Cambridge VR research detects early Alzheimer’s risk:
Virtual reality (VR) technology has been used to detect the early warning signs of Alzheimer’s. Work at the University of Cambridge investigated if those at risk of the disease had a poor sense of direction or impairments in spatial navigation.
Participants were asked to navigate a virtual environment while wearing VR headsets. Findings showed impairments in spatial navigation, which may develop years or decades before any other symptoms. About 100 asymptomatic adults, aged 43 to 66, used VR to determine and maintain a route from one place to another.
Apple is Gearing Up For New Launches Amid Plans for In-Store Refreshes:
Apple is preparing to launch new products soon as the iPhone maker has reportedly informed retail teams of upcoming in-store refresh and media briefings, as reported by Media. According to reports over the past few months, it seems that Apple is gearing up to launch its new OLED iPad Pro lineup alongside new versions of MacBook Air laptops powered by the 3nm M3 chips. Supercharged has received exclusive insights from two undisclosed sources regarding Apple’s strategies for its upcoming product launches. While maintaining confidentiality, these informants refrained from specifying the exact products slated for unveiling in the imminent week.
Steam Hits New Milestone With 34 Million Active Users on Saturday:
Steam’s numbers show no signs of slowing down. The PC games store hit 33.6 million concurrent users only a few months ago and now Valve’s digital platform has crossed 34 million as reported on Saturday. According to data shared by SteamDB, Steam had a record-breaking 34.298 million users online simultaneously on Saturday at 7 PM PKT. These numbers are coming from Steam’s historically popular games such as Counter-Strike, but there are some new names on the list as well such as HELLDIVERS 2, Last Epoch, Palworld, and more. Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and PUBG have been the top performers for Steam for a long time, but as mentioned earlier, there are some new names on the list as well. HELLDIVERS 2 and Last Epoch both came out last month, while Palworld was released in January.
WhatsApp Will Soon Let You Manage Chats From Other Apps:
WhatsApp has been working on chat interoperability for a while and the feature appears to be finally taking shape. The latest beta version of WhatsApp includes an option to manage chats from third-party apps, as reported by Media. It remains unclear how it will enable cross-platform messaging or which apps you will be able to interact with, but interaction with other chatting apps will become easier soon. This feature primarily has to do with allowing users to disable data sharing between third-party chatting apps fully. This aligns with Article 7 of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which emphasizes user control over data sharing and communication preferences. This option allows users not interested in cross-platform messaging to completely opt-out.
Senate Meeting to Consider Banning All Social Media in Pakistan:
In a notable development on the political front, a resolution advocating for the prohibition of key social media platforms within the nation has surfaced on the agenda for the upcoming Senate gathering set to convene on March 4. Spearheaded by Senator Bahramand Tangi of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), this proposed ban targets major platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, the platform formerly known as Twitter (now known as X), and YouTube. Within the resolution, the senator advocates for the prohibition of mainstream social media platforms, citing concerns over their potential misuse against the nation’s interests. The primary objective is to shield the younger generation from the adverse impacts they may pose.
Coach360 Launches EdTech Platform to Empower Youth:
Coach360, a platform for mentoring and counseling young talent, has launched Skills360, one of the first privately owned EdTech institutes in Pakistan, focused on upskilling the country’s existing and upcoming workforce. It aims to empower Pakistan’s youth by providing it with essential IT skills for a secure financial future. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between Skills360 and ProByte, one of the leading IT companies in Pakistan, underlining a commitment to advancing digital skills and fostering innovation in Pakistan’s job market. The uniqueness of Skills360 lies in encouraging real-world application of learned skills, creating a pathway for individuals to start earning. At its launch, Skills360 is introducing courses in Graphic Design and CMS (Content Management System) Development to start with, with plans to expand its course offerings in the future.
Defence Forces Allows 5G Spectrum Auction in 700 MHz Band:
The Defence Forces of Pakistan have made available 30 MHz ( 2 x 15 MHz) in 700 MHz band to the government, thus bringing the total availability of around 300 MHz spectrum for NGMS / 5G spectrum auction in the country. Sources told ProPakistani that the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) has been tasked to formally approve and recommend considering the availability of the maximum possible spectrum including 2×15 MHz in the 700 MHz band. Sources further added that the government has sufficient spectrum to offer for any future spectrum auction for NGMS in Pakistan; however, cellular mobile operators (CMOs) are taking a cautious approach due to economic challenges and uncertainty in the market regarding the launch of 5G.
Zong 4G Announces Free of Cost Services in Gwadar Amid Flood Calamity:
In the wake of the unprecedented floods affecting people in Gwadar and interior Baluchistan, Zong 4G has announced free-of-cost services for all impacted areas. The affected can subscribe by dialing *9090# to avail 20 On net minutes for 1 Day and ensure they remain connected with their loved ones, especially during these testing times. Zong 4G is going above and beyond by providing free services to all impacted customers. This includes free of charge calls without any condition of minimum balance to all Zong Numbers in Pakistan for people in affected areas. Additionally, the company is ensuring that its employees and their families are safe and that no customer suffers outages or network lags in their mobile services. This will be especially helpful for rescue services and families to stay connected with each other. Free calls will allow rescue workers to coordinate relief efforts more effectively, while families separated by the floods can stay in touch and share updates on their safety and whereabouts.
PM Kakar “Thinks” Twitter is Working in Pakistan:
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar thinks that X (formerly Twitter) is working in Pakistan. In an interview with Media, the premier was asked when the services of X will be restored in the country. In response, the prime minister said that in his opinion X is not restricted in Pakistan. However, the premier added that if there are any technical issues related to X, the upcoming government will resolve them after assuming power. It is pertinent to mention here that the services of X disappeared in Pakistan on February 17. There was no comment by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) or any other government official regarding the unexplained restriction of one of the most used social media platforms in the country.
X Reinstates Misgendering Policy That Was Discarded by Elon Musk:
Twitter, now known as X, quietly made changes to its abuse and harassment policy last year in April. The policy change no longer deemed deadnaming (referring to transgender individuals by their former names) and misgendering (deliberately using incorrect pronouns or gender identities) as bannable offenses. This policy, which was originally put into place in 2018, was changed once the company’s owner Elon Musk suggested that his tweets might contravene the longstanding policy. Following Musk’s remarks, the matter seemed to fade into obscurity—until recently, when the platform, now rebranded as X, quietly reintroduced a modified iteration of the previous policy.
This Tiny Gaming PC Has Water Cooling, Intel Core Ultra, and an RTX 4060:
Tecno brought more than a few stand-out devices at this year’s MWC event, including a rollable phone, and a handheld console with VR glasses, but that’s not the end of it. The Chinese phone maker has also unveiled a small gaming PC complete with the latest gaming hardware. As reported by Media, Tecno’s Mega Mini Gaming G1 is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, ensuring seamless performance even with the most demanding PC games. Moreover, it boasts compatibility with a 13th-Gen Core i9 13900H processor featuring Turbo Boost technology, capable of reaching clock speeds up to 5.4GHz. Complementing these powerful processors, the Mega Mini Gaming G1 is outfitted with impressive specifications including 32GB of DDR5 RAM, 1TB of storage, support for Wi-Fi 6E, Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, and Oculink support. With such robust features, it’s poised to be a standout contender in the Mini PC market.
Google Chrome’s New Update Lets it Better Guess What You’re Searching While Typing:
Chrome is introducing updates aimed at enhancing your search experience, ensuring it’s more seamless and intuitive than ever before. With these updates, Chrome anticipates your search queries even before you begin typing in the search box, presenting you with relevant suggestions based on your past searches. For instance, if you’ve recently searched for home decor items such as curtains, you can now expect to encounter visual recommendations for related items like furniture, artwork, and more, the next time you’re contemplating what to search for. This is not exactly a new feature as Google has been working on the concept for almost 4 years now. A similar feature called “People also search for” has been in development since 202, but Google has now refined it further with more development and improvements. This makes the feature feel more personalized than before.
Windows 11’s New Update Brings More AI Features, Improved Copilot, and More:
Windows 11 has just received a new update that brings a host of new improvements and features such as widgets, Generative Erase for Photos, enhancements to the Copilot chatbot, and more. Copilot is getting more options to control the PC while Generative Erase will let you remove unwanted objects from a photo, similar to a lot of other photo editing apps with AI features. Not all features will be enabled straight away, however, as some of them are meant to roll out later. Copilot’s update will become available later this month. This will include the ability to activate battery-saver mode or get into accessibility features like Navigator or Magnifier directly through the AI chatbot. Copilot will also show available WiFi networks as well as remaining storage space on your PC and more.
Trump supporters target black voters with faked AI images:
Donald Trump supporters have been creating and sharing AI-generated fake images of black voters to encourage African Americans to vote Republican. The Media discovered dozens of deepfakes portraying black people as supporting the former president.
Mr Trump has openly courted black voters, who were key to Joe Biden’s election win in 2020. But there’s no evidence directly linking these images to Mr Trump’s campaign. The co-founder of Black Voters Matter, a group which encourages black people to vote, said the manipulated images were pushing a “strategic narrative” designed to show Mr Trump as popular in the black community.
Nissan accused of dumping its electric car pioneers:
Owners of Nissan Leaf electric cars have accused the firm of “dumping its pioneers” after it announced its app would stop working for older vehicles. The firm says the app – which allows remote control of functions such as heating – is stopping because the UK’s 2G network is being switched off. But customers have reacted with anger, telling the Media they did not expect it to be withdrawn. Experts expect the issue to affect more electric vehicles as the market grows. Around 3,000 Nissan Leaf and e-NV200 cars made before 2016 are affected by the app being withdrawn.
Surrey: AI to help turn dog pics into 3D models:
Photographs of dogs could be used to help generate 3D models more accurately, a study has revealed. Researchers at the University of Surrey taught an artificial intelligence (AI) system to predict the 3D pose from a 2D image of a dog. A myriad of virtual dogs were created using the video game Grand Theft Auto. Postgraduate research student Moira Shooter said: “From ecology to animation, this neat solution has so many possible uses.” One way to teach AI to get 3D information from 2D images is to show it photos while giving it information about 3D ‘ground truth’ – where the objects are in 3D space.
Singing ‘saved the life’ of King’s Lynn woman seriously hurt in crash:
A singer whose life was changed by a serious car crash in her teens has said it feels “magical” to release her first single, 19 years on. Jordan Bone, from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, was just 15 when she became a quadriplegic in the accident. After battling depression, her beauty videos attracted millions of views on YouTube, but singing had always been her passion. “It feels incredible to have a song out there in the world,” she said. Ms Bone was a passenger in a car that rolled into a ditch in 2005. “When I became conscious I was lying against the roof with the seatbelt wrapped around my neck,” she said. “I thought I was going to die. I remember thinking, ‘I am 15 years old, I’ve got so much to do’. “I began singing Candi Staton’s You’ve Got the Love – and it was probably just a whisper – but it brought me back to the moment. It felt like singing saved me.”
Mia Janin: Father wants cyber-bullying law after daughter’s death:
The father of a girl who took her own life says cyber-bullying should be made a specific crime to protect children. Mia Janin’s parents had no idea she was being targeted on social media by pupils at her London school before she died in March 2021, aged 14. Father Mariano Janin told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme new laws were needed to tackle the issue affecting young people globally. He said it was time to be “more alert and I would like the system to work”. Mia was found dead at her Harrow family home a day after returning to Jewish Free School (JFS) following the lifting of Covid lockdown restrictions.
RNLI game wins over Cullercoats volunteer’s grandson:
The grandson of an RNLI volunteer has given the thumbs up to a new children’s sea safety game launched as the charity celebrates its 200th birthday. On the day the charity clocks up two centuries, Luke Mather, the grandson of Cullercoats RNLI volunteer Kay Heslop, turns eight. Luke trialled the digital game Storm Force Rescue ahead of it going live. It aims to raise water safety awareness and Luke said he would download it when it goes live on 4 March.
How we tracked down the Ukrainian poison seller:
A Ukrainian man who sells poison to people who want to take their own lives has been named by the BBC. This is the story of how – after a two-year investigation – we tracked the seller down and finally confronted him outside a post office in war-torn Kyiv. On a website where people openly discuss suicide, “the Ukraine supplier” was a name frequently discussed by members. The mysterious trader was shipping a chemical commonly used for suicide around the world from Ukraine’s capital. He has been linked to at least 130 UK deaths. We traced his online store, as well as his email address and PayPal account, and managed to identify the man as Leonid Zakutenko. In January 2022, we decided to make direct contact with Zakutenko, posing as an interested buyer on the pro-suicide forum.
Matt Hancock MP awaits ruling on antisemitism libel claim by Andrew Bridgen MP:
Matt Hancock is waiting for a judge’s ruling on whether a fellow MP’s claim the former health secretary had libellously labelled him as antisemitic should be thrown out. Independent Andrew Bridgen has made a libel claim against Mr Hancock, independent MP for West Suffolk, over a tweet the latter posted a year ago. Mr Hancock’s lawyers argued there was no case to answer. Mrs Justice Steyn said she would deliver a ruling on a date to be fixed. The judge, who oversaw a High Court hearing in London, was told that Mr Bridgen wanted to “clear his name” after allegedly being accused of antisemitism by Mr Hancock.
Binance: Nigeria orders cryptocurrency firm to pay $10bn:
The Nigerian government says it has demanded almost $10bn (£8bn) in compensation from the cryptocurrency firm, Binance. It says Binance manipulated foreign exchange rates through currency speculation and rate-fixing, which have seen the naira lose nearly 70% of its value in recent months. Two Binance executives were arrested in Nigeria earlier in the week. Binance has not responded to the Media’s requests for comment. Nigeria is Africa’s biggest economy and also one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency markets.
As banks buy up bitcoins, who else are the ‘Bitcoin whales’?:
The price of Bitcoin is close to its all-time high, thanks in large part to US finance giants. Investment firms like Grayscale, BlackRock and Fidelity, are pouring billions of dollars into buying the volatile digital asset. In the last few weeks, these powerful institutions have become so called ‘Bitcoin whales’. Because of Bitcoin’s system there will only ever be 21 million bitcoins. 19 million have been created, but many are already accounted for and probably off the market. So what other organisations or individuals are Bitcoin whales, and what does the shift in wealth mean for the digital currency that was originally created as a peer-to-peer internet money?
Elon Musk sues ChatGPT-maker OpenAI over Microsoft links:
Elon Musk is suing OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT, arguing it has breached the principles he agreed to when he helped found it in 2015. The lawsuit – which has also been filed against OpenAI boss Sam Altman – says the firm has departed from its original non-profit, open source mission. It says instead of trying to “benefit humanity” – as it was set up to do – it is focusing on “maximising profits” for major investor Microsoft. OpenAI has been approached for comment. The firm was created with the intention of building what’s known as artificial general intelligence (AGI) – AI that can perform any task a human being is capable of. It was also set up as a not-for-profit company, meaning it would not aim to make money. The lawsuit, which has been filed in San Francisco, states it was under these conditions, that Mr Musk agreed to found OpenAI, along with Mr Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman.
He left three years later. “This case is filed to compel OpenAI to adhere to the Founding Agreement and return to its mission to develop AGI for the benefit of humanity, not to personally benefit the individual Defendants and the largest technology company in the world,” the lawsuit says. The filing comes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that US regulators had begun to probe the ChatGPT creator over whether investors had been misled, following boardroom drama at OpenAI in November 2023.
Online hate: South Asian fans on facing ‘firing squad of racist abuse’:
Eni Aluko and Brentford striker Neal Maupay have been speaking out about online hate directed at football pundits and players. Aluko criticised X for “allowing people to vomit their hatred unchecked” and says the abuse made her feel unsafe. And Maupay referred his ordeal to the Premier League’s special troll-busting unit, which led to the conviction of one troll who’d targeted him in Singapore. If you’re a fan without access to the services of a dedicated team, your only current option is to report abuse to police or social media sites. But South Asian football fans have said they feel the hate they get flies under the radar.
Nintendo Switch sent for repair replaced with cargo trousers:
A father has been refunded after he sent a retailer a faulty games console for repair and received a pair of cargo trousers in its place. Scott Purdue, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, had bought a Nintendo Switch from House of Fraser for his son, four, as a Christmas present. Frasers Group sent him the clothing and claimed he had sent it to the store. The retailer has now apologised to Mr Purdue and issued him a full refund for the console and a goodwill voucher. The father said he had paid £309 for the console in November, and had not realised it had a fault reading games until his son used it on Christmas Day. The Nintendo Switch Pro was sent back to House of Fraser in January for it to be repaired or replaced. After not hearing anything back from the retailer, Mr Purdue contacted the store and it informed him that it had received a pair of cargo trousers instead. Mr Purdue said he was “stressed” by the response and asked the company what had happened to the games console.