Mark Zuckerberg”s plans for the future of Facebook come right out of sci-fi

Tuesday, 3 August 2021, 02:54:34
by Daniel Broby, University of Strathclyde
— AlterNet

Still no sign of fatal mystery bird ailment in Massachusetts, but state urges people to keep their bird feeders down just in case

Tuesday, 3 August 2021, 02:38:47
MassWildlife reports that whatever is killing songbirds on a large scale outside of New England has yet to make its way here, but: MassWildlife is asking the public to continue to refrain from feeding birds and putting out bird baths at this time as a precaution to avoid any risk to spreading the mysterious illness. MassWildlife will continue to coordinate closely with our state and national partners on future recommendations. MassWildlife reminds the public that birds have plenty of natural foods available during this time of year. In order to mitigate any potential disease spread, any activity that results in the congregation of birds (such as feeding birds or filling bird baths) should be stopped while more information is collected. If you do run across any dead or seemingly ill birds, you can report them to the state . facebook twitter email print
— Universal Hub

Google wants its new chip to totally transform the smartphone. Its hardware chief tells us how. (GOOG, GOOGL)

Tuesday, 3 August 2021, 01:02:24
Summary List Placement Google”s hardware chief Rick Osterloh is certain that augmented reality will play a big role in the future of computing, though he doesn”t have a clear answer on how or when. That”s partially because forward-looking technologies like AR and artificial intelligence still present significant computing challenges for handheld devices, according to Osterloh, Google”s senior vice president of devices and services. Google is making a big attempt to remedy this with its new Tensor chip , which it announced on Monday alongside its overhauled design for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro smartphones . The company designed Tensor, which will appear in the new Pixel phones this fall, primarily with artificial intelligence and machine learning in mind. The new chip is so powerful, Osterloh claims, that it can run Google AI models on a smartphone that likely would have previously required a data center to function. “What we”re going to talk about today is a total transformation of the smartphone,” Osterloh told me in a meeting room located in the back of its first permanent retail store in New York City.
— Business Insider

EU To Investigate Facebook”s Proposed Buy Of Kustomer Over Antitrust Concerns

Tuesday, 3 August 2021, 00:12:06
The European Commission has opened an investigation into the proposed acquisition of Kustomer by social media giant Facebook, according to a press release. The concern is that the buy would have the effect of cutting down on competition and making Facebook more powerful and dominant overall through boosting the already formidable data Facebook has for []
— PYMNTS

CORONAVIRUS GLOBAL UPDATE: Facebook to require masks for all employees; South Africa registers 5,575 new cases

Monday, 2 August 2021, 22:55:34
South Africa registered 5,575 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the cumulative total to 2,461,758. A further 246 Covid-19-related deaths were reported, taking total official deaths to 72,437. A total of 7,769,799 people have been vaccinated.
— Daily Maverick