Category: iTechnology

Category: iTechnology

A Computerized Map Can Predict the Next COVID-19 Outbreak
04/13/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Predicting whether an outbreak is likely to happen is now possible with the COVID-19 Outbreak Detection Tool, a map that shows the coming hotspots for the disease, if accurate data is available.  VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details.Producer: Elizabeth Lee …

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Texas Teens Win Top Honors in International Competition    
04/13/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The international Future City Competition recently announced its 2021 winners in the first ever all-virtual event. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. …

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Texas School’s Lunar City Wins Top Honors in International Competition    
04/13/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The international Future City Competition recently announced its 2021 winners in the first ever all-virtual event. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. …

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New App Helps Disaster Responders Deal with Religious Communities
04/11/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Religious organizations in the U.S. are a key part of a community’s response to a disaster.  As Mike O’Sullivan reports, a new smartphone app is helping coordinate that response between relief workers and faith groups while making it more effective. …

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Expansion Plan by World’s Largest Contract Chipmaker Won’t Ease Global Shortage: Experts
04/09/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Plans by the world’s largest contract chipmaker for a record $100 billion capacity expansion will just mildly dent a growing worldwide shortage of semiconductors for gear such as high-speed notebook computers, 5G smartphones and newer vehicles, tech experts believe.Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said in an April 1 legal notice to the Taipei stock exchange that

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High Court Sides with Google in Copyright Fight with Oracle
04/05/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The Supreme Court sided Monday with Google in an $8 billion copyright dispute with Oracle over the internet company’s creation of the Android operating system used on most smartphones worldwide.To create Android, which was released in 2007, Google wrote millions of lines of new computer code. But it also used 11,330 lines of code and

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Facing Pressure at Home, Chinese Tech Giants Expand in Singapore
04/05/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Chinese tech giants are expanding in Singapore as they face a crackdown at home and growing pressure in other key markets — but they may struggle to find talent in the city-state. Messaging-and-gaming behemoth Tencent is opening a hub and TikTok owner ByteDance is on a hiring spree after establishing a regional headquarters, while e-commerce giant Alibaba is investing in property and recruiting. The tech firms

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LinkedIn Gives Staff Week Off for Well-being
04/03/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Professional social network LinkedIn is giving nearly all of its 15,900 full-time workers next week off as it seeks to avoid burnout and allow its employees to recharge, the company told AFP Friday.The Microsoft-owned firm said that the “RestUp!” week starting Monday is meant to give employees time for their own well-being.”There is something magical

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US Supreme Court Rules in Facebook’s Favor in Case About Unwanted Texting
04/01/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday tossed out a lawsuit accusing Facebook Inc. of violating a federal anti-robocall law.The justices, in a 9-0 decision authored by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, sided with Facebook in its argument that text messages the social media company sent did not violate a 1991 federal law called the Telephone Consumer Protection

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NFTs: A Cryptocurrency Craze Creates Market for Digital Art, Even Tweets
04/01/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The record-breaking sale of a digital artwork in March is part of a rush to invest in previously unmarketable things like basketball highlights, video game art, and even tweets. Making it possible are NFTs or Non-Fungible Tokens. Matt Dibble explains. …

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Microsoft Wins $22 Billion Deal Making Headsets for US Army
03/31/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Microsoft won a nearly $22 billion contract to supply U.S. Army combat troops with its augmented reality headsets.     Microsoft and the Army separately announced the deal Wednesday.   The technology is based on Microsoft’s HoloLens headsets, which were originally intended for the video game and entertainment industries.   Pentagon officials have described the

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US Lawmakers Press Big Tech for Internal Research on Kids’ Mental Health
03/30/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Four Republican U.S. lawmakers requested on Tuesday that Facebook Inc., Twitter, and Alphabet Inc.’s Google turn over any studies they have done on how their services affect children’s mental health.The request follows a joint hearing last week of two House Energy and Commerce subcommittees at which the companies’ chief executives discussed their content moderation practices

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SpaceX’s SN11 Rocket Prototype Explodes Upon Landing
03/30/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Elon Musk’s SpaceX suffered another setback Tuesday when one of its experimental rockets malfunctioned during a test flight at the company’s Texas facility.   The incident occurred as the Starship SN11 prototype was attempting to land after what the company called a normal ascent to roughly 12 kilometers in altitude.   Heavy fog obscured observers

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A ‘Soft’ Robot Dropped by Drone Helps First Responders
03/30/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A robot conceived to roll on planets is being used by firefighters in the U.S. to give them “situational awareness” before going into dangerous situations. It’s called Squishy, and Michelle Quinn found out more.Camera: Michelle Quinn Producer: Michelle Quinn   …

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Facebook, Google Announce Plans for Undersea Cables Joining Asia, North America
03/29/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

After canceling plans for undersea cables connecting the United States with Hong Kong because of U.S. government pressure, Facebook and Google now say they will run similar cables to Singapore and Indonesia.   “Named Echo and Bifrost, those will be the first two cables to go through a new diverse route crossing the Java Sea,

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Tech Faces a Year of Scrutiny and Change
03/27/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook hired fact-checkers, Twitter labeled tweets and Google took down videos, but for tech companies, disinformation is the problem that won’t go away. The social media giants face intensifying pressure to curtail disinformation as lawmakers in the US talk about new regulations. Tina Trinh reports. Producer: Matt Dibble …

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Facebook Finds Chinese Hacking Operation Targeting Uyghurs
03/25/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Hackers in China used fake Facebook accounts and impostor websites to try to break into the computers and smartphones of Uyghur Muslims, the social network said Wednesday.The company said the sophisticated covert operation targeted Uyghur activists, journalists and dissidents from China’s Xinjiang region, as well as individuals living in Turkey, Kazakhstan, the U.S., Syria, Australia,

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Years-Long US Pressure Campaign Chokes Huawei’s Growth
03/24/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

When Joe Biden took office as president, the Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei Technologies saw at least a glimmer of hope that the U.S.-led campaign to shut it out of international markets might be eased somewhat. Once a global leader in smartphone sales, Huawei has seen its market share outside China plummet since the Trump administration began

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Press Freedom Group Sues Facebook Over Misinformation, ‘Hate Speech’
03/23/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Press freedom advocate Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is suing Facebook in France, saying the social media platform spreads misinformation. The suit was filed Monday with the Paris public prosecutor.  “Reporters Without Borders accuses Facebook of ‘deceptive commercial practices’ on the grounds that the social media company’s promises to provide a ‘safe’ and ‘error-free’ online environment

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Extremist Groups Thrive on Facebook Despite Bans
03/23/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A new outside report found that Facebook has allowed groups — many tied to QAnon, boogaloo and militia movements — to glorify violence during the 2020 election and in the weeks leading up to the deadly riots on the U.S. Capitol in January. Avaaz, a nonprofit advocacy group that says it seeks to protect democracies

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Japan Car Makers Scramble to Assess Impact of Renesas Auto Chip-plant Fire
03/22/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Toyota, Nissan, Honda and other Japanese automakers scrambled on Monday to assess the production impact of a fire at a Renesas Electronics automotive chip plant that could aggravate a global semiconductor shortage. “We are gathering information and trying to see if this will affect us or not,” a Honda spokesperson said. Other car makers including Toyota and Nissan said they too were assessing the situation. The effect

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Twitter Asks Users to Weigh in on Rules for World Leaders
03/19/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Twitter on Friday began a survey of global users about platform rules for world leaders while consulting human rights and academic specialists on its next policy steps.The announcement comes after Twitter joined other social networks banning then-president Donald Trump for his comments seen as inciting the violent attack on the US Capitol in January.The ban

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