Argos is to stop printing its catalogue after almost 50 years, as the buying bible once found in three-quarters of British homes becomes yet another victim of the inexorable move to online shopping. From a report: More than 1bn copies of the bi-annual catalogue have been printed since its launch in 1973, and at its height it was Europe’s most widely…
Tag: celebrity
Twitter’s Security Woes Included Broad Access To User Accounts
Twitter has struggled for years to police the growing number of employees and contractors who have the ability to reset users’ accounts and override their security settings, a problem that Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey and the board were warned about multiple times since 2015, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing former employees with knowledge of the company’s security operations. From the report:…
Michael Hawley, Programmer, Professor and Pianist, Dies at 58
Michael Hawley, a computer programmer, professor, musician, speechwriter and impresario who helped lay the intellectual groundwork for what is now called the Internet of Things, died on Wednesday at his home in Cambridge, Mass. He was 58. From a report: The cause was colon cancer, said his father, George Hawley. Mr. Hawley began his career as a video game programmer at…
Microsoft to Pitch New Xbox Game Console With Monthly Showcases
Microsoft, gearing up for its biggest-ever year of launches for Xbox products and services in the middle of a global pandemic and economic recession, will replace its plan for a splashy public game-conference event with a monthly series of online showcases. From a report: The virtual events start on May 7, with a look at third-party games planned for its new…
Happy birthday, Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin was a Russian pilot who became the first human to travel to space, in 1961. His story … plus links to a Yuri’s Night celebration near you. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/this-date-in-science-yuri-gagarins-birthday…
2000: The Year the Startup Super Bowl Ads Failed
20 years ago, 11 different startups spent millions of dollars to run 30-second ads during the Super Bowl, reports the Hustle. Within one year 8 of the 11 companies “had either gone bankrupt or been sold in fire sales.” The how-to platform Computer.com spent $3m of its $5.8m in seed funding on an ad featuring its 2 founders holding a poster…
Will Punxsutawney Phil get it right in 2020?
Every February 2nd, a weather-prognosticating groundhog in Pennsylvania tells us if we should expect six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Should we believe him? Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/groundhog-day-punxsutawney-phil-accuracy…
Clearview AI Is Struggling To Address Complaints As Its Legal Issues Mount
An anonymous reader quotes a report from BuzzFeed News: Clearview AI, the facial recognition company that claims to have amassed a database of more than 3 billion photos scraped from Facebook, YouTube, and millions of other websites, is scrambling to deal with calls for bans from advocacy groups and legal threats. These troubles come after news reports exposed its questionable data…
Uri Geller applies for ‘weirdos and misfits’ job
The celebrity spoon-bender has applied for a British government job asking for ‘assorted weirdos’. The Israeli illusionist has already been making hea… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/333607/uri-geller-applies-for-weirdos-and-misfits-job…
Uri Geller claims he swayed UK election result
The celebrity spoon-bender maintains that he used his powers to help Boris Johnson win the general election. The controversial illusionist, whose psyc… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/333136/uri-geller-claims-he-swayed-uk-election-result…