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For a technology that is so relatively new — it was only invented in 2008 by an unknown person or persons using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto (The word “Satoshi” means “clear thinking, quick witted” in Japanese), who used it as the core technology behind bitcoin — the blockchain has been revolutionary. The original bitcoin blockchain was designed as an immutable public ledger that records all bitcoin transactions. Because it’s impossible to change historical records on this ledger, everyone can see how many bitcoins were transferred from one account to another at any given point in time — which makes it impossible for people to lie about how much money they have or where their funds came from....

A new game aims to highlight the dangers of the Boston Dynamics bot by arming it with a paintball gun and dropping it in a gallery — and giving you the controls. The project is the brainchild of MSCHF (pronounced “mischief”), a group of pranksters whose previous inventions include an app that recommends stocks for your star sign. [Read: How do you build a pet-friendly gadget? We asked experts and animal owners] The Brooklyn-based collective said it’s now created “Spot’s Rampage” to draw attention to the robot’s lethal capabilities: MSCHF’s track record (and name) suggests some surprises will be in store when the rampage begins on February 24 at 1PM EST....

First off though, the data. According to a report from law firm Gowling WLG, 10% of UK consumers aren’t interested in the metaverse, and 20% don’t expect it to become mainstream. On top of that, many people are concerned about its downsides: The report also highlights that twice as many consumers in China (83%) want to take part in the metaverse than those in the UK (37%). Alongside this, people in the UAE (43%) are over five times more excited to spend time in the metaverse as those from the UK (8%) are....

But over the last decade, scientists and startups have been working on a solution: the EVs themselves. By harnessing some of the energy generated from the road’s surface, electric vehicles can reduce road infrastructure and charging costs. But how did we get here, and what does it mean for the future of electric vehicles? Let’s take a deep dive into the science. Don’t worry, I’ll make it easy to understand....

As the former chief business officer of Google X, the tech giant’s secretive innovation lab for moonshot projects, Gawdat had reached the peak in his career. As a former serial entrepreneur, he had built several successful business ventures, all of which gave him a life of luxury. But he wasn’t happy. The Great Resignation and stories of burn out seem to be symptoms of the same seemingly unsolvable question: why are so many tech workers who’ve reached the peak in their careers still unhappy?...

Look, let’s be honest: smartphone cameras are getting ridiculously good these days. The images are getting sharper, brighter, and more vibrant as the tech inside handsets gets better. Your phone’s camera will be more than enough for selfies, random daily situations, and even certain special occasions. But let’s not fool ourselves: it’ll never perform as well as a real camera – like Sony’s A7R III. So if you’re looking to step up your photography game, you’re in luck: you can grab a complete A7R III photography kit for $2,896 – a massive $500 discount off its original list price of $3,396....

In this day and age you shouldn’t be without high quality music. Like, why should you sacrifice sound quality when you go to the park? Don’t you deserve to hear music in high-quality at a garden party? Shouldn’t you experience pounding bass while hanging out under the bridge? Yes. You should. You’re worth it. Finding that perfect speaker can be tough though. How do you know if the speaker’s for you?...

This meaty device packs a 12.2-inch touchscreen, 64GB of storage, 4GB RAM, and an Intel Core m3 processor. It’s also a 2-in-1 machine, allowing you to use it in both laptop and tablet mode. And its 13MP webcam will make you look crystal clear when you’re in an important Zoom conference call. This post includes affiliate links to products that you can buy online. If you purchase them through our links, we get a small cut of the revenue....

The video depicting the port surfaced over the weekend, from a user called “Unreal.” The description reads “I can’t give a download link for obvious reasons and DON’T ask a download link in the comments,” which I’m sure won’t deter the really curious out there. The video is 12 mins long and depicts a big slice of the game: The port (which, as Unreal puts it, is not an emulator) looks beautiful, as you can see in the video....

To be clear, you’ll still need an invite to participate in conversations, but you weren’t able to use it at all without an iOS device previously. If you haven’t been invited yet, you can also use the app to reserve your username in the meantime. The timing perhaps shouldn’t be so surprising: a litany of competing options have shown up in Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, not to mention smaller lookalikes....

Marketing budgets being what they are, companies and entrepreneurs have to scratch and claw for any viable entryway into the public consciousness. While the money may not be there, brands can still make their mark by being smart, which should definitely include a serious attempt at organic marketing. Optimizing all your website pages and content to score well in Google search algorithms is a cheap, yet potentially effective way to let Google start steering visitors directly to your website....

Their study addresses what Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom calls the control problem: how do we ensure super-intelligence machines act in our interests? The researchers conceived of a theoretical containment algorithm that would resolve this problem by simulating the AI’s behavior, and halting the program if its actions became harmful. [Read: Meet the 4 scale-ups using data to save the planet] The study found that no single algorithm could calculate whether an AI would harm the world, due to the fundamental limits of computing: This type of AI remains confined to the realms of fantasy — for now....

Attendees arrive by train, ride in double-decker electric buses, and receive escort by police riding modified electric Harley-Davidson LiveWire motorcycles. But don’t get too excited — those motorbikes are loaners only. Let’s talk about the big fat elephant in the room at COP26 – transport and specifically the energy that powers transport and how one country has managed to fuck things up so spectacularly — Australia. Australia: The embarrassment of COP26 I’m going to tell you a bit about Australia, my country of birth....

Back in the 1930s, there was a brief moment when some of the physicists working with Einstein on the atom bomb stopped to wonder if exploding such a device would end up lighting the Earth’s atmosphere on fire and destroying the entire planet. The team did some quick math and decided it wasn’t likely, and that was the end of that. But that didn’t stop some folks in the media from running with the story after one of the men involved in the conversations shared it as an anecdote to the press....

We know that for other human coronaviruses, when the body creates antibodies against them, these then go on to provide immunity. Teams developing vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are confident, therefore, that their vaccines can produce similarly effective responses against COVID-19. But there is still much to understand – not least how long these vaccines will protect us for. Luckily, science is gradually catching up with the virus, and we are starting to understand more about antibody responses to it....

Tawanda Kembo, founder and CEO of Golix, is said to be claiming he lost the password for a cold wallet in May last year. According to a report from local news outlet Iharare, the wallet contained 33 Bitcoin about $300,000 at today’s exchange rate. Loss of the password has reportedly been confirmed by two sources that previously worked at Golix. What’s more suspicious is the timing of the indiscretion. The password was allegedly lost during a time when customers were trying to remove their funds from the exchange after the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) ordered Golix to shut down operations....

Whether any or both of those threats are real is hotly debated among scientists and thought leaders. But AI algorithms also pose more imminent threats that exist today, in ways that are less conspicuous and hardly understood. In her book, Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy, mathematician Cathy O’Neil explores how blindly trusting algorithms to make sensitive decisions can harm many people who are on the receiving end of those decisions....

It’s easy to get bogged down in the minutia of your day to day business. In fact, it’s probably not uncommon for you to realize that most of your day was spent dealing with in-the-moment hassles and today’s latest crisis while the big picture issues that could shape the course of your company and your future sit untouched. But it’s time to put your eye back on the ball. Understanding all the data around your business is key....

Despite “cyberflashing” being an obvious form of sexual harassment, it remains legal in most of the US. One notable exception is the state of Texas, thanks largely to lobbying from dating app Bumble. Bumble also uses AI to block out to detect lewd images before they reach their destination. Yesterday, its sister app Badoo launched a similar feature. Known as “Private Detector,” the tool detects dick pics, nudes, and any other intimate pictures....

Of course no such system exists. The vast majority of AI products purported to predict social outcomes are blatant scams. The fact that most of them are legal doesn’t stop them from being snake oil. Typically, the following AI systems fall under the “legal snake oil” category: AI that predicts recidivism AI that predicts job success Predictive policing AI that predicts whether an individual will become a criminal or terrorist AI that predicts outcomes for children...