Everything is moving into place as Andor edges closer to the heist on Aldhani. This week’s episode, “The Ax Forgets,” directed by Susanna White, delivers another tension-filled slow burn of a Star Wars story. The Dan Gilroy-written preamble to the heist really digs into the inner workings of strangers being brought…
Spotify has bought a company it says will help it detect and address harmful content on the platform. Kinzen uses machine learning and human expertise to analyze possibly harmful content and hate speech across multiple languages, Spotify said in a statement. It added that Kinzen will “help us more effectively deliver a safe, enjoyable experience on our platform around the world” and that the company’s tech is especially suited to podcasts and other audio formats.
Looking for signs of harmful audio content across hundreds of languages is a difficult task, particularly since there may be nuances that certain systems and non-native speakers may not pick up on. As such, Spotify says Kinzen will help it to “better understand the abuse landscape and identify emerging threats on the platform.”
The two companies have actually been working together since 2020, with the aim of preventing misinformation in election-related content. They forged their partnership before Joe Rogan started spreading COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on his Spotify-exclusive show, which is said to be the most-listened-to podcast on the planet.
There was a significant backlash against Rogan and Spotify earlier this year. Hundreds of doctors and scientists urged Spotify to enact a policy to stem the spread of misinformation. Weeks later, Spotify started adding a content advisory to podcast episodes that included discussions about COVID-19 and made its content guidelines public.
Several prominent artists pulled their music from Spotify in protest against Rogan, including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. The host and editor of Spotify-owned podcast Science VS also pledged to stop making episodes (except ones in which it fact-checked Rogan and countered misinformation on the platform) unless the company did more to stem the flow of harmful falsehoods.
It may be the case that Spotify sees employing Kinzen’s tech as a means to help it avoid similar PR catastrophes in the future. However, it’s unclear how effective it will be in preventing the spread of misinformation. Were harmful content to be featured on a popular podcast, it may gain traction on social media and in press coverage before Spotify can act. Still, at least it’s trying to do more to stamp out misinformation.
Pure, the British e-scooter company founded by Adam Norris (father of F1 wunderkind Lando, pictured) is launching three new scooters. The Pure Advance, Advance+ and Advance Flex offer new features that, it’s hoped, will make it easier for novices to start using them.
The major innovation is the new, lower central chassis, with a fold-down footplate on either side to let riders stand with their feet side-by-side. Most e-scooters ask you to stand like a skateboarder, with one foot in front of the other, with all of the stability problems that can sometimes cause.
With a change in stance comes a number of other benefits, like a lower ride height and a lower center of gravity. Pure says it’s developed a new stabilization technology that makes steering more intuitive, and safer, than the shuddery wobblefests currently on the market.
All three scooters have 500W motors with a peak output of 710W, which the company says will offer strong speed and even better hill climbing. The range option on the Advance and Flex will be 40km, or around 25 miles, while the Advance+ has a top range of 50km, or 21 miles.
The difference with the Flex, as the name implies, is that it will fold down much like a bike for commuter use. With a five-step process, the Flex can be folded down to fit in a car boot, train rack or if your apartment is a little on the snug side.
It’s not just the stance that has changed — all three have 10-inch air-filled tyres which should make ride quality a lot nicer. And to join a new, more powerful headlight, the scooters get turn and brake lights as standard, the latter of which are activated when you pull on the new disc brakes.
The UK has been something of a hotbed of e-scooter development of late, with Pure following Bo’s own attempt to redesign the form. We tested the former this summer, and found that the improvements in ride quality are a world apart from what’s currently on the market. Ironic, really, given that the country still hasn’t actually legalized the use of private scooters on public roads.
We don’t have word on pricing or availability for the new Pure scooters, but expect them to be competitive. Pure’s existing models are more-or-less equal to Xiaomi’s offerings, and that’s key in such a tight market.
Teenage Engineering’s latest drum machine probably isn’t one that you’re going to use to add percussion to your next piece. The company teamed up with designer Love Hulten to create CHD-4 in the aim of raising awareness about congenital heart disease.
The drum machine has four modules that produce rhythms based on the echocardiogram (ECG) scans of four children with heart defects. The scan results revealed the shape, pace and BPM of their heartbeats, Teenage Engineering said. It added the data to a four-track circular sequencer. The patterns can be played together or individually in order to create sounds that exemplify “each child’s irregular heartbeat.” A video gives a sense of the kinds of haunting soundscapes the machine can create:
“Drum machines are defined by order – beats, pace, and rhythm,” Hulten said. “This machine disrupts that system, the same way life is disrupted when a child is born with congenital heart disease.” The machine also has an OLED screen that depicts the audio and beat in a similar fashion to a proper ECG machine.
It’s an art project, no doubt, but it’s a fascinating one that’s raising awareness of an important issue. If you’re lucky, and have deep enough pockets, you might be able to add CHD–4 to your collection. It will be auctioned on Valentine’s Day (February 14th), with all proceeds going to the Swedish Heartchild Foundation.
Infinix just launched two Android smartphones aimed at young customers. The OEM has tuned the value proposition with seemingly high specifications for the dollar and has added an NFT marketing strategy (more Infinix NFT info).
The Infinix Zero Ultra ($520, official page) is the more powerful of the two and features a MediaTek Dimensity 920, which we previously covered. It’s an excellent computing platform designed for this use case of bringing features, including 5G and advanced camera features, to a mainstream market.
The Infinix Zero Ultra’s back cover comes in two colors with an original glass texture. The White version features a pearl-like iridescent surface that varies depending on incoming light.
The Black one has a mix of black matte glass and carbon-fiber-like material, giving it a “sporty” look. It’s a great way to address two radically different user tastes.
Among the notable features of the Infinix Zero Ultra, a few caught our attention and are worth highlighting.
The Infinix Zero 20 ($270) seems extraordinarily competitive and could shake the Android smartphone market in several regions.
Infinix is not yet known in the USA, but it has made enormous strides in Latin America and other markets, thanks to a finely-tuned marketing and communications strategy and high specs in several market segments.
Powered by the proven Mediatek Helio G99, this $270 phone has a 108MP camera sensor, supplemented by two additional sensors, including ultrawide. Although the number of megapixels isn’t the only quality metric, but it’s a sign the Zero 20 uses recently introduced electronics (and software).
That’s a far cry from potential competitors that still use camera sensors that have been around for years.
The 6.7” FHD AMOLED display should prove great for daily usage, including casual gaming, movies, etc. And when you need a charge, the 45W charger can get you from 0 to 75% in 30mn. That’s a charging power equivalent to the most expensive big brand phones, and unlike big names, the high-power charger is included (another $50 value).
The most notable feature of the Infinix Zero 20 might be its 60MP selfie camera. Vloggers / Tiktokers should notice, and OEMs are working hard to sway their phone purchase decision. We see a new selfie-camera arms race, and that’s exciting.
It will be fascinating to compute these phones’ performance/value numbers because, on paper, it looks like they are crushing it in their respective segments.
Infinix Zero Ultra and Zero 20 Android Phones Show High Value
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“Please STOP tearing Kimberly down and using our family when you want to deflect,” Khloe Kardashian wrote.
Apple positions the iPhone 14 Plus as a step between the baseline iPhone 14 and the more extravagant Pro — but the differences in features might surprise you.
This story was originally published by Grist. You can subscribe to its weekly newsletter here. This article is part of the Grist series Parched, an in-depth look at how climate change-fueled drought is reshaping communities, economies, and ecosystems.
As much as some companies like Google are willing to let their cloud-based game services like Stadia perish on the vine, groups working to preserve digital information are only growing more sophisticated. On Monday, the nonprofit Internet Archive said they’re working with a grant to create a monster library of amateur…
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