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Showing posts from November, 2019

Here's the evidence we're headed for a climate crisis tipping point

A thawing Antarctica, a transforming Amazon, and other devastating changes may be more likely than scientists previously believed from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/33xELul

Polestar 1 review: one of the best plug-in hybrids we’ve ever driven

Blistering pace and seductive styling make this one of the most striking plug-in GTs around. So why is Polestar only making 1,500? from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2OZuzWe

Why is Netflix buying cinemas? The answer is Martin Scorsese

Netflix has bought a cinema in New York. It could be the start of a big screen revolution from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2DuzXv8

WhatsApp’s new feature for iPhones, new Aadhaar app, Xiaomi has a new Tv and more

from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2OVo6LS

23 top-end and mid-range phones from Apple, Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Realme and others that got price cuts in 2019

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Black Friday sees record $7.4B in online sales, $2.9B spent using smartphones

Following swiftly on the heels of a Thanksgiving that broke records with $4.2 billion in online sales, Black Friday also hit a new high, although it just fell short of predictions. According to analytics from Adobe , consumers spent $7.4 billion online yesterday buying goods online via computers, tablets and smartphones. The figures were up by $1.2 billion on Black Friday 2018 , but they actually fell short of Adobe’s prediction for the day, which was $7.5 billion. Salesforce, meanwhile, said that its checks revealed $7.2 billion in sales (even further off the forecast). Popular products included toys on the themes of Frozen 2, L.O.L Surprise, and Paw Patrol. Best selling video games included FIFA 20, Madden 20, and Nintendo Switch. And top electronics, meanwhile, included Apple Laptops, Airpods, and Samsung TVs. A full $2.9 billion of Black Friday sales happened on smartphones. These conversions are growing faster than online shopping overall, so we are now approaching a tipping po

Ockam raises $3.2 million in seed funding to make it easier for developers to secure and scale their IoT apps

Ockam , a two-year-old, Bay Area-based company that’s selling tools to developers to they can establish an “architecture for trust” within their connected device applications, has raised $3.2 million in seed funding, including from Core Ventures, Okta Ventures, SGH Capital, and Future Ventures. This serverless platform for IoT development is being led by CEO Matthew Gregory and CTO Mrinal Wadhwa, two cofounders with noteworthy backgrounds. Before launching Ockam in the fall of 2017, Gregory was an “intrapreneur” at Microsoft, where he says he helped lead Azure’s pivot into open source software and container services. He also spent a couple of years at Salesforce as a product manager and, interestingly, spent a few years years ago as a system engineer working for Stars & Stripes, a syndicate of the yacht-racing competition America’s Cup where he tells us he led an engineering effort to build custom systems of sensors, analytics software and wireless communications tools needed to

Storm Ventures just closed its sixth fund with $130 million

Storm Ventures , a now 19-year-old, Sand Hill Road venture firm in Menlo Park, Ca., has closed on $130.4 million, shows a new SEC filing . The outfit began its fundraising late last, according to an earlier filing. It had closed its previous fund with $180 million in 2015. Storm distinguishes itself in numerous ways, including its exclusive focus on seed and Series A stage enterprise startups, including mobile, SaaS and cloud infrastructure companies. The partners also have a penchant for helping far-flung startups grow the footprint around the blog. Tae Hea Nahm, for example, a founding managing director of the firm (and cofounder of four mobile companies before that, including Airespace and MobileIron ), was born in Seoul, he has told us in the past that he spends a considerable amount of time in South Korea to attend startup board meetings but also to visit with Samsun and others of Storm’s LPs, which includes Korea Telecom. Ryan Floyd, another of the firm’s cofounders, meanwh

NASA shares mid-sized robotic lunar lander concept with industry

As NASA presses forward with the agency's mission to the Moon, Mars and beyond, the development of top-tier technology is critical to success. With emphasis on lunar exploration and scientific investigation, the desire to deliver a wide variety of payloads to the Moon has increased. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2rCqP51

Smog in Iran shuts schools, universities

Air pollution forced the closure of schools and universities in parts of Iran on Saturday, including Tehran, which was cloaked by a cloud of toxic smog, state media reported. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2r2oFeN

Science warnings, US retreat add urgency to UN climate talks

Mass protests, a last-minute venue change and talk of climate tipping points are adding some unplanned drama to this year's international talks on tackling global warming. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2rCqJub

Facebook bowed to a Singapore government order to brand a news post as false

Facebook added a correction notice to a post by a fringe news site that Singapore’s government said contained false information. It’s the first time the government has tried to enforce a new law against ‘fake news’ outside its borders. The post by fringe news site States Times Review (STR), contained “scurrilous accusations” according to the Singapore government. The States Times Review post contained accusations about the arrest of an alleged whistleblower and election-rigging. Singapore authorities had previously ordered STR editor Alex Tan to correct the post but the Australian citizen said he would “not comply with any order from a foreign government”. Mr Tan, who was born in Singapore, said he was an Australian citizen living in Australia and was not subject to the law. In a follow-up post, he said he would “defy and resist every unjust law”. He also posted the article on Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Docs and challenged the government to order corrections there as well. On t

Original Content podcast: Reasons to be thankful for streaming and Star Wars

Since it’s a holiday week for those of us in the United States, we’ve put together an (even more) unstructured episode of the Original Content podcast . Among other things, this gives us a chance to update our initial review of “The Mandalorian” by acknowledging the Disney+ show’s breakout character, known unofficially as Baby Yoda — maybe that counts as a spoiler, but he’s all over social media already, and he’s even the subject of new Disney merchandise that seems to have been rushed into production . Beyond our “Mandalorian” catch-up, Star Wars comes up again during our discussion of things from the streaming and entertainment world that we’re thankful for. Despite some behind-the-scenes turmoil, the Disney era at Lucasfilm has brought us some delightful films, particularly “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi.” It might seem kind of redundant to praise two of the most commercially successful films of all time , but it’s also an opportunity to address the online backlash and c

This Week in Apps: Apple Arcade updates, TikTok distances itself from China, Kardashians send shady app to No. 1

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Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the Extra Crunch series that recaps the latest OS news, the applications they support and the money that flows through it all. What are developers talking about? What do app publishers and marketers need to know? How are politics impacting the App Store and app businesses? And which apps are everyone using? This week, we’re discussing the impact of the CFIUS investigation into TikTok, the further fallout of Apple’s vaping app ban, updates to Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass subscription-based app stores, Apple’s breaking changes that rolled out without warning (thanks, Apple!) and a shady app that reached the top of the App Store thanks to a big Kardashians-led endorsement, among other things. Headlines TikTok separates further from its Chinese parent One of the world’s most downloaded and used apps, TikTok, is under a national security review in the U.S. because of its Chinese roots. TikTok parent company, ByteDance, is a China-based operation —

As the new year beckons European investors start moving into new roles

As the Holiday Season approaches, new jobs for players in the tech ecosystem beckon. And this is no less true for investors. Two notable moves have recently happened that are worthy of note in the European scene. The first is that GR Capital , a pan-European VC, is opening an office in London and has lured Jason Ball , who, earlier this year, left Qualcomm Ventures where had been European Managing Director for over a decade. Bad spent ten years as a mentor at Seedcamp and individually invested in more than ten companies. He was understood to be looking for new challenges, either building a new fund or joining another – so now we have our answer as to what he decided. Founded in 2016 by Roma Ivaniuk in Ukraine, GR Capital specializes in late-stage VC investments. It has over $70M under management and has invested in Lime, Azimo, WeFox, McMakler, Glovo and Meero among others. The fund has traditionally been known for investing in Eastern Europe, but with a London office and the extreme

Startups Weekly: Chinese investors double down on African startups

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Hello and welcome back to Startups Weekly, a weekend newsletter that dives into the week’s noteworthy startups and venture capital news. Before I jump into today’s topic, let’s catch up a bit. Last week, I wrote about Airbnb’s issues . Before that, I noted Uber’s new “money” team . Remember, you can send me tips, suggestions and feedback to kate.clark@techcrunch.com or on Twitter  @KateClarkTweets . If you’re new, you can subscribe to Startups Weekly here . China’s pivot to Africa Three African fintech startups; OPay , PalmPay and East African trucking logistics company Lori Systems , closed large fundraises this year. On their own, the deals aren’t particularly notable, but together, they expose a new trend within the African startup ecosystem. This year, those three companies brought in a total of $240 million in venture capital funding from 15 different Chinese investors, who’ve become increasingly active in Africa’s tech scene. TechCrunch reporter Jake Bright , who covers A

EU antitrust regulators seek details of Google's data practices

UK-EU-ALPHABET-EU antitrust regulators seek details of Google's data practices - document from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/35Os6EC

Jony Ive formally bids goodbye to Apple, removed from leadership page

Sir Jony Ive, Apple's chief design officer who is behind the look and feel of the iPhone or iMac that you use today, has formally left Apple as his biography along with photo disappearing from Apple's Leadership page. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/33C1oh0

Fraudsters accessed Flipkart, Myntra customer data, claim Noida cops

Sub-inspector Baljeet Singh of Noida police’s cybercrime cell told TOI that along with details like names, email IDs, shipping addresses and order IDs, the accused were also in possession of data of products bought by customers on Flipkart and Myntra in the past. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2DrR40D

Mukesh Ambani beats Google founders in 'rich list'

With a net worth of $60 billion, Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani has been ranked the 9th richest person globally, according to 'The Real-Time Billionaires List' of Forbes, that was topped by Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. The company on Thursday became the first Indian firm to hit the Rs 10 lakh crore market valuation mark following a spike in its share price. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2OArcGf

Govt extends mandatory FASTag roll-out date to Dec 15; free FASTags till Dec 15

The government on Friday extended till December 15 the date for making FASTag mandatory for toll payments on national highways. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2Y1SMPR

Inside Momentum's data-driven march to put Corbyn in Number 10

The pro-Corbyn group has spent two years honing its campaigning technology. Will it be enough to make Corbyn prime minister? from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2DrA8qW

Melting ski resorts are developing a fatal addiction to snow machines

The climate crisis is warming ski slopes, forcing resorts to turn to snow-generating beasts. But the energy- and water-hungry machines come with a heavy environmental toll from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2DtyFjX

The 10 Year Challenge is back. You still shouldn't do it

Your face may already be over the internet but there's a lot that can be learnt if companies hoover up data on how you've aged from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/33tEOao

20 tough questions Google asked in job interviews

from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2XYTTzL

Dark patterns: Research reveals the dirty tricks of online shopping

As millions of people begin their holiday shopping, they'll come across many familiar tricks online. In some cases, sites will hype limited-time deals with a countdown clock, warn you that the product you're looking at is running out of stock, or tell you that 65 people in your area have recently purchased the item. In others, they'll quietly add items to your cart, or sign you up for recurring payments under the guise of a free trial. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2R1puPN

Genetic capabilities cut time for potential Texas wheat lines to make field appearance

When new pests, diseases or environmental issues are identified in Texas wheat, expertise in doubled haploid development can help find solutions in less than half the time of traditional breeding practices. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2XUTIW6

Sounds of the past give new hope for coral reef restoration

Young fish can be drawn to degraded coral reefs by loudspeakers playing the sounds of healthy reefs, according to new research published today in Nature Communications. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/37OrbWI

The 12 best Amazon Black Friday deals, ranked

We've found 12 really good Amazon Black Friday deals on genuinely good WIRED-rated products from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2L4fD7P

Lowe’s Anant says you must know why you need an MBA

Most engineering graduates see an MBA degree as the magical open sesame to the management side of business. But not Anant Arora. Anant decided not to jump on the bandwagon immediately after his engineering. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/37RKoqG

Local EV tech tries to beat China imports

The early electric two-wheelers in India were totally dependent on relatively cheaper Chinese batteries. But that’s changing as Indian electric vehicle (EV) makers use indigenous technical skills to build more robust batteries. A battery in an EV is core to it and accounts for almost half of the total cost of the vehicle. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2DqGcQH

New Accenture platform seeks to reduce cloud choice complexity

When the public cloud first emerged, the only question was, should one move to it. But today, there are multiple public cloud infrastructure providers – the major ones being AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google – and innumerable and varied software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. And most customers still have their own data centres with their own licensed software. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2rDsJC8

Why Pune-based Druva is valued at over $1 billion

In June, Druva became a unicorn. The Pune-based company is among the few Indian software ventures selling to global enterprises that has achieved a $1 billion valuation. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/34w6EnT

Black Friday sale on Amazon: Get up to 60% off on mobile accessories from international brands

from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2DqFa71

24-hour Black Friday Sale: 2-for-1 passes to Disrupt Berlin

Synchronize your watches startup fans, and get ready to score serious savings on passes to Disrupt Berlin 2019 . For today only, you can get 2 passes for the price of one. Our Black Friday sale starts now and runs through 11:59pm CET on 29 November . Don’t miss out! Simply purchase a pass to Disrupt Berlin now (Founder passes start at just €645 + VAT), and you’ll get two passes for the price of one. Split the cost with a colleague, gift the pass to a client or bring a member of your team to Disrupt. No matter how you choose to use that extra pass, you’ll reap extra value. Go BOGO — buy your passes — before the 24-hour clock runs out. Now you and your buddy can get ready to make the most out of two program – and opportunity-packed days in Berlin. Connection is the name of the game at Disrupt events, and there’s no better place to start promising conversations than Startup Alley . You’ll find hundreds of early-stage startups and sponsors exhibiting an array of products, platforms and

Global climate protests kick off in smoke-covered Sydney

Protesters in smoke-covered Sydney kicked off a fresh round of global demonstrations against climate change on Friday, with activists and schoolchildren picketing the headquarters of bushfire-ravaged Australia's ruling party. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2Owc2l7

Slow and steady hope for near-extinct Bangladesh tortoises

Newly-hatched tortoises take their first steps at a Bangladesh conservation park, their feet barely visible under hard shells that carry the weight of the species on their backs. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2R2HoSm

Rescued tigers get Spanish safe haven

Five of nine tigers that narrowly survived a gruelling journey across Europe will be moved to a new home at an animal refuge in Spain after spending weeks recovering at zoos in Poland. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2Owr8am

In Antarctica, tourists swim among penguins

"It's like getting stabbed," a tourist exclaims as he plunges into the three degree Celsius (37 Fahrenheit) water, all under the intrigued gaze of a group of penguins. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2qLLy6p

Antarctica, 'heart of the Earth' needs protection: expert

It may be remote and uninhabited but Antarctica is suffering from man's activities, says the director of the Chilean Antarctic Institute, Marcelo Leppe, in an interview with AFP. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/34xL3LA

Antarctica tourism: the quest for Earth's vulnerable extremes

The swimsuit-clad tourists leap into the icy water, gasping at the shock, and startling a gaggle of penguins. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2rG4G5x

IAMAI flags ambiguities in draft data protection bill; seeks clarity on classification, consent

Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) flagged ambiguities that exist in the draft Bill and further said these will "lead to unnecessary compliance burden". from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2L7exbI

The bonkers, bristly story of how big toothbrush took over the world

In a few decades, two warring toothbrush giants have carved out a market worth billions, with the help of a little science and some clever marketing. But where does it go next? from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/37Qnz6r

Has Ovo sold its green energy soul to get into the UK's Big Six?

An energy company that started out in a barn in Bristol ten years ago is poised to become the second biggest provider of energy in the UK. That’s if nothing stands in the way from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/37Mxjie

The Baby Yoda gif debacle exposes the messy world of meme law

Gifs from The Mandalorian went viral on social media. But then they disappeared from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2OVzUxv

Elizabeth I identified as author of Tacitus translation

A new article in the Review of English Studies argues that a manuscript translation of Tacitus's Annales, completed in the late sixteenth century and preserved at Lambeth Palace Library, was done by Queen Elizabeth I. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/33wFGuM

India plans security audit of WhatsApp after hacking attempt

WhatsApp last month sued Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group, accusing it of helping clients break into the phones of roughly 1,400 users across four continents from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2rCLwgU

10 tech companies that received highest number of H-1B visas in 2019

from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2R05Gw7

New vaccine will stop the spread of bovine tuberculosis

Scientists at the University of Surrey have developed a novel vaccine and complementary skin test to protect cattle against bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB). from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/35Iu2ic

An electron highway headed for methanol

Making methanol just got a lot easier, now that chemists at Yale have opened up a new electron highway. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2qH3izL

Twitter testing new features to display conversations

Twitter is testing new features aimed at making it easier for users to follow the flow of conversations through such methods as threaded replies and other visual cues. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2rAg1UI

Bacteria overcome hurdles to jump between species

Bacteria can overcome significant challenges to transfer from one species and flourish in another, research has shown. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2ONR9Rs

S. Korea to suspend 25% of coal plants to fight pollution

South Korea will suspend up to a quarter of its coal-fired power plants in the next three months, even as demand for electricity peaks during the bitter winter, as it seeks to tackle air pollution, Seoul said Thursday. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2OSkhqH

Los Angeles: Hollywood, palm trees and urban oil fields

For most outsiders, Los Angeles is all about Hollywood, palm trees and sunny skies. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/34qisrK

Animals could help humans monitor oceans

Sharks, penguins, turtles and other seagoing species could help humans monitor the oceans by transmitting oceanographic information from electronic tags. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/33r765i

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 review: a genuine MacBook competitor

Microsoft’s latest laptop doesn’t make big changes – but it does deliver exceptional quality, beefed up internals and better design. Can it compete with Apple and Dell? from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2OR7Yeh

How YouGov became the UK's best but most controversial pollster

It started with market research. It ended with correctly predicting Theresa May's election fiasco from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2KYufpy

How to stay safe and dodge scams during the Black Friday bonanza

You want good deals, not malware. There are some simple things you can do to stay secure while Black Friday shopping from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2QXgR8P

Google promised transparency on political ads. It failed miserably

One of the UK's top ad-spenders is nowhere to be found in Google's ad archive from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/35DWTnE

Trai to review transparency in publishing of telecom tariff offers; move follows consumer plaints

In a bid to protect consumer interest, the telecom regulator on Wednesday initiated a fresh consultation on the issue of transparency in publishing tariff offers by telecom operators. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/35KY5FF

US Justice Department closes antitrust probe over wireless carrier-switching technology

The technology called eSIM allows consumers to switch wireless providers without having to insert a new physical SIM card, an identifying microchip. That makes it easier to compare wireless networks and easily select a new service when desired. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2L2LtSv

Panasonic to sell its chipmaking business to Taiwan's Nuvoton: Report

The ongoing U.S.-China tariff war has impacted chipmakers already grappling with oversupply. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2DkqXsr

Gamblers back Tesla in Ford tug of war as orders reach 250,000

The electric car maker opened bookings immediately after the unveiling and allowed potential buyers the option to reserve three versions of the truck priced at $39,900, $49,900 and $69,900. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/34CKYqh

Amazon's cloud unit readies more powerful data center chip : Sources

If Amazon Web Services' chip efforts are successful, it could lessen the unit's reliance on Intel Corp and Advanced Micro Devices Inc for server chips. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2sqClRl

TikTok apologizes for removing viral video about abuses against Uighurs, blames a “human moderation error”

TikTok has issued a public apology to a teenager who had her account suspended shortly after posting a video that asked viewers to research the persecution of Uighur people and other Muslim groups in Xinjiang. TikTok included a “clarification on the timeline of events,” and said that the viral video was removed four days after it was posted on November 23 “due to a human moderation error” and did not violate the platform’s community guidelines (the account @getmefamouspartthree and video have since been reinstated). But the user, Feroza Aziz, who describes herself in her Twitter profile as “just a Muslim trying to spread awareness,” rejected TikTok’s claims, tweeting “Do I believe they took it away because of an unrelated satirical video that was deleted on a previous deleted account of mine? Right after I finished posting a 3 part video about the Uyghurs? No.” In the video removed by TikTok, Aziz begins by telling viewers to use an eyelash curler, before telling them to put it d

14 things to know about government’s new Aadhaar app

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Amazon Fab Phones Fest: 15 mobile accessories from Samsung, Sony and more you can get under Rs 999

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14 things to know about government’s new Aadhaar app

from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2OPQYFo

Vinted, the second-hand clothes marketplace, raises $141M at a $1B+ valuation

The market for second-hand clothes — the “circular economy” as it’s sometimes called — has been on the rise in the last several years, fuelled by economic crunches, a desire to make more responsible and less wasteful fashion choices, and a wave of digital platforms that are bringing the selling and buying of used clothes outside the charity shop. Today, one of the bigger companies in Europe working in the third of these areas is announcing a huge round of funding to double down on the trend. Vinted , a site where consumers can sell and buy second-hand fashion, has raised €128 million (around $140.9 million) in a round that is being led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with previous backers Sprints Capital, Insight Venture Partners, Accel and Burda Principal Investments also participating. With this investment, the startup — founded and headquartered out of Vilnius, Lithuania — has passed a valuation of $1 billion (it is not specifying an exact amount), making it one of the biggest star

Shrewd savannah species choose friends with benefits on the African plains

For species trying to boost their chances of avoiding predation, it could be a classic case of 'it's not what you know, it's who you know that matters,' according to new research. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2OPKMgn

Revolut supports direct debits in the UK

Fintech startup Revolut is adding a key feature for users who want to replace their traditional bank account altogether. You can now pay with GBP direct debits. Revolut already added EUR direct debits last year . While most people use cards to pay for goods and services in the U.K., some businesses require you to pay with direct debit. It can be a utility bill, a gym membership or a phone contract for instance. Compared to card transactions, direct debits pull money directly from your account and transfer it to the recipient’s account. It doesn’t go through Mastercard or Visa. Some businesses love direct debits because it’s usually cheaper than card processing fees. Direct debits also don’t have an expiry date, unlike cards. Customers from the European Economic Area can now share their GBP account details for direct debits in the U.K. Direct debits are protected against some fraud and payment errors by the U.K. Direct Debit Guarantee . Revolut has partnered with Modulr for this

Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince is coming to Disrupt Berlin

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Back in 2010, the web performance and security company Cloudflare launched in the TechCrunch Disrupt SF Battlefield competition. The company came in second. Earlier this year, Cloudflare IPOed . To talk about this journey, Cloudflare CEO Matt Prince will join us on the main stage at Disrupt Berlin on December 12 . He’ll also participate in a panel about building successful SaaS companies on the Extra Crunch stage, together with Red Point’s Laura Urquizo and Point Nine Capital’s Christoph Janz. Cloudflare IPOed successfully in September, with its stock rising about 20 percent that day and topping out at just under $21 a few days later. Since then, though, the stock has seen its ups and downs. In our chat, we’ll talk about how a CEO should handle this, whether it opens up Cloudflare to be an acquisition target for a larger company, and his plans for the future of the company. An IPO is only the beginning of a company’s story, after all. Besides the company’s journey to an IPO — and w

Green palm oil push: Kit Kat, Dove makers could face fines

Companies that make top brands including Kit Kat chocolate and Dove soap may face fines if they fail to buy more green palm oil under new rules aimed at improving the controversial industry's environmental sustainability. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/37Jt9HE

China says it has met its carbon reduction goal early

China has realized its 2020 target for reducing carbon emissions ahead of schedule, the ecology and environment ministry reported Wednesday. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2rympM8

In US, climate anxiety churns up psychological storm

In the melting Arctic, communities are racing to maintain their way of life. In the rising Pacific, residents are sounding alarm bells. And in Rhode Island, Kate Schapira and her husband are not having a baby. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/37H8xQm

Go for lunch: Japanese yakitori chicken gets space thumbs-up

Japanese chicken yakitori kebabs, one of the country's most-loved fast foods, will soon be making an appearance in orbit after Japan's space agency cleared them for astronaut meals. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2KUpUU8

Habitat restoration alone not enough to support threatened caribou: study

New UBC research suggests restoring habitat may not be enough to save threatened woodland caribou—an iconic animal that's a major part of boreal forests in North America and a key part of the culture and economy of many Indigenous peoples in Canada. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2DxaPE9

Woody plants with undesirable tendencies

A literature review out of Oklahoma State University focused on notable woody plants that can disrupt biodiversity by behaving as a weed or an invasive plant. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/37KbHCX

How to measure inequality as 'experienced difference'

A new way of measuring wealth inequality better accounts for the way we experience it. In a paper published in Economics Letters, economists Samuel Bowles of the Santa Fe Institute and Wendy Carlin of University College London and the Santa Fe Institute propose a novel twist on the widely used Gini coefficient—a workhorse statistical measure for gauging the gap between haves and have-nots. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2KVsZDC

Discovering hidden plant medicines on your doorstep

EI is part of the global effort to sequence the DNA all of the known species of animals, plants and fungi on earth, known as the Earth BioGenome Project. Contributing to the UK arm Darwin Tree of Life Project, one aspect from EI is unearthing useful new medicines that are produced in plants by decoding their genomic data profile. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2XNuOYq

Indian scooter rental startup Bounce raises $150M

Big bucks are pouring to get you through the chaotic traffic on Indian roads. Bounce, a Bangalore-based startup that operates over 17,000 electric and gasoline scooters in three dozen cities in India, has raised about $150 million as part of an ongoing financing round led by existing investors Eduardo Saverin’s B Capital and Accel Partners India, two sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. The new financing round, dubbed Series D, values the startup “well over $500 million,” the people said requesting anonymity. This is a significant increase since the five-year-old startup’s Series C financing round, which closed in June , when it was worth a little over $200 million. A spokesperson of Bounce declined to comment. Bounce, formerly known as Metro Bikes, allows customers to rent a scooter for as little as Rs 15 (21 cents) an hour. Once the ride has been completed, customers can drop the scooter at any nearby parking spot. The startup, which had raised $92 million prior to

A late surge in registrations hints at a general election youthquake

Huge numbers of young people registered to vote in the last few hours before the deadline closed ahead of the general election on December 12 from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2slDcTi

Fitness trackers and wearables are ignoring a $50bn market: women

From apps that track health and wellbeing to smartwatches to monitor athletic performance, the tendency for ‘default male’ design is costing companies billions from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2QXOBmr

The Irishman lays bare Scorsese’s Netflix-enabled hypocrisy

It’s a beautiful piece of cinema. It’s just a shame that so few people will get to see it on the big screen from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2QU2uC5

Need new headphones? These Black Friday deals are just for you

Our edit of early Black Friday deals on wireless, noise cancelling and sub-£100 headphones plus discounts on in-ears and wireless earbuds from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/34pzXIE

HP Inc beats estimates for quarterly revenue

Total revenue rose to $15.41 billion in the fourth quarter from $15.37 billion a year earlier, above analysts' expectations of $15.25 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2QTM1hl

Dell cuts full-year revenue forecast on PC chip shortage

Dell Technologies Inc cut its full-year revenue forecast as its PC business grapples with a shortage of chips from Intel Corp , sending its shares down nearly 5% in extended trading. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2OQDx7R

Xerox prepares to take HP buyout bid hostile

Xerox Corp said it was planning to take its $33.5 billion buyout bid directly to HP Inc shareholders after the personal computer maker refused to open its books for due diligence before a deadline. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2KX8KoW

Chicago approves traffic congestion tax on ride-hailing services

Ride-hailing companies Uber Technologies Inc and Lyft Inc claimed the move would largely hurt low-income residents. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2OnEQfB

US sets out procedure for barring threats to telecom networks

The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday set out a procedure to protect U.S. telecommunications networks and their supply chains from national security threats, saying it would consider whether to bar transactions on a case-by-case basis. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2qOzcu6

This debut venture firm, backed by an Argentine conglomerate, is investing $60 million in far-flung U.S. startups

Nico Berardi considers himself to be a citizen of the world, with a penchant for travel and a wide range of interests. Unlike many other VCs, who’ve increasingly specialized their mandates as the market has grown more crowded, Berardi is nearly as wide-ranging in his approach to venture capital, too. Somewhat counterintuitively, it’s paying off. At least, Berardi’s venture firm, Animo Ventures , has been investing a $60 million debut vehicle since closing it in July of last year. It’s an impressive, surprising, amount for someone raising a fund for the first time, but then, Berardi’s trajectory into the world of venture capital hasn’t been completely straightforward, either. To wit, Berardi grew up in Argentina, where his professional life began at a community-focused nonprofit Techo , a kind of Habitat for Humanity focused on Latin America. He was so good at his development job, in fact, that he was moved to Miami as the CEO of Techo’s U.S operations. It was there, over his six yea

30 useful government apps every Indian should download

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You can take my Dad’s tweets over my dead body

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Editor’s note:  Drew is a geek who first worked at AOL when he was 16 years old and went on to become a senior writer at TechCrunch. He is now the VP of Communications for venture equity fund Scaleworks. There are a few ways that people use Twitter, but for the most part the ones who have pushed the social platform into the national lexicon are regular users who like to communicate with each other using the thing. They’re the ones who use it a lot . They’re the ones who make Twitter go. Now, mind you, I’m an extreme case . I share a lot. I’ve shared my cancer diagnoses, my stem cell treatment, new jobs, my wedding. And the loss of my father Barry. rest sir. — drew olanoff (@yoda) September 2, 2015 Today, Twitter announced that it will reclaim dormant accounts. That is, if you haven’t logged into yours for a long time, it is considered inactive and will be included in the reclamation process. At first I thought that was pretty cool. There are a ton of accounts that get squa