Category: Week in Review

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Week in Review

Week 38… 2021!

What a week! Gas Prices have shot up! By Wednesday night, over 6 energy firms in the UK had gone bust!! It doesn’t seem to be stopping. There’s also food shortages, Covid cases rising in some areas (thankfully – not an increase in deaths like we’ve seen before)… and now we’re hearing, non of this is going to end anytime soon!

What we can do is, a) remain positive (as possible) and b) know that, hopefully, this is temporary until the world sorts itself out.

From this week, here’s my Top Two Tech Stories…

  1. Scientists are working on technology that will erase all painful and scary memories from your brain!

This is something that it’s being explored, but Philipp Kellmeyer, a neurologist and head of the Neuroethics & A.I. Ethics Lab at the University of Freiburg, has several concerns. High among them is identity.⁠


“Targeted elimination or inception of memories for purposes other than medical treatment obviously entails huge ethical problems,” Kellmeyer tells Inverse, “including the possibility for interfering with a person’s identity — or instrumentalizing individuals by using false memory inception to influence their behavior.”⁠

While many of these painful memories do fade with time, particularly painful ones can leave a lasting mark in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and make seemingly innocuous aspects of daily life difficult to manage.⁠


While it seems far future, the technology may be nearer than we think. Computational neuroscientists are in the proof-of-concept stages of a new kind of PTSD treatment called decoded neurofeedback (DecNef) that collects and parses brain signals using machine learning to modify painful memories — all without the subject evening knowing it.⁠


It could be the road to healing for countless PTSD sufferers.⁠ And let’s be honest- how awesome is that.

2. Less time on Tik Tok!

Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, will limit use of the platform for children to 40 minutes a day.

The rules will apply to users under 14, who have been authenticated using their real names, and who will be able to access it between 06:00 and 22:00.

Parent company Bytedance announced the app’s Youth Mode in a blog post,saying it is the first short-video company in the industry to have these limits.

It comes as China cracks down on teenagers’ use of technology.

According to Douyin’s user agreement there is no minimum age on the platform, but under 18s must obtain the consent of a legal guardian. On sister app TikTok the minimum age is 13. 

New educational content – including science experiments, museum exhibitions and historical explainers – has been launched by Douyin as part of Youth Mode.

“Yes, we are more strict with teenagers. We will work harder to provide quality content so that young people can learn and see the world,” the post said.

And about time too if you ask me.

We really do need to reduce the time children spend in front of screens!

Well there you – erasing scary moments from your brain to reducing the time children spend on Tik Tok. Maybe, if the latter doesn’t work… we can revert to the former to remove anything stored in the brain that isn’t good?

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Week in Review

Week 37… 2021!

Apparently, there’s only 100 (approx) days left for Christmas! I have to admit, do love Christmas time… mistletoe and wine. But first… we have our autumn to enjoy, the leaves to sweep up and get those hoodies out!

Heads up! – Tonight, I’ll be on BBC Radio Nottingham, just after 7pm, talking all things tech. It’s a regular thing, every few month I do, to keep the local community updated and informed about tech things that matter to them.

And with that, here’s my Top Two Tech Stories This week!

  1. Update those Apple Devices!

Apple’s iOS 14.8 was released on Monday, and the small update contains a big security fix. The latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system repairs a vulnerability reportedly exploited by invasive spyware called Pegasus that can potentially turn on your phone’s camera and microphone, and record messages, texts, emails and calls. (Though the odds of your iPhone or iPad being infected are low, you can still check to make sure your phone is not infected with Pegasus spyware!)

While iOS 14.7 brought some useful new features like MagSafe battery pack support for the iPhone 12 and managing timers on your HomePod, iOS 14.8 is just a security fix. It arrives right before iOS 15 is generally available to download on Monday, Sept. 20 

So, even if you are thinking about updating to iOS15, suggest you get the security fix in as soon as possible.

2. Sir Clive Sinclair passes away

Inventor Sir Clive Sinclair, who popularised the home computer and invented the pocket calculator, has died at his London home aged 81.

His daughter Belinda Sinclair said he passed away on Thursday morning after having cancer for more than a decade.

Sir Clive’s products included the ZX series of computers and his ill-fated C5 electric vehicle.

He was still working on his inventions last week “because that was what he loved doing”, said Ms Sinclair.

“He was inventive and imaginative and for him it was exciting and an adventure, it was his passion,” she added.

His ZX Spectrum computers brought affordable personal computing to the masses – selling in their millions across the world.

However, in a BBC interview in 2013, Sir Clive revealed he did not, at that time, use computers himself.

“I don’t like distraction,” he explained.

“If I had a computer, I’d start thinking I could change this and that, and I don’t want to. My wife very kindly looks after that for me.”

Let’s put it simply like this – he was definitely ahead of his time.

There you go for this week. RIP Sir Clive Sinclair and update your Apple devices!

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Week in Review

Week 36… 2021!

What a week! Here in the UK we had a mini-heatwave! Which I’ll be honest, was quite nice to sit back in the garden again. Not sure what the weather looks like for the next few weeks.

Either way, I’ll keep bringing my weekly update for you! And this week, it’s about Facebook…

  1. Facebook and Ray Ban make some Smart moves!

The company has created its first “smart glasses”, with a pair of cameras to take photos and videos, a microphone and speaker to listen to podcasts, and a voice assistant to let you do the whole thing hands-free.

If the whole thing sounds, and looks, familiar, it’s because the concept bears a heavy resemblance to Snapchat’s Spectacles, now in their third generation. It’s not the first time Facebook has been heavily inspired by the younger company, and even the name of the glasses feels sure to rub salt into the wound: they’ve been named Stories, apparently in homage to the social media format invented by the Snapchat founder, Evan Spiegel, and adopted to revolutionary effect by, first, Instagram, then countless other sites on the internet.

There’s one final wrinkle to the pitch: the glasses don’t actually come from Facebook at all. Yup, you got that! Instead, the company is working with Ray-Ban, on whose classic Wayfarer designs the hardware has been modelled, and the device will be branded as a Ray-Ban product first and foremost.

“Our mission is to help build tools that will help people feel connected any time, anywhere,” said Facebook’s Monisha Perkash. “We want to create a sense of social presence, the feeling that you’re right there with another person sharing the same space, regardless of physical distance.”

2. Next up- not tech related but more about inspiration…

Raducanu turned professional in 2018.

She made her WTA Tour main draw debut at the 2021 Nottingham Open, where she gained entry on a wildcard, originally ranked Number 338 in the world.

Fast forward – she got the opportunity to play in Wimbledon – where she pulled out in the 2nd set, fourth round match due to breathing difficulties.

And last night – against all the odds, someone who had to go through the qualifiers – won the US Open!

She is now expected to rise to Number 23 in the world. How phenomenal is this!!! What a great achievement!! The whole – never give up, enjoy the moment… the funniest part here is… she’d book her return flight tickets for a few weeks back because she didn’t think she’d progress as far!!

Well done Emma. Fantastic.

So there you go – today it’s all about Facebook collaborating with Ray Bans, and Emma showing that you should never give up – keep trying and keep pushing. You are in control of your own destiny.

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Week in Review

Week 35… 2021!

And so, with that… it begins to feel very autumnal. It’s getting darker earlier, slightly colder in the mornings etc.. however, I hear that in the UK, we’re going to have a mini (2 to 3 days) heatwave!

And with that… let’s move onto the Top Two Tech Stories of the week.

  1. Up first… iPhone 13 information!

The Apple iPhone 13 is set to arrive in the UK in September.

The technology giant has not announced the launch date of its new smart phone but rumours suggest it could be September, with UK pre orders set to open as early as 17 September.

Previous launches have taken place on the final Friday of the month but the launch could be October.

The iPhone 13 could be in high demand when it does hit the shelves in the UK because there are signs Apple will struggle to have enough units for everybody who wants the new handset.

It is believed the Chinese manufacturer Foxconn, is hiring hundreds of thousands of extra workers over the next month to make enough of the smartphones but this recruitment drive may be slower than Apple needs to meet demand.

There is also a global shortage of chips that could impact supply. Apple’s finance chief Luca Maestri said: “We expect supply constraints during the September quarter to be greater than what we experienced during the June quarter. The constraints will primarily impact iPhone and iPad.”

Also.. the shortage of chips which has been widely acknowledged is having an impact on cars and many other electronic items. Let’s hope we can resume production and up the productivity sooner rather than later.

2. Up next, BMW’s new electric bike!

BMW’s Motorrad division has been pumping out some wild concepts over the last few years as the larger company turns its attention towards electric vehicles. It’s latest is also the to date, but still looks extremely cool: the CE 02 mini-bike. 

Debuted this week ahead of the IAA Mobility conference in Germany, the CE 02 is a tiny two-wheeler that borrows some of the futuristic vibes BMW has been honing for its larger concept bikes — including the CE 04, which is actually going into production. Clad in silver and black and “technoid typography,” the minimalist design looks like it came right off the set of a sci-fi movie.

The CE 02 has an 11kW belt-drive motor, which can help the bike reach a top speed of around 90 kilometers per hour (about 56 miles per hour). BMW isn’t sharing the battery capacity, but claims the CE 02 can go about 90 kilometers on a full charge. 

There are no pedals, but BMW says there will be footrests — though in the photos, the only footrest that anyone is using is a skateboard clipped to the underside of the bike. (Hey, it’s a concept!) A circular LED headlight lights the way, while a small display between the handlebars serves up the basic information like speed and battery status. “Otherwise, the technology is deliberately restrained,” BMW says. The whole package weighs 120 kilograms (about 265 pounds).

I love this… because we need smaller, electric vehicles that can transport us around towns and inner cities. I personally would definitely purchase this!

So there we go… get ready for the new iPhone 13 and the new electric scooters which are a concept but could quickly turn to be reality!

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Uncategorized Week in Review

Week 34… 2021!

A lot happened this week! – So much so… I was tempted to share more than two stories, but no… we have a process and the process shall be followed, because expectations may rise, variation is not good…

So let’s get straight into it… here’s my Top Two Tech Stories of the Week!

  1. First up, we have a German company, that’s created a road where it’ll charge electric vehicles!!

Indiana (US) may very well be the primary state to have a wi-fi charging street that tops up your electrical automobile as you drive alongside it.

Because the 21st century rolls on, we’ve all had these one or two moments the place we see some new expertise and the tempo of innovation actually comes residence to roost in our heads, usually with some recollection of Star Wars or Star Trek.

Perhaps for some it might have been the self-driving characteristic of the Tesla, or good residence methods, however for motorists in Indiana, that second could come by means of a shiny new wi-fi street.

Whereas battery charging instances are getting better every year, it’s nonetheless essentially the most limiting issue relating to the acquisition of an EV. The Indiana Division of Transportation (INDOT) has determined to sort out that by burying electrified wire coils that create a magnetic subject alongside the street floor, mimicking the best way wi-fi charging stations for tablets and telephones are designed.

As a way to use the roads, vehicles can be fitted with a receiver coil to choose up the cost as they go alongside, and turning into magnetized, draw electrical energy from the coils themselves. How awesome is that!

2. Up next… 12 year old makes £290,000 from NFT’s!

A 12-year-old boy from London has made about £290,000 during the school holidays, after creating a series of pixelated artworks called Weird Whales and selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

With NFTs, artwork can be “tokenised” to create a digital certificate of ownership that can be bought and sold – you may remember this from a previous blog post of mine.

They do not generally give the buyer the actual artwork or its copyright.

Benyamin Ahmed is keeping his earnings in the form of Ethereum – the crypto-currency in which they were sold.

This means they could go up or down in value and there is no back-up from the authorities if the digital wallet in which he is holding them is hacked or compromised.

He has never had a traditional bank account! Crazy – right?!

“It was a little bit of a fun exercise – but I picked up on really early that they were really receptive to it and they were really good,” Imran said. 

“So then we started getting a little bit more serious – and now it’s every single day… but you can’t cram this stuff, you can’t say I’m going to learn coding in three months.” 

The boys did 20 or 30 minutes of coding exercises a day – including on holiday, he said.

So there you go… a 12yr old who’s made £290,000 from NFT’s and wireless charging for electric cars!

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Week in Review

Week 33… 2021!

Bit of a crazy week this week. A lot has been happening, both in the tech world… and also, my personal world.

Anyway, here’s my Top Two Tech Stories of the week… and starting with Elon who never seems t disappoint us!

  1. Tesla’s Human Robot

Tesla will branch out from building electric, self-driving cars to produce humanoid robots designed to “eliminate dangerous, repetitive, boring tasks” and respond to voice commands from their owners.

The robot, referred to as Optimus by those inside the company, will be 173 centimetres tall and weigh 57 kilograms. Its body will be powered by 40 electromechanical actuators and its face will feature a screen display.

Optimus will be able to carry a cargo of up to 20 kilograms, and Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk claims that a working prototype will be ready next year.

“Tesla is arguably the world’s biggest robotics company because our cars are like semi-sentient robots on wheels,” he said. “It kind of makes sense to put that onto a humanoid form. We’re also quite good at sensors and batteries and actuators.” Said Elon.

Musk said the machine will be limited to a walking speed of 8 kilometres per hour and will be deliberately weak enough that most humans will be able to overpower it if needed. “You never know,” said Musk, who had suggested earlier in his presentation that artificial general intelligence – hypothetical AIs that could complete any task a human can perform – was the largest threat currently facing humanity.

Up next, we have something happening over at Apple…

2. Not one but a few launch events for Apple!

We know that Apple is planning to launch a wealth of new devices before the end of the year – including the iPhone 13, the Apple Watch 7, the iPad mini 6, a new entry-level iPad, updated AirPods and a couple of MacBooks – but when are they going to be unveiled?

According to a new DigiTimes report based on supply chain sources, all of this hardware will be launched in the month of September 2021, across a couple of virtual events that are going to be streamed online.

It would be an unusual move for Apple, but it’s not entirely out of the question – after all, prerecorded virtual events without any in-person attendees are easier to queue up than ones held in a physical location with an audience.

Apple traditionally has a lot of hardware to launch in the final third of each year, with the new iPhone usually starting everything off in September. However, last year’s launch schedule was heavily impacted by the global pandemic.

And how is the pandemic going to effect other companies – we know it’s having an impact on the car market – where automotive manufacturers have had to cut down production due to shortages in the supply chain (mainly down to chip shortages).

So there we go… Elon with a human robot, and Apple with a lot of devices coming around September (onwards) time… within several events.

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Week in Review

Week 31… 2021!

Hope you’re keeping well. I’ve been away for the week. Took some time out- had the out of office on… and enjoyed a few sunny days by the south coast. I think it’s important for us all to recharge now and again. For me, I spent time reading a book, thinking about my purpose and enjoying some good food!

Ok, here’s my Top Two Tech Stories of the week…

  1. Up first, Whatsapp!

WhatsApp has introduced a new feature for its mobile app that aims to mimic the likes of Snapchat. While Disappearing Messages on the platform stretches to a minimum of seven days, WhatsApp has added a new View Once feature for photos and videos. The new feature is now available on iPhone as well as Android.

While the feature is great to have, there is still a risk if the receiver takes a screenshot of it. Henceforth, the platform can just update the feature with a notification alert – but we’ll have to wait for this.

This all sounds a lot like Snapchat and other platforms, where you can quickly (and for a short time) view a photo or video before it disappears. We can see our favourite and most used platforms adopting these features – maybe in a move to make us have less apps.

2. Up next… legacy systems!

Half of all government spending on computers is dedicated to keeping old systems going, a report has found.

The UK government spends £4.7bn a year on IT across all departments, and £2.3bn goes on patching up systems, some of which date back 30 years or more.

Labour said the situation showed Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove’s “incompetence and failure to deliver”.

The Cabinet Office said it was taking action to reduce the government’s reliance on outdated technology.

The Cabinet Office report, called Organising for Digital Delivery, warns that government could end up spending between £13bn and £22bn over the next five years on obsolete systems.

Some government digital services “fail to meet even the minimum cyber-security standards,” it adds, and data can not be properly extracted from them, making them “one of the greatest barriers” to civil service innovation.

The government has made a big push to use data to improve public services, but despite “significant sums” being spent on data storage departments are “making little use of this data to influence action or decision-making”. 

The report also says the government is not carrying out any kind of monitoring of performance of computer systems, as is common in leading private and public sector organisations. 

A performance management system was put in place in 2012, but has since fallen into disuse – and even the technology that monitors its performance is now obsolete and vulnerable to a cyber attack.

The report also highlights digital success stories, such as the rapid launch of the NHS coronavirus testing service and the furlough scheme.

The Home Office’s EU Settlement Scheme is also cited as example of rapid rollout.

The report says government departments that need a new digital service should launch a “minimum loveable product”. 

This means, for example, not worrying about making the website look nice and having lots of features, but to focus on the absolute bare essentials required for launching a service to the public.

There you go… from Whatsapp letting you share photos and videos for a short duration and then they disappear to systems being used by the Government that should’ve disappeared a long time ago!

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Week in Review

Week 30… 2021!

The Olympics continue – and (yes, I’m being biased) the GB team continue to pick up more and more medals which is fantastic! Also, as more and more folks are getting their vaccinations, there seems to be a sense of ‘normality’ in the air – not saying at all that the virus has gone, but more people are visiting the physical shops and more are now meeting up more frequently with family and friends. I would like to point out – we should continue to be careful.

So, my Top Two Tech Stories of the week….

  1. First up… the trusted old kindle might not work!

Some older Kindle e-readers will soon no longer be able to connect to the internet to download new books, Amazon has said.

First- and second-generation Kindles did not come with wi-fi functions included, using mobile internet only.

But the slower technology used at the time – 2G and 3G internet – is being discontinued in some places, particularly the United States.

Several other models will also be restricted to wi-fi only.

“Starting in 2021, some prior generation Kindle e-readers will not be able to connect to the internet using cellular connection through 2G or 3G networks,” Amazon told its US customers this week.

The switch-off is outside of Amazon’s control, as mobile networks repurpose the older parts of their radio spectrum for faster, more modern standards.

The same situation applies in other countries on varying timescales – in the UK, for example, operator BT has announced it plans to phase out 3G support by 2023.

Other British operators have yet to announce their plans.

The switch-off affects all sorts of older devices, such as 3G-only smartphones.

But such devices tend to be replaced every few years, unlike an e-reader, which may be replaced only once it is completely broken.

2. Facebook Smart glasses!

At Facebook’s recent earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg confirmed what we had already expected: The company’s first pair of smart glasses are the next product, coming this year. 

Facebook discussed its glasses, which are made in a partnership with glasses-maker Essilor Luxottica under the Ray-Ban brand, last year during a virtual Facebook Connect conference.

Facebook’s head of AR/VR hardware, Andrew Bosworth, confirmed a few things previously: “We’re being careful not to call them augmented reality glasses. When you’re overlaying digital artifacts onto the world, that’s really augmented reality. These aren’t augmented reality glasses. However, they do a lot of the concepts we think will eventually be critical for augmented reality glasses. It’s all components that people have seen before, but never all in one place. I’m being very coy about the feature set, as you can tell — that’s intentional, I’m not going to answer specifically what features it has. But I will say, one of the things that we’re looking at for all of AR, starting with our smart glasses, is how can they help you be more present.”

He also added that “I think they’re going to help people stay connected to each other, and never feel like they’re out of touch with somebody else. And also just be useful.” Bosworth didn’t sound interested in the glasses serving up notifications, however, and didn’t confirm whether or not they’d have displays. 

Facebook has said the glasses won’t have their own displays. Audio, then, would be what Facebook leans on. Much like Amazon’s Echo Frames, Bose Frames or Razer’s Anzu glasses, these will probably focus on audio as the immersive tech of the moment. Facebook recently created its own live audio rooms and spaces, matching similar efforts from Twitter and apps like Clubhouse. Facebook Reality Labs, which is pursuing a more advanced true augmented reality headset, sees spatial audio as a key piece of the puzzle in smart glasses. Audio is also a more achievable step in the short term. Facebook could experiment with assistant features and use the glasses to connect to audio spaces.

So there you go… time to upgrade that old kindle of yours and soon you’ll have glasses from RayBan that share your aunty’s Facebook notifications, most probably liking that recent photo of you on the beach.

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Week in Review

Week 28… 2021!

I’m over the heartbreak of last Sunday Evening… that’s right, England not winning the Euro’s. What we can look forward to is the World Cup next year!!

So let’s not waste any time and dive straight into my Top Two Tech Stories of the week…

  1. First up… Netflix and video games?!

TV and movie streaming giant Netflix could offer video games as part of its subscription from as early as next year, a new report claims.

According to Bloomberg, a person “familiar with the situation” has stated that video games could appear “within the next year”, being available alongside the service’s current content as a new, standalone genre. Apparently, Netflix doesn’t have any plans to charge any extra for the video game content on offer, presumably meaning that current subscribers would be able to access the games with no extra steps required.

The report notes that Netflix has hired former Electronic Arts and Oculus veteran Mike Verdu as its vice president of game development; previously, Verdu worked as Facebook’s vice president and was in charge of helping developers bring their games to the Oculus VR platform.

The idea of Netflix adding games to its service isn’t new, of course; reports surrounding the possibility first appeared back in May, and the company itself has expressed that it’s “excited to do more with interactive entertainment.” We’ve also seen Netflix properties appear on Switch, such as Stranger Things 3: The Game – but will games like these end up being exclusive to Netflix’s service going forward?

2. Next up… do you know how dirty your phone actually is?

It’s very dirty.

So, in Japan… they’ve come up with a genius idea to sanitise your phone whilst you wash your hands!

What you do is, put your phone in the slot (blue on in the photo), and the phone is sucked in – sanitised and then returned to you – all whilst you wash your hands and dry them!

Love it. Great idea! We need more of these ideas. Because the less germs that are going around – the better it is!

So there you go – Netflix moving into games and the new invention in Japan to sanitise your phone whilst you wash your hands! Have a great Sunday!!

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Week in Review

Week 27… 2021!

Can you believe – England are in the finals of Euro 2020! (Being played in 2021 – because Covid 19 disrupted a few things last year).

Tonight – 8pm GB time – against Italy.

But first – let me share my Top Two Tech Stories from the week…

  1. First up, we have Facebook Market place!

That’s right – Facebook market place has grown to 1 billion users!

Whilst I personally have used it occasionally and quickly realised a) there’s a few people that can waste your time and b) then there’s an influx of folk if something is for free – and how to manage that (usually whoever responds first works) – but overall, great place to sell items.

Facebook does not release standalone financial details for Marketplace. It is in fact free for non-business users to put up a simple sales listing, as the firm makes it money from users simply being on its ecosystem and seeing all the advertisements on the site.

However, Marketplace’s user numbers have soared during the pandemic. Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg recently revealed that Marketplace now has more than one billion global users. This is up from a reported 800 million in 2018, for a service that was only launched in 2016.

There are others out there that folk use, like depop and Vinted…

In fact, depop was recently sold for $1.62bn.

2. Next up, new motorway service stations are coming!

So recently, I’ve blogged about electric cars – and even shared a story about the East London service station that can hold over 30 cars all able to charge at the same time.

Well, it’s spreading. Rugby has something similar. And there’s more and more popping up!

Gridserve has also outlined plans to install at least 50 ‘electric hubs’ at motorway service stations with each of them including anywhere between six to twelve ultra-rapid chargers. 

The 350kW devices mean the most advanced electric cars should be able to add 100 miles of range in a matter of minutes, depending upon the car.

Other providers including, Tesla and Ionity, already have ultra-rapid chargers on, or close to, the motorway network. 

Elsewhere, Gridserve has trademarked the name ‘Electric Forecourts’ and plans to open more than 100 of those charging hubs in towns and cities within the next five years. 

Each forecourt will include shops, cafes, toilets and even showrooms where people can learn about electric cars. 

Gridserve says all of its chargers are supported by solar farms, meaning that every unit of electricity taken from the grid is matched by an equivalent amount of solar energy going back into it.

So there you go – my Top Two Tech Stories for the week, all about selling on line via facebook and depop is big, about a billion big! And what’s even bigger is the number of charging stations for electric cars you are going to see soon!