Firefox’s fight for the future of the web
By: The Guardian Nov 17, 2019 Why do you choose the browser you use? Maybe you think it loads pages more quickly. Maybe it’s made by the same firm as your device and you think it’s more compatible in some way. You prefer the graphics, perhaps, or it just happened to be pre-installed on your […]
Can the planet really afford the exorbitant power demands of machine learning?
By: John Naughton November 16, 2019 There is, alas, no such thing as a free lunch. This simple and obvious truth is invariably forgotten whenever irrational exuberance teams up with digital technology in the latest quest to “change the world”. A case in point was the bitcoin frenzy, where one could apparently become insanely rich […]
This pension scheme has 8m members – and ethical savers do best
By: The Guardian Nov 15, 2019 It’s often said that paying into a workplace pension is a no-brainer, and maybe here’s the proof: early investors into Britain’s biggest auto-enrolment scheme have tripled their money in seven years. And those who chose the ethical fund have made the best returns. Figures provided exclusively to Guardian Money […]
Top 1% of earners in UK account for more than a third of income tax
By: The Guardian Nov 13, 2019 The top 1% of earners in the UK now account for more than a third of income tax paid to the government, following changes over the past decade that have left almost half the population exempt from making payments. In research underlining the dual nature of Britain’s income tax structure, the Institute for […]
Hologram-like device animates objects using ultrasound waves
By: The Guardian Nov 13, 2019 It may not rival the technology found in a galaxy far, far away, but everyone has to start somewhere. Researchers in Sussex have built a device that displays 3D animated objects that can talk and interact with onlookers. A demonstration of the display showed a butterfly flapping its wings, a countdown […]
Tech companies target your sanity
By: Axios Nov 12, 2019 Several of the biggest social media platforms are beginning to test changes that cut down on scorekeeping, discourage harassment and aim to improve users’ well-being. Why it matters: The unwinding of features such as public “like” counts could have a major impact on the multi-billion dollar businesses of social media companies, […]
Google’s secret cache of medical data includes names and full details of millions – whistleblower
By: Ed Pilkington November 12, 2019 A whistleblower who works in Project Nightingale, the secret transfer of the personal medical data of up to 50 million Americans from one of the largest healthcare providers in the US to Google, has expressed anger to the Guardian that patients are being kept in the dark about the […]
Banking tech could lead to discrimination, says ex-regulator
By: Kalyeena Makortoff November 11, 2019 Banks can now more accurately identify ‘unprofitable’ or costly customers Advances in banking technology are putting vulnerable customers at risk of discrimination, a former City regulator has said. Mick McAteer, a former board member at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), said lenders and insurers were gaining access to tools […]
Global funds management giant rejects Scott Morrison’s attack on activist investors
By: ExecReview Nov 08, 2019 Global funds management giant Aberdeen Standard Investments has rejected prime minister’s Scott Morrison’s call for companies to listen to “quiet shareholders” as part of a comprehensive rebuff of the government’s attack on activist investors and the environmental movement. The UK’s biggest listed fund manager, which controls assets worth more than […]