News
From that bird guy to ‘bus aunty’: the real social media personalities rising above AI slop
2+ hour, 46+ min ago (362+ words) Online audiences seeking out authentic and passionate voices as antidote to AI-generated content For years, social media fame has been associated with the red carpet glamour of the Kardashians and Cristiano Ronaldo's megawatt sporting celebrity, but millions of users globally…...
More than 20% of videos shown to new YouTube users are ‘AI slop’, study finds
20+ hour, 45+ min ago (674+ words) Low-quality AI-generated content is now saturating social media " and generating about $117m a year, data shows More than 20% of the videos that YouTube's algorithm shows to new users are "AI slop" " low-quality AI-generated content designed to farm views, research has found....
Free calls to Santa from payphones are a gift – and a reminder that public goods have a value beyond money | Cressida Gaukroger
4+ day, 20+ hour ago (374+ words) The cost of making an Australian public good like beaches, museums, transport and phones free or universal is marginal " while the benefits are immense In a world that seems increasingly keen to monetise every interaction we have with it, how…...
Now that phones alter our photos without us knowing, how do we know what’s real? | Isabel Brooks
4+ day, 22+ hour ago (345+ words) Comparing the pictures taken with my camera's automatic software to those taken with a "zero-processing' app, the results are shocking. Is this a good idea?I was flicking through a photo album at my grandma's when I came across a…...
Biography to tell story behind Russian Telegram founder Pavel Durov
5+ day, 5+ hour ago (966+ words) The Populist by Nikolay Kononov traces science protege's rise to tech visionary and free speech defender Tech visionary, Kremlin dissident, FSB agent, free speech absolutist, health guru. These are just some of the labels admirers and critics have attached to…...
A tape measure, a metal detector and a spirit level: 25 surprisingly useful things you can do with your phone
1+ week, 1+ hour ago (568+ words) While many use our phones predominantly to doomscroll, smartphones have a range of little-known functions that could make life better and easier " from heart monitoring to even developing camera film Our smartphones are magical things " far more than dopamine drip…...
Readers reply: what is – or was – the best-ever internet meme?
1+ week, 4+ hour ago (483+ words) The long-running series in which readers answer other readers" questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts The dramatic chipmunk, distracted boyfriend, the raccoon with the candy floss or "success kid, what is…...
Tinsel and Home Alone back in style as TikTok seeks comfort in #90sChristmas
1+ week, 1+ day ago (511+ words) Emphasis this year is on nostalgia as present day feels "a bit more uncertain, say trend experts Tinsel, DIY tree decorations, deep burgundy drapes " and Home Alone on VHS. Christmas has gone retro on TikTok, and in peoples living rooms....
‘Uniquely evil’: Michigan residents fight against huge data center backed by top tycoons
1+ week, 3+ day ago (1605+ words) Locals band together in David v Goliath battle against facility they say would jack up bills, increase pollution and destroy area's character A who's who of the nation's most powerful politicians and tech tycoons are forcing through a proposal for…...
How to use the holidays to stop our ‘WhatsApp aunties’ falling for AI
1+ week, 4+ day ago (165+ words) Family members can be sweet and relentless but how can we aid our relatives in the age of new tech and device addiction From "WhatsApp Aunties" to "AI Aunties" The result is a series of exchanges that are both saddening…...