Austria’s Repair Bonus voucher scheme sees the government pay citizens up to €200 (£173) towards getting old electrical appliances, devices and tech gadgets fixed.  Why?   The Austrian government scheme, financed through the Covid Recovery Fund, is designed to motivate people to repair rather than throw away old electrical appliances (and add to a growing pile […]

If there are websites that you use regularly, pinning tabs is a way to save time, stay organised, and get right to the websites you need every time you open your Google Chrome browser. Here’s how it works: – Open Chrome and type in the domain of the required website. – Right-click on the tab

Following on from Google’s recent launch announcement for Gemini (its new super-powered foundation model family), Google has now announced the launch of AI Studio to enable the development of apps and chatbots using Gemini.  Gemini (Pro)  Google recently announced the introduction of its largest and most capable AI model, Gemini. The three sizes of the

A whitepaper by researchers at Sophos highlights how, rather than remaining anonymous, ransomware gangs now engage with the media to shape the narrative around a hack and gain a tactical and strategic advantage.  The Ransomware Threat Ransomware is a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system or data (typically by encrypting

A Los Angeles-based startup has said the news channel it’s about to launch will feature virtual newsreaders delivering news content generated by AI.  AI-Generated News And Presenters  Channel 1, which describes itself as a “personalised global news network powered by AI” showcased its virtual AI-generated news and presenters in a half-hour long video posted on Twitter.  The

It’s been reported that the UK’s Minister of State (Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire), the Rt Hon Chris Philp MP, has urged UK police forces to follow Bedfordshire’s example of using artificial intelligence (AI) to save time and money in carrying out admin tasks.  Which Admin Tasks?  The main task that Mr Philip was

Following U.S. Senator Ron Wyden revealing that governments can secretly force Apple and Google to hand over the contents of push notifications sent to customers’ phones, Apple has said it’s changed its policy and will no longer do so without a valid judge’s order. This will be either a court order or a search warrant.  

Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit has reported disrupting the activities of major cybercrime-as-a-service provider Storm-1152. Microsoft says Storm-1152 has created for sale approximately 750 million fraudulent Microsoft accounts, earning the group millions of dollars in illicit revenue, and costing Microsoft and other companies even more to combat their criminal activity. Fraudulent online accounts of the type

A report by the Rocky Mountain Institute highlights how a domino effect of surging battery demand could put global climate goals within reach by enabling a 22 Gigatons per year reduction in CO2 emission.  The Surge in Battery Demand – A Domino Effect  The report suggests that the world is witnessing a shift in energy

If you don’t want to type but need to produce some written content (e.g. dictate something for an email message or an offer) the Windows ‘voice typing’ feature easily and quickly transcribes your speech to text. If you haven’t yet tried it, you may find it fun as well as useful. Here’s how it works: