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The Contrarian review – inside the strange world of PayPal founder Peter Thiel

Max Chafkin’s thorough study of the tech titan reveals a man with his eye on the main chance, rather than a visionary This is a book about the aphrodisiac effect of wealth and in particular about the reality distortion field that surrounds people who possess it. Peter Thiel is such a person and the strength …

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Robots: stealing our jobs or solving labour shortages?

From fast food to farming, Covid-19 has accelerated the rise of the worker robots. This in turn will put more jobs at risk and makes the need to reframe society ever more urgent As the coronavirus pandemic enveloped the world last year, businesses increasingly turned to automation in order to address rapidly changing conditions. Floor-cleaning …

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The truth about artificial intelligence? It isn’t that honest | John Naughton

Tests of natural language processing models show that the bigger they are, the bigger liars they are. Should we be worried? We are, as the critic George Steiner observed, “language animals”. Perhaps that’s why we are fascinated by other creatures that appear to have language – dolphins, whales, apes, birds and so on. In her …

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Breakfast time: Christopher Anderson’s best phone picture

‘My daughter has this comedic flair, this sense of timing’ Christopher Anderson often makes breakfast for his family (eggs, pancakes), but what caught his eye here was the light and the colour, the repetition of shapes. Blue plate, yellow circle. Of course, the pose his three-year-old daughter Pia struck just as he moved into position …

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‘Odds are against you’: the problem with the music streaming boom

As dust from the gold rush settles, big record companies and elite artists emerge firmly on top With the streaming revolution breathing new life into a once-moribund music industry collapsing under plummeting CD sales and rampant piracy, the world’s biggest record companies – Universal Music, Sony Music and Warner Music – have got their financial …

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As a Facebook whistleblower prepares to speak out, what can be done to rein in tech firms?

Pressure piles on social media firms after US senators challenge Instagram over impact of app on children’s mental health US lawmakers have left Facebook in no doubt this week that revelations about the impact of its Instagram app on teen mental health have further damaged the company’s reputation. The Democrat senator Richard Blumenthal said the …

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Rise of the Holmies: the merch inspired by the Theranos ‘girlboss’

Hundreds of listings on online marketplaces sell merchandise venerating disgraced CEO Elizabeth Holmes There are posters, stickers and coffee mugs, flags, t-shirts and masks – all celebrating Silicon Valley “girl boss”, Elizabeth Holmes. The fraud case of the Theranos founder has given way to a burgeoning cottage industry for merchandise venerating the disgraced CEO. Continue …

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Jeff Bezos’s space flight firm ‘rife with sexism’, employees’ letter claims

Open letter by current and ex-staffers alleges ‘consistently inappropriate’ behaviour by Blue Origin leaders A group of current and former employees at Blue Origin, the space flight company owned by the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, has accused the business of operating a work environment that is “rife with sexism” and prefers “breakneck speed” to safety. …

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Fifa 22 review – a flamboyant multiplex of total football

PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox, Stadia, Nintendo Switch; Electronic ArtsThe latest iteration of the all-conquering football sim favours more structured play and rains down a multitude of modes and options – but ethical questions about Ultimate Team remain Somehow, over the past five years, the Fifa games have expanded beyond a simulation of the sport of …

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