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homeworker

How Many People Are Homeworking Now?

With an ONS survey showing that from October to December 2019 and January to March 2022, homeworking in the UK more than doubled from 4.7 million to 9.9 million people, we take a closer look at the figures and what’s behind them.  COVID…
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Fewer and Less At CES

It has been reported that the rapid spread of Omicron has led to more tech companies cancelling in-person appearances at January’s CES® technology industry trade show. CES® CES® is an annual trade show organized by…
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Millions Struggling To Pay Broadband Bills

A recent Citizens Advice survey has revealed that 2.5 million people are behind on their broadband bills, with 700,000 of these falling into the red during the Covid pandemic. Young, With Children Under 18, Or Receiving Universal Credit…
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Remote Working, The New Norm. Er, Is It?

After Liz Truss’s (the UK's Minister for Women and Equalities) suggestion that flexible working should be standard appeared at odds with the Prime Minister’s views, will remote working be the new norm ... or not? February – The Prime…
Vaccine

How Likely Are Vaccine Passports?

With the news that the UK government said that businesses are free to pursue vaccination ID tech, how likely are vaccine passports? Vaccine Passports The phrase ‘vaccine passports’ refers to people (who have been vaccinated) being…
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PC Sales Get Biggest Boost in 10 Years From Remote Working

Global tech market analysts Canalys have reported that the worldwide PC market has received its biggest sales boost in 10 years as remote working fuels the ongoing digital transformation. Highest Full-Year Growth Since 2010 Canalys reported…
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Those Who Understand Stats Less Prone To COVID

New Research from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM), suggests that people who understand statistics and data are more likely to take COVID-19 prevention advice seriously. The Results The research results, published…
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UK COVID Vaccine Maker Targeted By Suspected North Korean Hack

It has been reported that UK drug company AstraZeneca has been targeted by suspected North Korean hackers thought to be looking for COVID vaccine secrets. Used WhatsApp and LinkedIn Over the last few weeks, attacks have reportedly been…
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Retail Adapting To Pandemic Christmas and Beyond

With the UK facing different rules and lockdowns, there’s evidence that retailers are trying to overcome their significant challenges by becoming more agile and adapting where possible. High Street Decline Prior to the pandemic, those…
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Language Used Reveals Societal Pandemic Anxiety

An AI study of the language used on social media platform Reddit has revealed increasing levels of anxiety since the beginning of the pandemic. Study The study, by MIT and Harvard University researchers, sought to leverage natural language…
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AI COVID Cough Detector

MIT research has used an AI model trained on cough sounds to detect an early stage COVID cough. Identifies Cough Pattern Those who catch COVID-19 but remain largely or completely asymptomatic (and therefore do not get a test) are proving…
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Huge Demand for Employee Monitoring Software

The move to home working has prompted more businesses to invest in more digital, online staff-monitoring tools to help with transparency and productivity. Home Working Working at home because of the pandemic has led to companies wanting…
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Privacy Campaigners Challenge Government Over Test and Trace

Privacy campaign groups Big Brother Watch and The Open Rights Group have voiced their concerns that there is a lack of clarity from the government about how the data of users of the new NHS contact tracing app will be protected. Concerns The…
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Virtual London Tech Week

The successful move to virtual presentations for London Tech Week Connects, back in June, inspired September’s London Tech Week to go ahead as a fully virtual event. In June, when the country was still locked-down due to the pandemic,…
virus

What Are UVC Wands and Do They Work?

In the fight against COVID-19 (and as made famous by U.S. President Trump’s comments about UV light) UVC wands may kill viruses and pathogens, but are they really a safe or effective tool in the fight against COVID-19? What Are UVC Wands? UVC…
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Can Wearable Devices Spot Early Symptoms of COVID?

As wearable devices such as fitness wristbands and watches track signs such as body temperature, could they be used to help detect the early signs of COVID-19 infection and thereby help public health responses? Testing There are now many…
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Back To Work ! (at the office)

For those whose workplace would normally be the office, going 'back to work' after remote working during the pandemic has its own challenges, so here is a brief reminder and checklist for moving back to the office to work. New Rules To Protect…
Offices

Starling … an Example of Challenger Bank Boosted During Pandemic

A statement to investors from Anne Boden, CEO of Starling, gives an example of how and why starter banks and Fintech have seen a rise in popularity over the period of the pandemic. Starling Starling is a London-based, digital, mobile-only…
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Face Masks Beat Facial Recognition

New research has shown that even the most advanced facial recognition algorithms can only identify as little as 50 per cent of faces when masks are worn. Test Although necessary in the pandemic, mask-wearing appears to be posing a serious…
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Remote Working Means Public Cloud and DaaS Spend Increase

Gartner has forecast continued spending on the public cloud and particularly desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) through 2020, fuelled by remote working during the pandemic. Growth The Gartner market watcher’s global public cloud services market…
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Lockdown Has Promoted Digital Learning Among Adults

Research by techUK with Ipsos MORI and Cisco has revealed that almost 60 per cent of UK adults are interested in developing their digital skills following lockdown. A Thirst For More The research has revealed that, following the experience…
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COVID-19 Advances Move To Cashless Society

A survey has shown how the need for most people to pay using a contactless card in shops, digital/ mobile and online means for purchases during lockdown may have sped up the move towards a cashless future. Survey The survey of 2,000 people,…
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Voice and Contactless Technologies For a Safer Workplace

With businesses looking to ensure COVID-safe working conditions, the use of voice and contactless interfaces could help provide safer ways of carrying out daily work tasks. Report A recent report by 451 Research states that technology…
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COVID Alerts From Google Maps

Google Maps is now issuing COVID-19 related alerts to those looking for public transport directions in cities, looking for medical facilities and testing centres, and for those crossing borders. New Alerts Google has announced on its…
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Beware of Fake Contact Tracer Messages

Just as you thought that cybercriminals had exploited every aspect of the pandemic, there are now warnings to beware of fake contact tracer messages. Contact Tracing in the UK Here in the UK, NHS contact tracers are now contacting…
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NHS App For An “Immunity Passport”

The idea of using facial recognition for Covid-19 "immunity passports" has been suggested by Andrew Bud, chief executive of iProov. The company behind the NHS app. App The NHS app system is for Android and iOS and not to be confused with…
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Fuel Engine Car Sales Fall Faster Than Electric Cars

Fuel engine car sales fall faster then electric cars as Bloomberg NEF (BNEF) forecasts that sales of combustion engine cars will drop 23 per cent in 2020. Compared with worldwide electric car registrations being set to fall by only 18 per…
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Virtual Restart For Housing Market

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, recently announced a virtual restart for the housing market. Furthermore, technology such as virtual viewings looks set to play an important part. Hard…
woman-wearing-face-maskAnna Shvets
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Are Masks A Challenge To Facial Recognition Technology?

As questions about the continued use of potentially unreliable and unregulated live facial recognition (LFR) technology continue. Masks used to protect against the spread of coronavirus may be presenting a further challenge to the technology. Questions…
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Apple and Google Ban Location Tracking in Contact Tracing App

Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc (Google) have both announced that they will not use GPS location tracking as part of the COVID-19 contact tracing app that they are jointly developing. Contact Tracing Apps With contact-tracing and testing believed…
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Facial Recognition and Super Computers Help in COVID-19 Fight

Technology is playing an important role in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic with adapted facial recognition cameras and super-computers now joining the battle to help beat the virus. Adapted Facial Recognition Facial recognition camera…
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UK Contact Tracing App In A Couple Of Weeks

Matthew Gould, Chief Executive of the National Health Service’s technology group NHSX has announced that a COVID-19 contact-tracing app for the UK could be ready “in the next couple of weeks”. Bluetooth, Short-Range Most countries…
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Robot Food Deliveries in Milton Keynes During Lockdown

Delivery robots from U.S.-based company Starship Technologies have come into their own during the lockdown as a way of delivering food to the residents and workers of Milton Keynes. First Commercial Deployment in the UK The autonomous…
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Laptops For Online Lessons at Home

Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, has announced that the UK’s Department for Education will be providing disadvantaged children across England with a supply of laptops and tablets to help them study at home during the coronavirus outbreak. Those…
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Google Blocks 18 Million Coronavirus Scam Emails Per Day

Google is reported to have been blocking 100 million phishing emails per day and 18 million email scams relating specifically to coronavirus. Millions of Scams and Spam Messages Daily On its Cloud blog on 16th April, Google reported that…