Новости за 24.12.2019

Strictly Come Dancing, the TV show which pairs celebrities with professional dancers to compete in a ballroom dancing competition, has apparently been the cause of a number of divorces, break-ups, and scandals. This “Strictly curse” is not helped by the show’s demanding schedule, long practice hours, and intimate dancing. Strictly is not the only modern curse featured in the media of late. The curse of the Tour de France returned, with the failure of a French rider to win the cycling race. Hopes... Читать дальше...

More than a decade after its release, I’m still fascinated by the notorious Techno Viking video. There’s something indescribably captivating about it. I find myself watching the clip at least several times a year. I can try to explain it, but its mystery evades writing. Every little detail in the video simply falls perfectly into place, as if it was staged. But it wasn’t. Where do I start? Bear with me throughout this synopsis — or scroll down to watch the actual video first. The video opens with a woman in a bright... Читать дальше...

Life has changed almost beyond recognition in the last few decades. Artificial intelligence (AI) has substituted entire job fields – intelligent software can now review legal documents, a job which was previously only carried out by lawyers. Machine learning means technical systems can pull together entire libraries of information in a single handheld device. Virtual spaces now exist where people from all over the world can share, connect and chat instantly. In 2019, it’s clear that digital innovations... Читать дальше...

The AP80 got a lot of attention when it hit Kickstarter as part of the rise in next generation Hi-Fi portable music devices. Because for all their wonders, smartphones don’t really do high fidelity music all that well, if at all.

There’s no shortage of wireless earphones to choose from these days, but if you’re on a tight budget, the pickings are rather slim. Thankfully, Mpow has you covered with a pretty decent pair that costs just $50, with all the usual features and commendable performance. At this price, you’d expect compromises in every department, but after using them for a couple of weeks, I’m happy to report that the M5 earbuds aren’t a constant reminder that you didn’t spend a whole lot of money on them. Here’s a closer look at these value-for-money earphones. Читать дальше...

As another year draws to a close in the world of Bitcoin and blockchain, we’ve decided to look back at some of our favorite cryptocurrency tweets of 2019.  Some are funny, others are weird, but we’ve loved each and every single one.  So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. The Dorsey effect First up, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, sent a Bitcoin Lightning Network invoice in a tweet in February — and people went nuts. lnbc28600u1pw9n7g7pp5enjn8exsyymyl6mlxmcvy7fdcwuh04z96swfmtasznppglgdyvsqdqqcqzysc8rve6vdwuvketcn7yp8gu3ltvq29vj588erp3at9z2msqj0yhhjd

There’s a good chance the 2010s will go down as the most important decade in the history of portable phones. The iPhone kicked off the smartphone revolution in 2007, but it wasn’t until a few years later that all the major players came to fore. In the past 10 years, we’ve seen smartphones evolve from low-resolution touchscreen devices to our primary way of watching video, reading the news, taking photos and browsing the web. While it’s hard to condense a list of most important phones to just a few models... Читать дальше...

Amidst nationwide protests against new and upcoming citizenship laws in India, Firstpost reports that internet shutdowns — presently being used as a tool by the government to quell unrest in some states — are costing businesses across the country a pretty penny. According to Firstpost’s calculations, mobile carriers lose about $1 million on average every three hours for each of the 22 circles (regions) they operate in. A telecom industry group known as the Cellular Operator Association of India (COAI)... Читать дальше...

Greece has suspended the extradition of accused Bitcoin laundering mastermind Alexander Vinnik pending an appeal, Reuters reports. The country’s justice minister made the original decision to send Vinnik to France on Friday. This reportedly led Vinnik to a second hunger strike, with his first lasting for 88 days beginning in November 2018. Authorities claim Vinnik, a Russian citizen, operated seminal cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e. They maintain the firm served as a $4 billion Bitcoin laundering ring. Читать дальше...

While warehouse robots are already adept at most packaging tasks, they haven’t been great at working with soft textiles – until now. Uniqlo‘s parent company, Fast Retailing, teamed up with a Japanese startup called Mujin to develop robots that can identify, pick up, and pack apparel into shipping boxes just like a human worker. In the video clip above, you can see the robots handling clothes in unstructured plastic packaging, identifying them as they place them in cardboard boxes so they can be shipped out. Читать дальше...

Just next door, cosmologically speaking, is a planet almost exactly like Earth. It’s about the same size, is made of about the same stuff, and formed around the same star. To an alien astronomer light years away, observing the solar system through a telescope, it would be virtually indistinguishable from our own planet. But to know the surface conditions of Venus – the temperature of a self-cleaning oven, and an atmosphere saturated with carbon dioxide with sulfuric acid clouds – is to know that it’s anything but Earth-like. Читать дальше...

Almost half of marketers want total control over sponsored influencer posts, according to a recent study. Old habits die hard. For marketers used to masterminding a brand message and ensuring its implemented consistently, allowing influencers freedom to represent your brand, without strict guidelines, can feel like a new and daunting experience.  In the early days of influencer marketing, brands had little choice but to leave social ambassadors to interpret messages in their own voice. The ‘freebie... Читать дальше...