Posts

But, while these technologies could help big tech gain an advantage in countering the ever evolving threat from cybercriminals, detecting fraud, and automating processes like loan applications and credit checks, AI ethics could also become one of its biggest challenges. Much like deeply flawed police profiling tools, biased AI algorithms can also skew results. For instance, in 2019, the algorithm used by Apple Card was found to be biased against women after determining the “creditworthiness” of applicants....

The cryptocurrency surged as high as $66,100, according to Coindesk. The coin’s previous record price of $64,889 was set in April, but it plummeted below $30,000 in July. The recent rally has been driven by the trading debut of the ETF on the New York Stock Exchange. The US Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval of the fund has been touted as a watershed moment for the entire crypto industry. Bitcoin Foundation Chairman Brock Pierce said the launch “begins an era where retail investors can invest directly into Bitcoin through the ETF and serves as further validation of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies across the country and on a global basis....

Bitcoin dived by as much as 9% on Monday, dropping to $32,288 — its lowest price in almost two weeks. Ether, meanwhile, slid by as much as 12%, dipping below $2,000 for the first time in nearly a month. At the time of writing, Coindesk lists their prices as $32,448 and $1,959 respectively. Analysts attributed the dip to two key factors: a hawkish pivot in policy at the Federal Reserve that reduced the appeal of risky assets, and China’s ongoing clampdown on crypto mining....

Tx: https://t.co/VWb8slswa8 — Whale Alert (@whale_alert) September 6, 2019 Twitter-based transaction monitor @whale_alert signalled the transfer earlier today, which was included in Bitcoin block #593468. For now, it appears cryptocurrency exchanges do not control these wallets, as those addresses are (typically) flagged by the @whale_alert service and other blockchain explorers. To make the transfer, this Bitcoiner requested no permission from any bank, government, or financial regulator. This transaction was essentially immune to any form of governance or state oversight....

Cultivate will bring together 30 angels investors — including Des Traynor (Intercom), Guillaume Pousaz (Checkout.com), Nilan Peiris (Transferwise), and Shakil Khan (Spotify) — and look to make 20 investments of €230,000 ($250,000) per startup over the next 12 months. The network will be sector agnostic but will focus on seed and pre-seed startups. [Read: How to stay in business during coronavirus: Lessons from running a remote-first company] Ophelia Brown, the founder of Blossom Capital, said in a press release: “Europe’s tech ecosystem continues to thrive and is home to some of the greatest, most ambitious, most courageous founders in the world....

This time, it’s something called Boombox that caught the eye of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). What’s wrong with Boombox, you ask? I’ll allow this tweet to explain: — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 25, 2020 Because, hell, who in their right minds would want their car to make a boring ol’ horn sound? That’s totally passé. Especially if your vehicle can sound like a goat, a lion, or a FART....

We have some really sad, horrifically tragic news, maybe even the worst thing that’s happened in 2020… This newsletter will be our last Byte Me. SOB Cara and Gigi are both moving on to greener pastures. We’re abandoning our mama Anouk, and the Byte Me cause, like the treacherous woman-haters we are. We’re completely devastated that Byte Me is coming to an end, because it’s something we genuinely love creating every month....

A few days ago, I was baffled to see an obviously scammy event pop up in my Google calendar: I’d won $2,338 in some ‘annual competition.’ I had no idea where this was coming from, and even began suspecting my browser extensions for the uninvited spam. But as it turns out, this is just a phishing scam that dates back to 2016, and was more recently spotted by security firm Kaspersky back in June....

One day, perhaps within a matter of decades, we might build machines with artificial neural networks that imitate our brains in every meaningful way. And when that happens, it’ll be important to make sure they’re not as easy to hack as we are. Robo-hypno-tism? The Holy Grail of AI is human-level intelligence. Modern AI might seem pretty smart given all the hyperbolic headlines you see, but the truth is that there isn’t a robot on the planet that can walk into my kitchen today and make me a cup of coffee without any outside help....

Researchers from the University of New South Wales first fed a series of moral questions to Salesforce’s CTRL system, a text generator trained on millions of documents and websites, including all of Wikipedia. They added its responses to a collection of reflections from the likes of Plato, Jesus Christ, and, err, Elon Musk. The team then asked more than 1,000 people which musings they liked best — and whether they could identify the source of the quotes....

The Sonos Play:1 is a network speaker. It connects over Wi-Fi or Ethernet, allowing you to easily stream from your preferred music platform. And it sounds amazing, with What Hi-Fi describing it as “weighty and solid,” with “plenty of power and punch.” The diminutive box is also amazingly versatile. You could shove one in your bedside table, so you can listen to Audible audiobooks while you drift off, and shove another in your kitchen, so you can listen to music while you cook....

It’s my honest opinion that almost anyone could benefit from a second computer. While I think it’s always worth having something powerful and modern for your main machine, there are a lot of times where a second device — and especially a laptop — can be incredibly useful. Whether it’s to do some internet browsing on holiday, check emails on the go, write your diary, or watch videos on something bigger than your phone, there are really no limits to the benefits a secondary computer can bring....

If you have almost any type of electronic device, you’re probably going to need an SD card at some point. Whether it’s a camera, phone, console, or laptop, having a few flash storage cards knocking around is basically a prerequisite for everyday life. While these used to be incredibly expensive, these days you can pick up a microSD for a very low price. Some more details. The Samsung 256GB MicroSDXC EVO has read and write speeds of up 100MB/s and 90MB/s respectively....

Join us at Checkout Couch Conference on June 18th, a collaboration with The Financial Times, to explore a new era of digital commerce. Learn how business leaders can take action to bounce back during this challenging time. We’ll hear from founders, futurists, and researchers with knowledge that spans from reducing supply chain carbon footprint to developing an experiential point of sale. Don’t miss these eye-opening sessions on the future of retail and ecommerce!...

Sales are often centered on cold, hard facts. How much do you charge? Are you offering a savings over your competitors? Do your terms work for my needs? But just as often, possibly even more often, sales come down to the intangibles of human relationships. Is there a rapport? Are you listening and understanding my needs? Do I trust you and your offer? The Complete Sales Hacker Diploma Bundle ($19....

Closing roads around schools to traffic at pick-up and drop-off times has cut nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels by up to 23%, research published by the London Mayor’s office has revealed. Air quality sensors were installed at 18 primary schools in three London boroughs last September as part of a project funded by the FIA Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies, to measure how well the ‘School Streets’ scheme is working. Since April 2020, almost 350 School Streets have been implemented across London with funding from Transport for London (TfL) and London’s boroughs to tackle children’s exposure to air pollution and improve their health....

Also known as C/2019 Y4, this comet was discovered by astronomers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Hawaii in December 2019. At the time, the comet was exceedingly dim — but the comet became 4,000 times brighter in just a month. This increase is far greater than astronomers predicted, and could potentially signal the comet may soon be exceptionally bright. “Comet ATLAS continues to brighten much faster than expected....

A journalist asks: “What technological advance allowed such huge performance gains?” The chief executive replies: “We created a new biological chip using lab-grown human neurons. These biological chips are better than silicon chips because they can change their internal structure, adapting to a user’s usage pattern and leading to huge gains in efficiency.” Another journalist asks: “Aren’t there ethical concerns about computers that use human brain matter?” Although the name and scenario are fictional, this is a question we have to confront now....

With greater collaboration and data sharing between traditional banks and fintechs, there’s a lot of opportunity to deliver a more personalized customer experience. The concern around open banking APIs, however, is how much it could compromise data security. “Security is a hot topic, and everybody hears the news reports of fraudsters, hackers and ransomware. These threats seem to only increase, but banks respond accordingly by incorporating security in all our products, applications and infrastructure,” says Martijn Bot, IT security wizard for CISO Technology & Engineering at ABN AMRO....

The IDAX exchange posted an announcement earlier today saying it had halted some operations after its staff were unable to make contact with the global CEO. The CEO is said to have taken access to the company’s cold wallets with them. At this point, it’s not known why the CEO has supposedly vanished. According to CoinMarketCap, IDAX serviced some $500 million worth of Bitcoin trades over the past 24 hours — compared to top ranking exchange BitMEX, which serviced over $2 billion....