Month: May 2023

Greed, eugenics, and giant gambles: author Malcolm Harris on the deadly toll of Silicon Valley capitalism

In his hotly anticipated 700-page book, Palo Alto, the writer and activist examines a dark history through the lens of his hometown In January 2011, a 19-year-old in Palo Alto died by suicide on the train tracks running through town, part of a disturbing, decade-long pattern of deaths of despair in the wealthy heart of …

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Google’s Bard AI chatbot launches in Australia with vow to develop it ethically

Company says its AI programs will include watermarks and metadata saying content is AI-generated as ChatGPT rival rolls out in more than 180 countries Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Google’s AI chatbot Bard launched for Australian users …

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Google launches Pixel Fold, Tablet and 7a Android devices

Firm’s first folding phone announced with cheaper smartphone and tablet smart display hybrid Google has announced a range of new Pixel mobile gadgets, including its first folding phone and an Android tablet that doubles as a smart display when docked and charging at home. Unveiled as part of the company’s annual I/O developer conference, the …

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Google launches new AI PaLM 2 in attempt to regain leadership of the pack

Company says ‘next generation language model’ will outperform other artificial intelligence systems on some tasks Google is attempting to reclaim its crown as the leader in artificial intelligence with PaLM 2, a “next-generation language model” that the company says outperforms other leading systems on some tasks. Revealing the cutting-edge AI at its annual I/O conference, …

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Ransomware payments nearly double in one year

British cybersecurity firm also finds UK ransom payments even higher than global average Ransomware payments have nearly doubled to $1.5m (£1.2m) over the past year, with the highest-earning organisations the most likely to pay attackers, according to a survey. Sophos, a British cybersecurity firm, found that the average ransomware payment rose from $812,000 the previous …

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Uber users in UK will be able to book flights on app by summer

New function part of firm’s ambition to create ‘seamless door-to-door travel solution’ Uber customers in the UK will soon be able to reserve flights through the ride-booking app, as the company aims to offer multiple forms of transport. The new feature allowing consumers to book domestic and international flights is being rolled out on Uber’s …

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The lawyer whose sex trafficking case against Instagram could spell trouble for big tech

Annie McAdams represents clients who claim Meta’s products connect vulnerable people with sex buyers On 14 March 2022, Annie McAdams, a personal injury lawyer running a small firm in Houston, Texas, filed a civil action suit on behalf of one of her clients. The plaintiff was a 23-year-old woman, who had endured years of sexual …

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Pushing Buttons: Building a gaming PC is painstaking and humbling – I can’t wait to do it again

In this week’s newsletter: Consoles are plug-and-play, but starting from scratch gave me new appreciation for everything that goes into making games Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Next week I am going to build a gaming PC. I’ve done it once before and wrote an article about what a …

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Outdated IT systems threaten UK food security and air quality, say MPs

Some systems at Defra are so old they have no protection from cyber-attacks, says public accounts committee UK politics live – latest updates Food security and air quality in the UK are being put at risk by outdated IT systems at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), a parliamentary committee has found. …

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