Rising electricity prices, energy-hungry crypto mining operations and falling cryptocurrency prices are thought to be behind a significant decrease in the amount of electricity being used for crypto mining. What Is Crypto Mining? Crypto mining, such as Bitcoin mining, uses specialised computers that are constantly powered-on and connected to the...
Tech News : Why AI Systems Can’t Patent Inventions …Yet
Following a recent Intellectual Property Office (IPO) consultation, it has been decided that AI will not be allowed to patent inventions. What’s The Issue? As highlighted by a legal battle dating back to 2018, some people believe that if AI systems invent something, they should be granted the status of...
Tech Tip – Avoid Speeding Tickets With Google Maps Feature
If you’re off on your holidays and days out to enjoy the warm weather, there’s an audible speed trap feature in Google Maps can help you monitor your speed and avoid a getting a ticket. Here’s how to use it: - In Google Maps, tap on your profile photo (top...
Tech-Insight : How To Fake Someone’s Voice
Following recent security concerns about Amazon’s plans to enable Alexa to mimic voices, we look at how easy it is to do, what the benefits are, and what risks it poses. Alexa The Mimic Recently, Amazon announced that it was working on technology to enable its Alexa digital assistant to...
Security Stop-Press : Warning Over Amazon’s Human Voice Mimicking Plans For Alexa
A Global Cybersecurity Advisor at ESET has warned that Amazon’s plans to enable the Alexa voice assistant to mimic human voices (dead or alive) could be used to launch deep fake audio attacks on some voice authentication security systems. The advice from some security experts is that, if Amazon goes...
Tech Insight : What Are Wi-Fi 5 And 6 … And What’s The Difference?
In this tech-insight we look at what Wi-Fi 5 And 6 are, and the improvements that Wi-Fi 6 offers. Wi-Fi Standards Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 are the names of the most recent Wi-Fi standards. Wi-Fi standards are sets of services and protocols that dictate how a Wi-Fi network (and...
Featured Article: How Can You Protect Yourself From ‘Identity Theft’?
With identity theft, and the resulting identify fraud becoming more widespread, we look at how to spot the signs that you may be a victim, the effects on victims, and how to reduce the risk of having your identity stolen and used for fraud. What Are Identity Theft and Identity...
Tech News : Age Check Face Scan For Instagram
Social media app Instagram has announced that it is testing new methods for age verification of users, including the use of a video selfie. What Are The Issues? This latest announcement by Meta’s (Facebook) Instagram is an extension of an age verification program which the company began in 2019. Finding...
Tech News : New Windows Feature Displays Which Apps Have Been Listening-In
The new Privacy Auditing feature in Windows 11 allows users to see a list of which apps have accessed their microphone or camera recently, plus details of any other suspicious activity. See Which Apps Have Accessed Your Microphone and Camera David Weston, Microsoft’s VP for Enterprise and OS Security, highlighted...
Tech Tip – How To Colour Code Your Outlook Calendar
If you’d like to get more at-a-glance organisation and track all items related to a project or task in your Microsoft Outlook calendar, colour-coding can help. Here’s how to add it: - From the main calendar view, right click on an appointment, meeting, or event in your calendar, select ‘Categorize’...