Month: November 2024

Known for its deep discounts and viral marketing, the online marketplace has fallen afoul of regulators for threatening the livelihoods of local vendors Chinese online marketplace Temu has enjoyed explosive international growth off the back of an eye-catching and often absurdly cheap range of products, but those cut-price tactics have met increasing roadblocks as it …

China’s ‘mind-blowingly’ cheap shopping app Temu hits roadblocks in south-east Asia Read More »

Leading philosopher says issue is ‘no longer one for sci-fi’ as dawn of AI consciousness is predicted for 2035 Significant “social ruptures” between people who think artificial intelligence systems are conscious and those who insist the technology feels nothing are looming, a leading philosopher has said. The comments, from Jonathan Birch, a professor of philosophy …

AI could cause ‘social ruptures’ between people who disagree on its sentience Read More »

Streams of images sent to parents not only threaten children’s privacy – they can damage their sense of self At 7am on a Wednesday I drop my child off for a two-night school camp. The first big school camp. Children carry their pillows under their arms and drag behind them suitcases whose wheels and weight …

My child is at camp and my phone pings nonstop with photos. Does anyone really want this? | Celina Ribeiro Read More »

The pull of our feeds reduces our capacity to be present. Practising relaxed attentiveness – or prayer – can bring us back to what really matters Making sense of it is a column about spirituality and how it can be used to navigate everyday life The next time a waiter takes my order, I’ll ask …

People everywhere are head down, lost in the oblivion of infinite scroll. Just stop and let the moment breathe | Justine Toh Read More »

Tech giants said today’s digital native kids would be the first generation who would not know what it meant to get lost. But is that a good thing? We’ve lost direction and our brains are shrinking – at least, our hippocampi are. These seahorse-shaped parts of the brain measure about 5cm, sit just above both …

Lost your sense of direction? Turn off your phone and you’ll soon reconnect Read More »

The former Twitter could fade away, or help shape a dark future hosting voices of a new authoritarian world Was that the week that marked the death of X? The platform formerly regarded as a utopian market square for exchanging information has suffered its largest exodus to date. Bluesky, emerging as X’s newest rival, has …

Is this (finally) the end for X? Delicate Musk-Trump relationship and growing rivals spell trouble for platform Read More »

I tried out organisational software to help streamline my work and build a ‘second brain’. I never knew there were so many different ways to take notes… Steven Johnson has a reputation as a research software nerd. The author of 13 nonfiction books, he’s constantly looking for digital tools to streamline his creative process. So …

‘Have your bot speak to my bot’: can AI productivity apps turbocharge my life? Read More »

Wildlife experts in US west have found small aircraft are ideal for protecting humans and livestock from predators The first time that Terry Vandenbos watched a bear run from a drone, on a spring day two years ago, he was chasing the animal himself. After he saw the grizzly cross a road near his property, …

Get away, grizzly: why scientists are chasing bears with drones Read More »

The billionaire was indispensable to Trump’s campaign and now has a senior job. He is about to become dangerously useful Picture, if you will, the scene in Mar-a-Lago on election night at the moment when it’s become clear that Trump has won. The atmosphere is hysterical. Trump is in expansive form. He stands surrounded by …

Elon Musk is not America’s new king. But he might be its new Thomas Cromwell | John Naughton Read More »

Users turn to the heavily moderated network after warnings about misinformation on Elon Musk’s X The great X-odus is under way. More than 1 million new users have joined the social media platform Bluesky since the US election. Many are seeking to escape Elon Musk’s X amid warnings from anti-hate speech campaign groups and the …

What is Bluesky and why are so many people suddenly leaving X for the platform? Read More »