Month: August 2023

An explosion of data use has led to massive infrastructure costs. Is the era of cheap all-you-can-watch content about to end? • Don’t get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the full article here The writers and actors strikes in Hollywood have largely focused on streamers like Netflix paying more for the work …

‘Without the telcos, there is no Netflix’: the battle between streamers and broadband Read More »

This is Tobe Hooper’s putrid amoral universe in film perfectly replicated as an interactive terror ride PC, PS4/5, Xbox; Sumo Digital/Gun Interactive It’s been 50 years since Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre lit up cinema screens with its propulsive mix of desolation, buzzing tension and extreme violence. Saw-wielding maniac Leatherface is still up there with …

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre review – a horrible treat Read More »

Even as some firms are mandating workers come into the office, work from home has permanently changed the work landscape The work from home backlash is in full swing. In what seemed like an oxymoron brought to life, the video conferencing company Zoom has asked employees to return to the office. Amazon is reportedly tracking …

‘The office is for socializing’: how work from home has revolutionized work Read More »

Almost one in three people aged 18-34 have been messaged by staff after giving personal details to a business Almost one in three people aged 18-34 have received unwanted romantic contact after giving their personal information to a business, a UK poll has shown. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has called for recipients of such …

Customer data used for unwanted romantic contact, UK poll shows Read More »

CMA opens new investigation into acquisition as tech firm offers to sell cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft Microsoft has filed changes to its proposed takeover of the video game maker Activision Blizzard, in an attempt to win over the UK competition watchdog, which previously blocked the $69bn (£54bn) deal. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) …

Microsoft submits new Activision Blizzard deal to UK regulator Read More »

Platform’s users voice concern as it removes pictures and links on posts made before December 2014 Elon Musk, the owner of the app formerly known as Twitter, has said the social media site “may fail”, after a glitch caused pictures posted before December 2014 to be deleted. In a post on the site, renamed X, …

Elon Musk admits X ‘may fail’ after glitch deletes Twitter photos Read More »

Hustler DIY kit car was crafted by former Rolls-Royce engineer and school woodwork teacher in 1980s It has had one careful owner, has never failed an MOT and there is no way the body work is going to rust. But whoever buys John Brazier’s car at auction next month will have to get used to …

‘Ahead of its time’: wooden car goes under the hammer in Bristol Read More »

While the far right claims artificial intelligence has become too ‘woke’, experts argue it’s not a sentient being with its own viewpoints When Elon Musk introduced the team behind his new artificial intelligence company xAI last month, the billionaire entrepreneur took a question from the rightwing media activist Alex Lorusso. ChatGPT had begun “editorializing the …

‘Very wonderful, very toxic’: how AI became the culture war’s new frontier Read More »

China is the world’s biggest gaming market, where a culture of creativity has flourished – so please do not conflate companies and players with a repressive regime that cracks down on individual expression One of the most popular video games in the world today is Chinese. Not that everyone would be aware of the fact, …

Chinese video games are on the rise, but I wish they got more respect Read More »

No, gaming isn’t a niche, violence-inducing pastime, it’s the defining entertainment medium of our time. We should treat it as such Over the past few years, it feels as if there has been a subtle shift in the way that we view video games. That classic trope of games being a socially isolating experience, primarily …

Let’s ditch the tired tropes about video games – and research their impact properly | Pete Etchells Read More »