Scammers are using GoFundMe to pocket donations worth thousands
The crowdfunding site GoFundMe is being used to scam people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. What is the platform doing about it? Despite the internet being a weird and wonderful place, many people are well-aware that what we see online is not always genuine. Unfortunately, deceptive practices aren’t just...
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Blizzard hires female Vice President of Culture to overhaul toxic values
Since countless accusations of misogyny and sexual misconduct broke last August, Blizzard has been working to improve its toxic culture. Jessica Martinez has now been hired to oversee the transition towards a ‘more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.’ Blizzard has taken a PR battering in recent years, and rightfully so. While...
Why the future of energy is sun-powered
As the world turns away from Russian gas, the EU is determined to build up its solar industry. Nations and engineers are already making crucial moves to ensure this happens. Everybody loves the sunshine, as Roy Ayers once said. And why wouldn’t we, when it could be our forever solution to...
Urbanears unveils new earbuds made from 97% recycled plastic
These new earbuds are made almost entirely from recycled plastic, making them a more eco-conscious option compared to traditional AirPods or Bluetooth headsets. Want to listen to your favourite songs on the go but don’t want to invest in Apple’s extensive ecosystem? Music goers looking for a more environmentally friendly...
New AI tool recreates faces solely through voice data
As deep fake technology becomes increasingly difficult to suss out online, from AI voices to celebrity lookalikes, a new tool has allowed researchers to recreate faces through voice recordings. The era of deepfakes and artificial personas is steadily creeping up on us, one technological breakthrough at a time. While you...
EU commission warns Musk won’t have free rein of Twitter
The Tesla chief has acquired Twitter for $46bn and plans to re-evaluate the platform’s stance on free speech and cancel culture. The EU commission now warns that any plans to loosen moderation policies must be handled carefully and that Musk won’t be given free rein. The drawn out Twitter saga...
Deepfakes now a political weapon in the Ukrainian war
The use of deepfakes in politics has insofar been rare. But in the last week, two deepfakes related to the war in Ukraine have emerged online. Just days ago, a doctored video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy began making rounds on social media. It also found its way onto a local live news channel and website after being uploaded by hackers. Over the minute long video, Ukraine’s President appears to tell...
New research suggests fungi may be communicating with ‘words’
As if they weren’t magical enough, scientists have discovered that mushrooms are potentially talking to each other using a bountiful vocabulary which bears a striking structural similarity to human speech. If you aren’t a stranger to my writing, by now I’m sure you’re well aware of my deep-rooted obsession with all thing’s mycelium, my fascination towards which recently peaked after seeing the incredible Fantastic Fungi documentary on...
Ukraine moves to digitally preserve its national landmarks
Amid the continued conflict with Russia, Ukraine is moving to digitally preserve its national landmarks in case of potential damage or destruction. Crowdsourced Polycam scans are helping to build detailed renderings for future restorations. Crowdsourced material is becoming increasingly important for Ukrainians amid Russia’s invasion. Some of those who’ve remained within conflict areas, whether by choice or force, have been documenting events on a daily basis in the hope that the...
Asteroid mining start-up to raise funds through NFTs
There are several ambitious space initiatives in the works as we speak, and many of them have one thing common: they’re attempting to raise seed funding through NFTs. ExLabs hopes a crypto injection will facilitate its asteroid mining explorations. Since the turn of the year, a host of space start-ups have jumped on the NFT bandwagon to raise money in novel ways. We’ve had MoonDAO, which wants to go from...
