Is Modern Life Ruining our Powers of Concentration?
By: The Guardian January 1, 2023 How does it feel inside your head? Turn your attention inwards. Maybe you’re daydreaming, allowing your mind to wander. Or maybe it feels sharp and alert. Maybe your thoughts are forging freely ahead, a sign that you have achieved the fabled state of “flow”. More likely, however, your brain […]
Police in England and Wales to Screen Suspects for Signs Gambling Addiction is Driving Crime
By: The Guardian January 1, 2023 Criminal suspects will be routinely screened for gambling addiction by a number of police forces across England and Wales because of growing concerns that high-stakes betting is fuelling crime in a similar way to drugs and alcohol. Ten police forces are now routinely questioning suspects in custody over […]
Problem Gambling Is on the Rise Among Young Men
By: Wall Street Journal December 18, 2022 Jonathan Jones traces his gambling struggles back to a videogame he played in the fifth grade. Using lunch money or stealing small amounts from his parents, he would buy gaming gift cards and redeem them to spin a virtual wheel of fortune to collect prizes, such as weapons […]
OECD Countries Limit Government Access to Personal Data
By: Wall Street Journal December 14, 2022 More than 30 countries on Wednesday finalized a framework for how governments access citizens’ personal data, marking the first effort on such a large scale to tackle tricky surveillance issues across borders. Officials from the U.S. and the 37 other member states of the Organization for […]
Microsoft Buys Stake in London Stock Exchange
By: Wall Street Journal December 12, 2022 LONDON—Microsoft Corp. MSFT -2.36%decrease; red down pointing triangle will take a 4% stake in the London Stock Exchange’s corporate parent and help shift the exchange’s financial data and trading platforms to the cloud, in a deal that reflects the growing use of data and tech in global finance. The deal revealed Monday […]
The Inherent Misogyny of AI Portraits – Amelia Earhart Rendered Naked on a Bed
By: The Guardian December 9, 2022 Officially, the Lensa AI app creates “magic avatars” that turn a user’s selfies into lushly stylized works of art. It’s been touted by celebrities such as Chance the Rapper, Tommy Dorfman, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Britney Spears’ husband, Sam Asghari. But for many women the app does more […]
Amazon Launches TikTok-Style Feed in Push to Accelerate Social Shopping
By: Wall Street Journal December 8, 2022 Amazon AMZN -8.43%decrease; red down pointing triangle.com Inc. is rolling out a TikTok-like feature in its app that will allow customers to buy products from a customized feed of photos and videos. Amazon launched the feature Thursday for select customers and plans to make it available across the U.S. in […]
FTC Sues to Block Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard
By: Wall Street Journal December 8, 2022 The Federal Trade Commission Thursday sued Microsoft Corp. MSFT -2.36%decrease; red down pointing triangle to block its planned $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., ATVI -2.43%decrease; red down pointing triangle taking one of its biggest shots under the Biden administration at halting a merger of technology giants. The lawsuit sets the stage for a court challenge over the deal as […]
TikTok Is Sued by State of Indiana, Accused of Targeting Young Teens With Adult Content
By: Wall Street Journal December 7, 2022 Indiana filed a pair of lawsuits against TikTok Wednesday, alleging the platform is deceiving consumers about its content and data security, the latest in a growing number of moves by state officials to push back against the platform’s influence on children and its connections to China. The state said its lawsuits […]