Peek into a tide pool along the shore and you may see a starfish clinging quietly to a rock. But that secure adulthood comes at the expense of a harrowing larval journey. Tiny starfish larvae — each smaller than a grain of rice — spend 60 days and 60 nights paddling the open ocean, feeding to accumulate the energy needed to metamorphose into the familiar star shape. […]
Simply getting onto the NBN, let alone making use of it, is impacting the functioning of 43 percent of businesses according to an Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) survey [PDF] released on Tuesday. Only 22 percent of businesses said the NBN connection process was smooth, while businesses said the most common complaint was “ongoing service issues”, ACMA said. Conducted between April and May 2016, ACMA surveyed […]
The mysterious sound heard in Mariana Trench that has baffled scientists is likely a new baleen whale call that no one has heard before. The sound, which lasts up to 3.5 seconds, was recorded on several occasions from Autumn 2014 to Spring 2015 deep in the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, one of the largest marine protected areas worldwide. Mysterious Sound Does Not Resemble Any Human Or Geologic […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for December 20, 2016, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. newslide Abu Dhabi Art exhibition No White Walls continues at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, where you can see works created by professional artists in the UAE as part of an initiative to develop the art […]
Reliance Jio is a great, big, and savvy Indian python that has recently slithered into the telecom space, threatening to swallow the lunch of existing incumbents like Airtel and Vodafone. The question is, will it end up swallowing itself tail-first as well? As I wrote a few months ago, and as you probably may well know, Mukesh Ambani, India’s oil to telecom billionaire who is not known […]
Qantas Group has selected SAP executive Susan Doniz to fulfil the role of CIO after undertaking a global search for Luc Hennekens’ replacement. Hennekens revealed his intention to leave the national carrier in July after three years of leading its technology operations. He moved to France to join Airbus Group as CIO after working his last day at Qantas in September. Doniz will relocate from Canada to […]
Good morning. Here’s our morning roundup of all the media news you need to know. Want to get this briefing in your inbox every morning? Subscribe here. Imagine if Snopes, PolitiFact and The Associated Press fact-checked our holiday cards and letters — or many of our daily declarations — for the truth. Facebook, of course, just announced it would team with PolitiFact, FactCheck.org, the Associated Press, ABC […]
Google Maps has been receiving several new features recently, making the mapping app more valuable to its users. In a small but very important update, Google Maps has added a feature that will show whether a location is accessible by wheelchair, in what is the result of the efforts of a group of Google employees who dedicated a significant amount of their time for the cause. Google […]
WASHINGTON A 38-year-old Chinese man pleaded guilty on Monday to charges that he stole numerous sensitive military program documents from United Technologies Corp (UTX.N) and transported them to China, the U.S. Justice Department said. Yu Long pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in the theft of trade secrets to benefit a foreign government and one count of unlawful export and attempted export of defence […]
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on December 19, 2016 that his artificial intelligence-imbued software “butler”, named Jarvis, is now in service Mark Zuckerberg’s artificial intelligence-imbued software “butler”—named Jarvis—is now in service, and even plays with his family, the Facebook chief said Monday. Zuckerberg took on the personal project this year, devoting about 100 hours to making a system inspired by the “Iron Man” film character Jarvis as […]
(Image: file photo) Cloud storage giant Box won’t say how many times it has turned over customer data to the government. The company’s policy stands out from the cloud storage crowd, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Dropbox, which along with other every internet and phone company in the Fortune 500 provide a biannual transparency report detailing the number of government requests and secret orders they receive. A […]
19 December 2016 The real estate markets of the two main emirates of the UAE exhibited differing trends over the course of November 2016. While the pleasant weather and cool breeze apparently had a galvanizing effect on the Dubai realty market, things seemed to be cooling down in neighbouring Abu Dhabi. Bayut.com noticed an upward movement of both rents and prices of apartments in Dubai, but apartments […]
Amazon’s Echo Dot, a hands-free voice-controlled Alexa-enabled device, has enjoyed pretty rave reviews upon its release, simply because the device, a minute puck-shaped plaything, is far more capable than what its size suggests. Yes, the tiny flat cylinder sports Amazon’s proprietary voice-enabled virtual assistant Alexa, which is by and large its headline feature. It hears its owners, even when outputting loud music from its speakers, and it […]
U.S. stocks were higher on Monday in light trading, with the three major indexes hovering near record levels, driven by a rise in technology shares. The S&P technology index .SPLRCT rose 0.94 percent, leading the 11 major sectors. Microsoft (MSFT.O), Amazon (AMZN.O) and Apple (AAPL.O) were up between 1-1.8 percent, providing the biggest boost to the Nasdaq and the S&P 500. “Traditionally, as you head into the […]
The food trends of the approaching new year predict an inclination toward vegetarian comfort food, meat- free food, nourishing and fibrous soups, bush food, dairy-based products and many more. Factors Affecting Diet Trends Greater awareness about health and fitness is the major factor that has led to the people around the world to go for healthier diets and food options. Other factors include lower food prices and […]
Yoga Book (Credit: Lenovo) As Microsoft prepares once again to embrace ARM processors in the name of thinner and lighter computing devices, the Lenovo Yoga Book may be a hint of things to come. In some ways, the device — available in Android and Windows versions and coming soon in a Chromebook variant — represents a hybrid between the original Yoga and the original Surface. True to […]
About nine months before George W. Bush became president I, along with about 70 others, were asked to join an independent tech advisory board to help Bush, then governor of Texas, understand the role of tech in the new decade and help craft a tech policy should he become president. Our first meeting took place in Austin, and from that came various subcommittees to research […]
In democratic societies, it is considered an obligation of researchers and politicians to inform the public about modern technologies and their potential risks. Researchers recently found that information about technologies and their risks may have undesired side effects. It may also cause worries where they do not seem appropriate. (via WSJ)
We’ve heard a lot about Microsoft’s plan to compete with Amazon Echo and Google Home without ever having to create and sell a device. Apparently, the company is planning to transform every Windows 10 device into what is called a Home Hub, but what about those who are not interested in Windows 10? That’s an easy question to answer. You see, Microsoft is planning to release the SDK […]
Better known for its electronic music and street art, Berlin is now also home to an emerging graphic-novel scene in a country that has traditionally treated illustrated stories as children’s literature. Rarely seen in bookstores just a few years ago, German-produced graphic novels now have dedicated shelves, as home-grown artists and foreigners find inspiration in the city. “It was when I moved here that I felt a […]
In this Sept. 5, 2014, file photo, the Apple logo hangs in the glass box entrance to the company’s Fifth Avenue store in New York. Ireland is appealing the European Union’s landmark order to collect 13 billion euros ($14 billion) in taxes from Apple. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) Ireland will appeal the European Union’s landmark order to collect a record 13 billion euros ($14 billion) in taxes […]
Pakistani cinemas resumed screenings of Bollywood movies Monday, after a self-imposed three-month ban on Indian films cut revenue in half, said Zoraiz Lashari, chairman of the All Pakistan Film Exhibitors Association. The organization suspended Bollywood screenings in September after the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association said it would cease working with Pakistani actors, musicians and technicians. Both decisions came in the wake of heightened tensions between India […]
Ireland will appeal the European Commission’s ruling to collect €13 billion in taxes from Apple, the Irish Department of Finance has announced on Monday. The Irish countermove comes nearly four months after the European Commission declared tax arrangements between Apple and Ireland — originally established in 1991 — had allowed the company to pay “substantially less tax” than rival companies, and were therefore illegal under state aid […]
Verizon has put up four phones available for free without trade-in requirements, save for a $20 device activation fee. The free phones being offered include the Moto Z Play Droid, a Verizon exclusive that supports Motorola’s modular-ish Moto Mods; Samsung Galaxy J3 V, a mid-range released early this year; and the LG K8 V and Stylo 2. Moto Z Play Droid The Moto Z Play Droid rocks a 5.5-inch […]
