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The minute you end up on the wrong phone list…you know it. If you signed up for a business newsletter or joined an online club that gathered your phone number, that organization can then decide to sell your information. And when your number ends up on a telemarketer’s list, your phone starts lightning up like the Las Vegas Strip. Once you’ve ignored your sixth…or eighth…or 12th ringing phone of the day from numbers you don’t recognize, the annoyance shifts to anger and thoughts about ways to end this digital distraction once and for all....

Researchers led by scientists from Northwestern University, Illinois, say they have developed a metallic sponge-like material that’s capable of storing greater quantities of hydrogen at much lower — and safer — pressures when compared to conventional tanks. [Read: BMW readies for hydrogen-powered X5 tests in 2022] “It’s like a bath sponge but with very ordered cavities,” Prof Omar Farha, from Northwestern University in Evanston, US, told the BBC. You can wipe up spilled water with a sponge, and reuse the water by squeezing the sponge, they added....

A 20-year-old woman divorcee accused of committing adultery in Somalia has been stoned to death by Islamists in front of a crowd of about 200 people. A judge working for the militant group al-Shabab said she had had an affair with an unmarried 29-year-old man. He said she gave birth to a still-born baby and was found guilty of adultery. Her boyfriend was given 100 lashes. It is thought to be the second time a woman has been stoned to death for adultery by al-Shabab....

If you grew up in the 60’s…or the 80’s…or even the 2000’s, you undoubtedly look at some of today’s technology and marvel at what you would have done with that type of creativity at your disposal when you were a kid. Just think about the artistry you could have created with a tablet. Or the access to information that could have fueled your learning with a smartphone. And wow…what you could have done with a 3D printer....

But there’s still a long way to go. And one sector that solar can have a seismic difference? Consumer tech. Swedish deeptech scaleup Exeger entered this space in 2009, with the vision to harness solar energy for consumer electronics and make battery life woes a thing of the past. Now, 13 years later, the company counts more than 200 employees and has two solar cell factories in Stockholm, where it engineers and produces its patented hardware....

While technological tools (from smart devices to mobile apps) can enable abusers to stalk, exploit, and control their victims, they can also help protect people against domestic violence. Among the tech-based inspiring initiatives is Gewaltfrei in die Zukunft (Violentfree into the Future). The project was initiated by Stefanie Knaab, who presented the idea of a camouflage app for women suffering from domestic violence during the German government’s hackathon (which went by the term #WirVsVirus) in 2017....

In October, the Australian Space Agency and NASA signed a deal to send an Australian-made rover to the Moon under the Artemis program, with a goal to collect lunar rocks that could ultimately provide breathable oxygen on the Moon. Although the Moon does have an atmosphere, it’s very thin and composed mostly of hydrogen, neon, and argon. It’s not the sort of gaseous mixture that could sustain oxygen-dependent mammals such as humans....

Even controversial cryptocurrency Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BitcoinSV) pumped more than 60 percent last week, but boutique analysis firm Delphi Digital reports it’s still one of the worst performers year-to-date. “Historically higher beta names like LTC and BCH outperformed, as some alternative crypto assets played a bit of catch up to Bitcoin,” reads Delphi Digital’s latest market commentary. “Return dispersion was a bit more widespread, while a few of last week’s winners (NEM, XLM, ADA) ended last week in negative territory....

Watching Eddie Van Halen’s fingers work magic as he plays Eruption is amazing. Seeing Tiger Woods wield a golf club like it’s an extension of himself is awe-inspiring. And believe it or not, elite craftsmen of every type perform equally impressive feats of creation all the time. For example, if you’ve ever watched a master editor cut video or brilliantly punch up a photo, then you know there’s an artistry and talent at work that few possess....

To the best of our knowledge this is the first time Twitter’s embedded links in the president’s tweets. The result comes after a Memorial Day weekend where the platform saw Trump spend a significant amount of time lashing out at his perceived enemies, including a critic he baselessly accused of murdering his wife. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020...

ShareChat is a popular local language content app which has over 60 million Monthly Active Users (MAUs) in India. The app has been downloaded over 100 million times and supports 15 languages. However, it’s not available in English. This is Twitter’s first investment in an Indian startup. The company’s managing director for India, Manish Maheshwari, said the investment makes sense because both apps share a broader goal of initiating public conversations: Like many other apps in India, ShareChat also has to battle the problem of fake news....

Much has changed since Musk’s April offer. Technology stocks have taken a beating due to fears of a recession. Big tech has lost an average of 26% in value, while many smaller tech stocks have lost up to 70%. Tesla shares, which Musk was using to back his Twitter deal, have not been spared either as prices nearly halved between early April and late May, although they have recovered slightly since....

Doctorow published a scathing article on Uber. He describes Uber as By focusing on a mode of transport that encompasses all manner of public and private transport options, have we let our cities take less responsibility for initiatives to get us out of our cars and green options such as buses and trains? What happens when ride-hailing picks up the slack? I grew up in a fairly large city: Melbourne, Australia....

The ride-hailing company said today it is going to launch a new app called Uber Works this Friday. The app matches blue-collar workers such as clerks and chefs with companies that are looking for professionals to join their workforce on temporary and ad-hoc bases. Uber said it has been testing this app in Chicago for a year. Now, it plans to roll out the app officially in the city, and the idea is to expand it to other places later....

Oxford and Coventry are set to become the first UK cities to run their bus fleets entirely on electric energy through a Department for Transport competition to improve air quality and reduce emissions across England. The proposals could see both cities receive a £50 million (US$68 million) injection to replace fleets and install new infrastructures, such as charging stations and electric grid updates. Speaking on the announcement, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: “Turning all of Coventry’s bus fleet electric is not only a major boost to public transport in the city, but it will also help tackle the climate emergency we face both here in the West Midlands and the wider UK....

Middlesbrough in North East England got the country’s first escooter trial last month after Ben Houchen, the Conservative mayor of the area, campaigned to host the pilot, The Independent reports. However, things haven’t gone as well as he’d hoped and it’s leaving a question mark over the future of similar schemes in other parts of England. [Read: How Subaru created the blueprint for selling cars to LGBTQIA+ consumers] Since getting 50 escooters, supplied by mobility startup Ginger, users in Middlesbrough have been caught riding them through shopping centers frightening elderly locals in the process....

This sector is now worth more than double Germany’s ($467.2 billion) and three times more than France’s ($307.5 billion), according to a report by data provider Dealroom. The UK also leads the continent in overall funding, unicorns, and startup numbers. “UK tech has remained resilient in the face of global challenges and we have ended the year as one of the world’s leading destinations for digital businesses,” said Digital Minister Paul Scully in a statement....

We’ve longed for a time when our transport is not simply just connected, but actually smart and intuitive. Well, that time might be here, thanks to Unagi. This week, they showcased their latest escooter, the Model Eleven, a successor to the Model One. While the escooter is available at a cheaper price without AI, its inclusion makes it a powerhouse. ADAS comes to two-wheel mobility The Model Eleven is the only two-wheel consumer vehicle with an integrated advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) sensor....

Researchers from security firm ESET have noticed the hackers hard-coded the ransomware key. Even better: After digging into the code, the researchers were able to extract key. To remove the malicious app, simply enter the following code: 4865083501. [Read: Apple’s new sub-$1k MacBook Air finally ditches the dreaded butterfly keyboard] — ESET research (@ESETresearch) March 17, 2020 It remains unclear how users fell for the Coronavirus Tracker ransomware, but DomainTool, the company which first unearthed it, notes the campaign doesn’t seem to have spread widely....

Reuters today reported that Putin will execute a plan to “replace” Wikipedia with a state-run online encyclopedia. Per the report, the government will spend about $30 million (US) on the new portal and plans to create a department in the state to conduct research and verify content for it. Putin, apparently, isn’t a big fan of Wikipedia and considers the site to contain misleading information. But the timing of his announcement to “replace” Wikipedia is worth noting....