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#tech

170 posts137 participants1 post today

Yesterday I read about Japan's sidewalks producing electricity through people walking on their tiles.

I was certain I read about it before and indeed, the French author Alphonse Allais had already thought of sidewalks using people's steps to produce electricity... in 1896!

Actually this guy predicted a number of future technology, always as a joke.
One more proof that science is nothing without imagination (and humor).

japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2008/

The Japan Times · Walking the body electricBy The Japan Times

Tech writer Paul Hatton had never really been into flight tracking. Until he started using Flightrader24. “The first time I opened up the app, I was flabbergasted by how many planes were up in the sky. It looked like they were all going to crash into each other! I have newfound respect for air traffic controllers.” Read more at @TechRadar:

flip.it/a6mPoH

TechRadar · This flight app blew my mind and I’ll never underestimate the role of an air traffic controller ever againHomescreen Heroes: Flightradar24 is a real-time flight tracker that you have to see to believe

One of us who works at the tech desk may have eaten five pieces of pizza last night — without any awareness of the total calories. It might have been a good opportunity to use Cal AI, an app where users can upload a photo of their meal and receive a calorie count that has a purported 90% accuracy. Cal AI isn’t the first digital calorie counter, but it has a 4.8-star rating on the Apple App Store and over 1 million downloads on Google Play. @Techcrunch has more on this app developed by a pair of teenagers.

flip.it/OV_Lwq

TechCrunch · Photo calorie app Cal AI, downloaded over a million times, was built by two teenagers | TechCrunchCal AI has generated over 5 million downloads in 8 months, it says. Founders Zach Yadegari and Henry Langmack are just 18.
#Tech#Apps#AI

Special shoutout to the repair site iFixit who are now on the Fediverse, you can follow them at:

➡️ @iFixit

They provide repair forums and free repair guides for phones, computers, consoles, kitchen equipment, tools, medical devices, cars etc. They also review and tear down new gadgets to see how repairable they are.

Repairing your existing stuff is much, much better for the environment than buying replacements.

𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝑨𝒓𝒆 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝒍𝒈𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒎𝒊𝒄 𝑪𝒂𝒈𝒆

"The private companies in control of social-media networks possess an unprecedented ability to manipulate and control the populace."

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/

The Atlantic · Americans Are Trapped in an Algorithmic CageBy Adam Serwer
Continued thread

When it comes to blogs, Ofcom says one thing, the UK Online Safety Act says another.

This lack of clarity over whether blogs with comments are exempt will push small sites to shut down completely.

We need the UK government to tighten up the definitions and exemptions in the Act.

Read our explainer for more detail ➡️ openrightsgroup.org/blog/save-

Open Rights GroupSave our Sites: Deadline 17 MarchIncredible as it may seem, thanks to the Online Safety Act, dozens of harmless, safe, small websites are closing down by 17 March, rather than face threats of fines that could lose their operators their homes.
Continued thread

Under the UK Online Safety Act, small blogs, forums and fedi instances are faced with disproportionate requirements to:

⚫️ Check if they have UK users

⚫️ Do a risk assessment on whether kids might access the content, or if CSAM or terrorist material might be posted in the comments

⚫️ Put themselves at the risk of fines, and even prison sentences, if they fail to comply with Ofcom’s future directives

#SaveOurSites 🌐

I want to deGoogle a little.
What I'd like to set up is a simple next cloud/own cloud server that I can access from outside my home and automatically back up my photos. With a backup off site daily. Id also like to create accounts for a family to backup phones and be able to share documents with friends. I have about 90% of the skills I need to do this but need a good set of tutorials to follow.
Who do you recommend?
#foss #tech #homelab

What determines if a specific TV has good overall value? Sound? Features? Your kids started rolling around on the floor at Target and you just had to take the first one you saw? Al Griffin reviews televisions for @TechRadar. Here are his top three budget TVs you can buy today:

flip.it/FXkiYX

TechRadar · I review TVs for a living, and here are the 3 best budget TVs you can buy todayThe best TVs for less

We identified 35 crimes linked to Terrorgram, including bomb plots, stabbings and shootings.

Each case involved someone who posted in Terrorgram chats, followed Terrorgram accounts or was a member of a group whose leaders participated in the Terrorgram community.
propublica.org/article/rise-an

ProPublicaThe Rise and Fall of Terrorgram: Inside a Global Online Hate Network
More from ProPublica