Month: September 2023

Biography alleges Musk told engineers to turn off communications network to hobble Ukraine drone attack on Russian warships Elon Musk ordered his Starlink satellite communications network to be turned off near the Crimean coast last year to hobble a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian warships, according to a new biography. CNN quoted an excerpt from …

Elon Musk ordered Starlink to be turned off during Ukraine offensive, book says Read More »

In this week’s newsletter: Alice Levine and Matt Forde remember seven chaotic weeks in Westminster in the new season of British Scandal. Plus: five of the best musicals podcasts • Don’t get Hear Here delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Strike Force FiveWidely available, episodes weeklyThere’s a lo-fi charm to this freeform show from …

Best podcasts of the week: A lighthearted look back at the disastrous Liz Truss reign Read More »

The move suggests that China, which is one of Apple’s biggest markets, is unwilling to spare any US company in fight to boost homegrown technology Apple stocks fell after China reportedly banned officials at central government agencies from using or bringing iPhones and other foreign-branded devices into the office. In recent weeks, Chinese officials were …

Apple shares fall after China reportedly bans iPhone use by government officials Read More »

Lawsuit claims search engine stifled competition, contributing to rising cost of living for consumers Google faces a new multibillion-pound lawsuit from UK consumers accusing the company of contributing to cost-of-living price rises. The lawsuit, on behalf of every consumer in the UK, says that Google has stifled competition in the search engine market, which caused …

Google faces multibillion-pound lawsuit from UK consumers Read More »

The studio is far from the first to restrict some critics from their games. But if only influencers and fans get early access, it’s players who suffer most • Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here The Guardian’s review of space exploration epic Starfield, Xbox’s big game of the year, went …

Pushing Buttons: Bethesda chose not to give us early access to Starfield – and it’s readers who lose out Read More »

The artist who makes ‘little gay collages’ about the internet shares what makes them laugh online, including Jordan Firstman, Patti Harrison and a Cars conspiracy theory Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email My dear friend and collaborator Harriet Gillies often refers to me as The Invisible Hand of the Internet – a title I …

Xanthe Dobbie: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet) Read More »

‘Revolutionary’ Digital Markets Act aims to allow more competition and let consumers delete preloaded phone apps The EU has unveiled a set of “revolutionary” laws to curb the power of six big tech companies, including allowing consumers to decide what apps they want on their phone and to delete pre-loaded software such as Google or …

EU unveils package of laws to curb power of big tech firms Read More »

Technology secretary Michelle Donelan says online safety bill will enable Ofcom to fine firms up to 10% of their global turnover Social media firms could face “humongous” fines if they fail to block the accounts of under-13s, the technology secretary has said. Michelle Donelan made the comments on the eve of the long-awaited online safety …

Social media firms risk ‘humongous’ fines if they grant access to under-13s Read More »

Maybe it feels satisfying to see the US elite in discomfort because we’re so unlikely to see them face accountability in normal life It feels important to note that most of the people at Burning Man, the week-long festival of “radical self-reliance” held every summer in the inhospitable Nevada desert, are not evil. But the …

Yes, it’s OK to laugh at wealthy Burning Man attendees mired in muck | Moira Donegan Read More »

Xbox Series S/X, PC; Bethesda/MicrosoftBethesda’s long-awaited space epic is a vast interstellar canvas full of glorious sights to see and intriguing threads to pull – if you can keep patience with its fussy systems There’s a feeling when you approach your ship, a snug and plucky little star-hopper named Frontier (of course), as it squats …

Starfield review – an exquisite, electric, faintly rickety universe of possibilities Read More »