Hasta La Gadget!

Recently, Netflix announced that over in Europe, they will be reducing the quality of its streams. This is because of the coronavirus outbreak where many people are now being forced to stay at home for work and school, and as such, many are turning to streaming more than ever. This has resulted in Europe’s internet service providers experiencing a greater strain than ever on its network.

Now it looks like YouTube will be following in Netflix’s footsteps, where they too have announced that for Europe, they will be reducing the stream quality from videos on its platform. According to the statement issued by YouTube, “We are making a commitment to temporarily switch all traffic in the EU to standard definition by default.”

Also, similar to what Netflix is doing, YouTube will be reducing the bitrate of its videos. For those unfamiliar, bitrate is what determines how smooth video playbacks are. This means that at least for the next month or so, if you are living in the EU, don’t be surprised if your YouTube videos aren’t quite as smooth or sharp as they once were.

We imagine that things will (and hopefully) revert back to the way they are once this crisis is under control, but for now, we guess it’s one of the small sacrifices we’ll have to make.

YouTube Will Also Be Reducing Stream Quality In Europe

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Messengers like WhatsApp make for a great tool to help send messages and keep in communication with loved ones. Unfortunately, due to the ease of use, a lot of misinformation can be knowingly and unknowingly shared through the platform. With the world facing a crisis with the coronavirus outbreak, getting accurate information is more important than ever.

So much so that WhatsApp and the World Health Organization (WHO) have teamed up and created a chatbot for WhatsApp. What this does is that it allows users of WhatsApp to receive information about the coronavirus directly from the WHO themselves, as opposed to receiving forwarded messages that can sometimes prove to be inaccurate.

According to Will Cathcart, who runs WhatsApp, of WHO Health Alert, “We already have over one million people signed up even though we haven’t even announced it yet. It’s great. There seems to be a lot of appetite from people for ways to get good, accurate information and we’re happy to do what we can there to help.”

If you are interested in using the chatbot, all you need to do is text “hi” to +41 79 893 1892, after which you will receive a text back from the WHO that will contain a menu of items containing all sorts of information about the coronavirus.

WhatsApp And WHO Team Up To Fight Coronavirus Misinformation

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One of the ways factories have a negative impact on the environment is by producing excessive carbon dioxide. However, it seems that at least one company is taking advantage of that excessive emission and turning it into something good. Known as Air Co., the company is using captured CO2 emissions from nearby factories and using it to help make hand sanitizers.

For those who are unfamiliar, Air Co. is a relatively new company. They launched in New York back in 2019 where they made the headlines as being the first to produce carbon-negative vodka by using captured CO2 instead of yeast. It looks like the company is leveraging their experience now to make hand sanitizers, which they plan on donating to institutions that need it the most.

Given that hand sanitizers require alcohol in order to be effective, Air Co. definitely has some experience on that front. Air Co. will not be the first company to leverage their experience to start making new products that will help aid the current coronavirus outbreak crisis.

Other companies, such as Razer, have announced their plans to convert some of their manufacturing lines and start producing surgical masks, something that healthcare workers around the world are currently facing a shortage of.

This Hand Sanitizer Is Made From Captured Carbon Dioxide

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Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus around the world, many events scheduled to take place this year have been cancelled. While not officially cancelled yet, it was reported earlier this year that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics could be on the chopping block. Like we said, an official decision has yet to be made, but at least two countries will no longer be participating in it.

Both Canada and Australia have issued separate statements in which they have announced that they will not be sending their athletes to the 2020 games. According to the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee, “While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community. This is not solely about athlete health — it is about public health.”

Ian Chesterman, Australian Team Chef de Mission for Tokyo adds, “It’s clear the Games can’t be held in July. Our athletes have been magnificent in their positive attitude to training and preparing, but the stress and uncertainty has been extremely challenging for them.”

That being said, the IOC seems to be considering postponing the games instead of outright cancelling them. The organization claims that to do so would “destroy the Olympic dreams of 11,000 athletes”, but when the games will be postponed to remains to be seen.

Canada And Australia Pull Out Of The 2020 Tokyo Olympics

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When people say they are searching on the Internet for information, they usually mean using Google Search, whether they’re aware of it or not. Google’s biggest and most universal Internet service has become the gateway to information but is sometimes also used to deceive people. That happens especially in times of crisis and confusion, which is why Google specifically formatted … Continue reading