YouTube says LGBTQ+ video censorship won’t happen again

YouTube has updated its policies to explicitly state that any LGBTQ+-themed video with no graphic/mature language and content is allowed in Restricted Mode. The platform launched Restricted Mode for use by kids and in places of learning, but it didn’t quite work as intended. It unfortunately ended up filtering out millions of harmless videos, many of them perfectly wholesome ones with LGBTQ+ themes. They include videos of a lesbian couple’s wedding vows, of someone emotionally coming out to his grandmother and of people speaking out against discrimination.

YouTube apologized after getting hit by allegations that it censors LGBTQ+ content and fixed the bug that apparently caused the issue. Now, the website has apologized yet again and updated its policies in an effort to reaffirm its “commitment that YouTube is a place where all voices can be heard.” YouTube chief Susan Wojcicki said she and her team talked to lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer/questioning creators, employees and volunteers to get feedback on the platform’s policies. As a result, the company has “broadened Restricted Mode guidelines to ensure that non-graphic, personal accounts of difficult events are available.”

In a blog post, the CEO wrote:

“For example, personal accounts of individuals who suffered discrimination or were impacted by violence for being part of a protected group will now be included in Restricted Mode, provided they don’t contain graphic language or content. Soon we’ll have new content in Creator Academy to describe in detail how to make videos that will meet the criteria for Restricted Mode.”

If you look at the website’s guidelines, you’ll now find this section:

“Some educational, straightforward content about sexual education, affection, or identity may be included in Restricted Mode, as well as kissing or affection that’s not overly sexualized or the focal point of the video.”

…

“We know there is a risk that some important content could be lost if we were to apply these rules without context. We value stories where individuals discuss their personal experiences and share their emotions. Sharing stories about facing discrimination, opening up about your sexuality, and confronting and overcoming discrimination is what makes YouTube great, and we will work to ensure those stories are included in Restricted Mode. “

The Google-owned website admits that the mode might still not work perfectly despite the tweaks that it made, but it promises that its systems will get better at identifying entries that should and shouldn’t be filtered out over time. In addition to making guideline changes, YouTube is introducing a permanent spot on its US spotlight channel for LGBTQ+ videos to be refreshed weekly throughout the year. It’s also teaming up with The Trevor Project to offer crisis intervention to members of the community and to prevent LGBTQ+ youth suicides.

Source: YouTube

Kids control the story in Netflix’s new interactive shows

After months of rumors and speculation, Netflix is officially taking the wraps off of its new interactive shows for kids. The company is calling its new type of programming “branching narratives,” since viewers can control certain aspects of the story, including the ending. The first series, Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale, was created in partnership with DreamWorks Animation and features 13 different storyline choices and two endings. It will debut today on the streaming service, followed by another interactive show, Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile, on July 14th. But that’s not it: Netflix says a third one called Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout is already in the works and scheduled to arrive later in 2017.

“Being an internet-based company enables us to innovate new formats, deliver at scale to millions of members all over the world on multiple device types and, most importantly, learn from it,” Carla Engelbrecht Fisher, Netflix’s director of product innovation, said in a blog post. “The children’s programming space was a natural place for us to start since kids are eager to ‘play’ with their favorite characters and already inclined to tap, touch and swipe at screens.” It’s worth nothing Netflix had been quietly testing this out, but it wasn’t until now that it decided to roll it out to its users worldwide.

At launch, Netflix says the choose-your-own-adventure shows will work on “most” TV experiences and the latest iOS devices, though not its own site. The Apple TV isn’t compatible either, nor are Android smartphone or tablets, but support for these platforms could come down the road. Either way, it’ll be interesting to use a remote or screen to help your kids determine how they want the story of Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale to play out.

If you’ve ever played video games like Life is Strange or Telltale’s The Walking Dead, where you can control parts of the storyline, Netflix’s branching narratives won’t feel so unusual. And while it looks like the streaming service is only bringing this to kids programming for now, don’t be surprised if the idea expands to other genres in the future. “It’s really about finding the right stories — and storytellers — that can tell these complex narratives and bring them to life in a compelling way,” says Engelbrecht Fisher.

Privacy-minded Firefox Focus browser comes to Android

If you liked the privacy-centric surfing of Mozilla’s Firefox Focus browser but wished it were available for your Google-powered phone, you’re in luck. Mozilla has released an Android version of Focus that, like its iOS counterpart, blocks ad trackers to both limit nosy marketers and (in some cases) speed up browsing. You can also slap an “erase” button to remove what few traces of your activity are left.

The main differences come down to features inherent to Android itself. You can set Firefox Focus as the default browser, for one thing. And if you switch to another app, you’ll get a reminder notification that lets you erase your history without skipping a beat. Is there a rush to embrace this if you’ve already found a privacy solution on Android? Probably not. It’s certainly easier than managing add-ons, though, and Focus’ extreme minimalism (it’s not much more than a browser window) might be appealing even if you’re not that concerned about advertisers.

Source: Mozila Blog

Tesla driver in fatal Autopilot crash ignored safety warnings

Following the investigation of a fatal Tesla Model S crash, the NTSB concluded in a 500-page report that the driver, Joshua Brown, ignored repeated “Autopilot” warnings to keep his hands on the wheel. “For the vast majority of the trip, the Autopilot hands-on state remained at ‘hands required, not detected,’ ” the report states. Specifically, Brown was supposed to have his hands on the wheel for a 37-minute portion of the trip, and did so for just 25 seconds.

At the same time, the NTSB appears to have debunked reports from the truck driver involved in the accident that Brown was watching a Harry Potter movie at the time of the crash. “No Harry Potter movie file was found on the hard drive of the [Chromebook] device,” it states.

It added, though, that “it could not be concluded whether or not the driver was on the laptop at the time of the crash,” because its screen was broken. It also said that a Chromebit device had Harry Potter music, but no video, on it, which may have been what the truck driver heard. The Brown family’s lawyer told Reuters he hopes the “unequivocally false” rumors that he was watching a movie instead of paying attention to the road will finally be put to rest.

While expressing sympathy for the family, Elon Musk’s company last year denied that its Autopilot system was to blame, noting that drivers “need to maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle … [and] always keep your hands on the wheel.” Earlier this year, the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) agreed, and cleared Tesla of fault in the crash.

Nevertheless, Tesla instituted a number of changes. It parted ways with MobilEye, the company that made some of the tech used in the Autopilot (MobilEye was subsequently purchased by Intel for $15.3 billion). It also implemented changes to the Autopilot by temporarily preventing drivers from using it if they ignored warnings to take the steering wheel.

It’s still not known why the Autopilot didn’t see the truck and apply the brakes, but at the time Tesla said that “neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky.” The NTSB also noted that the driver was speeding, going 74 mph in a 65 mph zone. In addition, because the body of the Model S passed under the tractor trailer, its highly lauded safety systems couldn’t do their job.

The accident investigation normally would have been routine, since it was technically the fault of the truck driver, who was charged with a right-of-way traffic violation. Because self-driving systems like Tesla’s are so new, however, separate investigations were carried out by the NHTSA, NTSB and even the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission), which wanted to make sure Tesla didn’t deceive stockholders.

Since the crash, Tesla’s Autopilot system has mostly garnered positive press, in one case applying the brakes after detecting an accident before it even happened. The NTSB’s next step will be to report the probably cause of the accident and make recommendations to prevent similar ones in the future.

Via: Reuters

Source: NTSB

Samsung ‘Intent’ on Continuing Note Brand Despite Note 7 Fires, Will Reveal Galaxy Note 8 in August

Samsung is planning to introduce its newest smartphone, the Galaxy Note 8, sometime in the second half of August, according to people familiar with the company’s plans (via Reuters). If accurate, the August announcement will come about four months after the launch of the Galaxy S8 and nearly one year since the first cases of exploding batteries in the Galaxy Note 7 were reported by users.

Although details are somewhat scarce, the Galaxy Note 8 is said to include a curved display that is “marginally larger” than the 6.2-inch display of the current Galaxy S8+, while also including two rear cameras. In comparison, last year’s Note 7 had a 5.7-inch curved display with one camera on the back. Today’s sources made no comment on the potential pricing for Samsung’s new smartphone.

The Samsung Galaxy S8
Analysts said that Samsung is “intent” on continuing to use the Note brand, despite the Note 7 devices that caught fire on a worldwide scale last year and ultimately cost the company $5.4 billion.

Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd plans to hold a launch event in New York City for its next Galaxy Note smartphone in the second half of August, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

Samsung is intent on continuing the premium Note series despite the costly collapse of the Galaxy Note 7, which it was forced to scrap roughly two months from launch in October due to fire-prone batteries. The incident, one of the biggest product safety failures in tech history, cost the firm 6.1 trillion won ($5.4 billion) in operating profit and hurt its credibility.

Following the initial cases of exploding batteries in the Note 7, Samsung faced a tough few months in 2016, sending out a video apology to users, halting Note 7 sales worldwide, and encountering a ban of the smartphone from all U.S. flights. In January, the company concluded that a design flaw in the Note 7’s battery and some welding defects were the main culprits behind the handsets that caught fire.

Now, Samsung runs an 8-point Battery Safety Check for its smartphones, beginning with the April launch of the Galaxy S8, and analysts believe that the company’s messaging is helping it to recover quickly following the Note 7 drama. Samsung said that pre-orders were its “best ever” for the Galaxy S8 earlier this year, leading to what could be the company’s highest profit period ever for April-June 2017.

When it launches, the Galaxy Note 8 will be another competitor for Apple in the premium smartphone space, with Apple’s “iPhone 8” launch event expected to take place sometime in the traditional mid-September time frame. For the iterative iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus update last year, industry analysts said that the lack of “a compelling enough feature set” was not enough to convince some owners of potentially exploding Note 7 devices to switch from Samsung to Apple.

Tags: Samsung, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy Note 8
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Google Search Gaining More Detailed Job-Related Results Like Commute Time and Employer Reviews

Google is today updating its search engine across mobile devices and the web with a collection of results that will make it easier for people to find useful information related to job searches. The update is part of the new “Google for Jobs” initiative that was discussed at its I/O conference this year, with the goal of connecting employer and employee through streamlined and bolstered search results.

For English users in the United States, when searches like “jobs near me” or “teaching jobs” are input into Google, the new search results will return more in-depth information that will lessen the time spent visiting websites around the web thanks to a more centralized accumulation of data.

This includes reviews of an employer from trusted employment rating sites, detailed job qualifications and descriptions, and even an estimated commute time to the workplace if users are signed into their Google account.

People from all walks of life, experiences and backgrounds have undergone a job hunt at some point in their lives. Whether you’re a young adult looking for your first job, a veteran hoping to leverage your leadership experience in civilian life, or a parent looking for a job with better pay to support a growing family, we hope this new experience on Google will help make the job search simpler and more effective.

The feature will also pick up right where users leave off in case they quit their search, and they can turn on alerts for a specific search inquiry to get email notifications the moment new jobs arrive related to it. In an effort to keep the results fresh, more search filters and data will be added in the future.

Google is partnering with sites including LinkedIn, Monster, WayUp, DirectEmployers, CareerBuilder, Glassdoor, and Facebook to help fill out the search data with new job listings “as soon as they’re posted.” Furthermore, third-party platforms and direct employers will be able to add their own listings into these results thanks to Google’s plan to provide open documentation for all job providers.

Tag: Google
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How to use Alexa for traffic updates

Nobody wants to get stuck in traffic, and Alexa can help.

Traffic is the bane of existence for anyone who’s ever been late to a meeting because of gridlock. While you can use your phone, the radio, or the internet to check on traffic before heading out of the house, you can also ask Alexa. She’ll let you know what your commute looks like; all you need to do is let her know where you’re going.

Alexa can let you know about traffic

From within the Alexa app on your phone. you can add an address and from then, on all you need to do is ask Alexa what traffic on your commute looks like. She’ll let you know the status of traffic, approximately how long it will take there, and the fastest route to get you there. Once you’ve got your destination address set in the Alexa app, you can check on your commute by asking “What does my commute look like?”, “What is traffic like right now?”, or “How is traffic?” to ensure you know what the roads look like before you even leave the house.

Since you can just ask Alexa what your commute looks like, this is a great way to save a few minutes in the morning when you’re running around, trying to get out the door to start your day!

How to add a destination in the Alexa app

Open the Alexa app on your phone.
Tap the menu button that looks like three horizontal lines in the upper left corner of your screen.

Tap Settings.

Tap Traffic.
Tap add address.

Type in the address of your destination and tap save changes.

Questions?

Sound off in the comments below.

Amazon Echo

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Why OLED is important and why it’s the next big thing

There has never been a better time to buy a television.

Technologies such as 4K Ultra HD and HDR (high dynamic range) provide extraordinary clarity, contrast and colour representation. And we are blessed by the availability of one of the greatest breakthroughs for TV picture quality yet: OLED.

An OLED TV, such as the Philips 55POS901F, available at Philips.co.uk, provides unparalleled black levels, incredible colour representation and yet retains a superthin design, where outer bezels and thickness are both as minimalist as we’ve ever had.

The technology outperforms LED in many areas, providing the absolute best when it comes to viewing experiences.

Here then are the reasons why OLED is the bees knees when it comes to TV tech.

Black levels

Unlike LED TVs, that require a backlight to work, OLED televisions are capable of reproducing black levels that look as good when the TV is on as when it is switched off.

This is because each pixel of the Philips 901F and other OLED TVs is self-illuminating, so you get no light bleeding from one pixel to another. If an area of the screen is meant to be blacked out, it remains so. Yet other areas of the image are as vibrant, bright and colourful as they are meant to be.

Wider colour gamut

OLED offers a wider colour gamut than LED, rendering colours more accurately and vibrantly.

This is again because there is no light leakage between pixels on an OLED set. The individual pixels therefore show colours exactly as they are meant to be viewed. This is improved with HDR (high dynamic range) content, which offers a wider colour gamut for broadcasters and content providers to play with, but still looks outstanding even with standard television programming and films.

Check out the Philips 901F with a Blu-ray of Guardians of the Galaxy and you’ll see what we mean.

Philips

Contrast

Thanks to the superbly deep blacks detailed above, OLED TVs offer superb contrast levels, with a massive difference between the darkest and brightest areas of an image.

The 55-inch Philips 901F OLED TV, for example, has a peak brightness of around 650nits, which means it is capable of searing whites that share the same screen as deep, immersive black levels.

Response time

OLED TV technology has a near instantaneous response time, with the Philips 901F TV having a refresh rate of as little as 0.01ms – 100 times faster than an equivalent LCD panel.

That means it is not prone to dark smearing artefacts like many LCD/LED panels.

Wide viewing angles

Viewing angles are considerably better with an OLED TV like the Philips 901F over an LED or LCD equivalent. You can nigh-on watch an OLED screen from a right-angle to the set.

The Philips TV has a viewing angle of 178-degrees, which means a whole family can be strewn around a living room, sitting wherever they like and still see an excellent picture.

Pictures on LED TVs generally fade and discolour the wider the viewing angle.

Philips

Superthin

As OLED doesn’t require a backlight, the panel itself is superthin – capable of a much smaller footprint than other TV technologies.

In addition, it requires a far slimmer bezel around the picture, which allows technologies such as Ambilight on the 901F to expand the experience almost seamlessly.

Ambilight is Philips’ proprietary lighting system that is housed along the top and both sides of the 901F OLED TV. It uses LEDs that react exactly to the action on the screen, so the light show projected behind the television is a direct extension of what you are watching, making for a more immersive experience.

The slim bezels mean that you almost cannot see where the on-screen picture ends and the light show begins. Superb.

Check out the Philips 55POS901F OLED TV and other excellent televisions with Ambilight at Philips.co.uk.

What is Samsung Pay, how does it work and what banks are supported?

Samsung Pay has been active in several countries, including the US and South Korea, for a while and is now available in the UK too.

It is a platform that allows you to pay for goods and services simply by waving your Samsung device near a cash register instead of swiping a credit card or doling out your payment information, a bit like Apple Pay or Google Pay on rival phones.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Samsung Pay: What do I need?

The payment platform is baked into Samsung Galaxy devices – from Galaxy S6, Note 5 and up – so it’ll work with a compatible phone. You can also use it with the Gear S3 smartwatch in some regions.

You simply download and install the Samsung Pay Android app on your supported phone, register desired cards and accounts and it will draw directly from these chosen sources when making a payment.

There are also plans for a Samsung Pay Mini app, it is said, which will work with other Android devices.

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Samsung Pay: How does it work?

When using a phone: by swiping up from the bottom of the display (on either the sleep or home screens) the Samsung Pay app will launch and your default card will appear along with a message to authenticate a payment with their fingerprint (or iris scanner on Galaxy S8 and S8+). If a different card is needed, a simple left or right swipe will bring up others stored in your phone.

Once the payment has been biometrically authorised (hence compatibility with the latest devices only, as these have fingerprint or iris scanners) the phone tells you to tap it onto the contactless payment reader and bingo, a payment is made via NFC (near field communication).

Samsung Pay: More than NFC

Samsung Pay offers more than just NFC in some regions, such as the US. In an attempt to spearhead the mobile wallet space, while simultaneously taking on Apple Pay, Samsung acquired LoopPay – a startup that invented a mobile wallet technology called MST (Magnetic Strip Technology).

MST allows a contactless payment to be made with terminals that do not feature NFC readers (mostly outside the UK), which opens up a lot more retailers to the payment tech. It can also send the payment information to conventional terminals in stores that have the old-fashioned magnetic strip instead. Samsung told us during a demo that this covers the vast amount of payment terminals in the world.

Pocket-lint

A two-step payment process works like so: LoopPay’s app manages and securely stores all your payment cards (including credit, debit, loyalty, and gift cards) on a mobile device, while the LoopPay device (LoopPay Fob, ChargeCase, Card, or CardCase) processes your payment at the checkout as if you had swiped your card like usual.

What’s more, there is no danger of paying twice as the phone will prioritise an NFC signal if it finds one, while MST is passive and will only be utilised if no other contactless payment signal is found first.

Samsung Pay vs Apple Pay: What’s the difference?

Apple Pay employs an NFC chip into its smartphone, just like Samsung. Apple has steadily bulked its range of partners that accept Apple Pay and most recently included support for US federal payment cards.

The biggest difference between Apple Pay and Samsung Pay is that Apple Pay is accepted at fewer registers because it doesn’t include MST. Samsung Pay also has the potential of being accepted at 30-million merchant locations around the world, though both payment platforms have lined up several partners to back their payment systems.

Samsung Pay: Compatible banks and service providers

In its US guise, Samsung Pay has lots of available providers: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citi, US Bank, and PNC are the majors, along with a long list of additional providers. Furthermore, the MST technology enables Samsung Pay to support private label credit cards from key partners like Synchrony Financial and First Data Corporation.

Samsung’s service is similar to Apple Pay in operation, in that different banks need to confirm their compatibility. When Apple Pay launched in the UK it took some time for all the major banks to be on board.

You can now use Visa and Mastercard debit and credit cards from Santander, MBNA, Nationwide, HSBC, First Direct and M&S Bank in the UK, with the latter three added to the mix after launch. American Express will follow, we have been told.

Pocket-lint

Samsung Pay: Payment limits

The payment limit is set by the bank or vendor, not by Samsung, so is different in different regions – not a fixed £20/£30 maximum per transaction, as with contactless cards.

But if you need to pay for an item above the set limit, the app will simply request you to enter a PIN code to confirm for the larger amount.

Samsung Pay: How secure is it?

In terms of security, Samsung told Pocket-lint that not only are details protected by Samsung’s Knox real-time hacking surveillance and rooting prevention, but no card details are stored on either a Samsung server or the device itself.

Just like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay uses tokenisation. Card payments are made secure by creating a number or token that replaces your card details. This token is stored within a secure element chip on your device, and when a payment is initiated, the token is passed to the retailer or merchant. The retailer therefore never has direct access to your card details.

In addition Samsung Pay offers ARM TrustZone to further protect transaction information from attacks.

When will Samsung Pay launch in the UK?

Samsung Pay is available in the UK, having launched on Tuesday 16 May 2017. It is also available in the US, South Korea, Spain, China, Thailand, UAE, Sweden, Hong Kong and Switzerland.

Kia announces Stonic SUV to take on Nissan Juke

Kia has unveiled its first smaller SUV in the Kia Stonic. The new compact crossover will launch in Europe during Q3 of 2017, taking on the likes of the Nissan Juke and sitting below the larger Kia Sportage.

The Kia Stonic is claimed to offer the company’s most striking design to date with sharp horizontal feature lines, blended with softer sculpted surfaces.

Though still recognisable as a Kia with its tiger-nose grille, the Kia Stonic adds a little more excitement thanks to the Targa-style roof that allows for a two-tone paint finish. There will be 20 two-tone colour combinations available in Europe, with the roof available in five distinctive colours.

Kia Motors

The interior has a burst of excitement too with a range colour packs available, while Kia has said the Stonic has “class-leading” shoulder room, generous head and leg room, as well as a 352-litre boot. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto both come as standard, along with heated front seats, cruise control and keyless entry.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) are also on board, which include technologies such as Torque Vectoring by Braking, Straight Line Stability and Cornering Brake Control. Users can also add Kia’s Drive Wise Advanced Driver Systems (ADAS) for further safety, which include features such as Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian recognition, Forward Collision Alert and Blind Spot detection, among others.

The Kia Stonic will be available in four engines, comprising a 1.0-litre T-GDI, 1.25-litre MPI, 1.4-litre MPI and a 1.6-litre diesel engine. It will be sold as standard with the company’s seven year or 100,000 mile warranty. Prices have yet to be detailed.