tech

File photo - Members of the clergy enter York Minster before a service to consecrate Reverend Libby Lane as the first female bishop in the Church of England, in York, northern England January 26, 2015. (REUTERS/Phil Noble) The Church of England is harnessing Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant to answer questions about faith and spread its Christian message. This week the Church launched its Alexa skill, which is essentially an app for the popular voice assistant. Via the Alexa skill, users can ask the Church of England for prayers, explanations of faith, as well as information about local church events and services. According to the Church of England, the skill aims to boost users' knowledge of the Christian faith by answering questions such as: what is the Bible? Who is God? What is a Christian? AMAZON ALEXA RECORDS AND SHARES WOMAN'S PRIVATE CONVERSATION Users activate the skill with the command “Alexa, open the Church of England.” In a YouTube video posted by … [Read more...] about Alexa, tell me about God: Church of England taps Amazon device to spread Christian message

Switchblade drone (AeroVironment) Marines will soon be even more deadly - and safer - with their new extremely lethal Switchblades. When you think of a switchblade, you think of a smallish knife that fits in a pocket, right? Marines will soon have in their hands entirely different breed of Switchblades – these are smart, flying little drones loaded with devastating miniature missiles. Tiny, fast and very quiet, they are extremely difficult for adversaries to detect or track. Even if an adversary does spot the drone, it doesn’t matter. Once Switchblade finds its target, the enemy cannot escape. They can’t run, they can’t hide, they can’t even try to evade or out speed in vehicles ... Switchblade will silently track them and strike. SOFIC: WHERE SPECIAL OPERATIONS SHOP FOR CUTTING-EDGE WEAPONS Armed with mini missiles, Switchblades hunt dangerous threats – like a car loaded with heavily-armed terrorists attacking aid workers – and strike … [Read more...] about Marines’ new Switchblade drones will unleash lethal mini missiles

Esports - ESL One - Dota 2 Major - Arena Birmingham, Birmingham, Britain - May 26, 2018 Fans observe a minute's silence in memory of YouTube star John Peter Bain, also known as TotalBiscuit Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes - RC1B610D2F90 Popular YouTube video gaming star TotalBiscuit has lost his battle with cancer. The 33-year-old PC gaming critic, whose real name is John Bain, had built up a huge following on the video sharing site. The British star’s YouTube channel has over 2 million subscribers. John Peter Bainpic.twitter.com/XchUMNDYXC— TotalBiscuit. (@Totalbiscuit) May 24, 2018 Bain passed away on Thursday, according to a tweet that appeared on his official Twitter account. The star’s wife also tweeted a poem honoring her husband. “I'm more overwhelmed with grief than I could possibly express,” she added, in a subsequent tweet. WILDLY POPULAR 'FORTNITE' VIDEO GAME BREAKS YOUTUBE STREAMING RECORD Video gaming platform Twitch described … [Read more...] about YouTube video gaming star TotalBiscuit loses battle with cancer at age 33

File photo: The PayPal logo is seen during an event at Terra Gallery in San Francisco, California May 21, 2015. (REUTERS/Robert Galbraith) Some would argue making payments even more seamless online is a bad thing because it's just so easy to buy all the things. But having to login to a payment service every time you click the purchase button is a hassle, so PayPal is making it easier for anyone who has a Google account. PayPal already enjoys a relationship with Google, allowing users to pay using their PayPal account through Google Pay in stores, in apps, and online. But that partnership is now being extended to cover the entire Google ecosystem for anyone in the US. Once PayPal has been added to any one of Google's services through your account, it will be available as a payment method across all Google services you have access to. So if you add it through Google Play, for example, PayPal will be available in Gmail, YouTube, on the Google Store, and anywhere else Google has a … [Read more...] about PayPal now fully integrates with Google accounts

Tinder has officially taken stalking to the next level. The app has just released a new product called “Places”, which tracks every public space you’ve been in — from restaurants to the gym to your local grocery store — and connects you with people who have been in the same location. My humble trip to IGA last night? I was matched with three chaps who were no doubt scouring those same aisles for discount Red Rock Deli chips. A quick walk through the northern end of Central Station? A sudden swiping hotspot. The local gym I’ve never stepped into, but have been meaning to sign up to for the past six months? Seven more eligible bachelors. The update was rolled out yesterday in Sydney, Brisbane and Santiago in Chile, but it’s expected to go global once they’ve ironed out the kinks. The idea, according to Tinder, is to give users a mutual interest — whether that be sport, dog-walking, or drinking alone in a dark bar. It’s … [Read more...] about Tinder launches creepy new feature

close Video GDPR takes effect on May 25: What does it mean? General Data Protection Regulation will impact the way personal data is manages across the globe. What does it mean and how does it affect you? Even though the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy law has just gone into effect today, it's already causing problems  for two of the tech giants it was designed to limit – Facebook and Google. Privacy advocacy group noyb.eu, led by chair Max Schrems, has filed four complaints that Google, Facebook and its owned properties, Instagram and WhatsApp, are forcing users to consent to targeted advertising if they wish to remain using the services. "Facebook has even blocked accounts of users who have not given consent," Schrems said In a statement outlining the complaints. "In the end users only had the choice to delete the account or hit the “agree”-button – that’s not a free choice, it more reminds of a North Korean … [Read more...] about Facebook and Google slammed, accused of breaking new GDPR data privacy law

close Video GDPR takes effect on May 25: What does it mean? General Data Protection Regulation will impact the way personal data is manages across the globe. What does it mean and how does it affect you? It's anything but a happy General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) day for several major U.S. news organizations as their websites are temporarily blocked in Europe as a new data privacy law goes into effect today. Websites such as the LA Times, NY Daily News and Chicago Tribune are all temporarily blocked this morning, saying their content is unavailable in most European countries. Anyone trying to access the sites, which also include those owned by Tronc and Lee Enterprises (examples include Orlando Sentinel [Tronc], Arizona Daily Sun and the St. Louis Dispatch [Lee Entperises]) see a message explaining that the website is working with European authorities on trying to get access back as quickly as possible. AMAZON ALEXA RECORDS AND SHARES WOMAN'S PRIVATE … [Read more...] about Various US news websites blocked as Europe’s GDPR data privacy law goes into effect

A woman in Portland, Ore. claims that her family's Amazon Alexa smart speaker recorded a private conversation and sent it to someone on her contact list, KIRO 7 News reports. The woman, named only as Danielle, received a phone call from one of her husband's employees in Seattle, who received a recording of the conversation. On KIRO's video, Danielle holds up a number of Echo Dots, claiming that "it was one of these that sent it." "We unplugged all of them and he proceeded to tell us that he had received audio files of recordings from inside our house," she told KIRO news. "At first, my husband was, like, 'no you didn't!' And the (recipient of the message) said 'You sat there talking about hardwood floors.' And we said, 'oh gosh, you really did hear us.'" She claims that after calling Amazon, an engineer on the Alexa team investigated and concurred that this indeed happened. More From Tom's Guide How to Make Sure Alexa, Google Home Don't Hear Too Much … [Read more...] about Amazon Alexa records and shares woman’s private conversation

(Allison Barrie) TAMPA. Fla. –  What if a country with a deep, modern arsenal declares war on the United States? For years, U.S. Special Operations has been harnessing the very best tech to fight terrorist organizations like ISIS and Al Qaeda … but now, with countries like Russia, China and North Korea rattling sabers, there is a renewed focus on cutting edge military technology. SOFIC, the annual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference is taking place in Tampa near U.S. Special Operations Command headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base. Approximately 12,000 people from the special operations world are expected to attend. Hosted by the National Defense Industrial Association, special operations folks and military tech innovators converge to discuss the technology needs of these elite forces for current and future threats. This year, the wish list will feature tech that can defeat entire countries that are well armed. US ARMY GETS EVEN DEADLIER WITH … [Read more...] about SOFIC: Where Special Operations shop for cutting-edge weapons

close Video Judge rules President Trump can't block users on Twitter President Trump was sued in July 2017 by a free-speech group saying the president's actions violated the First Amendment. A professor, a surgical resident and a police officer — these are just a few of the Twitter users President Trump has blocked since he took office. While Trump's staff argued the president has the right to remove trolls from his Twitter feed, others disagreed, including a New York federal judge who ruled May 23 that the act violates the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald said Trump can not block critics based on their political views; and the public should be free to interact with Trump's account as they see freely. TRUMP CAN'T BLOCK TWITTER USERS OVER THEIR POLITICAL VIEWS, NY FEDERAL JUDGE SAYS "We hold that portions of the @realDonaldTrump account — the 'interactive space' where Twitter users may directly engage with the content of the … [Read more...] about Twitter users blocked by Trump since he’s taken office