social ranking

Social ranking: Black Mirror predicting the future again!

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Black Mirror continues it’s eery trend of predicting the future. This time with the terrifying episode of ‘Nosedive’ With Social ranking.

For those who haven’t seen Black Mirror or Nosedive, the episode explores how we’re all obsessed with ‘likes’ The episode delves into the way that we use social media in our daily lives and how what we do is determined by how many ‘likes’ we get. Including how upset we get when our online popularity takes a ‘nosedive’

The episode’s plot revolves around how people are rated out of five after every interaction that they have with one another. Thus each person has a real social ranking, that we can all see. Furthermore, ratings of a ‘person’ are affected by where you live, who your friends are and how you travel. So kinda like we all do now, but with a tangible element to it. Whether you like it or not, do it consciously or not, we all make prejudgements based on the above.

In the episode we see Lacie a young woman who is looking to climb to the top of her social ladder. We won’t spoil the episode too much. However, she does a lot to impress others and make her rating better. Until, you guessed it, things go from bad to worse and her social ranking takes a ‘nosedive’ If you have instagram mixed with an Uber rating, this is how your ratings are shown to others in this world.

Social Ranking: Real Life

This nightmare of all prejudging others may become a reality in China. Soon. 2020. Soon.

According to the Telegraph, it’s citizens will be given a ‘score’ the lowest of these scores being 350, highest being 950. To get a higher score, citizens can give blood, do charity work or by sending positive messages about China on social media. Cancelling a reservation for something having friends with unsavory people. Boom. Ratings nosedive.

Being a good member of society gets you bonuses! Cheaper public transport, free gym membership. Plus you may even get a fast pass for waiting times in hospitals. (My words not theirs, I just thought it sounded funny, really call it fast pass) All you lowly people at the bottom of the totem pole. SLOWER INTERNET SPEEDS! So if one day you realise your internet is super slow. Blame you. Not the ISP. Go out an give blood and maybe, just maybe, your internet will get faster.

 

 

 

 

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uk spaceship station

UK Spaceship station

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The UK spaceship station, soon may become a reality. May’s government has a goal to become the first spaceport in Europe.

Recently it took a very small step to from a dream to a reality. A bill that was introduced a year ago called ‘Draft Spaceflight Bill’ has rebranded ‘Space Industry Bill is going to receive royal assent into UK law. All this bill does is cover things like insurance and safety commitments. Booo! Health and safety! Basically all this bill does is lay the groundwork so the real work and business can begin. Boring bills but they’re necessary. Though there’s no end date before we can shoot ourselves into outer space, 2020 is said to be the time to suit up.

The government are stating that 1/4 of all telecoms satellites are built (we’re going to need to talk to you up there) in the UK. The government are hoping that the UK will become a “one-stop shop” for the private space travel industry. While this sounds super cool and nothing that us normal folk will ever be able to experience. The introduction of Spaceports or UK spaceship station as we like to call them. Will help grant opportunities to researchers and public sectors to use the satellite data. Along with machine learning tech to support roll outs of charging points for electronic cars.

There are quite a few potential UK Spaceship stations under consideration, if it does go ahead, the UK will be the first in Europe. The European Space agency does have it’s own spaceship station. However, it’s cheating because it’s in the South American country of French Guiana.

The UK’s space dreams don’t end with just UK Spaceship stations. The Uk are also set to become the worlds first commercial astronaut training ground. With construction set to start this year.

UK spaceship station: Problems

Everything isn’t all roses and galaxies though. The Space Industry Bill has a €60million liability cap. Shoot a satellite up in the sky. It all goes tits up and crashes back down to earth. The government are only going to give you 60M to clean up your mess.

The government are hoping that this will help the UK space industry grow. But. Not so fast. Signs that it’s infact shrinking. British companies are reportedly being excluded from work within the European Space Agency. Not being kicked out the ESA, but Brexit is looming. So who knows.

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

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Varidesk

Vari: Standing solution for all!

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So what is a Vari. First of all, Standing desks are all the rage at the moment, why shouldn’t they be?! Since, standing desks are said to improve your health and your posture. So, why wouldn’t you be thrilled about that!? However, we all don’t like building furniture, it takes too long. You get injured and there’s lots of swearing involved. So, wouldn’t it be great if someone invented an alternative to the ‘standing desk’ Someone has and it’s called the Vari and you’re going to love it! How do we know? We got our hands on one!

Design

The Vari is a standing desk solution and can be applied to almost any desk. No, we’re not asking you to take apart your desk, we’re asking you to add stuff to it. Since there is no assembly required either, it’s perfect for everyone!

Their design takes you from sitting to standing in 3 seconds! The Vari comes in a variety of different shapes and sizes to fit your personal desk, suited perfectly to your workspace.

The Vari is designed to have two tiers to allow for a spacious upper display area for a laptop or monitor or dual monitor setup. The lower level is for keyboards, mouse and more. Simply take out the Vari and place it on your desk. Job done. No hassle. No crying, to sore thumbs. Just health! Also, when you want to sit back down, simply adjust it using the spring loaded mechanism and dual handle design and lower. To go back to standing, simply lift the handles after adjusting the springs. There are a total of 11 different height settings. So, you wont need a stool to see what your typing.

Consequently, to purchase the amazing standing desk solution Vari please click here!

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Anker

Anker Bluetooth Earphones

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Funk Butcher recently got a brand new set of headphones from Anker. He feels that match and can beat the big boys over at Beats. All for a small fee of £15 compared to £129!

Anker Bluetooth Earphones Features

The Anker Bluetooth headphones have a range of features like I:

  • SoundBuds Slim
    The Lightweight Earbuds that Defy Sweat and Rain
  • High-Fidelity Audio
    6mm drivers deliver crisp, clear music to your ears via a smooth, skip-free connection.
  • Built For Active Lifestyles
    SoundBuds Slim are designed to be slimline and light (15g), while offering serious performance. Magnetically attach together when not in use, or tuck away into the travel pouch.
  • Customizable Fit
    3-size EarTips and InEar-Hooks provide a sturdy, comfortable hold. Cable measures 55cm for universal fit and no annoying tangles. Adjust your cable length with the FitClip, or affix to your clothing for extra security via the Shirt Clip.
  • Water Resistant
    IPX4 nano coating ensures complete defence against sweat, or rain. Push yourself to your limit during workouts and SoundBuds Slim will handle your audio effortlessly.
  • Listen Longer
    Play for up to 7 hours; longer than most earphones on the market. Bluetooth 4.1 ensures a connection range of up to 33 ft, compatible with the iPhone 7 or any Bluetooth device.
  • Intuitive Control
    In-built microphone (with CVC Noise Suppression) and 3-button remote enable you to manage more conveniently – from skipping a song, to answering a call without touching your phone.
  • Note:
    SoundBuds Slim cannot be recharged by most portable chargers because a minimum output current lower than 100mA (0.1A) is required. Recharging via wall charger, car charger or computer USB port is recommended.

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

 

Click here to purchase your own!

profit

Profit: Twitter grew, what’s next?

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It has taken them 12 years but Twitter finally turned a profit. In what seems crazy, (Twitter never turning a profit a remaining alive) they’ve profited! The social media giant posted their Q4 earnings recently and posted that they grew 2% from year to date. For the number nerds out there they company was in the green $91M for the quarter on a reported $732m revenue.

A lot of the growth is down to targeted advertising. The click-through rate of Twitter’s targeted ads hasa largely improved. Thus pushing Twitter into the green. Consequently the ads have worked so successfully due to machine learning advancements.

Profit & Growth

Twitter has also seen a rise in growth! Globally at least. Whilst the revenue was down 8% in the US, it grew to an impressive 17% for the rest of the world. Most notably a 34% increase in Japan!

 

However, user growth has seemed to have plateaued a bit. Ever since the company went public in 2013 there has been nominal increase in user growth. Twitter had 218M users in 2013; the total now? 330M the same as Q3 and only a 4% gain year on year. (Twitter grew by 0 users in one WHOLE quarter!?)

Shares grew due to Twitter turning a profit too! The shares reached a high of $34 per share, which was a 20% hike!

We don’t think Twitter is going anywhere soon, plus with the giant turning a profit, only good is going to come. There seems to be a lot of innovation coming from Twitter, as shown by the recent Local News investment from Twitter. Hopefully this will help get people chatting more on Twitter, as it’s a really good platform to get all your news from!

What do you think this will do to Twitter?

Let us know by getting in touch via our social platforms! @howtokillanhour

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

 

Space Force

Trump Wants Space Force

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Are we about to become a Star Wars movie? Well, maybe we will. Kinda. President Trump has recently stated that he wishes to create a branch of the armed services to operate in space. Yes you read correctly. A military force to work in space. Coining it ‘Space Force’

Apparently President Trump was joking stating

‘I said, maybe we need a new force, we’ll call it the Space Force,’ and I was not really serious. Then I said, ‘What a great idea,’ maybe we’ll have to do that.”

Though whether President Trump was still joking is another matter.

However when Engadget reached out to the Whitehouse for clarification, the White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said to them:

 “The President announced America’s new National Strategy for Space includes the recognition of space as a ‘warfighting domain.’ The National Space Council’s mission reflects President Trump’s priority to protect the security, commercial, and scientific benefits of space for the American people. We look forward to continuing the conversation on how to best ensure lasting U.S. leadership and success in space.”

Space Force

Engadget reporting that even though this sounds silly. There already is a space force of some kind. The Air Force has a Space Command division that oversees the US military operations in space. Engadget also report that the Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coates stated in 2017 “Both [China and Russia] will continue to pursue a full range of anti satellite (ASAT) weapons as a means to reduce US military effectiveness.”

So it doesn’t sound as cool as Star Wars battle in outer space with laser guns. There is some form of Space Force around right now. However it seems as though it’s more geared toward the protection of the USA from above. Utilising rockets one would assume to blow up other rockets that are potentially heading towards the USA. Which makes a lot of sense really, the distance between space and a rocket is a lot less than a rocket from earth aimed upwards!

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

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twitter local news

Twitter local news: combating misinformation?!

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Social networks want to combat the spread of misinformation. When something major occurs, sites such as Facebook and Twitter can provide people with real time information of what’s going on. This all the while being good. Can also be a hot bed for misinformation. Lies, truth and everything in between. Therefore Twitter wants to do something about it. Via Twitter local news!

To do this, Twitter are teaming up with select local news services to broadcast local news live. Therefore doing the utmost best to provide news that is factually correct. While this won’t stop people from spreading complete lies. Yet, it will do a lot of good to provide up to date, important, local news. While the spread of misinformation can be unintentional, it still doesn’t stop others as reporting it as fact. Which is why Twitter are focusing so much on broadcasting local news in a live manner.

Over in the US Twitter have already begun utilizing the live local news on thier service. Miami’s WSVN 7 live streamed footage of the recent tragic shooting in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. This footage was displayed on users timelines within America.

Kayvon Beykpour Twitter’s video general manager (and former Periscope CEO) Spole to Buzzfeed News about Twitter local news:

“We’re continuing to work on new ways we can surface credible and relevant information to help people stay informed. By pairing live video with the conversation on Twitter, there is no faster way to see what’s happening in the world.”

Twitter local news: How does it work?

What’s different than the regular streaming services that Twitter currently offer is that anyone clicking the local news feed will be linked to a custom timeline. The Twitter local news timeline will show live footage of what’s going on and tweets (which are selected and organised by an algorithm alongside) The display of tweets alongside what’s happening in real time, Twitter hopes, will help stop the spread of misinformation.

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

Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden has your face!

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So, Madison Square Garden has your face, well if you attended a show there recently. As a security measure, Madison Square Garden’s security team has been compiling images of your face for quite sometime now. It’s been using facial recognition as a form of security as a way of keeping everyone safe. Using cameras to capture images of it’s users. Then running those images through an algorithm to compare them against a database of images. One would assume that database would be a database of criminals. Or logs of problematic attendees to other venues.

This would be ok, however, no one knows when this was implemented in Madison Square Garden. Nor is it possible to be made aware of which events that the facial recognition has been used for. All of them? Some of them? All the Garden, Madison Square Garden’s mamagement team told New York Times:

“MSG continues to test and explore the use of new technologies to ensure we’re employing the most effective security procedures to provide a sage and wonderful experience for our guests”

 Madison Square Garden: How could this tech be used?

Consequently, MSG could use the technology internally to determin who’s allowed in certain areas of the venue. As we enquired above and NYT mentioned in their article. Facial recognition software for public venues are pointless without law enforcement watch lists. Therefore, what’s the point of having them without it? Who know’s what else that this tech could be used for. Would our faces be sold for marketing purposes? Also, who else is going to have my face?

However, the ultimate question is though, would you feel safer knowing that this tech, could prevent unsavoury characters from entering the building. If someone could have a picture of your face?

 

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Amazon Health Care

Amazon Health Care

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We may soon see Amazon Health Care as part of our Prime Membership. Or something in the healthcare industry at least. Why? Amazon has just made a huge hire with the FDA’s first chief health informatics officer Taha Kass-Hout, according to CNBC.

This is all due to Amazon’s alleged secret health care division. The e-commerce giant has hired Kass-Hout to work alongside former Google X director Babk Parviz in a business development role. Yet no one really knows what it is Taha Kass-Hout is actually going to be doing at Amazon. While his previous employment may lead to some pretty solid guesses as to why Amazon would want him at their company.

Predictions

Amazon Health Care?

Easier access to a customers health records?

Could Amazon soon be selling prescription drugs?

Are Amazon developing their own range of home health hardware? Echo related health hardware?

While accroding to Engadget, Apple are also developing ways to make it easier for people to access medical history. A betting man would be confident to place some dollar on that. CNBC are reporting that medical errors are a huge cause for death in the US. If a person, or medical professional or a patient are able to get a hold of their medical records, easily and quickly, it could be the difference between life or death.

It’s a lot of fun speculating what Amazon are cooking up with Kass-Hout and to be honest. Any one of the speculations that we stated above would be pretty cool from Amazon. Let’s face it. Amazon are no longer just an e-commerce company. They’re a huge tech company, who could probably make anything they wanted. It’s very interesting at least to see why they’ve hired such a huge player in the health industry to work with them. Let’s see how this plays out.

 

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implanted travel card

Implanted Travel Card Banned?!

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A man called Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow has had his implanted travel card deactivated and that sucks.

Hailing from New South Wales, Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow, a biohacker by trade, found out that after a recent trip to the US that his implanted travel card was deactivated. So, as it’s embedded in hid skin under his left hand, he’s kind of stuck.

He plans to file a lawsuit against New South Wales transport authorities, to help create laws around body-hacking technology. (Plus he wants his travel card back)

Side note: alongside his implanted travel card he also has a chip inside his body that stores all his important documents.

He told the Australian Associated Press:

“This is case law in creation and it’s fun to be at the centre of this….this is a scenario so unusual that their lawyers never foresaw this happening because, if they did, they would have written it in there.”

Implanted travel card: lockdown

The authorities took the decision to deactivate Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow’s card after huge media attention in April of 2017. However, there was light at the end of the tunnel, all be it momentarily for Meow Meow. As the travel card wasn’t registered to him, he was able to use the card for almost a year! (Despite having to swipe his palm over the scanner more than once to get it to work)

Final lockdown for the card came after he travelled back to Australia. In an ironic twist of fate, authorities finally turned off his terminator oyster card after he had attended a cyborg convention in the US. The event was all about “regulation and cyborg rights”

Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow isn’t new getting into travel based trouble either. As in March he was in court in Sydney challenging a $200 fine for travelling without a valid ticket.

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