No this isn't a case of me getting my military technologies confused, the US army really is running tests on some of the world's smallest missiles – ones that can be fired right from a .50 calibre rifle and then guided, after leaving the barrel. Known as Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance …
Read More »Google is struggling to cope with ‘right to be forgotten’ requests
Google has been flooded with “right to be forgotten” requests in Europe, so many that it accidentally began censoring news posts from the likes of The Guardian and the BBC. However, the company's top lawyer has come out to explain that Google is in-fact struggling to cope with the amount of …
Read More »ISPs name GCHQ as biggest ‘internet villain’ at award show
At least it looks like the public and open rights groups aren't the only ones that find GCHQ's snooping antics leave a bad taste in their mouth. The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) has had its annual award ceremony where it gives props to some of the best and brightest …
Read More »Parliament rushes through snooping laws after EU rights ruling
The British government is rushing through a new set of laws to allow intelligence agencies like GCHQ and ISPs, to continue legally collecting meta-data on phone calls and digital communications, and in some cases the content of those conversations, in the wake of the EU ruling data retention as a human rights …
Read More »Authors call for copyright talks in school assemblies
Clearly suing downloaders and pirates doesn't work. That's obvious at this point, so some creative types have come up with a new idea: educate children about copyright while still in school. According to a bunch of authors that took to parliament yesterday to put forward some new ideas on combating …
Read More »You can now control Google Glass with your mind
One of the drawbacks to Google Glass was having to talk to it, voice commands are often seen as a gimmick rather than a useful feature. Luckily, an app has been released that will allow Glass owners to issue commands through brain waves instead. The app is called MindRDR, it …
Read More »Microsoft’s Cortana continues World Cup prediction streak
There's a lot of nonsense prediction engines that show up during big sporting events, usually animal based. Whether it's an elephant eating this over that, or an octopus that goes for that fish over this one, it's all pretty random and any real correct predictions are likely based on the …
Read More »Heavenly sword movie gets first trailer, release date
It's been nearly seven years since Heavenly Sword first landed on the PlayStation 3, impressing fans with its visuals and combat system, but that doesn't mean Sony has forgotten about it. In a partnership with production company Blockade Entertainment, the Japanese electronics maker is releasing a Heavenly Sword movie on …
Read More »250,000 people signed up for the Razer Nabu beta
It looks like a lot of people are itching to try out the Razer Nabu as the company received over 250,000 sign ups for its beta program. The company now has to narrow that number down as just 500 people will be participating in the beta test. However, we don't …
Read More »UK porn filters are blocking anti-drug-war sites
Much of our coverage of the British government last year involved David Cameron's courting of Chinese firms and how he was very interested in the filters they put up to stop citizens looking at a large variety of content, including anti-government messages. However, the big problem Mr Cameron saw in …
Read More »Remote controlled implant offers new contraceptive option
Contraceptives are a bit a touchy subject. There's the old plastic bag that everyone hates so much and there's hormone pills and injections that require strict routine from the women taking them, but then there are the implants, which are the most ‘take-it-and-forget-it' of the bunch. However, those implants could give …
Read More »Potato Salad kickstarter raises over $35,000
It turns out that you can Kickstart just about anything- even potato salad. Zach Danger Brown was only after $10 but since the project made the news, things blew out of proportion and he has now raised over $35,000. He's making the most of it though, as he has gone ahead …
Read More »NASA to use smartphones for robotic intelligence
In just three days time, NASA is set to send a handful of Android smartphones into orbit, with plans to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) and deliver supplies. However those smartphones will do more than just let the astronauts get a quick game of Angry Birds in before …
Read More »Mobile and internet banking on rise, primes branch closures
Mobile and internet banking are bigger than ever before in the UK, with savers and payers around the country transacting over a billion pounds a day using the internet. However, this is leading to a downturn in those visiting branches and that's not good news for banking employees. It's expected …
Read More »TSA bans uncharged mobiles from UK-US flights
Don't go to the airport thinking you can just charge your phone when you get on your long haul flight, as thanks to a change in policy by the US run Transportation Security Administration (TSA) those unable to prove that their mobile phone is just that – by turning it …
Read More »Amazon launches new wearable tech store
Amazon has just launched its new wearable tech store, featuring products from familiar brands such as Sony, Samsung and GoPro. However, there are some more obscure products in there, including a pair of wireless charging trousers from A. Suavage- allowing you to charge your phone in your pocket for just …
Read More »Norway’s anti-piracy laws go unused
The rest of Europe, including the UK, has been gunning for pirate websites as usual over the past 12 months, though they have used different tactics: blocking the whole site instead of charging downloaders with piracy in a court room. However one country that's seen very little anti-pirate activity is …
Read More »Kim Dotcom announces new extradition hearing date
Would you believe it? Kim Dotcom, the founder of Megaupload and Mega, has had his New Zealand trial for extradition to the US pushed back once again, this time until 16th February 2015. This represents just one of many times the trial date has been extended, with early plans suggesting …
Read More »Oculus suspends Rift sales in China
Oculus has decided to suspend sales of its Rift development kit in China because a lot of people are buying them for re-sale. Oculus has just begun shipping out pre-orders of its second development kit to countries around the world, including China. The DK 2 is an in-development version of …
Read More »Exclusive interview with Asrock COO L L Shiu
One of the most remarkable stories in the technology industry has been the rise of Asrock as a leading mainboard manufacturer. This company started life as an off-shoot from established manufacturers in 2002. At the start, it provided simple, low-cost alternative options for the system building sector of the PC …
Read More »Facebook buys video ad-firm Liverail for half billion
Facebook has been throwing its financial weight around this week once again, announcing the purchase of yet another firm, this one a video advertising company called LiveRail. Costing the social network a reported $500 million (£291 million), it's expected that Facebook will leverage its content matching technology to add relevant adverts …
Read More »Bitcoin should be regulated by EU, claims finance firm
Circle, a bitcoin financing company that provides wallet functions for online use, as well as new tools for utilising the digital currency, has called on the EU to offer regulatory support for bitcoin, suggesting that the continued growth of its acceptance is an indicator that it could very well be the …
Read More »Google is starting to forget BBC and Guardian articles
Google has begun complying with EU privacy law and is processing “right to be forgotten” requests. However, the process seems to be removing BBC and Guardian news articles from the search engine. The Guardian's James Ball has said that six of the paper's articles have been removed so far and …
Read More »NZ Police blocked from sending Dotcom passwords to FBI
It looks like Kim Dotcom might get access to some of his seized data after all, as the police are finally going to give it to him. However, one stumbling block on the road to data freedom was that if Dotcom unlocked the encrypted data, those passwords would be sent to …
Read More »Worldwide ISPs and Privacy International go after GCHQ
GCHQ, the British intelligence agency that is responsible for Tempora, the UK's version of the NSA's PRISM spying scheme which hoovers up data on citizens and foreign nationals alike without permission, is going to have to defend itself in court, as a handful of internet service providers from around the …
Read More »GlobalFoundries to upgrade one of its Singapore fabs to 300mm
GlobalFoundries, one of the world’s top contract makers of semiconductors, said this week it will upgrade one of its 200mm semiconductor production facilities in Singapore. The move will help the company to expand production capacities and increase output of chips made using advanced fabrication technologies. Although GlobalFoundries is one of …
Read More »Canon and Microsoft sign broad cross-licensing agreement
Microsoft Corp. and Canon on Wednesday said that they have signed a broad patent cross-licensing agreement. Thanks to the new pact the two companies gain licenses to each other’s highly valued and growing patent portfolios. Theoretically, Canon’s licensing of Microsoft patents may indicate that the company is preparing a family …
Read More »Oculus dev kit 2 to start shipping this month
The new Oculus Rift development kit has been up for pre-order for a while now but Oculus has announced that it is finally ready to start shipping the headset. Ten thousand of the 45,000 pre orders will ship this month with the rest shipping shortly after. Oculus VR Community Manager, …
Read More »UK could ban revenge porn
Taking a note out of Australia's book, the UK could be soon set to make revenge pornography, the practice of uploading sexually explicit images of someone (usually an ex-partner) to the internet without their consent, illegal. This news comes from the British justice secretary, Chris Grayling, who said that the …
Read More »Facebook to boost developing country ads with call-backs
One of the biggest issues for a company like Facebook when it comes to delivering adverts, is that it needs bandwidth for them to work properly. While the idea of a 30 second video or high resolution image is scoffed at by the internet connections of the Western world, in …
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