Author: Stuart
Stuart is formerly a Technology Production Editor for The Evening Standard and lives in Battersea
Monkey does not own selfie, rules US Copyright Office
The US Copyright Office has settled the recent debate over the so-called monkey selfie, declaring in updated rules that material produced by an animal can't be registered. "The Office will not register works produced by nature, animals or plants," the office, which operates under the US Library of Congress, wrote in a recent update to…
Human-like skin for aircraft under development
A so-called "smart skin" – made up of tens of thousands of tiny sensors – could be fitted to future aircraft so that they can "feel" changes in speed, temperature, physical strain and movement. The system, which is being developed by BAE System's Advanced Technology Centre in Essex, will also allow the exterior of aircraft…
Chinese cinemas post text messages on-screen during movies
We've all been there – getting annoyed with stupid people who insist on using their phones while watching a film in a cinema. But now some cinemas in China are actually encouraging such anti-social behaviour. Cinemas in Beijing, Shanghai and other major Chinese cities are experimenting with “bullet screens” on which members of the audience can…
An ad-free internet would cost £140 a year
We all hate those annoying pop-up ads, or the ads that take over the entire page you are trying to read, or the pre-roll advertising you get on videos. But how many people would be willing to pay to get rid of advertising? Not that many, according to the International Business Times. The site reports…
Britons still prefer to watch television live – on their TVs
As our "second" screens get smaller while our TV screens get larger, it seems that the old adage that "bigger is better" just might hold true. Some new research has shown that despite the growth in watching television via a PC, tablet or smartphone, 90 per cent of viewers still regularly use the TV to…
Twitter to remove images of deceased on families’ request
In a crackdown on gory and upsetting images, Twitter has announced a new policy where it will remove photos or video of dead people if close family members or other authorised individuals request such a removal. The policy update comes as pictures and video circulated on Twitter after the beheading of US journalist James Foley,…
Steve Ballmer quits Microsoft board
Former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has resigned as a member of the company’s board, ending more than three decades of involvement in the world’s biggest software maker. Ballmer, 58, is still Microsoft’s top individual shareholder. He had initially remained as a director after handing the top job over to one of his deputies, Satya…
Online music videos to get age rating in UK
In further proof that he has absolutely no understanding of how the internet works, UK prime minister David Cameron has announced that music videos on YouTube and other websites will be given age ratings from October to stop children seeing “graphic content”. Cameron said that new filters will replicate rules that exist offline for media…
Tom Hanks’ free iPad typewriter app hits no.1 on App Store
Remember that classic scene in the film Big — the film that really launched Tom Hanks' big-screen career — in which he plays Chopsticks by dancing on the giant piano keys? Well, now keys of another kind have also proved a big success for the Oscar-winning actor. His manual typewriter simulator app for the iPad — called…
Police investigated over social media breaches
Hundreds of police officers in England and Wales have been accused of breaches social media guidelines that include making racist and threatening comments, posing images of colleagues in compromising positions and sending Facebook friend requests to victims of crime. The BBC reports that research by the Press Association found that of 828 cases from 2009…
