Parler servers shut down in wake of US Capitol riot
Originally peddled as a social media network for unbridled free speech, Parler has been taken offline by hosts Amazon following the Capitol riots in the US. Parler, the Twitter clone known for peddling unbridled free speech with dangerously loose content moderation tools – depending on which side of the fence...
Current in News
Start-ups are racing to build the world’s first flying taxis
The flying cars of science fiction could soon become part of our everyday reality, and savvy start-ups are looking to build city infrastructures now. The recent Blade Runner sequel depicted a futuristic Los Angeles in the year 2049, where acid rain fell from skies crowded with flying cars called...
Japan developing wooden satellites to reduce space junk
Kyoto University has teamed up with Sumitomo Forestry to create the first satellites made entirely of wood. It’s hoped that they’ll reduce the levels of space junk in our atmosphere. If you thought human littering and wastage was a problem confined to just our planet, you may want to look...
Too Good To Go is leading the tech revolution against surplus food waste
Too Good To Go is the rapidly growing social impact start-up leading a revolution against surplus food waste across Europe and the US. Whether or not you’re partaking in Veganuary, there’s no question that diving into 2021 people are more conscious than ever before in terms of what we’re eating,...
Illicit apps promoting Covid-19 parties are finally being pulled
Brought to light by a reporter on Twitter, a controversial phone app that connected cooped up socialites at nearby ‘pandemic parties’ has finally been pulled. An app that promoted and claimed to host illegal parties during lockdown has this week been ousted from iOS, and efforts have been elevated to...
Invite-only social app Clubhouse to become a hit with Gen Z?
Clubhouse, a ‘spontaneous’ chatroom app, is trading its influencer exclusivity for a full-scale public rollout this year, and it’s set to be a real hit with Gen Z. Social tech fanatics who keep up to date with the newest apps will know all about Clubhouse, the ambitious social network focused...
Why we need to stop putting developers under ‘crunch’
Cyberpunk 2077 has been removed from the PlayStation Store for being unstable and buggy. It’s a result of industry pressures and crunch time - do things need to change? CD Projekt Red’s latest title, Cyberpunk 2077, has finally launched for both PC and consoles, after a near eight year wait and four delays. Intended to be a worthy successor to the studio’s last game, The Witcher 3, the sci-fi RPG title...
New app Honk targets Gen Z with real-time texting
Honk is attempting to corner those weary of Facebook’s monopoly on mobile communication, offering real-time texting more akin to Snapchat than Messenger. Ever sent a friend or potential love interest a risky message and regretted it? Perhaps a meme on the group chat that went down like a lead balloon? We’ve all been there. A new mobile app called Honk is hoping to offer Gen Zers a happy medium between...
Instagram ups its creative tools for Reels and Stories
Following on from September’s convenient updates, Instagram is swiftly rolling out the next batch of creative features for Reels and Stories. It’s no secret that Instagram is dead set on challenging TikTok to become numero uno in the vertical video space, and this week’s tweaks to Reels and Stories, minor as they may be, are designed to maximise users’ creative options on the platform. Having drastically improved the trimming and deletion...
Google’s integrity is brought into question over research bias
Google, the ubiquitous search engine we all use for reliable and impartial research, could soon start to oust information on ‘sensitive topics.’ Is this a censorship storm waiting to happen? Alphabet’s flagship platform Google is under serious fire this week regarding censorship measures, and concern is growing that bias could soon discredit the platform as a reliable search engine. Sparked by the forced resignation of Dr Timnit Gebru, an AI...
