Friday, 4 November 2016

Tesla boss Musk 'optimistic' on SolarCity takeover

Tesla founder Elon Musk backs shareholders to approve its $2.6bn (£2.1bn) deal for solar panel company SolarCity.

Facebook blocks Admiral's car insurance discount plan

Facebook blocks an insurer's plan to view young drivers' profiles to set car insurance premiums.

Drone-hacking cybersecurity boot camp launched in UK

Budding cyberspies will learn how to hack into drones and crack codes at a new government-backed cybersecurity boot camp.

British Airways to offer wi-fi on short-haul flights

British Airways will offer wi-fi internet access on short-haul flights from 2017, owner IAG says.

Why Windows hack is being blamed on Russia-linked group

Microsoft says a notorious group of hackers are exploiting a flaw in its Windows operating system.

With 3D printers and nanofingers, HP Labs builds a new future - CNET

HP's research division is trying to figure how to marry the computing technology with the physical world. The work can get a bit sci-fi.

Inside the garage where Silicon Valley started - CNET

In 1938 William Hewlett and David Packard built an audio oscillator that would be the foundation for the world's first high-tech region

Dieselgate strikes again: Volkswagen may quit World Rally Championship - Roadshow

Motorsport isn't a necessity, per se, and VW's belt needs a tightening.

Twitter is excited for Christmas -- on November 1 - CNET

Social Cues: Nobody cares about Thanksgiving apparently. Also on social media, Philadelphia's commuters must suddenly find new ways to get to work.

Samsung pours $1 billion into boosting chip production in US - CNET

The electronics titan wants to increase capacity at its Austin, Texas facilities.

Yahoo saw female execs leave amid takeover talks - CNET

The last year saw a regression in the percentage of women in leadership and technical roles.

HP Labs: From basic chemistry to better printing - CNET

At HP Labs in Palo Alto, California, researchers work on the future of printing, computing, and security. Here's a look within.

DraftKings, FanDuel close to a major fantasy sports merger - CNET

The two leading fantasy sports players are working on a deal which would have DraftKings CEO Jason Robins run the combined company, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Facebook should protect human rights, 73 civil groups say - CNET

A letter sent by civil rights organizations wants Facebook to clarify its position on removing videos and other content that document human rights issues.

Wednesday, 2 November 2016

Honda plumps for Tokyo over Silicon Valley for AI research - Roadshow

Maybe the rent was too high.

It takes 3D to Tango (The 3:59, Ep. 133) - CNET

We chat about Google's new 3D-sensing Tango camera tech and Microsoft's Surface Dial.

Written off

Now that digital signatures are legally acceptable, what does this mean for the art of the hand-written signature and the venerable ink pen?

Check in

People are "checking in" on Facebook to support North Dakota pipeline protesters.

China's Alibaba in 'flying pig' controversy

A Chinese Muslim's call for Alibaba to rename a site called "flying pig" has sparked a backlash.

Berners-Lee: Right to worry about cybersecurity

The inventor of the World Wide Web says government "absolutely right" about cyber security concern

Swiss railway ticket machines to sell Bitcoin digital currency

Switzerland's national rail service will begin selling the digital currency Bitcoin at ticket machines.

Broadband advert rule changes come into effect

New rules forcing broadband firms to be clearer on contract costs have come into effect.

Forged rail tickets sold on 'dark web', BBC investigation reveals

Forged rail tickets are being sold on the "dark web" and used at stations without detection, a BBC investigation finds.

SKT crowned 2016 League of Legends world champions

South Korean team SKT Telecom T1 wins the 2016 world championships of the League of Legends (LoL) video game.

'Bionic' plants can detect explosives

Scientists have transformed the humble spinach plant into a bomb detector.

Teen hacker 'accidentally' causes 911 attack

An 18-year-old is charged with three counts of computer tampering after "accidentally" swamping Arizona's emergency services with thousands of bogus 911 telephone calls.

Lincolnshire operations cancelled after network attack

Hundreds of planned operations and outpatient appointments are cancelled across Lincolnshire after an NHS computer network was attacked.

The 404 Show 1681: Spotify's 25 under 25 and Russ' Karaoke Mix (podcast) - CNET

Russ takes over hosting duties with Jeff out. Thankfully he's joined by Shanon Cook of Spotify, who is making us all a bit younger with her Top 25 Artists Under 25 playlist. We also learn the secrets of Russ's karaoke mix.

Tuesday, 1 November 2016

​UK court rules Uber drivers are employees, not contractors - CNET

The ride-hailing service has long maintained its drivers are independent contractors. In a decision that could majorly impact the gig economy, British judges disagree.

Facebook is testing Snapchat-like features in its main app - CNET

They include new camera filters like masks and other animations, plus messages that eventually disappear.

Self-driving cars face massive roadblocks in New York City - Roadshow

A decades-old law along with concerns about "ghost vehicles" and drivers losing their jobs are just a few of the issues keeping autonomous cars out of the Big Apple.

Let's get ready to D-O-N-N-N-N-N-GLE! (Apple Byte Extra Crunchy, Ep. 61) - CNET

We recap Apple's new MacBook Pro keynote. How good will the Touch Bar really be? And look out for Microsoft. It's the one targeting creatives now, not Apple.

CNET UK podcast 503: Apple's new MacBooks, Twitter's woes and Uber's flying cars - CNET

The UK's best tech podcast covers Apple's new MacBooks, Twitter's woes and why your next Uber might take you to the skies.

Internet Archives' vintage GIFs take you back to the '90s - CNET

The GifCities project lets you relive the web's early days with a staggering collection of animated images. Remember the dancing baby?

Aftermarket head-up display competition heats up with Carrobot - Roadshow

Chinese company Ileja Tech creates crowdfunding campaign to launch its Carrobot head-up display infotainment system in the US.

Emoji could soon take over domain names - CNET

Thanks to a search engine from GoDaddy, anyone with a phone can easily find and register available emoji domains.

Tesla and SolarCity just made your roof obsolete - Roadshow

Tesla's new Solar Roof, and Powerwall 2, could move residential power generation to the next level.

Slasher or hacker? These 2016 hacks gave us nightmares - CNET

With so many rightening cybersecurity issues this year, it was hard to tell the difference between real life and a horror movie.