Month: February 2021

Experts say pandemic could provide watershed moment for technology, potentially leading to more sustainable tourism With globe-trotting banned in the pandemic, increasing numbers of people are turning to virtual reality to relieve pent-up demand for travel. Escapism from the sofa through a growing range of VR travel experiences is whetting appetites for post-pandemic holidays and …

Virtual reality tourism ready for takeoff as travellers remain grounded Read More »

Escape that Groundhog day feeling by trying out our creative tips on cooking, crafting, ‘camping’, and chucking stuff at Dad Christmas, Easter, Bonfire Night and Halloween – the events that usually punctuate our year – haven’t felt sufficient in the pandemic, so in my family we’ve gone all out for occasions that would usually pass …

10 fun ways to entertain kids over half-term Read More »

National Labor Relations Board denies Amazon bid to delay election and says vote can be conducted by mail Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama will be allowed to conduct a union election by mail, the US’s top labor relations agency said on Friday, in a major blow to the online retail giant’s intense anti-union efforts. Related: …

Blow to Amazon as Alabama warehouse workers given go-ahead for union vote Read More »

There is a chance that if you’re on Twitter you are not pure evil, but the way people speak to each other on it is unacceptable I decided to quit Twitter last month. I haven’t been engaging properly with it for a while, only tweeting to point out a podcast or a show I was …

I decided to quit Twitter and I feel like a new man | Romesh Ranganathan Read More »

Jacob Hawley hosts On Love, a follow-up to his series On Drugs. Plus: politics meets rock music, and Reply All investigate the unrest at food website Bon Appétit Jacob Hawley On LoveFollowing on from On Drugs – which examined our relationship with narcotics, from criminality to chemsex – comedian Hawley hosts another thought-provoking audio series …

A thoughtful look at love and sex – podcasts of the week Read More »

Exclusive app is a hybrid of conference calls, talkback radio and Houseparty Part talkback radio, part conference call, part Houseparty, Clubhouse is a social networking app based on audio-chat. Users can listen in to conversations, interviews and discussions between interesting people on various topics – it is just like tuning in to a podcast but …

What is Clubhouse? The invite-only audio chat app used by Elon Musk Read More »

Deal under which tech giant will pay publishers to host content comes after it threatened to withdraw search Google has launched its News Showcase product in Australia in a sign the company is seeking a way to avoid acting on its threat to withdraw search from the country in response to the federal government’s proposed …

Google launches News Showcase in Australia in sign of compromise over media code Read More »

Timnit Gebru, an eminent Black scientist, says she was fired last year in clash over research on marginalized groups Two Google engineers have quit over the treatment of Timnit Gebru, a prominent Black artificial intelligence researcher whose exit from the company sparked widespread outrage in the tech industry. David Baker, an engineering director focused on …

Two Google engineers quit over company’s treatment of AI researcher Read More »

Users watching videos will see a banner near the top of the feed if the content has not been validated TikTok is to feature banner warnings on suspect content in a bid to dissuade users from sharing videos featuring misinformation. Its new tool, which will launch in the UK on 22 February, is one of …

TikTok to introduce warnings on content to help tackle misinformation Read More »

PC, Nintendo Switch; Skeleton Crew Studio/Devolver DigitalWith fast and fun fighting, a swashbuckling Lord Faraday explores a ruined archipelago where he has been shipwrecked Sometimes you can tell when a game is a labour of love. Olija is a one-person project by Japan-resident developer Thomas Olsson, a strange and gratifying throwback to the kind of …

Olija review – exquisite throwback to early-90s adventure games Read More »