Month: September 2024

M&S using AI as personalised style guru in hopes to boost sales

Shoppers can use technology to advise them on outfit choices based on their body shape and style preferences Marks & Spencer is using artificial intelligence to advise shoppers on their outfit choices based on their body shape and style preferences, as part of efforts to increase online sales. The 130-year-old retailer is using the technology …

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Astro Bot review – glittering ideas make Team Asobi’s 3D platformer a gem

PlayStation 5; Team Asobi/SonyFun-packed and brimming with personality, this full-length Astro Bot outing pays tribute to PlayStation history while pushing the console’s capabilities When I say that Astro Bot reminds me of Super Mario Galaxy, I could pay it no higher compliment. It’s not that it’s derivative: indeed it’s the very abundance of new ideas …

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How Black Myth: Wukong put China’s games industry under the microscope

In this week’s newsletter: Fuelled by a backdrop of sexist culture, alarming censorship guidelines and ‘anti-woke’ ire, the summer’s biggest hit has become a lightning rod in the video game culture wars • Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here A Chinese game called Black Myth: Wukong has been the biggest …

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Best podcasts of the week: New Order’s rise from the ashes of Joy Division

In this week’s newsletter: Transmissions, which plots the story of Joy Division and New Order, returns for a second run. Plus: five of the best sci-fi podcasts • Don’t get Hear Here delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Origins With Cush Jumbo Widely available, episodes weekly Cush Jumbo is always good fun when doing …

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YouTube to restrict teenagers’ exposure to videos about weight and fitness

Platform will ensure algorithms do not keep pushing similar content to young viewers, even though it does not breach guidelines YouTube is to stop recommending videos to teenagers that idealise specific fitness levels, body weights or physical features, after experts warned such content could be harmful if viewed repeatedly. The platform will still allow 13- …

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Racism, misogyny, lies: how did X become so full of hatred? And is it ethical to keep using it?

Ever since Elon Musk took over Twitter, I and many others have been looking for alternatives. Who wants to share a platform with the likes of Andrew Tate and Tommy Robinson? I considered leaving Twitter as soon as Elon Musk acquired it in 2022, just not wanting to be part of a community that could …

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Elon Musk’s Starlink backtracks to comply with Brazil’s ban on X

After judge freezes assets of billionaire’s internet service provider, company flip-flops to block social media platform Elon Musk’s satellite-based internet service provider Starlink backtracked late on Tuesday and said it would accept and enforce a Brazilian supreme court justice’s order to block the billionaire’s social media platform, X, formerly Twitter. Previously, Starlink informally told the …

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Russia accused of trying to influence US voters through online campaign

US treasury department says Russian state-backed media spent millions to recruit ‘unwitting American influencers’ The Biden administration has accused Russia of carrying out a sustained disinformation campaign targeted at American voters and meant to influence the outcome of November’s presidential elections. In its most direct accusation of election meddling to date, the US government accused …

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Meta’s moderation board backs decision to allow ‘from the river to the sea’ in posts

Meta rules that blanket ban on pro-Palestine slogan would hinder free speech Meta’s content moderation board has backed the company’s decision to allow Facebook posts containing the phrase “From the River to the Sea” after ruling that a blanket ban on the pro-Palestine slogan would hinder free speech. The Oversight Board reviewed three cases involving …

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