BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Activision Blizzard: More than 20 staff leave after harassment claims
Gaming giant Activision Blizzard says more than 20 employees have "exited" the company following numerous sexual harassment and discrimination claims. The firm has spent the last several months dealing with a handful of lawsuits and claims about its allegedly toxic workplace environment. More than 20 other employees have faced disciplinary action, it said in a letter to staff on Tuesda ... Read more
2021-10-20 19:30:45
Google's Pixel 6 processor brings AI photo features
Google has unveiled its latest smartphone, containing the tech giant's first self-designed computer chip. The Pixel 6 contains Google's "Tensor" processor, which it says enables new phone features powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. It is also the first phone in the series with a "Pro" model, designed to compete at the high end of the market. "The w ... Read more
2021-10-19 19:34:57
Pornhub owner settles with Girls Do Porn victims over videos
Pornhub's parent company has settled a lawsuit brought by 50 women who said they were victims of a sex-trafficking operation. The women said that Girls Do Porn, an adult content provider, coerced them into having sex on camera and lied about how the material would be shared. The 50 women had sued Pornhub, alleging the firm knew of the allegations but continued a partnership anyway. Terms of the ... Read more
2021-10-19 19:34:24
Apple unveils new computer chips amid shortage
Apple has unveiled its M1Pro and M1Max chips used to power new MacBook Pro laptop computers. Apple says the M1 Max chip, with 57 billion transistors is the most powerful it has ever built. The new chips were announced almost a year after the firm revealed its first Mac computers powered by silicon of its own design. It comes after reports that Apple cut its iPhone 13 production targets amid the ... Read more
2021-10-18 19:26:07
Facebook to hire 10,000 in EU to work on metaverse
Facebook is planning to hire 10,000 people in the European Union to develop a so-called metaverse. A metaverse is an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often using VR headsets. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been a leading voice on the concept. The announcement comes as Facebook deals with the fallout of a damaging scandal and faces increased ca ... Read more
2021-10-18 19:25:38
I get abuse and threats online - why can't it be stopped?
Online abuse against women is on the rise, but why aren't the police, the government and social media companies doing more to stop it? I'm the BBC's first specialist disinformation reporter - and I receive abusive messages on social media daily. Most are too offensive to share unedited. The trigger? My coverage of the impact of online conspiracies and fake news. I expect to be challenged and crit ... Read more
2021-10-17 19:18:18
Apparently, it's the next big thing. What is the metaverse?
The metaverse is a concept being talked about as the next big thing by tech companies, marketers, and analysts. It's attracting attention - and money - from some of of tech's biggest names, such as Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Epic Games' Tim Sweeney. What is the metaverse? To the outsider, it may look like a souped-up version of Virtual Reality (VR) - but some people think the metaverse co ... Read more
2021-10-17 19:17:06
Apple takes down Quran app in China
Apple has taken down one of the world's most popular Quran apps in China, following a request from officials. Quran Majeed is available across the world on the App Store - and has nearly 150,000 reviews. It is used by millions of Muslims. The BBC understands that the app was removed for hosting illegal religious texts. The Chinese government has not responded to the BBC's request for comment. ... Read more
2021-10-15 21:38:07
Self-driving Waymo cars clog up dead-end San Francisco street
Residents in a "dead-end" street in San Francisco say they are being plagued by an influx of self-driving vehicles. Autonomous-driving firm Waymo's cars have been going up and down the cul-de-sac at all hours "for weeks", according to local news station KPIX. Residents say vehicles sometimes have to queue before making multi-point turns to leave the way they came. Waymo says ... Read more
2021-10-15 21:37:38
Facebook helps AI take a first-person view of life
A long-term artificial intelligence (AI) research project led by Facebook could help answer the eternal question: "Where did I put that thing?". The Ego4D project aims to improve AI's understanding of the world from an "egocentric" first-person perspective. The hope is to improve the utility of devices such as augmented reality (AR) glasses. For example, it could enable them ... Read more
2021-10-14 20:36:55