Floating solar farms put Thailand on track for carbon neutrality
In Thailand’s north-eastern region of Ubon Ratchathani, a shimmering network of solar panels stretches across a large reservoir constantly generating green energy. This is the first of 15 planned floating solar farms that aim to put Thailand on track for carbon neutrality by 2050. With climate deadlines from COP26 fast...
Current in Tech
Is Microsoft creating a monopoly after Activision Blizzard deal?
Microsoft is on the brink of acquiring Activision Blizzard for a record fee of $68.7bn. Having already landed the Bethesda deal last year, is the conglomerate potentially underway with a full-scale gaming monopoly? If the cringe, social media driven console wars are even still a thing, this is the equivalent...
Tech company Framework designs modular laptop to reduce e-waste
American tech company Framework has created a new laptop with modular components that can be easily repaired and replaced. It will help increase the lifespan of laptops and reduce the e-waste produced per unit. Laptops can be tricky products to purchase successfully, at least as far as getting the right...
Fact checkers label YouTube a ‘major conduit’ for misinformation
Organisations involved in fact-checking have come together to demand YouTube finally address its misinformation problem. YouTube has a little something for everyone, whether you’re looking for an amusing review of a takeaway chain or a comprehensive history lesson on the Mayans. The only issue with allowing almost anything to end up...
Twitter bans ‘Politics For All’ account without specifying why
The integrity of Twitter as a democratic platform is again under scrutiny. This time, after permanently banning a political news aggregator account for a strange and minor offence. Another day, another censorship storm involving Twitter. The topical social media giant is under scrutiny after removing a popular political news aggregator account...
The 2022 mission to clean-up electric battery production
Precious metals like cobalt and nickel are vital components of electric batteries, but extracting them is a dirty and dangerous. As the demand for green tech grows in 2022, are we any closer to fixing the labour and sustainability issues? 2022 is going to have to be a big one...
Is voice AI on the verge of a marketing explosion?
AI speech synthesisers may feel like a novel gimmick now, but as the technology becomes more sophisticated, could we see a full-scale integration into the marketing world? Apparently, AI audio synthesisers are about to get a whole load more sophisticated than Eminem’s rap generator. Like that’s even possible. Despite the many ethical issues surrounding the recreational use of AI and its potential for nefarious uses - with non-consensual deepfake porn, doctored...
Regulatory hurdles for flying taxis almost cleared
Talk of flying taxis called eVTOLs were all the rage in 2019. But, only now has the concept gathered enough investment and regulatory ticks to be considered a realistic prospect. This time, they really are close to take-off. While aviation endeavours to make biofuel a staple of the industry, can eVTOLs become a popular choice for eco-conscious flyers? Back in 2019, you may recall that big tech start-ups were racing...
Exclusive – Impactr, the app turning social media into social change
Thred has been given an exclusive, pre-launch peek at new app Impactr, the self-proclaimed ‘anti-Amazon’ about to revolutionise online interaction. What’s next in social media? It’s a question people have asked themselves since David Fincher’s The Social Network premiered in 2010, seemingly the swan song of a digital juggernaut that was fast losing its novel sheen and youth-centric flavour. Throughout the 2010s, we’ve gone through various incarnations of the connected media...
Exclusive – How Ann Makosinski exemplifies an industrious generation
Ann Makosinski is innovative, entrepreneurial, and eager to build a better planet – all traits of a multitalented Gen Zer who’s striving to prove that science and art go hand in hand. Canadian inventor Ann Makosinski had something of an unusual childhood. Daughter of a father born in Poland during WW2 and mother from a tiny town in the Philippines, she recalls their parenting style as ‘unique,’ guided by a shared...
