Lifestyle

YouTube toughens rules regarding which videos get ads

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — YouTube on Tuesday announced ramped-up rules regarding when it will run ads with videos as it scrambled to quell concerns by brands about being paired with troublesome content. “There’s no denying 2017 was a difficult year, with several issues affecting our community and our advertising partners,” YouTube vice president of display, video and analytics Paul Muret said in a blog post. “The challenges we faced in 2017 have helped […]

Alien attack’ in Tokyo as Space Invaders turns 40

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Block graphic aliens dropped down the window panes of a Tokyo skyscraper before being blasted into oblivion by enthusiastic gamers celebrating 40 years of the arcade sensation “Space Invaders.” Four decades after the game took the world by storm, a high-tech exhibition is allowing enthusiasts to save the world from extra-terrestrial invasion in a variety of novel ways. Part of the installation sees the game projected inside the windows of a […]

Facebook updates News Feed to make friends a priority

LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Thursday announced a major update that will put friends and family above pages or celebrities in a user’s news feed — and likely result in people spending less time on the leading social network. The change to the way Facebook ranks posts will put more weight on social interactions and relationships, according to News Feed product manager John Hegeman. “This is a big change,” Hegeman told AFP. […]

Bollywood star evicted from Paris flat over unpaid rent

PARIS, France (AFP) — A French court has ordered that Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat be evicted from an apartment in a posh part of Paris for failing to keep up with the rent. In a December 14 ruling seen by AFP on Tuesday, the court told Sherawat and her French husband Cyrille Auxenfans to pay 78,787 euros ($94,000) in rent owed and expenses, giving the green light for their furniture to be seized. The couple […]

Intel chief says chip flaw damage contained by industry

LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — Intel chief Brian Krzanich said Monday the impact of a recently discovered vulnerability in computer chips has been limited due to “remarkable” collaboration by the tech industry. Krzanich took the unusual step of addressing the security issue as he delivered a keynote ahead of the opening of the huge Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, an industry event expected to draw some 180,000 people from the sector. As yet, […]

Smart robot falls dumb as LG touts ‘connected life’

LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — A cute, table-top robot packed with digital smarts fell dumb on stage at an LG Electronics event touting “connected” lifestyles where machines obey spoken commands and anticipate needs. The ignoble demo failure came before an audience packed with journalists and analysts on the eve of the official opening of the annual Consumer Electronics Show gadget extravaganza here on Tuesday. It also took place shortly after LG’s chief technology officer […]

Samsung overtakes Intel as world’s biggest chip maker: study

PARIS, France (AFP) — South Korea’s Samsung has overtaken US rival Intel as the world’s biggest maker of semi-conductors as sales in the sector boom, a study published by consultancy Gartner showed on Thursday. Samsung Electronics “gained the most market share and took the number one position from Intel -— the first time Intel has been toppled since 1992,” said Gartner analyst, Andrew Norwood. The total global market for semi-conductors grew by 22 percent to […]

Tech firms rush out patches for ‘pervasive’ computer flaw

by Rob Lever Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Amid a frantic rush to patch a computer security flaw, experts struggled Thursday to determine the impact of a newly discovered vulnerability which could affect billions of devices worldwide. Cybersecurity researchers called for computer systems to urgently install updates a day after the release of details of the so-called Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities affecting the chips powering most modern PCs and many mobile devices. […]

Top Italian chef to open community kitchen in Paris

PARIS, France (AFP) — Top Italian chef Massimo Bottura, whose Osteria Francescana was named the world’s best restaurant last year, is in talks to open a community kitchen in Paris that would serve the homeless and other people in need. “Discussions are underway to set up a canteen in the basement of the Madeleine Church,” Jean-Francois Rial, chief executive of the group Voyageurs du Monde, told AFP Thursday. “It is still just a project, nothing […]

Ad firms using tools to help them read your mind

by John BIERS Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Why did you splurge on that new pair of shoes? Or that pricey smartphone? More and more advertisers are trying to tap into the unconscious to divine the invisible forces that drive those spending decisions. Using gadgets to track eye movements, computer maps of faces to capture a momentary grin (approval) or squinting (anger), and sensors to measure perspiration or monitor brain activity, companies […]

Questions and answers on ‘net neutrality’

by Rob Lever Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) m– US regulators voted Thursday on a plan overhauling rules for internet services providers. The action by the Federal Communications Commission is likely to end so-called “net neutrality.” Here are some questions and answers: What is net neutrality and why is it important? The concept dates back to the early days of the web, and requires internet service providers to treat all data equally — prohibiting […]

Facebook moves to make more video ad money

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Thursday moved to bolster its appeal and money-making potential as an online platform for viewing video similar to YouTube. The leading social network will next year test showing short ads before videos on a new ‘Watch’ section devoted to just that activity, according to a blog post by product manager director Maria Angelidou-Smith and product manager Abhishek Bapna. “While pre-roll ads don’t work well in News Feed, […]