Month: October 2024

An addictive example of a burgeoning genre, its elaborate widgets and logistics demand long shifts that have re-engineered my unconscious mind Everyone knows about the Tetris effect, named after the puzzle game that is so compelling players can find themselves visualising falling blocks and imagining how real-world objects could fit together long after turning off …

Satisfactory, the factory-building game so compelling it has invaded my dreams Read More »

States and District of Columbia allege platform’s ‘dopamine-inducing’ algorithm can lead to anxiety and depression More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits against TikTok on Tuesday, alleging the popular short-form video app is harming youth mental health by designing its platform to be addictive to kids. The lawsuits stem …

US states sue TikTok, claiming its addictive features harm youth mental health Read More »

Questions raised about registration in Czech Republic of one of first models to reach continent Tesla’s Cybertruck is too big and sharp for European roads, transport campaigners have warned, as questions are raised about the registration of one of the first of the electric pickup trucks to hit the continent. There had been confusion about …

Tesla Cybertruck ‘too big and sharp’ for European roads, say campaigners Read More »

Bigger screen, new camera control button, 5x optical zoom and faster chips squeeze flagship features into smaller frame Apple has upgraded the iPhone 16 Pro by adding the 5x zoom camera from the big Pro Max line, making size its main differentiator and turning the smaller “pro” into an instant candidate for the best small …

iPhone 16 Pro review: Apple levels up its smaller ‘pro’ phone Read More »

Almost half of girls aged 11 to 21 in Girlguiding survey say sexism and misogyny makes them feel less safe Girls and young women are seeing more unwanted sexual images and suffering more cyberstalking online, but still don’t want to take a break from social media because of a fear of missing out, a survey …

‘Fear of missing out’ keeping girls and young women online despite sexism Read More »

Google must make Android apps available from competing sources and cannot forbid use of in-app payment methods A US judge on Monday ordered Alphabet’s Google to overhaul its mobile app business to give Android users more options to download apps and to pay for transactions within them, following a jury verdict last year for the …

Google ordered to open Play store to rivals after antitrust loss to Epic Games Read More »

The series’ return was heralded by a Tears for Fears song – an unexpected tone for its chainsaw-guns and gore. We revisit how a splintering marriage gave birth to gaming’s saddest shooter At the Xbox Games Showcase this June, Microsoft debuted a trailer for the eighth game in the violent, grandiose and unexpectedly maudlin Gears …

How Gears of War’s Mad World trailer changed video game marketing forever Read More »

Signatories to online pledge say it offers support in family reckonings over phone usage Classroom peer pressure is a problem for any parent considering a smartphone ban for their child. So when the Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC) movement launched an online pledge to withhold the devices from children until they are at least 14, thousands …

‘Parents know they are not alone’: UK pact to withhold smartphones until 14 gathers pace Read More »

Hackney group Rise.365 is trying to tackle poor representation and spark discussions about discrimination with new designs In her first year of culinary school, Reanna Bryan, 18, was told her braided hairstyle was not suitable for the kitchen. “I was like, ‘What do you mean, you can’t have braids or dreads?’ because this is what …

The push for emojis in Black women’s styles: ‘We need to normalise that our hair is acceptable’ Read More »

As blogging pioneer Dave Winer’s site turns 30, it’s a reminder that good writing and thinking has flourished beyond the reach of social media If you log into Dave Winer’s blog, Scripting News, you’ll find a constantly updated note telling you how many years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds the blog has been running. …

The blogosphere is in full bloom. The rest of the internet has wilted Read More »