Month: August 2022
Tinder kills the dating app’s plans for a metaverse expansion
Tinder’s parent company, Match Group, has announced that it is killing the dating app’s plans for a metaverse expansion. Tinder has also slowed its development of Tinder Coins, a virtual currency which could have been integrated with a blockchain or other crypto technology. The company had planned to create a new form of online dating
Understanding human actions than robotic movements
A new study suggesting people are faster at understanding human actions than robotic movements highlights potential challenges for a future where robots are incorporated more into our daily lives. The team compared people’s ability to ascribe intentions to humans, humanoid robots, and non-human-like animated objects by investigating how easily people understood the simple social cue
Meta: Use of private medical data for ads lawsuit
Meta is being sued for collecting data from US hospitals without users’ knowledge, two new lawsuits allege. One lawsuit alleges that medical information was sent to Facebook via the pixel from the University of California San Francisco and Dignity Health patient portals, which resulted in her seeing adverts for her heart and knee conditions some
Major iPad update delay
Apple could delay the release of its major upcoming iPad software update. Usually, that update would be expected in September, alongside the new iPhones and their own software update. The new feature has proven controversial even before it has been released. It initially sparked backlash because it is limited to newer iPads, and then early
Amazon buys maker of Roombas
Amazon is buying the makers of the Roomba, the robot vacuum cleaner. iRobot will be bought by Amazon for $1.7 billion. Through the new purchase, Amazon will gain access not only to iRobot’s hardware but also the detailed maps that its cleaners are able to take of people’s homes. Over many years, the iRobot team
US military aid to Taiwan
China is undertaking its largest military exercises in decades off the shores of Taiwan this week in response to the visit of the highest-ranking US congressional delegation to the island in 25 years. The United States, Taiwan’s primary military backer, is advising Taipei to purchase weaponry designed for mobility and precision to fight a seaborne
Sri-lanka: draconian crackdown on protesters
After the fall of Rajapaksa, the protest movement, known as the Aragalaya, has turned its focus to Wickremesinghe, calling for him to step down. He is accused of lacking legitimacy and public support and protecting the powerful Rajapaksa family, who are accused of bankrupting the country. The Sri Lankan government has been accused of a
China’s mysterious reusable ‘test spacecraft’ launched
China has launched a classified reusable vehicle on a mystery mission to Earth orbit. China also launched a reusable test spacecraft in September 2020, under a similar cloud of secrecy. A Long March 2F rocket carrying a “test spacecraft” lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Thursday. The test spacecraft
Ukraine wants shipping safe passage extended beyond grains
The July 22 deal was a rare diplomatic breakthrough as war rages on in eastern Ukraine, with Kyiv trying to rebuild its shattered economy after more than five months of conflict. Three grain ships left Ukrainian ports on Friday under a safe passage deal while the first inbound cargo vessel since Russia’s invasion was due
China halts climate, military ties with US
China says it is canceling or suspending dialogue with the U.S. on issues from climate change to military relations and anti-drug efforts in retaliation for a visit this week to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. These are the latest in a promised series of steps intended to punish Washington for allowing the visit