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As coronavirus can spread through close contact with an infected person via their coughs, sneezes, or respiratory droplets, China has made it mandatory to wear face masks in several regions. People are instructed to wear masks in public places such as restaurants, shopping malls, and public transport. [Read: How Chinese tech giants are assisting in the battle against coronavirus with AI] It’s quite hard for authorities to catch people not wearing masks in large crowds....

Everybody’s got an opinion about cryptocurrencies and their future place in international finance. As leading cryptos continue their extremely volatile value rises and falls, some believe the whole “fad” could one day just blip out of existence. However, most knowledgeable money folks think the crypto rise is only just beginning. In fact, the chief economist for financial giant ING predicts the globe’s powerful central banks will even start creating their own cryptocurrencies sooner than later to help better regulate their own operations....

BMW’s China Chief, Jochen Goller, revealed the German marque’s goal during the 2021 edition of Auto Shanghai today, Reuters reports. He also announced that BMW will launch 12 electric models in China by 2023. BMW, said Goller, is examining the possibility of expanding its production in China, although nothing is certain yet. Despite issues with Huachen Group, the parent of its main China joint venture partner, Brilliance Automotive Holdings, Goller stated that their operations will not be impacted....

And I almost refused to review it once I started playing it, but we’ll get into that later. Borderlands 3 feels like a tight, gonzo shooter. The controls are responsive and intuitive. As far as shooters go, once you dial in the aiming options you’re comfortable with it feels as good as anything out there. Each weapon feels unique and the combination of aesthetic differences and clever use of your controller’s vibration function really lends to the total immersion....

Anyway, they’re called the Sport Open Earbuds and are a pair of wireless, uh, earbuds, designed for, um, sport. And they’re open. What this actually means is Bose’s new earbuds dispense with the rubber tip you normally find on these devices. Instead, the Sport Open Earbuds use a “contoured earhook” that grasp your sound flaps’ outer ridge. According to the company, this is all achieved with “virtually no skin contact....

In a new blog post, the company announced it’s rolling out its ‘people cards’ across the country. It’s like a business card that will appear on top of Search when someone looks up your name. Google first began trialing the feature about six months ago, and it seems it’s finally ready to make it more widely available. Up until now, you could only find detailed information about celebs and well-known public figures on Search, but the latest change will make it possible for civilians to control what people see when someone searches their name....

Wi-Fi 6 Release 2 Don’t you love it when a tech standard breaks its standard series and randomly introduces a new update? The new Wi-Fi 6 Release 2 update will improve the wireless connectivity in one specific area: uploads (or technically, uplink data). The Wi-Fi Alliance, the organization that maintains the protocol, said the new “uplink multi-user multiple-input” and “multiple-output (multi-user MIMO)” will “deliver smoother streaming services and video conferencing, faster uploads, and more reliable gaming....

What’s that? You have an iPhone? And you’re using wired headphones? With that dongle? Oh dear, oh dear. Quickly, come here. Yes, that’s right, sit on my knee. Ahh, let’s move closer to the fire. That’s better, isn’t it? Now, see that bag there? Exactly. Reach into it. No, not that, the other thing. Perfect. You see these? These are a pair of Apple AirPods with wireless charging case. And if you’re on the hunt for a pair of true wireless earbuds and you’re a iPhone user, they’re pretty damn good....

I went on a trip to Taiwan in July, and I had no plans to make a significant purchase. But then I was in an electronics market with a bunch of tech journalists. And let me tell you, that’s a dangerous situation for your pocket. After being ‘encouraged’ by a lot of people, I decided to buy a Nintendo Switch. And it brought joy in my life. I’m not much of a gamer, but it was a casual enough device for me to invest in....

Whether you like it or not, the holidays are over. The days of endless, chocolate-fueled indulgences are done. “Eating and drinking” is no longer an applicable answer to “what have you been up to?” While I wish this lifestyle could go on forever, it has to stop at some point. Why? Because, friends, my clothes have gotten tighter. It’s hard to know whether this year’s holiday season weight gain is down to more consumption than ever, or if I’m just getting old....

While the station is not China’s first – the country has already launched two – the modular design is new. It replicates the International Space Station (ISS), from which China was excluded. There are many reasons for China to invest in this costly and technologically challenging project. One is to conduct scientific research and make medical, environmental, and technological discoveries. But there are also other possible motivations, such as commercial gains and prestige....

Right now, this system is undergoing changes that may have profound implications for the global economic and political order. The Chinese government is pushing for better research and development, “smart manufacturing” facilities, and a more sophisticated digital economy. At the same time, tensions between China and the west are straining international cooperation in industries such as semiconductor and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Taken together with the shocks of the Covid pandemic, and particularly China’s rapid and large-scale lockdowns, these developments could lead to a decoupling of China’s innovation system from the rest of the world....

The “close contact detector,” as BBC puts it, notifies users if they have had exchanges with any individuals who have been confirmed or suspected of carrying the virus. All users need to do is scan a QR code with an app like Alipay or WeChat. People at risk are then advised to stay at home or inform local health authorities. Once their phone number is linked, users are asked to fill in their name and ID number....

One of the most notable new features is Phone Hub, which allows for quick access to useful features on your phone. For example, you can now silence or locate your phone right from your Chromebook, as well as enable a hotspot. The latter could be particularly handy if you’re often on the move and have to constantly switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data. But perhaps my favorite feature in the Phone Hub is quick access to the two most recent tabs I used on my phone....

We have only had the briefest of glimpses of a barren landscape from the two Russian landers that made it down to the ground back in the 1980s. So it’s no wonder that a report published in Nature Astronomy that the upper levels of Venus’ atmosphere contain a molecule that is a potential signature of life, comes as something of a shock. The molecule in question is PH₃ (phosphine). It is a highly reactive and flammable, extremely smelly toxic gas, found (among other places) in heaps of penguin dung and the bowels of badgers and fish....

According to a recent report from analyst firm IDC, the global tablet market recorded 18.6% year-over-year growth in Q2 of 2020. In actual numbers, this meant there were 38.6 million tablets shipped across the world during that three month period. What’s impressive about this is the tablet market saw a decline over the two quarters prior to this, suggesting that, for once, coronavirus actually helped an industry. Who did well?...

So, it’s important to switch off for a while, and what better way to do that than some good old reading. And because a lot of people are stuck at home, a ton of publishers have opened up their libraries of titles ranging from fiction to science. Today, we’ll lists some free eBook sources, so you can lie down on your sofa, and dive into a great book. Seagull Books is offering a free eBook every day....

The lab was launched with a mission to develop AGI, was cofounded by a researcher who coined the term, and has made some compelling advances in the field. It also recently produced a provocative paper on the subject: “Reward is Enough” The study hypothesizes that AGI could be achieved through a single approach: reinforcement learning. This technique provides feedback in the form of a “reward” — a positive number that tells an algorithm that the action it just performed will benefit its goal....

Despite the mounting criticisms, Zuckerberg remains bullish about making Facebook a “metaverse company.” But for Herman Narula, the CEO of UK unicorn Improbable, Meta’s vision overlooks a fundamental issue. “The problem is VR,” Narula said last week at Stanford University. “The bet on the hardware is just so costly, so tangential to the main value proposition of the metaverse, and [it’s] so difficult to see how they claim that investment back....

Following its collapse last year, Ugandan police have logged 4,000 complaints against cryptocurrency startup Dunamiscoins Resources Ltd. Two directors of the company, Samson Lwanga and Mary Nabunya, appeared in court on Monday this week. They were charged with 65 counts of obtaining money under false pretense and conspiracy to commit a felony, The Observer reports. Prosecutors allege the pair operated their illicit cryptocurrency-based scam between February 14, 2018 and December 3, 2019....