Austin, United States | AFP | They may never be able to fill a stadium for a rock concert, but computers are making inroads in the music industry, capable of producing songs — and convincingly so — as illustrated at the South by Southwest festival in Texas. Already, an album …
Read More »The mind distracted: technology’s battle for our attention
Paris, France | AFP | Between distractions, diversions and the flickering allure of a random suggestion, the major computer platforms aim to keep us glued to our screens come what may. Now some think it is time to escape the tyranny of the digital age. Everyone staring for hours at …
Read More »Understanding Blockchain
ANALYSIS: Bitcoin is often confused with blockchain which is the technology on which the cryptocurrency is based Kampala, Uganda | Morris Borris Atugonza | A blockchain is a database that is shared across a network of computers. Once a record has been added to the chain it is very difficult to change it. …
Read More »France nears implementation of digital tax
Paris, France | AFP | France will push ahead with its own tax on large internet and technology companies by introducing a bill that would be retroactive to January 1, its finance minister said Sunday. The move comes as the European Union tries to finalise an EU-wide levy. “We are …
Read More »Daimler, BMW win green light for car-sharing merger
Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | German carmakers Daimler and BMW said Wednesday they had won final approval to merge their car-sharing services Car2Go and DriveNow, paving the way for the creation of a European giant to challenge the likes of Uber. In a joint statement, the companies said …
Read More »France to push ahead with digital tax starting January 1
Paris, France | AFP | France will push ahead with its own tax on large internet and technology companies from January 1, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday, as the European Union struggles to finalise a new EU-wide levy. France has been driving hard for a new so-called “GAFA …
Read More »France to introduce tax on large internet, tech firms
Paris, France | AFP | France will introduce its own tax on large internet and technology companies from January 1, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday amid difficulties in finalising a new EU-wide levy. France has been pushing hard for a new so-called “GAFA tax” — named after Google, …
Read More »‘Fix Facebook, whether it wants to or not’
Bruxelles, Belgium | AFP | Eight months after revealing the links between Facebook and Cambridge Analytica (CA), whistleblower Christopher Wylie is pushing for the internet giant to be regulated — whether it wants to or not. He is scathing about Facebook’s “man-child” chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and the arrogance of …
Read More »Facial recognition deployed at China marathon to stop cheats
Shanghai, China | AFP | Facial recognition will be deployed at a marathon on Sunday in China to crack down on cheating, state media said, after a half-marathon was blighted by widescale flouting of the rules. Running and marathons are fast becoming popular in China, with participants sporting the latest …
Read More »After conquering the world, smartphone faces uncertain future
Washington, United States | AFP | What is next for the smartphone, which has become the hottest-selling consumer device around the world in just over a decade? Even as top makers like Apple and Samsung unveil new handsets with new features and improved performance, smartphone sales have flattened with most …
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