Technology news

• ​Westpac CIO calls for urgent changes to fix Australia's IT talent drought

  22-07-2015 23:31 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Westpac CIO Dave Curran has said Australia's IT talent pool is lacking compared to other countries, particularly when looking at the number of women in the industry.
  
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• Battle of the bots: US blocks Iran and putters ball to glory in RoboCup finals

  22-07-2015 21:52 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  American robot THORwin, designed by a team from the University of Pennsylvania, won the ‘adult-size humanoid’ category at the annual eventThe Iranian bore down on the US, a goal or two away from bringing America to its knees and achieving world domination. America’s sole defender stared ahead, unblinking. There would be no deal with Tehran today. Thus a team of Americans and their four-and-a-half-foot robot defeated Iran 5-4 in the RoboCup soccer final on Wednesday, denying the Iranians th
  
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• Chinese economy concerns wipe $40bn off value of Apple

  22-07-2015 21:04 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Fall in share price of world’s biggest company mirrored by slide in stocks in mining and commodity firms to their lowest level since market crash of 2008Growing concerns about the health of the Chinese economy helped wipe $40bn off the value of Apple on Wednesday despite the company reporting a sharp increase in global sales and profits.The 5% fall in share price in the world’s biggest company was mirrored by a slide in shares in mining and commodity firms to their lowest levels since the st
  
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• Mike Lynch's cybersecurity startup Darktrace valued at more than £60m

  22-07-2015 20:13 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Anti-hacking technology backed by former founder of Autonomy attracts $22.5m funding from venture capital firm SummitA British cybersecurity firm backed by software entrepreneur Mike Lynch has been valued at more than $100m (£64m) in a new funding round.Cambridge-based Darktrace aims to combat sophisticated cyber-attacks with software that learns the behavioural patterns of every device, user and network within an organisation. When unusual activity is detected, the Darktrace software aler
  
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• Microsoft seeks revenge porn reports

  22-07-2015 19:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Microsoft makes it easier for revenge porn victims to have intimate images of themselves removed from its services.
  
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• ​Oracle and Twitter pile in behind renamed Open Container Initiative

  22-07-2015 19:00 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  With a draft specification only weeks away, the project to create industry-wide container standards has unveiled a group of significant new supporters and a name change - from Open Container Platform to Open Container Initiative.
  
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• Apple stock continues tumble despite better-than-expected earnings

  22-07-2015 18:48 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Shares off 5% before lunchtime on Wednesday even in face of Apple Watch’s likely $1bn sales as analysts say investors are spoiled by company’s successApple stock fell down and stayed down Wednesday morning, as investors seemed disappointed by another set of record-breaking results and a lack of fireworks over Apple Watch sales figures. The stock was off by 5% before lunchtime.Analysts said Apple’s investors are frankly spoiled. “The sharp plunge in the stock price can partly be attribute
  
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• Welcome to 2015, where tech can make everything terrifying

  22-07-2015 17:19 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Next time your computer crashes, remember: at least it’s not your car. For nowOn Monday, thousands of people were outed as members of a dating site catering to unfaithful spouses after the theft of a database containing personal details of millions of user accounts. Other panicked users of Ashley Madison have already started to pre-emptively admit to loved-ones that they were members in an effort to stave off relationship destruction if the full database is ever released.On Tuesday, hundreds o
  
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• Here is the newsreel: AP and Movietone upload huge archive to YouTube

  22-07-2015 17:16 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  A million minutes of historic current-affairs footage from 1895 to the present day becomes available on video-sharing websiteOne million minutes of historical video dating back to 1895 – from footage of a hover scooter floating on a cushion of air to Mussolini calling for world peace – have been uploaded onto YouTube.In what is the largest upload of historical news content on the video-sharing platform to date, the Associated Press and British Movietone are to host a collection of 550,000 vi
  
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• AI beats humans at sketch quiz

  22-07-2015 17:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An AI program created by researchers in London uses a new technique to beat humans at recognising what sketches are supposed to depict.
  
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• Car brakes 'can be hacked via radio'

  22-07-2015 14:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A UK-based security company shows the BBC how a digital-radio broadcast can be used to seize control of a car's computer systems.
  
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• Japan's humanoids scoop 1-0 win

  22-07-2015 13:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A team from Japan wins the child-sized humanoid football final at the RoboCup World Championships in China.
  
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• Lenovo's CTO talks R&D, IoT, Windows 10, servers and more

  22-07-2015 13:52 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  As chief technical officer and head of research and development, Peter Hortensius says he has "the most exciting job" at the world's leading PC manufacturer. He talks ZDNet through some of the company's priorities, including the upcoming Windows 10 launch and its strategy for IBM's x86 server business.
  
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• ​Google buys mobile UI design firm Pixate, makes its software free

  22-07-2015 13:47 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Google has acquired mobile app prototyping firm Pixate to bolster its design team.
  
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• From the browser to the gallery: Petra Cortright's 'post-internet' art

  22-07-2015 13:00 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The artist is exhibiting gifs of wiggling strippers found online – and people are collecting her work. So what happens when the technology becomes obsoloete?Strippers are raining from the rafters at Depart Foundation on Los Angeles’s Sunset Strip. It’s not an adolescent fantasy; instead, it’s post-internet artist Petra Cortright’s Niki, Lucy, Lola, Viola, a series of massive screens seemingly infected with VirtuaGirl, a seedy computer programme that sends a cadre of strippers dancing a
  
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• Apple leaves Wall Street hungry for more – can it deliver?

  22-07-2015 12:42 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Despite strong iPhone sales growth and hints Apple Watch is selling well, investors continue to wonder whether company’s popularity has peakedTo Wall Street, Apple is a company where the glass is constantly half-full. Its quarterly results on Tuesday night showed revenues up 33% and operating profits up 37% to $49bn (£31bn) and $14.1bn respectively. However, there were disappointments for investors grown used to quarter after quarter of stellar figures. Unit sales of iPhones rose 35% to
  
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• Everybody's Gone to the Rapture: creating a romantic apocalypse

  22-07-2015 12:41 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  With influences ranging from John Wyndham to 1980s nuclear-war drama Threads, this gorgeous adventure is a very English take on the end of the world Across the village green, the small country pub looks inviting – especially when bathed in the orangey light of this warm summer evening. It has taken a short walk to get here, along a quiet country road, then through the picturesque village of Yaughton, with its quaint cottages and bulging hedgerows. The only sound is birdsong and a quiet electri
  
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• ​Google, Yahoo, Facebook team up in fight against bad ad bots

  22-07-2015 12:35 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Google has pitched in with its own blacklist to assist ad-industry to fight online ad fraud.
  
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• Google testing plan to offer custom Gmail addresses for $2 per user

  22-07-2015 11:47 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  It has emerged that Google is experimenting with letting users customise their Gmail address for a fee.
  
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• Twitter hosts 'frat party' while fighting gender discrimination lawsuit

  22-07-2015 11:40 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Theme of kegs, red Solo cups and beer pong provokes outrage from equality campaigners – and an apology from TwitterTwitter has apologised for hosting a frat house-themed party for its staff while the company is in the middle of a class-action lawsuit for gender discrimination.The party was held on Tuesday by one of Twitter’s San Francisco-based teams for their internal “happy hour”, and involved frat-style accoutrements such as a keg, red Solo cups, and beer pong, all under faux-Greek le
  
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• Minecraft creators Mojang announce director for forthcoming film of the game

  22-07-2015 11:29 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Swedish company hires Rob McElhenney, creator of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, for film version of phenomenally successful franchiseMinecraft creators Mojang have crafted a director for the forthcoming film based on their popular video game.Rob McElhenney, creator and star of the sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, replaces Night at the Museum’s Shawn Levy, whose vision of a ”Goonies-style” adventure was apparently rejected by the Swedish game company. Continue reading...
  
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• ​Nokia 'to release virtual reality hardware next week'

  22-07-2015 11:29 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Nokia is reportedly readying a virtual reality launch, joining its former phone-making rivals in the market.
  
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• Cherno Samba retires after modest career but as a Championship Manager legend | Nick Ames

  22-07-2015 11:08 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The former Millwall prodigy was scarcely seen at senior level but statistical quirks in the popular computer game saw him become a cult heroDepending on whose numbers you believe, he made anything between 50 and 100 appearances in his senior career. His CV includes Millwall, Cádiz, Plymouth, FC Haka, Panetolikos, FK Tonsberg and the Gambian side Samger FC. He won youth caps for one country and four senior caps for another, scoring once. The statistics are, using the measures by which anyo
  
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• Telstra: Slashed wholesale prices could slow NBN customer migration

  22-07-2015 08:57 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Telstra has warned that the ACCC's draft decision to cut its wholesale prices by 9.6 percent could lead to a market where retailers will delay transitioning customers onto the NBN.
  
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• China Unicom lost 10 million mobile customers in five months: Report

  22-07-2015 07:58 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Mobile network carrier China Unicom has struggled after failing to take advantage of its WCDMA licence during the 3G era, reports suggest.
  
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• ​Blackberry confirms more job cuts

  22-07-2015 07:21 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Weak smartphone sales have prompted another round of job cuts at BlackBerry.
  
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• World's deepest 'space' pool plan

  22-07-2015 06:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A university is in "exploratory discussions" on plans to build the world's deepest swimming pool for spaceflight and human endurance research.
  
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• ​ASG strikes up AU$35m contract deal with CIMIC

  22-07-2015 03:52 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  ASG has secured a contract with CIMIC to deliver application and infrastructure managed services for the company's JD Edwards enterprise resource management and business intelligence suites globally.
  
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• Data#3 expects acquisitions to help deliver solid FY15 NPAT results

  22-07-2015 03:48 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Data#3 said it expects its NPAT for FY15 to be between AU$10 million and AU$11 million, compared to the AU$7.5 million NPAT that was reported during FY14.
  
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• Weird places readers charge phones

  22-07-2015 03:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Weird places readers charge their phones
  
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• People who pay for content but also infringe copyright spend more

  22-07-2015 03:20 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  A survey for the Australian government has revealed that users who consume paid content in addition to downloading copyright-infringing content spend more than users who only consume non-infringing content.
  
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• Telcos hit back against national security law proposal

  22-07-2015 03:17 via zdnet.com.feedsportal.com
  
  Telcos in Australia have voiced their concerns with the latest proposal by the government to enforce additional national security measures.
  
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• VIDEO: The 1960s self-driving car!

  22-07-2015 01:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Associated Press archives reveal videos featuring self-driving cars, a robot lawnmower and the hovercraft.
  
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• 'Near miss' prompts UK drone warning

  22-07-2015 01:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A "near miss" between a passenger jet and a drone has prompted a warning about using the hobby aircraft safely.
  
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• RoboCup robot competition – in pictures

  22-07-2015 01:29 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  The 19th Robot Soccer World Cup is taking place in Hefei, China. More than 2,000 contestants from 47 different countries build robots to play in football games Continue reading...
  
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• Adverts 'mask real broadband costs'

  22-07-2015 01:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Teaser deals in adverts are masking the long-term cost of broadband packages, a charity has claimed.
  
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• Apple posts record third quarter

  22-07-2015 01:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Apple has posted a record third quarter as soaring demand for iPhones sent profits higher.
  
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• Drone users face jail if they 'recklessly endanger an aircraft in flight'

  22-07-2015 01:01 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Civil Aviation Authority issues ‘drone code’ after several near misses when drones buzzed passenger jets using British airportsDrone pilots who “buzz” passenger jets as they take off and land at British airports have been warned they face jail if caught as the number of companies and unlicensed individuals making use of the relatively low cost flight technology continues to grow.The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which issued the warning on Wednesday, has recorded six serious incidents
  
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• Will the emoji movie be or or ?

  22-07-2015 00:56 via feeds.theguardian.com
  
  Sony Pictures Animation plans to make an animated feature film centered on icons beloved of text message and social media addicts around the globe The Lego Movie proved that anything can be turned into a blockbuster franchise with sufficient imagination. Now the stakes have been raised, with an upcoming animated movie centering on the emoji, the (usually) yellow spherical faces and symbols used for text and social media correspondence, hoping to have the same success. Related: The Lego Movie seq
  
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• How many watches has Apple sold?

  22-07-2015 00:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Apple has published its latest results with some clues about the performance of its latest product, the Apple Watch.
  
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