Sunday, August 20, 2023

A look at online trading scams, which have cost European consumers billions, being perpetrated by fraudsters working from call centers, dubbed "boiler rooms" (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
A look at online trading scams, which have cost European consumers billions, being perpetrated by fraudsters working from call centers, dubbed “boiler rooms”  —  - ‘Boiler room’ operations scam consumers out of huge sums  — Europe's largest economy has become a key target in Europe



Sources: the UK is in talks to acquire GPUs worth up to £100M for a national "AI Research Resource"; some officials are pushing for allocating more funds (James Titcomb/Telegraph)

James Titcomb / Telegraph:
Sources: the UK is in talks to acquire GPUs worth up to £100M for a national “AI Research Resource”; some officials are pushing for allocating more funds  —  Effort fuels prime minister's ambitions to make Britain a global leader in the field



How Science, Nature, and other peer-reviewed journals are grappling with outlines, drafts, or papers that authors wrote using generative AI, without disclosure (Amanda Hoover/Wired)

Amanda Hoover / Wired:
How Science, Nature, and other peer-reviewed journals are grappling with outlines, drafts, or papers that authors wrote using generative AI, without disclosure  —  Ethics watchdogs are looking out for potentially undisclosed use of generative AI in scientific writing.  But there's no foolproof way to catch it all yet.



Q&A with TikTok Head of Music Ole Obermann on launching TikTok Music in Indonesia and Brazil before the US and helping artists from discovery to distribution (Louise Matsakis/Semafor)

Louise Matsakis / Semafor:
Q&A with TikTok Head of Music Ole Obermann on launching TikTok Music in Indonesia and Brazil before the US and helping artists from discovery to distribution  —  Since it first exploded in popularity five years ago, TikTok has evolved into the de facto launching pad for new musicians around the world …



Adobe co-founder John Warnock dies at 82

"It is a sad day for the Adobe community and the industry for which he has been an inspiration for decades," Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said in an email sent to employees. Warnock co-founded Adobe in 1982 with Charles Geschke. He retired as CEO in 2000 and was chairman of the board, a position he shared with Geschke, until 2017. https://ift.tt/rn7yw5j

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Amazon Alexa accused of 'sexist' reply for this football question, company terms it error

Amazon's virtual assistant, Alexa, has been accused of sexism after it couldn't provide information on England women's football matches. When asked for an update on the Lionesses' Women's World Cup semi-final victory, Alexa said that the match was not taking place that day. Similar issues were also found with the Women's Super League. Amazon has since stated that the problem has been fixed and that it uses automated systems to answer questions, including licensed content providers and websites. https://ift.tt/lnXAkOv

Windows file archiver utility WinRAR fixed a high-severity vulnerability that could give remote attackers arbitrary code execution, after researchers flagged it (Bill Toulas/BleepingComputer)

Bill Toulas / BleepingComputer:
Windows file archiver utility WinRAR fixed a high-severity vulnerability that could give remote attackers arbitrary code execution, after researchers flagged it  —  A high-severity vulnerability has been fixed in WinRAR, the popular file archiver utility for Windows used by millions …



PE firm Ethical Capital Partners, which acquired MindGeek in March 2023, rebrands the Pornhub owner as Aylo, seeking a "fresh start" after a series of scandals (Thomas Barrabi/New York Post)

Thomas Barrabi / New York Post:
PE firm Ethical Capital Partners, which acquired MindGeek in March 2023, rebrands the Pornhub owner as Aylo, seeking a “fresh start” after a series of scandals  —  Pornhub's shadowy parent company MindGeek said it is changing its name as its new owners seek a “fresh start” for the scandal-ridden smut empire.



How robots equipped with cameras, sensors, AI, and lasers are helping spot and repair problems with bridges, ships, and other critical infrastructure in the US (Christopher Mims/Wall Street Journal)

Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:
How robots equipped with cameras, sensors, AI, and lasers are helping spot and repair problems with bridges, ships, and other critical infrastructure in the US  —  Robots fly, walk, swim and crawl with new sensors and artificial intelligence to spot—and sometimes fix—problems.



Nestlé, Unilever, and other big advertisers are experimenting with using generative AI ads, but many remain wary of the security, copyright, and data bias risks (Reuters)

Reuters:
NestlĂ©, Unilever, and other big advertisers are experimenting with using generative AI ads, but many remain wary of the security, copyright, and data bias risks  —  Some of the world's biggest advertisers, from food giant Nestle (NESN.S) to consumer goods multinational Unilever (ULVR.L) …



Byju's fired 100 employees following a performance review

Ed-tech start-up Byju's has let go of around 100 employees from the mentoring and product expert teams due to poor performance. The move comes as the company tries to negotiate the conditions of its $1.2bn term loan with its creditors, after failing to meet an initial deadline in early August. The company's additional challenges include postponed financial reporting and the departure of previous auditor Deloitte. Over the past year, Byju's has previously laid off more than 3,000 workers. https://ift.tt/2UuOY93

Friday, August 18, 2023

ReFit D2C platform for refurbished smartphones launched

Delhi-based re-ecommerce platform, ReFit, is entering the direct-to-consumer (D2C) segment with a diverse selection of smartphones, including Apple, Xiaomi, Oppo, and vivo. The company is also offering a wide range of electronic products, such as televisions, laptops, and appliances. The CEO stated that they have built a strong network of partners and aim to create an unprecedented community. The company has effectively refurbished and sold around 1.5 million phones and witnessed remarkable growth through its network of retail and distribution presence to 50K retailers, with revenue reaching INR 200 crore in 2022. https://ift.tt/OYtkLmR

Netflix partners with Jio Platforms, India's largest telecom operator, to bundle its streaming service with two pay-as-you-go carrier plans (Manish Singh/TechCrunch)

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Netflix partners with Jio Platforms, India's largest telecom operator, to bundle its streaming service with two pay-as-you-go carrier plans  —  Netflix has inked a “first-of-its-kind” deal with Jio Platforms, India's largest telecom operator, to bundle the streaming service with two pay …



iPhone 15 may support faster charging speeds up to 35W

The upcoming iPhone 15 series is reported to support up to 35W fast charging. At least some of the models will have this capability, an improvement from the iPhone 14 Pro models’ 27W and the regular iPhone 14's 20W. Apple's 35W Dual USB-C charger will fully support the new iPhones, but it shouldn't be connected to any other device. Furthermore, the charging port is rumoured to change, with the latest report supporting the expectation that it will be replaced with a USB-C port. The report did not indicate which iPhone 15 models would support this feature. https://ift.tt/O5mDbsT

Portronics launches Resound 2 portable speakers: Price, specs and more

Portronics has added Resound 2 wireless speaker to its product range. Priced at INR 2,149, the 15W speaker features IPX5 splash resistance, hands-free calling, and RGB lights that synchronise with its beats. It includes an in-built 2000mAh battery that runs for five hours on a single charge. The speaker can be paired with another Resound 2 in TWS mode for a more immersive stereo experience of up to 30 watts of audio that is compatible with smartphones, laptops, tablets or other devices. The device also has an IPX5 certificate that makes it water-resistant. https://ift.tt/QCyU5ER

Apple and Strava partner to feature Strava athletes in Fitness+ programming, add more detailed Fitness+ workout summaries in the Strava app, and more (Victoria Song/The Verge)

Victoria Song / The Verge : Apple and Strava partner to feature Strava athletes in Fitness+ programming, add more detailed Fitness+ worko...