Tech five
From the Kim and Khloe to Bert and Ernie, Aamanda Horlington breaks down what’s happening in the world of technology this month
1) Keeping OUT the Kardashians Up↑
Those pesky Kardashians get around everywhere. Like the seven-headed Hydra, when one gets tedious, another two pop up. No selfie or spousal quarrel is too petty it seems to suggest. But all is not lost. With the KardBlock browser extension, all Kardashian-related web news will be removed. Sound too good to be true? Try it for yourself. “We simply make it disappear,” says the developer. What a saint.
2) But love is blind, and lovers cannot see Non Mover –
Gone are the days of romantic, hand-written letters. Today, an expression of love is conducted by text, SnapChat, or, if your partner’s a real keeper, email. Convenient and accessible? Yes. A rich, meaningful form of communication? Definitely not. Devoid of expression, spelling and grammar, a recent study showed high levels of misinterpretation and ambiguity with phone messaging.
3) Sesame Street – brought to you by the ‘F’ word Down↓
When monitoring what your children see on the Internet, you’d assume that Sesame Street was a pretty safe bet. Not so. The US Federal Trade Commission has discovered a profane Ernie and Bert clip on YouTube, alongside videos and adverts aimed at adults. Stricter regulations have been called for and greater caution when searching for ‘Big Bird’. But if you’re really worried, create a YouTube account as an under 18 user. This way, videos with an adult theme will be unavailable to view.
4) Yahoo Hullabaloo Down↓
Quick to follow Facebook’s apparent flouting of privacy law, Yahoo is facing a US class action lawsuit for apparently spying on emails sent to its mail users from non-Yahoo Mail accounts. Yahoo has been accused of copying emails, extracting keywords and reviewing links and attachments whilst using the data to improve their revenue from targeted advertising.
5) L’Oreal 3D skin – hot off the press Down↓
We all get those days when we wake up with skin feeling less than fresh. But if reports are true, there may be a miracle solution in the making. Recently L’Oreal has teamed up with a bio-engineering start-up to 3D-print human skin. First sited for use in product testing, the partnership stated, “the potential for where this new field of technology and research can take us is boundless.”
Amanda Horlington is the founder of web design and internet marketing company Fusion Marketing. Contact Amanda at amanda@fusion-marketing.co.uk or via Twitter.
