Month: March 2021

In Beat Saber, you slice away at big squares that come rushing at you – it’s like colouring in and partying at the same time When somebody suggested Beat Saber to me, I wasn’t interested. First, it looks rather intimidating from the demo videos: you’re inside a virtual reality headset, with a controller in each …

Fit in my 40s: a virtual rave with sabers and songs – what’s not to like? | Zoe Williams Read More »

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission indicates it suspects company policies may fuel broad discrimination A US agency investigating Facebook for racial bias in hiring and promotions has designated its inquiry as “systemic”, meaning it suspects company policies may be contributing to widespread discrimination. Attorneys for three job applicants and a manager who claim the company discriminated …

Facebook faces US investigation for ‘systemic’ racial bias in hiring Read More »

Foreign Office tells those involved in pitching tenders their personal data has been compromised Hackers have obtained sensitive documents relating to British aid projects, including details related to projects funded by a secretive national security fund. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and experts from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), an arm of …

Hackers obtain sensitive data on UK aid projects overseas Read More »

Visual effects artist Christopher Ume reveals he made TikTok fakes with help from Cruise impersonator Joining TikTok has become something of a trend for Hollywood celebrities stuck at home like everyone else. So it wasn’t necessarily surprising to see Tom Cruise on the app, sharing videos of himself playing golf and pratfalling around the house. …

‘I don’t want to upset people’: Tom Cruise deepfake creator speaks out Read More »

PC; Q-Games Its mix of planetary scavenging, alien-hunting and funky artwork ought to be a smash, but sluggish mechanics and onerous mission demands diminish the fun A space rescue adventure from Kyoto’s inimitable Q-Games, PixelJunk Raiders has the bones of a great action game. Its mix of planetary exploration, scavenging and alien-killing is unusual enough …

PixelJunk Raiders review – space adventure carries too much baggage Read More »

I surfed first-wave Pokémania. Today, the video games are as much a part of kids’ fiction as Disney Last weekend marked the 25th anniversary of Pokémon Red and Blue (or Red and Green in their native Japan), the first video games in a series that truly would take over the world. Continue reading… I surfed …

Pokémon was a key part of my childhood. Now it’s 25, I feel old Read More »

Queenpod offers a track-by-track, album-by-album look at the rock legends. Plus: women DJs from around the world, and a different spin on falling head over heels Queenpod What Simon Lupton – documentarian and Queen archivist – and superfans John Robins and Sooz Kempner don’t know about the shapeshifting rock legends probably isn’t worth knowing. In …

A rhapsody for Queen fans – podcasts of the week Read More »

When is a meme worth $600,000? When technology has created a ‘unique’ version that can’t be owned by anyone else Pat, I keep hearing references to cryptoart which are all very … cryptic. What is this thing? Hey Lucy! So you might have heard of it in context of the $US600,000 Nyan Cat gif or …

What is cryptoart, how much does it cost and can you hang it on your wall? Read More »

Is smartphone tracking a less intrusive reward for good behaviour or just a way to enrich the incarceration industry? In 2018, William Frederick Keck III pleaded guilty in a court in Manassas, Virginia, to possession with intent to distribute cannabis. He served three months in prison, then began a three-year probation. He was required to …

‘They track every move’: how US parole apps created digital prisoners Read More »

Tori Dunlap, a self-proclaimed personal finance expert, and Shaunna Burns, a former debt collector, tell people how to gain control of debt in 15-60 seconds During the Covid-19 pandemic, the greatest crisis of our generation, healthcare has been top of mind for many Americans. For the one in six Americans drowning in medical bills, reform …

‘Be polite and negotiate everything’: the TikTok feminist saving people from medical debt Read More »