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  • TECH

    Beware of TikTok snooping on your phone's data

    Life, James Hein, Published on 02/03/2022

    » If you didn't already know, TikTok is potentially dangerous. The app bypasses both Apple and Google protections and is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. According to reports, the app passes all your data back to servers in China, including unposted information and the contents of your phone. The app also has many security vulnerabilities allowing hackers to take over your phone. This is in addition to the expansion of your digital footprint across the planet. In China, people are rewarded for posting serious videos like those showing them using a chemistry set. Those outside China are rewarded for the dumbest presentations. I'll let the readers work this last one out for themselves.

  • ADVANCED NEWS

    Avoid traffic jams with your mobile phone

    Jon Fernquest, Published on 21/06/2011

    » On Blackberries already, the Traffy mobile phone app allows drivers to check traffic with webcams, Google Maps and social networking sites.

  • TECH

    Don't call AI bigoted

    Life, James Hein, Published on 06/11/2019

    » Despite what some claim, Artificial Intelligence is not racist. Google built a system to detect hate speech or speech that exhibited questionable content. Following the rules given, it picked out a range of people with what some try to claim was a bias toward black people. Wrong. The AI simply followed the rules and a larger number of black people and some other minorities, as defined in the US, were found to be breaking those rules. It didn't matter to the machines that when one group says it, it isn't defined as hate speech by some; it simply followed the rules. People can ignore or pretend not to see rules, but machines don't work that way. What the exercise actually found was that speech by some groups is ignored while the same thing said by others isn't. As the saying goes, don't ask the question if you're not prepared to hear the answer.

  • TECH

    The Note reincarnated

    Life, Komsan John Jandamit, Published on 16/03/2022

    » In 2021, the best versatile phone for photography and video was the Samsung S21 Ultra. The S22 Ultra builds on that foundation and gives near identical performance, and provides a variety of photo and video taking modes while adding much better low-light photo capabilities while also making photos brighter and sharper than what your eyes can physically see.

  • OPINION

    The world knows where you've been

    Life, James Hein, Published on 16/01/2019

    » A reminder for those operating in the digital world. This includes the internet, your phone, social media and basically anything in the public sphere. You can all but guarantee that everything you post online is eventually available to everyone. It doesn't matter what promises your provider might offer -- and maybe they're even being as honest as they can be -- eventually your data will turn up on a public server somewhere. The golden rule is simple: if you don't want everyone to see something, then don't post it anywhere on public networks.

  • ADVANCED NEWS

    Rise of tablet computers

    Jon Fernquest, Published on 14/01/2011

    » With a larger screen than a mobile phone and lighter than a notebook, tablet computers are the fastest selling new gadget nowadays.

  • TECH

    Connecting in Covid times

    Business, Published on 06/05/2020

    » In 2003 when Linden Lab launched the virtual world Second Life, it was a novelty and a huge success, with a community of over a million at its peak. A quaint convergence of unfettered imagination and dollar-powered real life -- through avatars, business, product sales, music, movies, and even news reporting and politics -- its ever-changing and expanding virtual world took off.

  • TECH

    Transpacific cable is cut, for now

    Life, James Hein, Published on 16/09/2020

    » In light of the problems between the USA and China, and that those in power in Beijing want to grab data from US networks, Google and Facebook have dropped plans to build an undersea cable between the US and Hong Kong. The new target limits the landing points to the Philippines and Taiwan and now excludes Hong Kong. The HK section of the cable is built but will not now be activated due to a national security agreement between the US and Google and Facebook. I will predict that if Joe Biden wins the next US election this decision will be revisited.

  • OPINION

    Three new maxims for surviving the next era of tech

    News, Farhad Manjoo, Published on 30/11/2018

    » Nearly five years ago, in my very first "State of the Art" column, I offered a straightforward plan for how to survive what was shaping up to be a turbulent time in the tech world.

  • TECH

    Do you have a fear of spying?

    Life, James Hein, Published on 11/10/2017

    » So how safe do you feel in your home security-wise? I'm not thinking of malware but the ability for someone to snoop on you visually or through audio. There have been some concerns about devices like the Amazon Echo and similar being used to tap into what you are saying with everything recorded on servers that authorities could get from say Amazon.

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