facial recognition

Crazy China Facial Recognition

/in /by

This is some CRAZY next level facial recognition technology coming right out of China. Once you hear about the lengths and levels of the facial recognition that China has at their ability you will be amazed!

The Chinese police have used facial recognition technology to arrest someone – get this – in a crowd of 60,000 concert goers.

CRAZY!

The suspect is only known as a Mr Ao, he was attending a concert of popular pop star Jacky Cheung in Nanchang city. Then he was caught. Whilst it is unaware as to what he was wanted for, the BBC are reporting that he was wanted for “economic crimes” Whilst this may come as a suprise after being recognised in such a large number of people in such as small space, China has a HUGE surveillance network. There are over 170million CCTV cameras in China.

He was identified apon arrival and was apprehended once he had sat down. So, he didn’t even get to see the concert! Police Officer Li Jin told state news agency Xinhua that the suspect was taken completely by surprise. As he didn’t know he’d be spotted in such a large crowd so quickly. Mr Li also spoke to China Daily and informed them that there are several cameras that are equipped with facial technology at ticket entrances.

Mr Ao had intended to go see the concert with his wife after travelling 56miles especially to see it. According to news site Kan Kan, who allegedly have footage from within custody. Mr Ao is reported to have said that he wouldn’t have gone to the concert if he knew there was facial recognition tech there!

 

The BBC are reporting that this isn’t the only case of the Chinese police using facial technology to catch suspects. In Aug of 2017, police in Shandong province arrested 25 suspects using the tech which was set up at a Beer festival.

China has said to be building the largest surveillance network. With plans to build 400million new cameras, which are to expected to be installed within 3 years. Many of which have artificial and facial recongition technology. So it’s no suprise that China regularly remind citizens that it’s almost impossible to evade authorities.

 

 

Listen to the guys chatting about this please click here! 

To keep up to date with everything How To Kill An Hour, sign up to our newsletter by clicking here!

 

Crisis On The Planet Of The Apes

Crisis On The Planet Of The Apes VR

/in /by

FoxNext VR studio have recently announced Crisis On The Planet Of The Apes. A VR game based on the Planet of The Apes saga! A first person action adventure game that’s available on all VR platforms from April 2018!

Available April 3rd on, Playstation VR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Crisis On The Planet Of The Apes, takes place between two movies. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of The Apes Movies. Five years since the outbreak of the Simian Flu, which has wiped out half of humanity and primates evolved.

Crisis On The Planet Of The Apes: Plot

So, the destinies of the two species are at a crossroads, you take the shape of an Ape, an Ape that is of advanced intelligence. You’re captured and held prisoner in an guarded facility as mankind searches for a cure. Consequently, it is here, where you take on the mission of managing through the violent world to escape, gather up your fellow primates and return home to Caesar.

You play from the primates perspective, become part of the storyline, captured and forced into conflict with humans. Fighting for their lives as they attempt to escape bitter captivity. Furthermore, players are expected to join forces with other captive apes, confront human violence and channel primate instincts to survive.

“VR has always held the promise of bringing together the cinematic storytelling of film and the deeply immersive interactivity of games. Crisis on the Planet of the Apes VR takes this potential to the next level….We set out to give the fan a lead role in this dark Planet of the Apes world – to feel the ape’s strength, power and movement as he fights his way to safety.”  Brendan Handler, SVP & GM, FoxNext VR Studio.

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

 

Philips OneBlade

Philips OneBlade Body edition

/in /by

So after Marcus quite famously shaved the wrong area of his body with the Philips OneBlade last time round (listen to that episode here!) Philips have released a body version of their very popular OneBlade shaver! (So, there’s no need for Marcus to keep using his OneBlade in the wrong part of his body now. There’s a proper tool for that job now! Think, we’re due a cut of the sales Philips! Marcus’ unfortunate use of the OneBlade has spawned a new product line!

So, what does the Philips OneBlade do?

Philips OneBlade Face + Body: Features

First of all the Philips OneBlade does everything that the original OneBlade did previously. You can trim your beard with one of the three stubble comes, which come in a variety of lengths. There’s 1mm, 3mm and 5mm. However, the OneBlade now comes with a body comb, which is 3mm, which you can use in any direction.

As the OneBlade does not shave like a regular shaver, i.e. getting really close. You’re able to use this to your advantage and go against the grain and easily shave off any length of any hair from any part of your body! Remember to change the blade though! There’s one for the body and one for the face!

Another tip would be to use the skin guard if your shaving in sensitive areas as this gives an extra layer of protection.

Furthermore, if you wish to get that super slick even length of stubble, use the click on combs to get that model like even stubble length. Plus, as the OneBlade follows the contours of your face, this allows you to get one super comfortable shave! To be even more precise and slick, utilise the double sided blade of the OneBlade to style those edges and create clean lines that everyone looks for!

Speaking of the blades, they’re super long lasting! Consequently when you come to changing them, this is a hassle free process. Though, this only takes place every four months, depending on useage.

As a tip, you can use the OneBlade as a wet shaver, or a dry shaver. It lasts 45mins on a single charge too! (Which takes 8 hours)

To purchase your own Philips OneBlade Face + Body please click here!

Listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

To keep up to date with everything How To Kill An Hour, why not sign up to our newsletter, you can do so by clicking here!

3Doodler Hex Bug

3Doodler Hex Bug

/in /by

So, we handed the 3Doodler Hex Bug over to Producer Bill to test and you can check out how he got on with the, 3D Printing pen above!

What is 3Doodler Hex Bug?

The 3Doodler is already available on the market today, and it’s essentially a 3D printer in the form of a pen. By utilising this pen, users, are able to doodle anything that they like and bring it to life, right before their eyes! 3Doodler are launching a series of STEM kits that are designed to help users build their own creations, ranging from robotic dinosaurs and skeleton’s.

However, they have recently signed a partnership with HexBugs to launch a set which helps children put together their own bugs! Including eyes, wings, legs all kinds of insecty type of body parts. The best part about the partnership with HexBug? The included motors. Therefore making kids creations able to scurry across the table. Just like a bug. The company are calling these types of creations ‘DoodleMods’ and you don’t even have to use the included tracing tubs. You can create your own. As a result the only thing that’s stopping you is your imagination!

3Doodler Hex Bug: Benefits

The kits are designed to help teach children about structural design, they’re a mixture of 3Doodler’s already popular starter kits, into a smaller, more child friendly version of the original 3Doodler pen.

However, for all you adults out there who are always stealing your children’s toys. There are adult versions available that incorporate plastic elements which are embedded with various types of materials. Such as specks of wood, copper and even bronze.

The Hex Bug isn’t available to purchase as a kit just yet, that’s released in May. However you can purchase your own 3D Doodler kit already, just please click here! 

Listen to the guys chatting about the 3D Doodler Hex Bug please click here! 

Keep up to date with everything How To Kill An Hour by signing up to our Newsletter! Click here to get a dose of How To Kill An Hour in your inbox!

Instagram Collections

Instagram Collections

/in /by

We have found out about Instagram’s “secret folders” that Funk Butcher described on the show last week. It’s very easy and not very secret after all!  They’re called “Instagram Collections” and they’re already built into the Instagram app!

Instagram Collections

Instagram Collections

To create a new Instagram Collection:

  • When you look on your profile look at any photo’s you like and press the bookmark button. 
  • Tap the    in the top right hand corner
  • Enter a name of your Instagram Collections for example “Cars”
  • Tap any saved posts that you’d like to add to your collection and tap done!

You can also create collections as you like Instagram photos to add to an Instagram Collection:

  • Tap the  next to the post you’d like to add to an Instagram Collection
  • Tap the 
  • Enter a name of the Instagram Collection and then tap Done.

 

Instagram Collections

Instagram Collections

 

Now you can “save” as many photo’s as you like! Don’t go creeping!

To listen to the guys chatting about this please here and we also chatted about it on this weeks show with Max Denham which you can listen to here!

viavan

ViaVan: Uber Rival

/in /by

So, it seems as though there’s a rival to Uber in London. However, it’s limited to ride shares only, no single riders here! It’s called ViaVan and it may be your next ride. It’s only available in Zones 1  & 2 in London, has a start offer of £3 a ride.

Developed by Mercedes-Benz and US start up based on Ride-Sharing ‘Via’ has launched in London to jump on the bad press that Uber has got and take some of it’s market share.

However it’s not quite what you think. It’s like Uber, but for a bus. But not a literal BUS. Like a mini version. (But not a minibus)

Instead of you opening up the app and looking for your ride. You open the app, summon a ride, like usual. However, you then have to wait while ViaVan calculates the demand for your route. Then it matches you  (Tinder anyone?!) with passengers that are also making that route at a similar time. Then instead of picking you up where your standing your told to go to a destination to wait. Then go on your ride with your new best friends! (However, we’re Brits so we won’t talk to one another and just awkwardly stare at the floor) Then your dropped off somewhere near your destination. Sounds bad ‘near’ but ViaVan promise that it won’t be a lengthy detour.

ViaVan: Value

ViaVan’s CEO Chris Snyder, told Business Insider that their drivers get a higher commission (they’re also limited in numbers) and take safety of their drivers seriously. The idea behind ViaVan is to reduce congestion and offer alternatives to public transport. He also belives that his model of riding sharing is much more sustainable than that of individual cab rides.

Drivers are said to receive 24/7 phone support and if you drive for them your driving hours are limited to 10 hours per day. Whilst also being eligible for a higher cut of the money received. ViaVan will only take 15% of commissions whilst Uber takes 20-15%.

Drivers should earn more, but that’s because their is less of them around. As it’s a ride sharing app there is less of a need for a huge number of drivers as your drivers are taking more passengers each trip. Whilst this means larger fares, depending on the amount of riders, it will be cheaper for the users but better in value for the driver.

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

Keep up to date with all things How To Kill An Hour by signing up to our newsletter by clicking here!

Smart Speaker

Alexa Vs Siri Vs Google Home

/in /by

Google Home Vs Apple Homepod Vs Amazon Alexa

#Siri Vs #Alexa Vs #GoogleAssistantWho has the best personality?…..only one way to find out… take it away Marcus Bronzy…For more sick stuff like this sign up to our mailing list here howtokillanhour.com/news

Posted by How To Kill an Hour on Wednesday, 11 April 2018

 

With the release of Apple’s Homepod, we set out to find out the best smart speaker available to you today. However, we didn’t just want to know which speaker was the best in terms of features. We wanted to do know which one had the best personality! Can they give us the information we want, in the speed that we want it and in the way that doesn’t bore us?! We pitted them against one another. Check out the video above to learn more!

So, we took all 3 of the speakers from the big tech companies (Amazon, Apple, Google) and pitted Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant against one another. It was a fair test, we sat all three in front of us and asked them a range of questions. Each of them asked the same question, one after each other, to gauge the best response.

However, we weren’t just looking for if the speaker as actually able to answer the question. That’s just one part of the test. The main thing we’re looking for is, can the speaker answer our question with the most amount of information. While remaining concise?

Alexa Vs Siri Vs Google Home: Comedy

Furthermore we aren’t boring here at How To Kill An Hour, so we also decided to throw in some funny questions to see how much fun the AI’s can be on these smart speakers! Plus we asked some of the AI’s easter egg questions. Can you guess which ones they were?

Do you have a smart speaker? What’s your preference and why?! Let us know by getting in touch via our socials: @howtokillanhour across all social media platforms! (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)

Purchase:

Amazon Echo
Google Home
Apple Homepod: 

To subscribe to our YouTube channel please click here!

To listen to the latest podcast (EP274) please click here!

Keep up to date with everything How To Kill An Hour by sigining up to our newsletter, simply click here!

looping videos

Tinder 2 second videos

/in /by

This may be the best thing that Tinder have done, or the worst thing they’ve done. Tinder have announced that coming to their dating apps are a ‘looping image’ (basically looping videos)  feature that will allow users to share short 2 second videos of what they love doing.

However, as with all new technology, it may, well, will, be put to ‘uses’ – But maybe the big wigs at Tinder were aware that the ‘looping video’ feature will spawn a ton of helicopter d*ck videos?

The new ‘looping videos’ moving profile image, (much like those available on Facebook) help, as Tinder announced, show more personality. In an effort to get more right swipes. (or helicopter D*ck)

Looping Videos: Advice

But the dating app have offered advice to their users. Explaining ways in which they can show off their habits, roller skating, you could show off going up and down the rink. Football, kicking the perfect penalty. Or if you’re a dancer, maybe showing off your best robot skills?! Bungee jumper? Show off, jumping off a high cliff? Whatever people do, I’m sure people will find super creative ways to use this feature. As with Vine (ok it was 7 seconds and not 20 but the internet is creative and intelligent, so we may see some pretty cool stuff!

Even though there may be a chance that there’s going to be a ton of helicopters about, there are ways to report an account that does so. So, there may not be as many flying D*cks about as you once thought!

What do you think of the ‘looping videos’ feature coming to Tinder? Let us know via our socials @howtokillanhour across all socials!

Download Tinder by clicking here Apple / Android

Listen to the guys chatting about this on the latest How To Kill An Hour podcast (EP274) by clicking here!

Keep up to all things How To Kill An Hour by signing up to our newsletter, (There’s competitions there!) by simply click here!

 

 

project maven

Project Maven

/in /by

Google have announced that they have a part in ‘Project Maven’. A project in which as Gizmodo are reporting, ‘helping the Pentagon build AI for drones’ CRAZY NEWS!

The project began in 2017 as a pilot program to simply speed up the United States military’s implementation of the most up to date technology of artificial intelligence.

It’s a relatively cheap programme too! Project Maven is said to cost less than $70M in it’s first year. Focusing solely on integrating machine learning in it’s drones. Why would the Pentagon want to invest in improving AI in drones? To improve it’s intelligence when it comes to targeting drone strikes.

Project Maven: Peace

Google released a statement on Tuesday of last week, claiming it’s part in Project Maven. Stating that it’s involvement in the project was simply a peaceful one. Stating that Project Maven was “Specifically scoped to be for non-offensive purposes.”

Since then many sectors of Google itself have called upon it’s CEO to pull them out of the project. With the Verge reporting that 3,100 employees have signed a letter urging the CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, to re-evaluate it’s involvement. Stating that Google should not be in ‘the business of war’ – With Diane Green head of Google’s cloud operations also emphasizing Google’s peaceful stance. Stating that their tech will not be used to fly drones, nor will it launch any weapons.

Details on what Google are actually doing working on Project Maven aren’t very clear. A Google spokesperson did confirm to the Verge that they have given the department of defence access to software (TensorFlow) that is used to help machine learning apps understand contents of photos.

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here! 

To keep up on all things How To Kill An Hour by signing up to our newsletter, simply click here and you’re on the list!

One Punch Man

One Punch Man: The greatest anime

/in /by

One Punch Man sounds exactly like it is, a guy who has incredible super powerful strength. This particular anime has a guy who, without suprise, has a super punch.

One Punch Man: Plot

The story of Saitama, a hero who is a hero just for fun & can defeat his enemies with a single punch.

That is as crazy as it is, the story follows Saitama through his journey as a superhero saving people around the world!  It’s not a super serious anime and is mainly just for fun. I mean with a title of “One Punch Man” who’d expect anything less?

To download Netflix please click here Apple / Android

To listen to us talking about this please click here!

Keep up to date with everything How To Kill An Hour sign up to our newsletter by clicking here!