Can’t get service? Head to an English church, soon to become a Wi-Fi hotspot

Juan García/Digital Trends

For centuries, humans have flocked to churches, trusting these venerable landmarks to be the homes of great knowledge and the purveyors of crucial information. And now, in the 21st century, churches are fulfilling that purpose still, though perhaps in a rather unexpected way. Thanks to a new agreement between the Church of England and the English government, churches in internet “dead zones” are now going to help facilitate the spread of information by facilitating broadband, mobile, and Wi-Fi connectivity for their surrounding areas.

As part of the deal, churches in rural areas will introduce wireless transmitters into their recognizable spires and towers, and will also house aerials, satellite dishes, and fiber cables. This ought to help folks who otherwise would not have access to fast broadband (which is to say, many small communities in rural England) more easily connect to the digital world. As the Guardian notes, there are more than 10,000 rural Anglican churches in England, which means there could soon be 10,000 new hotspots throughout the nation. Of course, in order to maintain the historical integrity of churches, careful guidelines will be followed in installing the new technology.

This will be a mutually beneficial arrangement for the churches, which will be able to generate income from deals struck with telecommunication providers. As per the agreement, there is also “the potential for other mutually beneficial terms, to be agreed, such as sharing the cost of maintaining a church tower or spire on which equipment may be mounted.”

“Churches are central features and valued assets for local communities up and down the country,” said secretary of state Matt Hancock. “This agreement with the Church of England will mean that even a 15th century building can help make Britain fit for the future, improving people’s lives by boosting connectivity in some of our hardest-to-reach areas.”

This rather creative solution makes good upon a pledge that the former prime minister David Cameron made more than two years ago, in which he promised that all homes and businesses in the U.K. would have access to fast broadband by the turn of the decade. “Access to the internet shouldn’t be a luxury, it should be a right – absolutely fundamental to life in 21st century Britain,” he said at the time. And now, it looks like the country is coming closer to making that right a reality.

Thus far, religious leaders seem to be on board with the idea. Graham James, the bishop of Norfolk, said, “Our parish churches are a truly national network, and to use them creatively to create new forms of connectivity enhances their value for the communities.”

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Wikipedia ends no-cost mobile access for developing countries

The Wikimedia Foundation launched Wikipedia Zero in 2012 with the hopes of democratizing information through a simple concept: cellular carriers in developing countries would offer access to its crowdsourced knowledge without charging data fees. However, it appears to have run its course. The organization has discontinued Zero with plans to phase it out through 2018. Wikimedia has stopped forming new carrier partnerships, and will let its existing alliances end over time. There has been a “significant drop off” in involvement since 2016, Wikimedia said, and that participation is necessary to keep Zero alive.

The outlet cited a few reasons for the shutdown, and not all of them were bad. Low awareness may have been one problem — people in developing nations aren’t as aware of Wikipedia as North Americans and Europeans. There have been successes at improving recognition, but they’re coming too late to rescue Zero. On the plus side, mobile data costs have fallen in the past several years. Zero may not be as attractive simply because more cellphone users can afford to visit Wikipedia without needing a special exemption.

This doesn’t mean that Wikimedia has given up on Zero-like concepts. That improved recognition has given the organization “several ideas” for its next course of action, and it’s using 2018 to mull things over. The move could amount to a hiatus rather than a permanent end. All the same, the discontinuation is unfortunate for those who did use Wikipedia Zero. For now, at least, they’ll have to either pay for enough data to visit Wikipedia or go without.

Via: Manish Singh (Medium)

Source: Wikimedia Foundation

SpaceX delays its satellite internet launch to February 21st

Sorry, folks, you’ll have to wait a while longer before SpaceX’s satellite internet launch takes place. With hours to go, SpaceX has delayed the liftoff from its February 17th target to 9:17AM Eastern on February 21st. According to the company, the crew at the Vandenberg launchpad needed extra time to run “final checkouts” of the upgraded fairing used to protect the Falcon 9 rocket’s payload. The company has been inching toward completely reusable rockets, and it wants to be sure it’s making progress on that front.

Both the payload and the rocket itself are “healthy,” SpaceX said.

The rocket is mainly intended to carry a Spanish radar imaging satellite, Paz, but it’ll also bring SpaceX’s own Microsat-2a and Microsat-2b internet satellites into orbit. If all goes according to plan, they’ll help start a constellation of broadband satellites that would provide gigabit internet speeds around the globe. That SpaceX is willing to delay the launch by several days speaks volumes — it has a lot riding on this launch.

Team at Vandenberg is taking additional time to perform final checkouts of upgraded fairing. Payload and vehicle remain healthy. Due to mission requirements, now targeting February 21 launch of PAZ.

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 17, 2018

Source: SpaceX (Twitter), Vandenberg AFB

Upgrade your home office with this $49 AmazonBasics Mid-Back Mesh Chair

The AmazonBasics Mid-Back Mesh Chair is on sale for $49.16. It normally sells for around $10 more and has received 4.2 out of 5 stars from over 2,700 customer reviews.

This comfortable office chair has a contoured mesh back for breathability. It also features a padded seat, pneumatic seat-height adjustment, and dual-wheel casters. Your purchase is backed by a one-year warranty.

Keep the office upgrade party going with this AmazonBasics Mesh Wastebasket for $9.

See at Amazon

Traveling with tech makes everything more complicated

Don’t know when I’ll be back again.

I will soon be leaving on a jet plane, connecting to another jet plane, and then, a few days hence, a third, fourth, and fifth. Two weeks later, I’ll be doing it all over again.

Traveling isn’t a particularly pleasant activity for most people — the waiting, the scrutiny, the running through terminals, bags flailing, to catch tight connections — but more and more these days, it’s the packing I find most intimidating. The clothes and toiletries part I have down to a science, though; it’s the technology side of things I am always unsure about.

On a trip like this, where part of it is for work and part for fun, I have a baseline tech packing list that is, I’m sure, pretty familiar to most people: phone, laptop, tablet, camera, headphones, battery packs, and chargers. But what about an e-reader, for which I’ll have the best intentions but likely won’t touch at all, and my Nintendo Switch, which I’ve brought with me on my last three trips and have neglected each time. My backpack usually has a hornet’s nest of cables — a mix of USB-C, Micro-USB, and Lightning — and AC adapters, though I’ve effectively consolidated them to a single multi-port adapter.

It’s not clear to me why North America uses the clearly-inferior 110V standard, and don’t get me started on the Imperial system.

I’ll be traveling through several countries, totaling three different plug designs, all of which support 220V input, so I’ll be packing a bevy of adapters while ensuring that all of my electronics support the change in voltage. Ultimately, though, I’m going to minimize wall charging by using high-capacity battery backups and charging my portable electronics through them wherever possible. But those packs will need to be charged, and thankfully my largest one holds 22,000mAh and can be charged overnight with USB-PD.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining — these tools definitely enhance the travel experience. But as they get further entrenched in our home lives, they become more indispensable when we’re away, too. The tablet will go unused for all but a few hours on the plane, for example, but I’d rather lug it around than watch the same content on my phone or laptop. It’s a problem of my own creation.

A walk through the Barcelona streets at last year’s Mobile World Congress. Photo taken with the LG G6.

You want to account for every possibility while traveling, so you bring everything. On the other hand, purposefully (or accidentally) leaving something behind forces you to contend with the unknown, from wiling away the long plane hours watching someone else’s movie sans sound (we’ve all done that, right?) to reading all of those magazines you’ve been reluctant to throw away for this very occasion. Should my adapters not work or my batteries deplete, I will gaze instead at the unfamiliar stars of an unfamiliar city, or aimlessly walk the streets to learn more about them. That’s the point of traveling, isn’t it? When tech becomes a chore, or interrupts the moment, or just doesn’t work, it becomes a burden, a weight I wish I wasn’t carrying in the first place.

So maybe, while packing this week, I’ll choose to bring fewer gadgets and leave more room for being lost, confused and aimless.

At least that’s the intention. Thankfully, good intentions don’t weigh anything.

And now, onto some other matters.

We’re only a few days away from the start of Mobile World Congress, and we’re already awash in details on what’s to come. Obviously, Samsung’s Galaxy S9 series will top the list of important announcements, but it’s not the only show in town. LG has scaled back its plans, but we’re expecting a V30 refresh of some sort, while Sony will likely announce its latest flagship in the Xperia XZ2.

ASUS is looking to make its first big splash at MWC with the ZenFone 5 series, and we already know that Alcatel has at least three phones to talk about at this year’s show. Alcatel’s sister company, BlackBerry Mobile, unveiled the KEYone’s name and availability at MWC 2017, so it’s possible we’ll see its sequel this time around. We already know that Huawei isn’t unveiling the P20 until March, but it’s possible we’ll see new MediaPad tablets from the Chinese giant, and Lenovo is sure to show off a few of its innovations, too.

As usual, I’m excited to hang out with the AC team in the beautiful city of Barcelona, so follow my adventures on Instagram for the behind-the-scenes shenanigans, if you’re so inclined.

Take care!

-Daniel

Daimler may have used software to cheat on US emissions tests

Daimler has been under suspicion of cheating on US emissions tests for quite a while now — in 2016, a number of customers even sued the automaker, claiming their cars had sneaky software made to trick testers similar to Volkswagen’s. Now, according to German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, US authorities investigating the Mercedes maker have discovered that its vehicles are equipped with illegal software to help them pass United States’ stringent emission tests. Citing confidential documents, the publication said Daimler’s employees doubted their vehicles would be able meet US standards even before Volkswagen’s diesel scandal blew up. Internal testing apparently revealed that some Mercedes models emit ten times the country’s nitrogen oxide limit.

Daimler reportedly developed software with several functions to be able to trick US regulators. One called “Bit 15” was designed to switch off emissions cleaning after 16 miles of driving, while another called “Slipguard” can detect if the car is being tested based on speed and acceleration. Bild am Sonntag said it found emails from Daimler engineers questioning whether those functions were legal.

A few days ago, German magazine Der Spiegel also reported that officials in Daimler’s native country will recall Mercedes-Benz Vito vans next week. The magazine said authorities believe the vans (and other Daimler vehicles) are equipped with an illegal defeat device that can control the amount of AdBlue used in the engines. AdBlue is a fluid that can break down nitrogen oxide, which forms smog and acid rain. Both these reports come on the heels of the revelation that auto industry titans Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler funded a study that tested the effects of gas nitrogen dioxide on humans and monkeys.

Unlike Volkswagen, which admitted back in 2015 that it used illegal software to be able to pass emissions testing in the US, Daimler seems to be holding its ground. It told Der Spiegel that it “would take all legal means against the allegation of a defeat device.” A spokesperson also told Reuters that authorities are aware of the confidential documents Bild am Sonntag saw and “no complaint has been filed.” He added that “the documents available to Bild have obviously selectively been released in order to harm Daimler and its 290,000 employees.”

Source: Reuters, Der Spiegel

Tesla’s latest smart power grid experiment begins in Canada

Tesla’s experiments with smart power grids are headed further North. Canada’s Nova Scotia Power recently finished setting up a pilot project that will use a combination of Tesla’s Powerwall 2 home batteries and utility-grade Powerpack batteries to create a more reliable wind power system. The Elmsdale-based Intelligent Feeder Project fills gaps in the electrical grid by topping up the Powerpacks whenever a nearby wind turbine system generates excess power, and delivering that stored energy to local homes (including those with Powerwall 2 batteries) when there’s an outage or the turbine system falls short.

The test run (which is partly backed by Canada’s federal government) should go live before the end of February and will last until 2019, although the Powerpacks will remain after everything is over. Whether or not it expands to other locations depends on Nova Scotia Power, of course — it’s watching closely to see how well the Tesla hardware helps both residents and its bottom line.

This isn’t exactly a grandiose experiment when the Elmsdale battery station will serve a modest 300 homes, and only 10 customers have Powerwall 2 batteries. However, it shows gathering worldwide interest in storage batteries like Tesla’s as a way of stabilizing power. And the Canadian pilot in particular could show the future of electricity for rural communities. They might not be quite so dependent on distant power grids, and won’t have to worry quite so much about blackouts.

Via: Electrek

Source: Nova Scotia Power (YouTube)

Are you #stoked or #overit? The complete guide to hashtags on social media

If you’re new to the world of social media, you may not know exactly what a hashtag is or what you can do with one. Who can create hashtags? What are they used for? And how have these seemingly random combinations of letters and numbers changed how we navigate social media? #dontpanic. This is your guide to #hashtags.

So what is a hashtag?

A hashtag is a word or phrase that follows a pound sign (also known as a hash) and is used to identify specific posts on social media. A type of metadata, hashtags allow anyone to tag content on sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Hashtags help users more easily navigate posts and engage in larger online conversations.

Hashtags are user-generated, not created by social media sites. While companies can make and sponsor their own hashtags, the tags themselves are not owned by any one company — and anyone with access to the internet can create one. Public opinion and engagement are responsible for what become popular hashtags and what content gets tagged. Sometimes this mean the intended meaning of a hashtag is lost (as in the case of #McDStories), but at their core, hashtags are all about generating buzz and encouraging conversation.

A brief history of hashtags

Hashtags as we know them have only existed for a few years. While hashes were used in Internet Relay Chat (IRC) in the ’90s to categorize items, they’ve taken off recently. The word “hashtag” was even added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2014 to recognize the tag’s widespread use.

The concept of tagging posts with hashes to denote more than category started in 2007 when designer Chris Messina suggested that Twitter users begin using the pound sign to denote posts for groups. Messina effectively became the first person to use a hashtag on the social media platform, the effects of which can still be felt around the internet today.

how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]?

— molly.com/chris (@chrismessina) August 23, 2007

Shortly after Messina posted his landmark tweet, people began using hashtags to spread information regarding the 2007 San Diego wildfires. But it would still be several years before hashtags became super popular. Twitter began linking English hashtags in 2009 (turning them into clickable links that lead users to other similarly tagged tweets), and the site added support for Chinese and Japanese hashtags in 2011. Facebook eventually added support for hashtags in 2013. Nowadays, hashtags can be used almost anywhere.

How do you make a hashtag?

When it comes to actually creating a hashtag, there aren’t many rules as to what you can and can’t do, but some of the specifics depends on which platform you’re using. Sites such as Instagram have slightly stricter rules regarding hashtags than other social media sites, particularly regarding tags relating to drug use. Facebook also has strict rules about illegal activities, and actively searches for posts tagged with references to child abuse.

But in terms of specific requirements, a hashtag can be a lot of things. It can be funny or serious, and as long or short as you need it to be to get people engaging with your idea. The tag can contain letters, numbers, and underscores, and it isn’t case sensitive. It can not contain any spaces or punctuation, however (F$%K!). In certain situations, the use of embedded capitals (CamelCase) is used to eliminate confusion in meaning. So whether you search for #hamilton, #Hamilton, or #HaMiLtOn, you’re still going to be able to find posts related to the hit Broadway musical.

Hashtags in popular culture

Hashtags have seen their fair share of use in popular culture and have been used by countless companies and bloggers to generate engagement. Recent hashtags like #MeToo highlight the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault, while others like #OscarsSoWhite point to a lack of diversity in entertainment.

And even when they’re not leading movements or challenging the status quo, the way we use and apply hashtags in our daily lives has been the topic of discussion (and ridicule) for a long time. Back in 2013, Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake made fun of hashtag culture in a video that has since garnered over 30 million views on YouTube. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver has also capitalized on the internet’s obsession with hashtags, creating over-the-top iterations such as #MakeAmericaDrumpfAgain, #NotMyChristian, and #WeUnderstandThatAsCorporateEntitiesOurPresenceInCertainDiscussionsIsNotAlwaysRequired SoWeWillStriveToLimitOurActivitiesToJustSellingYouShit (yes, that is a real hashtag). Hashtags can be found as on-screen bugs in a variety of programming as well, encouraging viewers to engage with content outside of that time slot.

Hashtags have drastically changed the landscape of social media and popular culture in the last few years. They have created more engagement in news and media, and have inspired dozens of social movements and initiatives. While they can be annoying (seriously any more than three hashtags in one post is way too many), they are an influential part of the way we get and spread information in the digital age. So use ’em or don’t, it doesn’t matter to us, but know the potential they carry — and that they’re easier to use than you might expect. #knowledge

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How to make a YouTube channel

KaufDex/Pixabay

As the premier video sharing website in the world, YouTube attracts everyone from the biggest online content creators to those just looking to share a few clips of themselves with friends and family. Whether you’re trying to become the next Pewdiepie or manage a personal video storage locker, everyone starts from the same place. You need to know how to make a YouTube channel.

Fortunately, Google has made the process easier and easier over the years, so you can follow just a few quick steps and you’ll be up and running in no time at all.

When you’re all set up, if you want to learn how to stream games on your channel, here’s our guide to get you started.

Creating a YouTube account

You can’t have a YouTube channel without a YouTube account. If you already have one, then you can simply sign in and move on to the next section, but for those who don’t, follow these simple steps

Step 1: Go to YouTube’s homepage and click the “Sign in” button in the top right-hand corner.

Step 2: If you have an existing Google account, congratulations, you also have a YouTube account! Login to it and skip to the next section. Otherwise, click “More options” and then “Create account.”

Step 3: Fill in the relevant information on the account set up page and click the “Next Step” button.

Step 4: If Google asks you to, verify your account using your mobile. Once complete, you should be sent to the welcome screen.

Step 5: Go back to YouTube’s homepage. You should be automatically logged in, but if not, click the “Sign in” button in the top right-hand corner again and fill in your relevant login information.

Creating a YouTube channel

YouTube is pretty keen to give everyone a YouTube channel, even if they only plan to post comments with it. That means that if you try to do anything on YouTube, you’ll be prompted to make one. The easiest method to do so though is with the steps below.

Step 1: Click the upload button (the up arrow with a line under it) in the top right-hand corner.

Step 2: You’ll be shown a prompt asking you to confirm your name and display picture. You can keep those the same as your Google account, but if you’d rather stay anonymous on your YouTube channel, you can input any information you want.

Step 3: It’s a good idea to read through the YouTube terms of service while you’re here, so you know what you’re signing up for. Once done, click the “Create Channel” button.

That’s it! You now have a functioning YouTube channel. You can now post videos and work your way towards internet stardom — or just show off your cat. Hey, sometimes they’re the same thing.

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Netflix deal provides a much-needed boost in the Middle East

Despite what it seems, Netflix isn’t a dominant force everywhere on the planet. In fact, it’s struggling in the Middle East and northern Africa — Netflix and Amazon combined represent 21 percent of the local subscription video space. The company is determined to get a leg up, however. It just forged its first partnership deal in the region, signing a pact with pay TV provider OSN to make its content available across the area. OSN customers will have access to Netflix through a set-top box launching near the end of the second quarter (around June), and will have the option of paying for Netflix through their existing OSN bills.

Yes, Netflix is very familiar with these sorts of deals (just ask Comcast customers), but this could be more important than most. The Middle East and northern Africa have wildly varying income levels, and viewers frequently want to save money where they can. It’s easier to watch Netflix through an box you already have than to buy another device (or upgrade your TV) just to catch The Crown. Also, local companies like Icflix, Starz Plus and OSN’s own Wavo have better recognition — this agreement gets Netflix’s foot in the door.

The bigger challenge is actually producing shows that people in the area would like to watch. Netflix has had just one piece of original Arabic content (a comedy special with Adel Karam) since debuting in the Middle East at the end of 2016. That makes it a tough sell when there’s plenty of localized material on rival services. If Netflix wants to have as much clout in the Middle East as it does in English- and Spanish-speaking countries, it’ll likely need to produce much more content that reflects the area’s cultures and languages.

Source: Netflix