Footage of a Texan lawyer denying he was a cat as he appeared with a feline filter on a live call was created using a decades-old piece of software pre-installed on some Dell laptops. The BBC reports: The Live Cam Avatar software was also available for people to download. It is not clear how the lawyer found himself speaking through the…
Tag: chatting
Why Google’s Big ‘Four Year’ Android Update Promise Is a Little Misleading
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Android Police: Today, Google and Qualcomm announced what seemed like a big improvement to updates for Android smartphones. The headlines (ours included! We were confused, too) largely read as though Android phones with Qualcomm chipsets would now receive “four years” of Android updates, an additional year on top of what manufacturers like Google and…
Amazon’s Alexa Can Now Guess What You Want Before You Ask For It
“Amazon’s engineers are tweaking Alexa’s algorithm to help the virtual assistant guess users’ requests, and offer to resolve them, before the demand is even uttered,” reports ZDNet: After being asked, for example, how long a cup of tea should brew for, Alexa will be able to suggest setting a timer for the number of minutes that are recommended. Alexa engineers Anjishnu…
Google Takes on Zoom and Slack By Bundling Video Calls and Chat Into Gmail for Business Users
Google is making its popular Gmail app more of a productivity powerhouse. From a report: The Alphabet subsidiary is incorporating more applications into the business version of Gmail so that users don’t need to switch to other apps or browser tabs, it could help keep employees satisfied with the company’s business software and not want to adopt alternative services, such as…
Curiosity keeps rolling as team operates Mars rover from home
The NASA Curiosity mission team is keeping the rover moving and working on the surface of Mars while they #stayathome. Find out how they’re managing it. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/curiosity-keeps-rolling-as-team-operates-mars-rover-from-home…
Man Says He’s Fallen in Love With an AI Chatbot
“Quarantine amid coronavirus could boost the nascent practice of seeking romance and friendship from artificial intelligence,” writes the Wall Street Journal. Long-time Slashdot reader Strudelkugel quotes their report: Relationships were once built face to face. Now dating happens online. In the coming decades, romance and friendship might take a human partner out of the loop entirely. Michael Acadia’s partner is an…
The Virus Changed the Way We Internet
A New York Times analysis of internet usage in the United States from SimilarWeb and Apptopia, two online data providers, reveals that our behaviors shifted, sometimes starkly, as the virus spread and pushed us to our devices for work, play and connecting. From the report: With nearly all public gatherings called off, Americans are seeking out entertainment on streaming services like…
Tinder Offers Free Chatting with Users In Other Countries
“[W]e’re missing out on the everyday exchanges that make us human…” argues a press release from Tinder. “And while we all know we need to stay home, the Tinder community has shown us that this doesn’t mean we have to be alone with our thoughts and a tower of Top Ramen…” “Many of our current subscribers are even reaching out across…