The early idealism of the Internet was imagined as some great network that would somehow free the world’s oppressed people and lead to a grand utopian future. All the world’s information would be available at the touch of a button, greater participation in government by the people would be easy, and so on. None of this has happened or will happen. Instead, the American public […]
PITTSBURGH // You probably don’t know his name, but you’ve almost certainly devoured his creation: two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun. Michael James “Jim” Delligatti, the McDonald’s franchisee who created the Big Mac nearly 50 years ago and saw it become perhaps the best-known burger in the world, died on Monday at home in Pittsburgh. Delligatti, who according […]
DUBAI // Lights are being hammered in and a trampoline and bungee wall installed as workmen put the finishing touches to a new theatre and stage show. The new venue is part of the soon-to-open Motiongate Dubai theme park, which will be hosting a show based on the last two instalments of the dance-film franchise Step Up. About 3,000 performers have been auditioned in casting calls around […]
All you need: Blink’s two-camera outfit with a sync module, set-up guide and an Android or iOS device with app loaded. Photo: Jack Schofield Most people who really need security cameras should already have installed them. However, there are still plenty of people like me, who aren’t willing to make that much of an effort, or pay a monthly fee. Now there is at least one system […]
Ulster Bank Parent RBS Fails Bank of England Stress Test “Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)(RBS.L) will cut costs and sell assets to boost capital levels, it said on Wednesday after failing this year’s Bank of England stress test, which warned of a “challenging” outlook for Britain’s financial system. The state-backed lender rushed out a statement following the announcement to say it would take a range of actions, including […]
Qatar said it would provide $1.25 billion in aid to shore up Tunisia’s post-revolution economy as regional and Western partners pledged extensive financial backing at an investment conference on Tuesday. The money from Qatar, announced by the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, is the biggest single offer of aid to Tunisia since a 2011 uprising ushered in a democratic transition but also years of economic uncertainty […]
Credit: Concordia University In the age of WikiLeaks, Russian hacks and increased government surveillance, many computer users are feeling increasingly worried about how best to protect their personal information—even if they aren’t guarding state secrets. Luckily, there’s a solution: Hypnoguard, powerful new software developed by Concordia University researchers to safeguard data even when computer is in sleep mode. Sweet dreams are made of this “Protecting […]
Toyota Motor Corp. engineer Hisao Yamashige speaks to reporters at the Japanese automaker’s Tokyo office Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016. Toyota says it has developed a new way of observing the movements of tiny particles in a battery used to power electric vehicles—an advance it says will help boost their cruise range by 10 percent to 15 percent. Yamashige explained to reporters the complex method for tracking the […]
Photo Yoenis Cespedes, who helped the Mets reach the wild-card game in 2016, agreed to a four-year, $110 million deal. Credit Al Bello/Getty Images This was the test, the proving ground for the Mets as annual playoff contenders. At some point, they would have to take a risk to keep their new identity. By agreeing to a reported four-year, $110 million contract extension with Yoenis Cespedes on […]
You can jump right into the spirit of National Day almost anywhere in the UAE. Here’s our round up of some of the largest and most eye-catching events happening this weekend, to celebrate the country’s 45th birthday. City Walk Festival Dubai’s first outdoors mall is pulling out all the stops for National Day, hosting 30 international folk bands, as well as traditional fashion shows and art shows. […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for November 30, 2016, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. newslide Abu Dhabi & Dubai Cooking class Sign up to take part in the Jones the Grocer culinary masterclasses in December and learn to create a festive dish from one of the head chefs. The […]
Privacy is the pull, but that’s hardly the only draw to a private island. There’s something about the prospect of having a world within the world to yourself – and the people you choose to have along with you there – that takes you back to the intense childhood fun of creating a secret hideaway. A den, a clubhouse, a place that feels like it belongs outside […]
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon addresses the Annual Conference of Swiss Developement Cooperation in Zurich, Switzerland January 22, 2016. On the screen behind are displayed the 17 goals of UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann). Emerging Voices highlights new research, thinking, and approaches to development challenges from contributing scholars and practitioners. This post is from Niklas Kossow, communications officer for the European Union FP7 ANTICORRP […]
BEIRUT, Lebanon — The ferocious ground assault and aerial bombardment in eastern Aleppo has forced some 16,000 people to flee for their lives in the last few days, according to Stephen O’Brien, the United Nations under secretary general for humanitarian affairs. “The parties to the conflict have shown time and again they are willing to take any action to secure military advantage even if it means killing, […]
A new $571 million 62km highway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai has been inaugurated, it was announced on Tuesday. Named the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Road, the highway is one of the biggest infrastructure projects implemented under Abu Dhabi 2030 Urban Structure Framework Plan, news agency WAM reported. Falah Al Ahbabi, Urban Planning Council director-general said: “The road represents a model for all future roads […]
5836 25 by Shannon K. O’Neil November 11, 2016 A man displays a new 2000 Indian rupee banknote after withdrawing from a bank (Reuters/Mukesh Gupta). France’s Anticorruption ReformsAfter years of criticism for failing to prosecute foreign bribery, France adopted a new anticorruption law that will force companies doing business on its soil to take more aggressive preventative measures, and also gives the government stronger tools to fight […]
Migrant workers categorize crayons at a toy factory in Dongguan, Guangdong province March 9, 2010. South China’s export stronghold Guangdong is experiencing labour shortages that could result in higher wages, but they are not as severe as reported by the media, provincial Communist Party boss Wang Yang said (Reuters/Joe Tan). Global trade and the supply chains that support it are undergoing a period of profound change. Supply […]
People have a general idea of how much a rocket-propelled grenade costs. What about a cyber weapon? (Baz Ratner/Reuters), Max Smeets is a D.Phil candidate and research affiliate of the Cyber Studies Programme at the University of Oxford. His work analyzes the proliferation of cyber weapons. Can a non-state actor take down critical infrastructure with a cyberattack? If it is not possible today, will it be possible […]
The AI can add animations to static images, although the researchers acknowledge that it rarely generates the “correct” future. Image: MIT Researchers have developed a deep-learning system that can do the very human task of interpreting what’s happening in a photo and guessing what’s likely to happen next. Better yet, the system, developed by machine-learning researchers at MIT, can express its idea of a plausible future by […]
In late 2000, rumors about about a new personal transportation device that could change the way people got around started making the rounds. Steve Jobs initially said it could be “as big as the PC,” while John Doerr speculated that it would be more important than the Internet. So when the Segway was actually introduced in December 2001, anticipation was very high. But while it […]
The reaction to the election of Donald Trump is as much a function of social media and its negative effects on the populace as anything the candidates did or said. People like to say social networks, especially Facebook, are a great way to maintain relations with old high school chums and relatives you ditched when you were 20. In reality, if you wanted to stay […]
The coolest vehicle I saw at AutoMobilityLA (aka, the LA Auto Show) this week wasn’t even real, at least initially. To debut its new I-PACE all-electric crossover, Jaguar herded media into a Hollywood studio with a dozen or so tables in a large room, each topped with HTC Vive VR headsets, Dell Precision workstations, stereo headphones, and a joystick controller. Keep in mind that automotive […]
Although women comprise a small fraction of tech professionals—just one in four, according to the National Center for Women & Information Technology—several nonprofits and startups are working to jumpstart women’s participation in computer science. In a previous column, I considered Grace Hopper Academy, a New York City coding bootcamp designed explicitly for women. GHA’s sister school, Fullstack Academy, takes that program online with a Remote […]
Two weeks before the election, I traveled to Maine for a conference and drove through Massachusetts and New Hampshire on my way. In Silicon Valley, which was mostly Clinton country, I’d seen very few signs or bumper stickers promoting any candidates. But as I drove through the northeast, plenty of Trump signs were displayed on people’s lawns, fences, and car bumpers. I did see a […]
