Bard
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Google’s Bard Now Manages Your Email

Google has announced that it is embedding its ‘Bard’ chatbot into its apps and services with the launch of ‘Bard Extensions’.  Bard  In a similar way to Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s own ‘Duet’ (for Google Cloud…
e sign

Blockchain Bill

In this insight, we look at the introduction of the Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023 (ETDA), what it means and why it’s so significant, plus its implications.  The ETDA  The Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023 (ETDA), which…
robot
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Volunteer To Be A Cyborg, Anyone?

Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company Neuralink has announced that it’s looking for recruits for its first in-human clinical trial of a brain implant.  Approved  Neuralink says that it has received approval…
typewriter
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Copyrights Conundrum: OpenAI Sued

It’s been reported that a trade group for U.S. authors (including John Grisham) has sued OpenAI, accusing it of unlawfully training its chatbot ChatGPT on their work.  Which Authors?  The Authors Guild trade group has filed the…
SpaceX

Rocket Man!

This week on September 28 2008 SpaceX managed to finally get the Falcon 1 rocket into space. Founder Elon Musk was obviously thrilled, although curiously he wasn’t hungry – even though he’d skipped breakfast earlier that day. It was…
Coral

‘Cobots’ To Restore Reefs

With many of the world’s coral reefs being damaged by heat and acidification, one startup has developed a system to restore reefs at scale with the help of trained AI robots. Coral Reefs Struggling  The world’s coral reefs only cover…

How To Save Time By Sending Public (But Private-Looking) Messages In WhatsApp

If you’d like to use WhatsApp to save time when asking a group of people the same question, making it look as though you’ve asked each of them individually and not having to open each chat to ask them separately, here’s how:  For…
mobile sharing
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iPhone Radiation : What’s It All About?

Following the recent news that sales of Apple’s iPhone 12 in France have been banned over radiation fears, we look at where these fears came from and how much danger, if any, Apple iPhone 12 users may be in.  France, Fears, Ban, &…
Monopoly

Why Is There Only One Monopoly Commission?

In this insight, we take closer look at the subject of tech companies getting into trouble over antitrust issues, why it happens, what can be done, and what part organisations like the UK ‘Monopoly Commission’ plays.  The Monopoly…
TokTok
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€345m Children’s Data Privacy Fine For TikTok

Video-focused social media platform TikTok has been fined €345m by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) over the privacy of child users.  The Processing of Personal Data  The fine, as well as a reprimand (and an order…
IT confused

Study Shows 20% Of Time Wasted Within IT

A study by the University of Copenhagen and Roskilde University has revealed that computer problems are responsible for us wasting between 11 and 20 per cent of our time.  How The Study Worked  The study involved 234 participants,…
code and specs

Why Do Python Programmers Wear Specs?

A – Because they don’t see sharp! That’s a programming humour for you. And talking of programming, there’s currently an explosion of code being auto-generated by AI and before long, human-coders may go the way of the early switchboard…
seaweed

Disappearing Packaging Made From Seaweed & Plants

London-based Notpla Ltd makes sustainable, biodegradable, and home compostable packaging from seaweed and plants.  Naturally ‘Disappears’  Notpla Ltd, a start-up founded in 2014, manufactures different sustainable packaging…

Sharing How To Organise Your Bookmarks In Chrome

If you’ve got a long list of bookmarks in Google Chrome that’s not in order, using ‘Bookmark Manager’ can help get your bookmarks organised and easily navigable. Here’s how to use it:  In Chrome, top right, click on the three…
WatsApp

Temporary Climb-Down By UK Government

In an apparent admission of defeat, the UK government has conceded that requiring scanning of platforms like WhatsApp for messages with harmful content, as required in the Online Safety Bill, is not (currently) feasible.  The ‘Spy…
Spotify

Laundering Money Via Spotify?

In this insight, we look at how, according to an investigation by Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet (SvD), criminals may have been using Spotify to launder money since 2019.  How?  The reported money laundering process, which…
FitBit
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Fitbit Data Transfer Complaints

Vienna-based advocacy group ‘Noyb’ has filed complaints against Google-owned Fitbit, alleging that it has violated the EU’s GDPR over illegal exporting of user data.  Complaints In Three Countries  Noyb, which stands for ‘None…
MS Mobile apps

EU Teams To Be Unbundled From 365

Following pressure resulting from a formal investigation by the European Commission over a possible breach of competition rules, Microsoft has announced that it will begin unbundling Teams from Office 365 and Microsoft 365 in European markets.  Antitrust…
Google

25 Years of Google

Did you know that Google was incorporated 25 years ago, in September 1998?Or that it was originally made from Lego? (sort of) Google began as a research project by Larry Page and Sergey Brin when they were students at Stanford in 1996. Originally…
wind farm
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Offshore Wind Makes Green Renewable Hydrogen

German company Lhyfe is showing how the challenges of producing green hydrogen can be met by using offshore floating wind-to-hydrogen turbines and electrolysers.  The Advantages of Hydrogen  The great advantages of hydrogen as a…

Sharing Your Location In WhatsApp

If you’d like an easy way to let others know where you are, e.g. a group of friends on a night out, or as a safety precaution, you can choose to share your location on WhatsApp. Here’s how: Go to ‘Settings’ on your phone. Tap…
Google
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Google’s Answer To Copilot

In this article, we take a look at what Google’s ‘Duet’ is, it’s features and potential benefits to businesses, and the price.  Duet  Introduced in May this year, Duet AI in the Google Cloud is essentially Google’s answer…
data usage

How To Check Your Web Usage

In this insight, we look at the many ways to check how much bandwidth you’re using, thereby helping to avoid exceeding data caps, and providing other benefits.  Why Monitor Bandwidth?  As we move deeper into the digital age, internet…
AI
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Watermark Trial To Spot AI Images

Google’s AI research lab DeepMind has announced that in partnership with Google Cloud, it’s launching a beta version of SynthID, a tool for watermarking and identifying AI-generated images.  The AI Image Challenge  Generative…
hiding
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Firefox Helps You Hide (Your Emails)

Following several months of testing, Firefox users can now take advantage of the Firefox Relay email masking tool from within the browser to help preserve their online anonymity and boost security.  What Is Firefox Relay?  Firefox…
ebay

28 Years Ago : eBay (& Amazon by Comparison)

Whilst eBay’s market cap is dwarfed by that of Amazon (i.e. circa 24 billion dollars compared to circa 1.4 trillion dollars), it’s easy to forget eBay helped shape online purchasing too.Before it was rebranded as eBay in 1997, the site…
cargo ship
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Cargo Ship Sails Help Reduce Pollution

The recently launched Pyxis Ocean cargo ship uses giant foldaway ‘WindWings’ to help supplement engine power and could cut lifetime carbon emissions by 30 per cent.  The Cargo Ship  A Mitsubishi Corporation cargo ship is currently…

Backup ChatGPT By Exporting Your Chats

If you’d like to backup your ChatGPT chats, it’s possible to export them by email from within ChatGPT. Here’s how: In ChatGPT, click on the three dots (bottom left). Click on ‘Settings & Beta.’ Click on ‘Data Controls. Click…
Zoom
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Zoom Data Concerns

In this article, we look at why Zoom found itself as the subject of a backlash over an online update to its terms related to AI, what its response has been, plus what this says about how businesses feel about AI.  What Happened?  Communications…
Spreadsheet

Python in Excel … So What?

Following the announcement that Microsoft is releasing a public preview of Python in Excel, we look at what this will mean for Excel users and how it could help businesses.  What Is Python?  The initial version was created in the…
Jet

Google Flights Can Show Cheapest Times To Book

With last-minute holidays on people’s minds (as well as current delays and disruption) Google has announced a new money-saving feature for Google Flights which shows users the cheapest time to book.  What Is Google Flights?  Google…
AI
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Opting Out Of AI-Targeting

The EU’s new Digital Services Act allows social media users to opt out of AI personalised content feeds based on relevance.  What Is The DSA?  The Digital Services Act is a new EU Law designed to protect users. It applies to any…
EV Car Battery

World’s First “Superfast Charging” EV Battery

China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) has announced the launch of world’s first 4C superfast charging LFP battery.   The ‘Shenxing’ EV Battery  CATL says the ‘Shenxing’ battery can deliver 400…
burning building

Ancient Data-Disasters

So far in 2023, Canada’s had wildfires devouring over 30 million acres, an expanse comparable to Kentucky. This has already surpassed Canada’s earlier record set in 1989, where flames ravaged more than 18 million acres. As the wildfire-season…

Time Travel In Google

If you’d like to see, or remind yourself of what Google’s search engine was like back in 1998 when it started, here’s a fun, instant way to do just that:  Type ‘Google in 1998’ into Google’s search bar.  Google will…