Month: March 2022

Rossgram, a substitute for Instagram, mocked as Russian PM announces policy of ignoring copyright Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates The creators of Rossgram call it Russia’s answer to Instagram. Its critics call it “absolute shit”. As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, opportunistic developers have rolled out a suite of locally made social networks to replace …

‘Embarrassing’: Russia scrambles to copy banned social media platforms Read More »

Gamers stocked up on hardware such as consoles and virtual reality gear, offsetting a fall in game sales The UK video games market hit a new record of £7.16bn last year as the pandemic continued to fuel an unprecedented boom in home entertainment, with gamers rushing to stock up on new consoles and virtual reality …

Covid pushes UK video games market to record £7bn – but games sales fall Read More »

Safety experts call for immediate action to stop millions of underage viewers being damaged by extreme material An “immediate and urgent” introduction of age verification is needed to stop children accessing extreme content on pornography websites, children’s charities have warned. In a strongly worded open letter to the largest pornography sites in the UK, a …

Age checks needed urgently to protect children from online porn, say charities Read More »

Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle unit said it started carrying employees in electric Jaguar I-Pace SUVs without human backup Waymo’s self-driving ride-hailing service is branching out to San Francisco. The autonomous vehicle unit of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, said Wednesday that it started carrying employees in electric Jaguar I-Pace SUVs without human backup drivers. Previously the company …

Google’s Waymo to offer driverless ride-hailing service in San Francisco Read More »

Network says hackers – who have long targeted cryptocurrency platforms – used stolen private keys to make off with funds Blockchain project Ronin said on Tuesday that hackers stole cryptocurrency now worth almost $615m from its systems, in what would be one of the largest cryptocurrency heists on record. The project said that unidentified hackers …

Blockchain project Ronin hit by $615m cryptocurrency heist Read More »

Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, solicited campaign accusing TikTok of being a danger to American children Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms, is reportedly paying a notable GOP consulting firm to create public distrust around TikTok. The campaign, launched by Republican strategy firm Targeted Victory, involved op-eds and letters …

Facebook owner reportedly paid Republican firm to push message TikTok is ‘the real threat’ Read More »

When you’re young, you believe in the possibility of anything – ghosts, goblins, the Resident Evil house – but by my age, the spell is broken My wife and kids have a tough time believing that I fear nothing supernatural. Because they do. They fear all of them. Ghosts, goblins, werewolves, wendigos, all that claptrap. …

Why aren’t video games scary any more – am I just old and jaded? | Dominik Diamond Read More »

In this week’s newsletter: how a madeup backstory for a crisp mascot became accepted fact, and why it proves the internet doesn’t just reflect reality – it can alter it too Don’t get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Here’s a fun fact: the guy on the front of a Pringles can has …

TechScape: When Wikipedia fiction becomes real life fact Read More »

Company’s first wearable delivers personal pocket of filtered air and cancels unwanted noise Dyson has announced its first wearable product that builds the firm’s air purification expertise into a set of Bluetooth noise cancelling headphones aimed at city dwellers wanting to avoid polluted air. Quite unlike anything the company has made before, the Dyson Zone …

Dyson launches Zone air purifying Bluetooth headphones with visor Read More »

As well as turning off your hot water or boiler as you leave home, some can offer to heat only rooms that need it With the return to the office in full swing and fuel prices rocketing, smart thermostats offer one relatively easy way to help reduce your energy use without big changes to your …

How smart thermostats can save you fuel and money Read More »