Category: News
Electricity from Scotland’s wind turbines could power homes in England
Electricity produced by wind turbines north of the border could power every home in Scotland and reach the North of England, according to new figures. The wind power output hit a record high during the first six months of 2019, which could also power double the number of homes in Scotland. Figures from Weather Energy…
Facebook fined $5 billion over Cambridge Analytica privacy violations
The US Federal Trade Commission has voted to approve a fine of about $5 billion for Facebook over privacy violations, the Wall Street Journal has reported. Facebook declined to comment on the story which said the 3-2 vote broke along party lines, with Republicans in support and Democrats in opposition to the fine. The FTC…
Phenomenon which baffled Einstein captured in photo for first time
Scientists have captured a photograph for the first time of a phenomenon which Albert Einstein once described as “spooky action at a distance”. The image is of a strong form of quantum entanglement, where two particles interact with each other and share their physical states for an instant – no matter how great the distance which…
YouTube won’t ban drill music videos, says UK boss
YouTube won't remove drill music videos from the platform because they “provide a place for those too often without a voice”, the UK head of the site has said. Ben McOwen Wilson said the Google-owned platform supports openness and a range of opinions being allowed online but that it must work with government and regulators…
What if Apollo 11 had ended in disaster?
Apollo 11 was an unprecedented mission, meaning there was always the possibility that astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would not make it back from the moon’s surface. A speech was prepared for then-US president Richard Nixon, penned by White House speechwriter Bill Safire on July 18 1969. Fortunately, the mission was a success, meaning…
Returning to moon is waste of money, says BBC’s Apollo 11 presenter
Going back to the moon is a waste of money, according to the presenter behind the BBC’s coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing 50 years ago. Science historian James Burke said he does not believe there is much political desire to put humans on the lunar surface once again due to the high costs…
Bombardier wins engineering prize for eco-designed wing
A Belfast team have won a prestigious engineering innovation award for developing a component to minimise an aircraft’s environmental impact. The Royal Academy of Engineering said its MacRobert Award recognises engineering teams that demonstrate outstanding innovation, societal benefit and commercial success. The winners, Bombardier, created a resin-infused advanced composite wing that minimises an aircraft’s environmental…
France approves ‘Tech Tax’ on internet giants despite US threats
France has adopted a pioneering tax on internet giants like Google, Amazon and Facebook despite US threats of new tariffs on French imports if Paris goes ahead with the plan. On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced an investigation into the tax under the provision used last year to probe China’s technology policies, which led to…
Google searches for ‘tennis coach’ treble during Wimbledon
The number of Google searches related to taking up tennis or receiving coaching in the sport has increased sharply during Wimbledon. The internet giant has revealed that the number of searches for “tennis coach” has more than trebled during the Championships. Searches for “start playing tennis” have also more than doubled, the company said. (Google/PA)…
Now Google admits listening to your smart speaker recordings
Following Amazon's admission that Alexa listens to your recordings, Google too has now said it gives workers access to audio recordings from its Google Home smart speakers. The technology giant said it uses language experts around the world to study a small number of audio “snippets” from users. Google said this work helps with developing…