Insights

Communication and Technology news
Is TikTok a time bomb?
2019-08-28

In its meteoric rise and its approach to leveraging user data, TikTok may augur the AI-informed future of social media, for better and for worse. You may have never heard of TikTok, but chances are the kids in your life have. The China-based social network made its U.S. debut in 2017 and now counts 104 million...

Calendar spam is a thing now, here’s how to protect yourself
2019-08-28

Welcome to TNW Basics, a collection of tips, guides, and advice on how to easily get the most out of your gadgets, apps, and other stuff. A few days ago, I was baffled to see an obviously scammy event pop up in my Google calendar: I’d won $2,338 in some ‘annual competition.’ I had no idea where this was coming...

Want to make $10,000 from Libra? Break its blockchain
2019-08-28

The supposedly independent group of companies tasked with overseeing the delivery of Facebook‘s “cryptocurrency” Libra has announced a public bug bounty. In a blog post yesterday, the Libra association disclosed that its offering up to $10,000 to security researchers that find flaws and help tune up the Libra...

Stay In Your Lane
2019-08-28

When you stay in your own lane, there is no traffic. In other words, mind your own business. Road Blocks & Wrong Turns People lose themselves by comparing themselves to others or trying to emulate (or worse, copy) their style or approach whether it be in design, marketing or business. This is a follower’s game...

Trump-appointed NASA head just declared Pluto a planet again
2019-08-28

NASA Chief Jim Bridenstine – a politician who’s probably seen one or two episodes of “Cosmos” – has officially declared Pluto a planet again. His reasoning: that’s the way he learned it in high school. My favorite soundbyte of the day that probably won't make it to TV. It came from NASA Administrator Jim...

Women in gaming open up on Twitter about sexual assault in the industry
2019-08-27

Ever since the MeToo movement started, more and more women from across various professions and walks of life have come forward with their own stories of sexual assault and harassment. Now it appears it might just be the video game industry’s turn in the spotlight. The floodgates opened when indie developer Nathalie...

Google Maps now lets you combine subway directions with cabs and bikes
2019-08-27

There are few applications a city dweller will use as much as Google Maps, but for all its utility, the app doesn’t often account for the multitudinous possibilities of city transit. Sure, Google can tell me how long it would take me to travel via subway, cab, or bike, but any New Yorker knows getting somewhere fast...

How googly eyes solved one of today’s trickiest UX problems
2019-08-27

A little robot at a library in Helsinki went from reviled to beloved, all because he got a new pair of plastic eyes. The robots are here. They’re scanning shelves at your local supermarket, delivering food, and even assisting nurses in the hospital. As the robots begin to infiltrate human spaces, questions...

Hey Siri and Alexa, the BBC is making its own voice assistant known as ‘Beeb’
2019-08-27

The BBC says that having its own assistant will allow the organization to “experiment with new programs, features, and experiences without someone else’s permission to build it in a certain way.” We’ve got Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, Microsoft’s Cortana, and...

If you’re not looking for your next iPhone on this site, you’re missing out
2019-08-27

On Back Market, you can buy eco-conscious electronics—and a nearly new iPhone 7 for less than $200 Society’s obsession with new gadgetry has wreaked havoc on the environment: Close to 50 million tons of toxic e-waste are generated each year, and the mostly Africa-based supply chains for cobalt and rare...

Google’s Nest Hub is the perfect smart screen for my kitchen
2019-08-27

When Google was briefing a bunch of journalists including me about the Nest Hub at its India launch last week, it described how the smart screen could be useful in various parts of your home. But in my mind, it was clear where this would go – my kitchen. I often carry my phone to the kitchen: to listen to music or...

How China’s Baidu outsold Google in the smart speaker market
2019-08-27

Yesterday, market research firm Canalys published a report stating Chinese search giant Baidu has surpassed Google in terms of smart speaker distribution worldwide – which means a company whose products you may never have seen outside China is outselling the big G. The report notes in the last quarter, Baidu shipped...

Mario Kart Tour arrives on your phone September 25
2019-08-27

In a surprise evening announcement, Nintendo revealed that its next big mobile title, Mario Kart Tour, will arrive on September 25. The company made the announcement in an unceremonious tweet. Though it doesn’t specify platforms, presumably that date includes both Android and iOS devices. Pre-registration for Mario...

KFC launches test run of ‘miracle’ non-meat nuggets
2019-08-26

Kentucky Fried Chicken is testing a new recipe at a restaurant in Atlanta — essentially, it’s going without the “C” of KFC, offering a “Kentucky Fried Miracle” in the form of Beyond Meats’ plant-based fake meat nuggets. If it’s well-received, KFC might roll it out to more places — which can only be...

Win the Google search game with an all-in-one SEO tool that’s under $30
2019-08-26

If 7 in 10 business types are just hoping digital marketing works out, well, that leaves a lot of room for success to those other 3 out of 10, right? You can be part of that schooled minority with the help of the RankTools Pro SEO Tool. Right now, you can score lifetime access to this invaluable app for only $29.99,...

Australia’s plan to block sites hosting extremist content during crisis events seems flawed
2019-08-26

As countries continue to grapple with the rise of online extremism, Australia is taking its first step by cutting off access to any internet domain that hosts terrorist material during a crisis event. In addition to temporary bans, the government is reportedly considering legislation to force digital platforms to...

Moonday Mornings: Binance to give KYC hack victims VIP accounts
2019-08-26

Welcome to Moonday Mornings. Let’s not waste anytime, here’s the weekend’s top cryptocurrency and blockchain headlines you can’t afford to miss. 1. With every passing week the outlook for Facebook’s ‘cryptocurrency’ Libra looks worse and worse. After meeting with Suisse financial regulators last week...

NASA astronaut accused of first-ever space crime denies allegations
2019-08-26

NASA is reportedly investigating what’s said to be the first ever instance of a space crime. According to a report by The New York Times, the space organization is currently looking into a claim that astronaut Anne McClain improperly accessessed the bank account of her estranged spouse Summer Worden outside the...

Google’s betting on SMS 2.0 to get its messaging groove back
2019-08-25

Google’s gotten a lot of grief for its messaging strategy, and rightly so. While Facebook and Apple have seen their messaging platforms become indispensable to users and businesses alike, Google has launched a litany of apps whose pithy names (Buzz, Wave, Allo, Hangouts, and the list goes on) couldn’t save them...

How to try Microsoft’s Chromium-powered Edge Beta
2019-08-24

Welcome to TNW Basics, a collection of tips, guides, and advice on how to easily get the most out of your gadgets, apps, and other stuff. Towards the end of 2018, Microsoft surprised everyone by announcing it was shifting Edge from a custom engine to Google’s ubiquitous and open-source Chromium platform. By...

Why reCAPTCHA is actually an act of human torture
2019-08-23

Like many things that start out as a mere annoyance, though eventually grow into somewhat of an affliction. One particular dark and insidious thing has more than reared its ugly head in recent years, and now far more accurately described as an epidemic disease. I’m talking about the filth that is reCAPTCHA. Yes that...

Facebook’s ‘cryptocurrency’ Libra may be in more trouble than we thought
2019-08-23

Facebook‘s ‘cryptocurrency’ Libra may be in even deeper trouble than we thought if a recent report is anything to go by. According to the Financial Times, it seems that some of Facebook‘s early backers have been spooked by increasing regulatory scrutiny. It’s being reported that at least three of...

A side table made out of recycled jeans and other products Fast Company is loving this month
2019-08-23

Berlin-based designer Sophie Rowley, who began experimenting with recycled materials as a master’s student at Central Saint Martins in London creates the marblelike surfaces of her Bahia Slate Tables from used denim, collected from recycling centers in Germany. Turning trash into treasure Designer Sophie...

What a tiny Scottish town could teach us about tackling the world’s ocean plastic problem
2019-08-23

On the small Scottish island of Scarp, beachcombing, recycling, and reusing plastic is a way of life. Designers, take note. Beachcombing has long been a part of life for island communities. On the southwestern edge of Scarp, a small, treeless island off the coast of Harris in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, the Mol...

Build your professional online store with one of the more experienced Shopify Partners

More information