 awesome start-ups from Lausanne to watch ow.ly/rzWy30mNNph

  29-11-2018 17:47 via twitter.com
  #MostRead Today: 10 awesome start-ups from Lausanne to watch ow.ly/rzWy30mNNph
  
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• The dating app that keep female users identities secret until they've picked a potential match

  29-11-2018 17:39 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Women are able to scroll through men's profiles and, when they land on a user they like, send them a message. After a male user is contacted, then they're able to see a photo of the female user.
  
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• Amazon is investigated by German antitrust agency

  29-11-2018 17:38 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Germany's antitrust agency is investigating Amazon over complaints that it is preventing fair competition on its platform by 'abusing' its position of power to hinder third party sellers.
  
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• Carphone Warehouse faces Black Friday backlash

  29-11-2018 17:35 via bbc.co.uk
  Problems with credit checks led some customers to be wrongly refused smartphone contracts.
  
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• Starbucks says it will finally roll out tool to block customers from watching PORN on its WiFi

  29-11-2018 17:32 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Advocacy groups have been putting the pressure on Starbucks for years to block explicit content on itspublic WiFi. Starbucks' plan to launch its tool in 2019 comes years after other chains did the same.
  
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• To test the latest in space technology, @esa asked Ireland’s @ubotica to blast a new, potentially space-bound, #AI… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

  29-11-2018 17:00 via twitter.com
  To test the latest in space technology, @esa asked Ireland’s @ubotica to blast a new, potentially space-bound, #AI… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
  
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• Delta Activates ‘First Biometric Terminal’ In Atlanta Airport

  29-11-2018 16:16 via technocracy.news
  ‘Curb to gate’ biometric surveillance is ‘approved’ by majority of travelers, as if they have any real choice in the matter. All airlines are expected to follow Delta’s lead, making this kind of surveillance a permanent fixture in American travel. ⁃ TN EditorDelta says the Atlanta airport’s Terminal F has become the “first biometric terminal” in the United States where passengers can use facial recognition technology “from curb to gate.
  
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• The US military may use more than 100,000 #AR headsets for combat training following a $480m deal with #Microsoft. siliconrepublic.com/companies/micr…

  29-11-2018 16:06 via twitter.com
  The US military may use more than 100,000 #AR headsets for combat training following a $480m deal with #Microsoft. siliconrepublic.com/companies/micr…
  
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• Smart meter fitting slows as deadline looms

  29-11-2018 16:03 via bbc.co.uk
  Fewer smart meters are being fitted despite the government insisting all homes will have one by 2020.
  
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• In China, Tesla Transmits Location Data Directly To Government

  29-11-2018 15:57 via technocracy.news
  Other manufacturers of electric vehicles are required to do the same. Thus, if you own a car in China, the government can precisely track your location every minute of the day. ⁃ TN EditorWhen Shan Junhua bought his white Tesla Model X, he knew it was a fast, beautiful car. What he didn’t know is that Tesla constantly sends information about the precise location of his car to the Chinese government.
  Tesla is not alone. China has called upon all electric vehicle manufacturers in China
  
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• Big Tech’s Authoritarian Practices Are Accelerating

  29-11-2018 15:18 via technocracy.news
  Governance by algorithm is what Parag Khanna meant when he wrote, “We are building the global society without a global leader. Global order is no longer something that can be dictated or controlled from the top down. Globalization itself is the order.” ⁃ TN EditorGlenn Reynolds has deactivated his Twitter account, citing the banning of Jesse Kelly for no apparent reason as the immediate cause of his disillusionment with the platform. Explaining his decision, he w
  
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• Facebook's UK political ad rules kick in

  29-11-2018 15:04 via bbc.co.uk
  Facebook starts to enforce its tighter political advertising rules in the UK following a delay.
  
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• Dogs aren't more clever than cats, says study

  29-11-2018 14:16 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  A new study has found that dog cognition 'does not look exceptional', according to psychologists from Exeter and Canterbury University who examined the cognitive abilities of dogs.
  
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• Global temperatures in 2018 are set to be the fourth highest on record

  29-11-2018 14:13 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  In a report released ahead of a climate summit in Poland, the World Meteorological Organisation pointed out that the 20 warmest years on record have been in the past 22 years.
  
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• Electric cars sold in China secretly send their location to a government surveillance projects

  29-11-2018 14:13 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Global car makers are feeding real-time location information and dozens of other data points from electric vehicles to Chinese government monitoring centres.
  
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• London's Tulip tower 'could confuse air traffic control systems'

  29-11-2018 14:10 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  London City Airport has insisted that construction on the Tulip tower in the City of London should not go ahead until an assessment is carried out as it would confuse air traffic controllers.
  
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• Instagram launches an audio tool for older and partially-sighted users

  29-11-2018 14:10 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Instagram is rolling-out new features to help the visually impaired navigate the photo sharing site more easily. The updates will be available globally starting this Wednesday.
  
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• Project managers in Ireland warn that their organisations are not prepared for #Brexit, new research from… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

  29-11-2018 14:05 via twitter.com
  Project managers in Ireland warn that their organisations are not prepared for #Brexit, new research from… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
  
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• The lost city of America: Scientists prove 20,000 Native Americans lived in a place called Etzanoa

  29-11-2018 13:53 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Emerging research has found evidence of a 20,000 strong civilisation called Etzanoa which sits in the same place as modern-day Arkansas City in Kansas.
  
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• End of an era as European tech trade show #CeBIT cancels 2019 event siliconrepublic.com/companies/cebi…

  29-11-2018 13:35 via twitter.com
  End of an era as European tech trade show #CeBIT cancels 2019 event siliconrepublic.com/companies/cebi…
  
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• Raids mounted on fake Indian tech support centres

  29-11-2018 13:34 via bbc.co.uk
  Microsoft complained to local police, who arrested more than 50 people in call centres.
  
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• Leading scientists declare the world isn't ready for gene-edited babies

  29-11-2018 13:29 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Scientists made the comments in Hong Kong this week at an international conference on gene editing, the ability to rewrite the code of life to try to correct or prevent diseases.
  
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