Technology news

• Computers may be given 'human' rights, says professor - CNET

  29-05-2016 23:28 via cnet.com
  
  Technically Incorrect: An Oxford University professor says artificial intelligence may reach the stage where computers have consciousness and therefore should be treated as living beings.
  
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• CIA ex-boss: secretive spooks tolerated in UK more than in US

  29-05-2016 22:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Michael Hayden talks at Hay festival about Edward Snowden and how Facebook, not government, is new privacy battleground British people are not demanding more transparency from the intelligence services as loudly as Americans, the former director of the US National Security Agency (NSA) and CIA has said.Michael Hayden played a pivotal, leading role in American intelligence until he was replaced as director of the CIA shortly into the presidency of Barack Obama. Continue reading...
  
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• Watch these exciting dry ice experiments (pictures) - CNET

  29-05-2016 22:45 via cnet.com
  
  Who knew so many people love dumping dry ice into their swimming pools? See some of the best viral videos from science enthusiasts who couldn't wait to transform their pools into giant science projects.
  
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• Will PlayStation and Xbox follow mobile's lead with regular upgrade plans?

  29-05-2016 21:27
  It's 2019 and the Xbox Three has just been released.  You excitedly pack up your beloved Xbox Two and take it to your favorite local electronics store. Two hours later — after a hard drive transfer and a signed payment plan — you get home and fire up Halo 6  to see just how sharp it looks on the newly beefed up Three. SEE ALSO: Microsoft will no longer let you use '12345' as your password This scenario is obviously fiction, but getting a new gaming console for your hom
  
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• Mophie Juice Pack for Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge hands-on: Wireless charging and impact protection

  29-05-2016 19:17 via zdnet.com
  
  Mophie is known for its battery cases and in this latest design has added wireless charging so you don't have to give up this feature on your new Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
  
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• Pope reveals fondness for beauty vlogs in meeting with YouTubers

  29-05-2016 19:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Pontiff tells social media stars they create virtual circles to which followers belong, laying ‘paths of optimism and hope’Pope Francis demonstrated his digital credentials on Sunday by holding an intimate meeting with YouTube stars, throwing his support behind popular beauty videos and encouraging his celebrity guests to help young people create virtual identities.Immediately after the meeting Pope Francis addressed participants of an educational conference at the Vatican, attended
  
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• 'Walking Dead' cast crafts a 'Star Wars Holiday Special' spoof - CNET

  29-05-2016 18:46 via cnet.com
  
  Norman Reedus, Andrew Lincoln and others from the hit show envision a Star Wars-esque special complete with musical acts, weird celebrity appearances and nonhuman sidekicks for Red Nose Day.
  
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• Device used in Nazi coding machine found for sale on eBay

  29-05-2016 18:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Rare Lorenz teleprinter, part of Hitler’s encryption equipment, snapped up by National Museum of ComputingFor codebreakers with the allied forces, it was more important a discovery than the Enigma machine, offering encryption for the Nazi command that, when cracked, would hasten the end of the second world war and lead to huge breakthroughs in modern computing.
  Less than 80 years later, for a thrifty woman in Essex, the “telegram machine” was little more than a dusty old gadget
  
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• Microsoft's Lumia 650 has good looks at a low price video - CNET

  29-05-2016 17:00 via cnet.com
  
  The Lumia 650 looks better than its more expensive cousins, but Microsoft had to cut a few features to trim the price.
  
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• After a shaky start DTS:X is finally ready to take on Dolby Atmos - CNET

  29-05-2016 17:00 via cnet.com
  
  Twelve months after DTS' next-generation surround-sound format was announced, compatible discs and hardware are still scarce. We visit the company's headquarters to find out how it plans to compete against Dolby.
  
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• Alan Bell obituary

  29-05-2016 16:17 via theguardian.com
  
  My friend and brother-in-law, Alan Bell, who has died aged 67 after a motorcycle accident on holiday in Laos, was a world expert on DVD security and copyright protection who was granted more than 20 US patents.Alan was a key member of the team at the RCA technology firm in the US that developed the first optical disk and invented the recording medium that coated the disk’s surface, a breakthrough central to the subsequent developments of the CD and the DVD. Continue reading...
  
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• Cutting-edge CGI is bringing back acting, says 'Warcraft' star - CNET

  29-05-2016 15:00 via cnet.com
  
  "Warcraft" and "Planet of the Apes" star Toby Kebbell explains how his computer-generated orc was able to interact with other actors on set -- even when he was in his PJs.
  
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• France 'to go all the way' to make multinationals pay their taxes

  29-05-2016 14:48 via theguardian.com
  
  Finance minister Michel Sapin rules out UK-style deal with Google or McDonald’s and says more cases could followFrance will “go all the way” to ensure multinationals operating on its soil pay their taxes while more cases could follow after Google and McDonald’s were targeted in tax raids, the finance minister, Michel Sapin, has said.Sapin also ruled out negotiating a deal with Google on back taxes, as Britain did in January. “We’ll go all the way. There could
  
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• The Crow and the Heron: An inside look at the legendary Himeji and Matsumoto castles of Japan - CNET

  29-05-2016 14:00 via cnet.com
  
  Himeji and Matsumoto are two of the most famous Japanese castles. One mostly white, one mostly black, and both are magnificent inside and out. Here's a tour of both, in photos and 360 video.
  
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• Take an inside look at two legendary castles of Japan: Matsumoto and Himeji (pictures) - CNET

  29-05-2016 14:00 via cnet.com
  
  The famous Himeji and Matsumoto castles date back to Japan's feudal era. Here's a tour of both, inside and out.
  
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• Airbnb-style rentals, for those who like a good toke - CNET

  29-05-2016 14:00 via cnet.com
  
  From CNET Magazine: Watch out Airbnb. The sharing economy and weed are bonding over a bowl.
  
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• Early computers as objets d’art

  29-05-2016 11:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Eye-catching design didn’t begin with Apple, as a new, digitally-aided photography series illustrates“Dials and buttons, knobs and switches; they’re very charming,” says James Ball, the digital art director behind a new photography series called Guide to Computing, which celebrates early computers. Ball, who works under the pseudonym Docubyte, began the project after developing a fascination and affection for such retro devices.“It’s rare now to find any machi
  
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• ​Trov partners with Suncorp Group to launch on-demand insurance

  29-05-2016 11:00 via zdnet.com
  
  Trov has chosen Australia to globally launch its platform that will give Suncorp customers the chance to selectively turn on or off insurance on their smartphone.
  
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• Brian May: ‘All sorts of stuff happens in my workshop’

  29-05-2016 10:30 via theguardian.com
  
  When he’s not playing guitar for Queen, Brian May PhD is an astronomer and inventor. He talks about his latest gadget – an update on the Victorian stereoscopeBrian May is examining his hands. His fingernails are painted with a futuristic, silvery polish, but it’s his fingertips he’s focused on. They are, he informs me, covered with soft calluses. It’s hardly surprising – he’s just flown in from Barcelona, where he’s been on tour, thrashing out hits
  
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• ‘All sorts of stuff happens in my little workshop’

  29-05-2016 10:30 via theguardian.com
  
  When he’s not playing guitar for Queen, Brian May PhD is an astronomer and inventor. He talks about his latest gadget – an update on the Victorian stereoscopeBrian May is examining his hands. His fingernails are painted with a futuristic, silvery polish, but it’s his fingertips he’s focused on. They are, he informs me, covered with soft calluses. It’s hardly surprising – he’s just flown in from Barcelona, where he’s been on tour, thrashing out hits
  
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• Computex 2016: Acer arrives with 5,000mAh handset, laptops, and 'Internet of Beings' products

  29-05-2016 08:05 via zdnet.com
  
  Prior to the start of Computex 2016, Acer has launched its new product range, including a number of IoT devices, laptops, notebooks, monitors, and a new cheap phone with a massive battery.
  
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• VIDEO: A shop to make you an internet star?

  29-05-2016 07:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC Business series My Shop visits The Startup Van team, who have now left their van and moved into a shop in order to offer their interview service.
  
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• Onboard camera shows SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully landing from space – video

  29-05-2016 06:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Remarkable footage shows the rocket returning to Earth from space and successfully landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the third time in a row the Falcon 9 rocket has delivered its payload into the upper atmosphere and returned safelyContinue reading...
  
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• 7 can't-miss apps: MuseCam, Summit, Yammo and more

  29-05-2016 06:25
  
  With fresh rumors swirling about the iPhone 7 and new reports that Apple is working on an Amazon Echo competitor, you may have missed this week's best new apps. SEE ALSO: Hoverboards are coming back Each weekend, we round up a few of our favorite new and updated apps. This week's list includes an app to help you find podcasts, a photo editing app and a new puzzle game. Check out the gallery below to see our top picks. If you're looking for more, take a look at our last roundup of can't-miss apps
  
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• Robot jumping roach will chase you into your Terminator nightmares

  29-05-2016 02:46
  
  Robots that can do amazing things are creepy enough, but when roboticists start creating insectoid robots, things get really uncomfortable. Nevertheless, mimicking the behaviors of insects can often be the perfect way to give robots additional abilities. Along those lines, a research group has created what they call the JumpRoACH. Created by South Korea's SNU Biorobotics Lab in collaboration with UC Berkeley's Biomimetic Millisystems Lab, the tiny robot weighs just 59.4 grams and can jump to a h
  
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