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American rock legend Jack Sonni, known as “the other guitarist” from British band Dire Straits, has died aged 68. His cause of death is currently unclear, although bandmates cited “health problems” that rendered him unable to play a gig on Tuesday. Dire Straits announced the death on social media on Thursday with a black and white picture of Sonni, captioned: “Rest In Peace.” Stream the world's best reality, Entertainment and true crime shows for free on 7Bravo on 7plus >> Dire Straits Legacy — a group made up of musicians, including Sonni, which toured and performed with Dire Straits decades ago and now perform covers of its iconic tracks — on Tuesday wrote: “Unfortunately, Jack Sonni will not be able to participate in our next gigs because of Health problems .” Days later, they released their own tribute to the rock star, saying: “Our beloved Jack has left a void in our heart and soul.” “We will miss you so much, you are forever with us.” Loading Tweet Sonni joined the D...

 Apple said on Tuesday it would host its fall event on Sept. 12, setting the stage for what analyst s believe will be the unveiling of a new line of iPhones and smartwatches. The event will be hosted at the Steve Jobs Theater at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, according to invites from the world's most valuable company. Wall Street analyst s have said Apple will try to entice shoppers with a range of new features for its flagship device, as the launch comes against the backdrop of a slump in smartphone demand globally. Apple posted a 2.4% decline in iPhone sales for its fiscal third quarter - a rare drop for the product that has for years powered the company's growth. The most expensive variant of the new generation iPhone will have a periscope camera that could improve zoom capacity by 5 times or more, according TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The expected watch lineup may feature a new processor based on Apple's A15 Bionic ch...

British officials are warning organisations about integrating artificial intelligence-driven chatbots into their businesses, saying that research has increasingly shown that they can be tricked into performing harmful tasks. In a pair of blog posts due to be published Wednesday, Britain's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said that experts had not yet got to grips with the potential security problems tied to algorithms that can generate human-sounding interactions - dubbed large language models, or LLMs. The AI-powered tools are seeing early use as chatbots that some envision displacing not just internet searches but also customer service work and sales calls. The NCSC said that could carry risks , particularly if such models were plugged into other elements organisation's Business processes. Academics and researchers have repeatedly found ways to subvert chatbot s by feeding them rogue commands or fool them into circumventing their own built-in guardrails. For examp...

A magnetic power bank that wirelessly charges a number of iPhone models is being recalled over its risk of short-circuiting and catching fire. The Australian Com Pet ition and Consumer Commission issued a recall for the Comsol Pty Ltd 10000mAh 20W USB-A & USB-C magnetic wireless power bank sold at Officeworks stores nationally. It warned the product is at risk of short-circuiting, overheating and catching fire. Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >> “There is a risk of a serious burn injury and/or property damage if the battery overheats and catches fire,” the recall said. “Stop using the power bank immediately.” The product is used to wirelessly charge iPhone 12, 13 and 14 models. It can be returned to Officeworks for a full refund. A Comsol magnetic wireless power bank is being recalled from Officeworks stores. Credit: ACCC Source: https://thefoxposts.com/officeworks-recalls-comsol-magnetic-power-bank-over-fire-risk-TheFOXposts-33864.html...

Fujifilm has released the much anticipated X-S20 the latest addition to its mirrorless range and successor to the widely popular X-S10. The feature-rich X-S20 aims to be a hybrid of all trades catering to an array of differing photographer and videographer needs, but how well does it perform for lowlight stills shooters? Fujifilm Australia provided this publisher with devices for testing purposes. This did not affect our views of the device, and our review remains independent of the manufacturer. Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >> 7 NEWS.com.au has not received any monetary benefit for this story. Along with the Fujinon XF 56mm F1.2 R WR, I tested the new X-S20 at the FIFA fan festival in Sydney’s Tumbalong Park. The fan festival was the perfect environment to test out the lowlight capabilities of the X-S20 given its abundance of colour and fast night life movements. Specifications The New Fujifilm X-S20 mirrorless camera. Credit: Fujifilm Austr...

Following the footsteps of WhatsApp and Twitter, Instagram might introduce the option of disabling the seen status for direct messages . The new feature was spotted by a widely known leaker Alessandro Paluzzi. As per his reports, the option to "Disable seen status" will be available in the privacy and safety section in Instagram settings. It will be right under the Vanish mode option. #Instagram is working on the ability to disable the seen status in Direct chats 👀 pic.twitter.com/HmDPSQNSkU — Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) August 25, 2023 Read  Mastercard, Binance to end crypto card partnership Instagram has taken quite a while to introduce this feature as the DM section is not a priority for them since the app is not a messaging platform.  The new option will be useful for the users as it has already gained massive popularity over other platforms like WhatsApp. Source: https://thefoxposts.com/instagram-could-let-you-read-messages-secretl...

Chrome is experimenting with a text-to-speech feature for its browser's reading mode on desktop. The feature can apparantly be found on Chrome Canary, Google’s bleeding edge version of Chrome, X user Leopeva64 reports. If accessible, users can click on the play button at the top of an article in reading mode, to have Google read the text. Based on the video shared by Leopeva64, Google still has to work on the feature and make it better, as the voice seems robotic. Chrome for desktop will also have the option to "read aloud" articles , the initial implementation of this feature (in the Canary version) is pretty basic but it works, in this link you can see a video with the feature in action:https://t.co/UMAzrWKaWo .https://t.co/Wha3AzI9gf pic.twitter.com/z8KMvtUsLI — Leopeva64 (@Leopeva64) August 25, 2023   Google is late launching such a feature, as Microsoft has already gone ahead with a robust text-to-speech feature in its browser Microsoft ...

More than a dozen of the world's biggest tech companies face unprecedented legal scrutiny, as the European Union's sweeping Digital Services Act (DSA) imposes new rules on content moderation, user privacy and transparency this month. Across the EU, a host of internet giants – including Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms, Chinese-owned video app TikTok and a handful of Google services – are adapting to the new obligations, including preventing harmful content from spreading, banning or limiting certain user-targeting practices, and sharing some internal data with regulators and associated researchers. The EU is seen as the global leader in tech regulation , with more wide-ranging pieces of legislation – such as the Digital Markets Act and the AI Act – on the way. The bloc's success in implementing such laws will i NFL uence the introduction of similar rules around the world. But researchers have raised questions over whether thes...

Apple urged members of the California legislature to pass the "right to repair bill" or "Senate Bill 244" as currently drafted, in a letter on Tuesday, which requires manufacturers to allow customers to fix damaged devices. The iPhone maker's move is a reversal from its years-long opposition towards access to repairs as the act would require electronic device makers to provide tools for repairing damaged appliances. "We support "SB 244" because it includes requirements that protect individual users' safety and security as well as product manufacturers' intellectual property," Apple said in the letter. Source: https://thefoxposts.com/apple-endorses-california-bill-on-right-to-repair-TheFOXposts-33655.html?utm_source=blogger_source&utm_medium=blogger_medium&utm_campaign=blogger_cam Category: Technology Post by: TheFOXposts.Com

A council in Victoria’s northwest has been accused of “destroying” a picturesque tourist destination popular with photographers and influencers, after erecting signs to improve safety. Macedon, a regional town 62km from Melbourne, is home to a famous stretch of road called Honour Ave — a spot which has become increasingly popular with tourists due to the tall, vibrant trees that line either side of the road. The spot is particularly popular during autumn , when many flock to capture the new auburn colours of the leaves. Watch the latest news and stream for free on 7plus >> However, a move by the Macedon Ranges Shire Council has angered many people who frequent the spot. No Standing signs have been placed along the road in the lead-up to April, when the region’s famous Autumn Festival is set to kick off. Tourists and photographers flock to Honour Ave in Macedon for the picturesque view during autumn . Credit: Instagram The signs are to ensure the area remains safe amid the incr...

A traumatised Uber passenger is speaking out after claiming to have been taken hostage by a driver for the popular rideshare company. When Tony Brindle jumped into the Uber he had ordered to go to Homebush he says he immediately raised a misunderstanding about the trip with the driver. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Uber passenger accusing a driver of kidnapping him. Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >> However, it quickly sparked a heated debate. “I thought you were going to go around the roundabout,” Brindle can be heard saying in a recording obtained by 7NEWS. “Sorry, I followed the pick-up point,” the driver replies. The two continue to bicker over where the original pickup location was on the map, and who went to the wrong spot to meet. “So where were you? Over there? It’s illegal there ... it says no stopping,” the driver says. “Are you going to take me home or what?” Brindle replies. The driver then decides to cancel the trip after the argument. How...

Scammers can access Australians’ hacked credit card details for just $38 on the dark web, while unauthorised Facebook and Instagram access is on sale for just over $100, according to a new report. Researchers looking into the nefarious parts of the internet to determine how personal information is being made available to scammers, have made the grim discovery that such information “doesn’t cost you a lot”. The Australian Scam Culture Report by financial services firm BDO reveals 2.7 million people use the dark web each day — and scam-based activity, including accessing credit card, email and social media details , as well as corporate data, accounts for up to 23 per cent of trades over online black marketplaces. For more Personal Finance related news and videos check out Personal Finance >> It found access to hacked Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram accounts can be bought for $119. Email access details cost $269, while details of Australian credit cards are availabl...

The Biden administration said Tuesday it is seeking public comments on potential accountability measures for artificial intelligence (AI) systems as questions loom about its impact on national security and Education . ChatGPT, an AI program that recently grabbed the public's attention for its ability to write answers quickly to a wide range of queries, in particular has attracted US lawmakers' attention as it has grown to be the fastest-growing consumer application in History with more than 100 million monthly active users. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a Commerce Department agency that advises the White House on telecommunications and information policy, wants input as there is "growing regulatory interest" in an AI "accountability mechanism." The agency wants to know if there are measures that could be put in place to provide assurance "that AI systems are legal, effective, ethical, safe, and otherwise trustw...

Social media company X, formerly known as Twitter, will remove a protective feature that lets users block other accounts , owner Elon Musk said on Friday in another controversial move for the company he bought last year. The block function on X allows a user to restrict specific accounts from contacting them, seeing their posts or following them. "Block is going to be deleted as a 'feature', except for DMs," Musk said in a post on the platform, referring to direct messages. He said X would retain the mute function, which screens a user from seeing specified accounts but, unlike blocking, does not alert the other account to the action. The billionaire owner has described himself as a free speech absolutist, but some critics have said his approach is irresponsible. Researchers have found an increase in hate speech and antisemitic content on the platform since he took over, and some governments have accused the company of not doing enough to moderate its content. ...

The US Federal Aviation Administration on Friday granted a long-awaited license allowing Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch its Starship rocket to orbit for the first time, clearing the way for a test flight crucial to the company's goals in space. "After a comprehensive license evaluation process, the FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy, payload, airspace integration and financial responsibility requirements," the FAA said in a statement on Friday, adding that the license is valid for five years. The launch, from SpaceX's Starbase rocket facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, is slated for Monday April 17, the company affirmed on Twitter. Regulatory notices filed earlier on Friday indicate liftoff could occur anytime from 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central time. Source: https://thefoxposts.com/spacex-gets-regulatory-green-light-for-debut-starship-flight-TheFOXposts-18762.html?utm_source=blogger_source&utm_medium=blogger_medium&utm_campaign=b...

Microsoft Corp is developing its own artificial intelligence chip code-named "Athena" that will power the Technology behind AI chatbots like ChatGPT, the Information reported on Tuesday, citing two people familiar with the matter. The company, which was an early backer of ChatGPT-owner OpenAI, has been working on the chip since 2019 and it is being tested by a small group of Microsoft and OpenAI employees, the report said. According to the report, the chips will be used for training large-language models and supporting inference - both needed by generative AI like the one used in ChatGPT to process massive amounts of data, recognize patterns and create new outputs to mimic human conversation. Microsoft is hoping the chip will perform better than what it currently buys from other vendors, saving it time and money on its costly AI efforts, the report said. Other big tech companies including Amazon and Google also make their own in-house chips for AI. So far, chip des...

WhatsApp, in tough com Pet ition with Telegram, is experimenting with its own version of emoji animation , replacing the ones from iOS and Android. WABetaInfo reported that WhatsApp Web already included different emoji animations that seemed similar to those in Telegram. The emoji s are larger in size in the chat and are sent automatically when the animated version of emoji s is available, thus, granting the user the freedom to choose the regular emoji s or the animated WhatsApp version . The beta version of WhatsApp, unlike Telegram, lacks the option to disable the animated emoji versions which can be bothersome for some users. The feature is still under development and it isn't clear when it will be released for iOS and Android apps. WhatsApp has also been working on short video messages, another feature inspired by Telegram, as well as a new Expiring Groups feature. Source: https://thefoxposts.com/whatsapp-working-on-its-own-version-of-emoji-animation-TheFOXposts-19...

The origin of a huge piece of space junk that washed up on a WA beach earlier this month is a mystery no more, with authorities confirming it came from an Indian rocket. State and federal agencies spent a little over two weeks working to find exactly where the large metallic cylinder discovered near Green Head, 50km north of Perth on the state’s Mid West coast, came from. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Authorities investigate mystery object in WA. Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >> On Monday the Australian Space Agency (ASA) confirmed what many space enthusiasts had theorised, concluding it was “most likely debris from an expended third-stage of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle”. “The PSLV is a medium-lift launch vehicle operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation,” the agency said. The ASA previously flagged the device could be part of a space vehicle, while authorities were quick to say they were working on the premise the barnacle-encrusted ...

SAN FRANSICO: A Russian government- linked hacking group took aim at dozens of global organizations with a campaign to steal login credentials by engaging users in Microsoft Teams chats pretending to be from technical support, Microsoft researchers said on Wednesday. These "highly targeted" social engineering attack s have affected "fewer than 40 unique global organizations" since late May, Microsoft researchers said in a blog, adding that the company was investigating. The Russian embassy in Washington didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The hackers set up domains and accounts that looked like technical support and tried to engage Teams users in chats and get them to approve multifactor authentication (MFA) prompts, the researchers said. "Microsoft has mitigated the actor from using the domains and continues to investigate this activity and work to remediate the impact of the attack ," they added. Teams is Microsoft's...

A US  cyber security advisory panel will investigate risks in cloud computing that will also include Microsoft Corp's role in the recent breach of government department email systems by suspected Chinese hackers, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. The Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) will focus on risks to cloud computing infrastructure, including identity and authentication management, and will look at all relevant cloud service providers, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. The report comes after Oregon Senator Ron Wyden in July asked the Federal Trade Commission, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Justice Department to "take action" against Microsoft following the hack. Microsoft has been under increasing scrutiny following revelations that hackers allegedly operating on Beijing's behalf got hold of one of its cryptographic keys and took advantage of a coding flaw to win sweep...

Residents across Victoria have been woken up in the middle of the night to a “loud boom” and a possible meteor lighting up the sky. Just before midnight on Monday, a slow-moving ball of light passed through the sky and many speculated it could be a meteor, comet or space junk Melburnians flocked to social media to post videos of the spectacle and said it was accompanied by a “loud bang”. Watch the latest news and stream for free on 7plus >> Just before midnight on Monday, a slow moving ball of light passed through the sky and many speculated it could be a meteor , comet or space junk. Credit: Facebook/ Supplied “I wonder if that was the cause of the Mysterious bang we had here,” one person wrote on Facebook. “It was sort of like the start of a quake with window rattle but, no ground shake or extended time. Actually scared me.” While most people who posted to social media about the possible meteor were in Melbourne, residents in Geelong and Bendigo also reported seeing it. ...

Stargazers are in for a stunning light display this weekend when the Perseid meteor shower peaks. The shower began this year on July 14, and will continue until September 1, though not as many meteors will be visible after its peak on August 13 and 14. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: See stunning time-lapse of Perseid meteor shower. Watch the latest news and stream for free on 7plus >> Like most major meteor shower s, the Perseids will be most visible to viewers in the Northern Hemisphere, just a few hours before dawn — but Australians can still catch a glimpse. NASA considers the show “the best meteor shower of the year”. “With swift and bright meteor s, Perseids frequently leave long ‘wakes’ of light and colour behind them as they streak through Earth’s atmosphere,” it said. Source: https://thefoxposts.com/here-s-how-and-where-to-watch-the-perseid-meteor-shower-peak-in-australia-TheFOXposts-32707.html?utm_source=blogger_source&utm_medium=blogger_medium&utm_campaign=blogge...

WASHINGTON: Amazon.com Inc  plans to launch its first pair of prototype internet satellite s late next month on a different rocket than previously planned, a spokesman said on Monday, again switch ing rides for the spacecraft to avoid mounting rocket delays. The company will launch the first two satellites for Amazon's Kuiper program, which aims to offer internet globally from space, aboard a dedicated Atlas V rocket from the Boeing-Lockheed, joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA), spokesman James Watkins said. The targeted launch date is Sept. 26, he said. Amazon last year announced plans to launch the satellite pair aboard the first flight of ULA's new Vulcan rocket, moving them off previously planned rockets from launch startup ABL Space to avoid delays in ABL's rocket development. But delays with Vulcan have prompted Amazon to again switch rides as the e-commerce giant faces a 2026 regulatory deadline to deploy half of the 3,200 satelli...

Elon Musk said in a social media post on Sunday that his proposed fight with Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg would be live-streamed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The social media and tech moguls have been egging each other into a mixed martial arts cage match in Las Vegas since June. "Zuck v Musk fight will be live-streamed on X. All proceeds will go to charity for veterans," Musk said in a post on X early on Sunday morning, without giving any further details. Zuckerberg, responding on his social media app Threads, said late Sunday: "I'm ready today. I suggested Aug. 26 when he first challenged, but he hasn't confirmed. Not holding my breath." He also suggested that they use a more "reliable platform" that can raise money for charity. Earlier on Sunday, Musk had said on X he was "lifting weights throughout the day, preparing for the fight", adding that he di...

A recent Microsoft leak revealed an internal tool that will allow access to hidden Windows 11 features exactly the way Microsoft engineers test unreleased software. According to Windows Central, the StagingTool can activate or disable features that are hidden and unannounced within Windows 11 Insider Preview software. Though there are other third-party apps that achieve the same purpose, this is Microsoft's own official version. Not intended for public use, the tool was discovered during the “bug bash” event where the company had asked several people to complete tasks and share feedback via Windows Feedback Hub. A link for StagingTool was included in the bug bash quest that was meant for internal users only for the event. Read: X social media looking to build a trading hub inside app Microsoft has since closed the bug bash quest but failed to stop the link to the StagingTool being circulated all over the internet. Users who have had access to the tool, have de...

This article first appeared in The Conversation Picking your nose is linked to an increased risk of COVID, according to a study out this week. The study was conducted in health workers. This raises two main questions: Catch the best deals and products hand-picked by our team at Best Picks >> One, were these health workers washing their hands at work? Two, what does this study mean for the rest of us nose-pickers? What did the study find? Some 219 Dutch Health workers were monitored for COVID infection. They had regular antibody testing, which tells us if they had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. They also reported the results of their own COVID tests. Some 12-18 months later, the Health workers were asked about their nose-picking habits, and exposure to COVID via symptomatic workmates or from contacts outside work. Just over 17 per cent of health workers who reported picking their nose caught COVID versus about 6 per cent of those who did not report no...