• Netflix lowers video quality in Europe because of coronavirus-induced strain

    Netflix lowers video quality in Europe because of coronavirus-induced strain
    People are staying home because of coronavirus, and what adtivity is better suited for the millions of newly-minted homebodies than watching a whole lot of Netflix? There’s just one problem: Too many people are watching Netflix in Europe, it seems. Netflix today announced it will temporarily lower bitrates – and therefore, image quality – in Europe after concerns a surge in viewership can could an extraneous burden on Internet infrastructure. The move appears to have come
  • Facebook brings dark mode redesign to “the majority” of desktop users

    Facebook brings dark mode redesign to “the majority” of desktop users
    Facebook has been teasing a new design for its desktop website since last year’s F8, but so far, only a select few users have been able to access it. That’s now changing: Facebook told TechCrunch that “starting today, the majority of people will have access to the new desktop design.” This includes a nifty new dark mode too. That said, the feature isn’t simply being forced on users yet. TechCrunch says at the moment the feature is opt-in; you can access it by going
  • Keep in touch: How to set up a Discord server for friends and family

    Keep in touch: How to set up a Discord server for friends and family
    Welcome to TNW Basics, a collection of tips, guides, and advice on how to easily get the most out of your gadgets, apps, and other stuff. Discord has become the go-to service for gamers and non-gamers alike for text and voice chat servers. It’s a versatile way to keep in touch with large groups of people, considering each server supports multiple different “rooms.” It’s not just for gaming groups or large political debates, either. You can start a server just f
  • You’re already an influencer — now use your power for good

    You’re already an influencer — now use your power for good
    Boris is the wise ol’ CEO of TNW who writes a weekly column on everything about being an entrepreneur in tech — from managing stress to embracing awkwardness. You can get his musings straight to your inbox by signing up for his newsletter! Last week there was a moment where I had to decide whether I wanted to send everyone at TNW home, over a hundred people, due to the coronavirus outbreak. This was before the government made it mandatory for everyone. I was sitting in bed, early in
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  • This AI system predicts air pollution before it happens

    This AI system predicts air pollution before it happens
    Computer scientists from Loughborough University in the UK have developed a new AI system that predicts air pollution levels days in advance. The system developed analyzes air data through sensors installed in cities to predict the pollution levels. It could be used to help us understand the environmental factors that affect one of the most dangerous pollutants in the world: PM2.5, This tiny particle matter is less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter — about 3 percent the size of a human hai
  • Blood groups — and their antibodies — are being explored to understand immunity to SARS-CoV2

    Blood groups — and their antibodies — are being explored to understand immunity to SARS-CoV2
    COVID-19, which first emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019, is relentlessly sweeping across the world. The scale of the epidemic has caused chaos and led to the World Health Organization declaring it a pandemic in early February 2020. Understanding the virus is the preoccupation of scientists who are trying to unravel its mysteries as a first step to finding ways to stop the disease spreading, and to finding a vaccine. On a daily basis scientists are finding out new things about SARS-CoV-2,
  • How inequality is limiting young people’s experience of technology

    How inequality is limiting young people’s experience of technology
    There is a belief that younger people are fully engaged in the digital world. But I am currently leading a project exploring people’s knowledge and use of online data, and the preliminary findings from our research have found that data literacy is not uniformly high among younger people, as is often assumed. Instead, some young people have very low levels of data literacy. We are concerned that widespread perceptions of “digital natives” lead people to believe that digital med
  • Cybercriminals are using COVID-19 discount codes to sell malware on dark web

    Cybercriminals are using COVID-19 discount codes to sell malware on dark web
    While the world is feeling frightened by the coronavirus pandemic, cybercriminals are taking full advantage of the situation by finding new ways to trick people into installing malware.  According to the latest research by security firm Checkpoint, hackers are using “COVID-19” code to sell malware and exploitation tools on the dark web. For example, below is a Facebook account hacking tool sold for $300 with “a 15% coronavirus discount.”   On the other han
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  • Cybercriminals are using COVID-19 discount codes to sell malware and fake items

    Cybercriminals are using COVID-19 discount codes to sell malware and fake items
    While the world is feeling frightened by the coronavirus pandemic, cybercriminals are taking full advantage of the situation by finding new ways to trick people into installing malware.  According to the latest research by security firm Checkpoint, hackers are using “COVID-19” code to sell malware and exploitation tools on the dark web. For example, below is a Facebook account hacking tool sold for $300 with “a 15% coronavirus discount.”   On the other han
  • This 170-hour cybersecurity training bundle is only $40 today

    This 170-hour cybersecurity training bundle is only $40 today
    Network systems are under siege -- and the men and women entrusted to implement their security are vitally important and absolutely have to know their stuff. The A-Z Cybersecurity Developer Bundle ($39.99, over 90 percent off, from TNW Deals) is all about teaching you all the stuff you need to know to be the man or woman who knows what a company IT systems need to stay safe.
  • Coronavirus forces New York Stock Exchange into electronic-only trading mode

    Coronavirus forces New York Stock Exchange into electronic-only trading mode
    The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) will close its trading floors and switch to electronic-only mode in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) threat, CNBC reports. Intercontinental Exchange, the NYSE’s parent company, said the measures represent “a precautionary step to protect the health and well-being of employees, and the floor community, in response to COVID-19.” [Read: The coronavirus is strengthening the case for free internet access] Two people screened at the
  • Playboy goes digital-only due to coronavirus (and because print is dead)

    Playboy goes digital-only due to coronavirus (and because print is dead)
    The pesky coronavirus has taken yet another victim: Playboy magazine. Well, sort of. The iconic brand announced its upcoming Spring issue will be its last printed publication for the year in the US. “The disruption of the coronavirus pandemic to content production and the supply chain became clearer and clearer, we were forced to accelerate a conversation we’ve been having internally: The question of how to transform our US print product to better suit what consumers want today,&rdq
  • How to manage your inbox while working from home

    How to manage your inbox while working from home
    I hate emails with all my being. They’re a pain to write, incredibly annoying to read, and at a time where most internal communication is done using messaging apps, they feel incredibly superfluous.  But, whether I like it or not, emails are unlikely to go away. In fact, I imagine we are all noticing an uptick in our inboxes as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.  So, how exactly do we go about dealing with this? Last year, I shared five tips to help you get to inbox zero but
  • Hybrid AI systems are quietly solving the problems of deep learning

    Hybrid AI systems are quietly solving the problems of deep learning
    Deep learning, the main innovation that has renewed interest in artificial intelligence in the past years, has helped solve many critical problems in computer vision, natural language processing, and speech recognition. However, as the deep learning matures and moves from hype peak to its trough of disillusionment, it is becoming clear that it is missing some fundamental components. This is a reality that many of the pioneers of deep learning and its main component, artificial neural
  • Satoshi Nakaboto: ‘Square gets green light to become a bank’

    Satoshi Nakaboto: ‘Square gets green light to become a bank’
    Our robot colleague Satoshi Nakaboto writes about Bitcoin every fucking day. Welcome to another edition of Bitcoin Today, where I, Satoshi Nakaboto, tell you what’s been going on with Bitcoin in the past 24 hours. As Descartes used to say: Your heart must go on! Bitcoin price We closed the day, March 18 2020, at a price of $5,238. That’s a minor 0.21 percent increase in 24 hours, or $11. It was the highest closing price in two days. We’re still 73 percent below Bitcoin‘s
  • Microsoft Teams can now suppress background noise during video calls

    Microsoft Teams can now suppress background noise during video calls
    The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has more people working from home lately, and that means more folks using group communication software like Slack and Microsoft Teams. So, right on cue, Microsoft has added a bunch of clever features to Teams to help increase productivity, including background noise suppression, and a ‘raise hand’ button to ask questions. As a Slack user at work, I’m so jealous right now. The AI-powered noise suppression feature works automatically canceli
  • This coronavirus toilet paper calculator knows if you’ll survive the quarantine

    This coronavirus toilet paper calculator knows if you’ll survive the quarantine
    The coronavirus pandemic has practically turned toilet paper into an ultra-valuable resource. So much sothsat people are afraid they’ll run out of it. But thanks to the internet, there’s now a tool that will help you forecast the amount of toilet paper you’ll need to last through the quarantine. Yep, How Much Toilet Paper is a web-based calculator that lets you guesstimate how much wipeable material you’ll need to survive the pandemic. Simply enter the amount of rol
  • Scientists want you to send them your dankest coronavirus memes

    Scientists want you to send them your dankest coronavirus memes
    Most of us are unfortunately all too aware of the coronavirus pandemic that’s spreading across the world. China seems to be on the mend, although the situation is still dire, but Europe is grinding to a halt and the US is starting to feel its share. While brave healthcare workers are fighting the spread on the frontlines, you can do your part by following official instructions, washing your hands, practicing social distancing, and… sharing memes. Yes, you read that right, sharing m
  • BMW is building an all-electric luxury 7 Series amid gasoline engine retirements

    BMW is building an all-electric luxury 7 Series amid gasoline engine retirements
    Over the past week, BMW announced that it would continue to phase out its conventional petrol and diesel engines. But don’t worry there are exciting all-electric vehicles on their way. [Read: UK takes next step toward world of e-scooters, self-driving cars, and autonomous drones] In a press release spotted yesterday by Autocar, the German automaker subtly announced that it would be launching a fully electric 7 Series. The luxury sedan will be offered with four different drivetrains, petro
  • Oppo’s Realme sub-brand is launching its own sub-brand

    Oppo’s Realme sub-brand is launching its own sub-brand
    Remember Inception, the Christopher Nolan movie that took us on a journey into a dream within a dream? That’s what the ‘sub-brand’ strategy adopted by today’s smartphone brands feels like lately. Today, Oppo‘s sub-brand, Realme, said it’s launching a new line of phones called Narzo in India. While the company hasn’t given out details about what you should expect from this new line of phones, 91mobiles noted that this is the company’s ploy to
  • Bill Gates: Coronavirus testing in the US is unorganized

    Bill Gates: Coronavirus testing in the US is unorganized
    Last night, Microsoft’s co-founder and the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, held an AMA on Reddit to chat about COVID-19 pandemic. During the session, hehe stressed upon the need for a ‘shut down’ and the lack of extensive testing in the US. Gates said the CDC needs to have a central portal that lets people post their symptoms and get tested within 24 hours if needed: We need to democratize and scale the testing system by having a CDC websi

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