BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Coronavirus: How easy it for the UK to make more ventilators?
British engineering firms have been called on to switch to making medical ventilators as concern grows about the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. For patients critically ill with Covid-19, access to a ventilator could be a matter of life or death. The machines get oxygen into the lungs and remove carbon dioxide from the body when people are too sick to breathe on their own. That might sound ... Read more
2020-03-17 18:31:06
Coronavirus: Social giants police web with AI as staff sent home
Major websites are turning to automatic systems to moderate content as they tell their staff to work from home. YouTube, Twitter and Facebook are all relying on artificial intelligence and automated tools to find problematic material on their platforms. The tech giants admit this may lead to some mistakes - but say they still need to remove harmful content. The coronavirus scare has led to a su ... Read more
2020-03-17 18:30:38
UK mobile networks face problems
The UK's mobile networks have experienced problems with their services. EE told the BBC it was something "affecting all operators and we are working closely to fix it". The problem has been blamed on "interconnect issues" between the operators. "We don't believe it is connected to the rise in home working [due to the coronavirus]," added EE. O2 had posted on its w ... Read more
2020-03-17 18:29:12
Trump angers Beijing with 'Chinese virus' tweet
China has reacted angrily after US President Donald Trump referred to the coronavirus as “Chinese”. A foreign ministry spokesman warned the US should “take care of its own business” before stigmatising China. The first cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. However, last week a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman shared a conspiracy theory, alleging the US Arm ... Read more
2020-03-17 18:27:28
Coronavirus: Broadband firms say no issue with extra demand
UK broadband companies say they can cope with increased demand as many more people stay at home during the coronavirus crisis. Internet service providers (ISPs) say they have contingency plans in place and that the network can deal with extra daytime demand. Video calls and other work applications should have little impact. But some traffic-heavy services are seeing a surge in use around the wo ... Read more
2020-03-16 17:51:04
Coronavirus: 3D printers save hospital with valves
A 3D-printer company in Italy has designed and printed 100 life-saving respirator valves in 24 hours for a hospital that had run out of them. The valve connects patients in intensive care to breathing machines. The hospital, in Brescia, had 250 coronavirus patients in intensive care and the valves are designed to be used for a maximum of eight hours at a time. The 3D-printed version cost less t ... Read more
2020-03-16 17:50:40
Google's coronavirus site launches amid Trump confusion
A coronavirus testing project by Google has been thrown into confusion over comments made by US President Donald Trump. He said the company was developing a website for all Americans to check whether they should get tested. However, Google's sister company Verily had actually been working on a pilot limited to California's Bay Area. Two sites launch on Monday - but only the localised one contai ... Read more
2020-03-16 17:50:11
Apple hit with record €1.1bn fine in France
France's competition authority has imposed a record €1.1bn (£1bn; $1.2bn) fine on US tech giant Apple for what it sees as anti-competitive practices. It is the biggest fine ever imposed by the French regulator. The firm and two of its wholesalers in France were found to have an unfair agreement to control prices. The investigation began in 2012, following a complaint by eBizcuss, which sells Ap ... Read more
2020-03-16 17:49:36
Coronavirus: US slashes rates and launches huge stimulus programme
The US has cut interest rates to almost zero and launched a $700bn stimulus programme in a bid to protect the economy from the impact of coronavirus. It is part of a co-ordinated action announced on Sunday in the UK, Japan, eurozone, Canada, and Switzerland. Announcing the US move, the Federal Reserve said the "outbreak has harmed communities and disrupted economic activity in many countrie ... Read more
2020-03-15 18:31:47
Spain's King Felipe VI renounces father's inheritance
Spain's King Felipe VI has renounced the inheritance of his scandal-hit father Juan Carlos. In a statement, the palace said that Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014, would also stop receiving an annual grant of €194,000 (£174,800; $217,100). This comes as the 82-year-old former king is being criticised for his lavish lifestyle. Juan Carlos, who reigned for 39 years, is also facing an investigati ... Read more
2020-03-15 18:31:23