Meta is exploring new ways to monetize the metaverse amid dwindling profits and user numbers at the company. Two emerging revenue streams have been revealed in the last week: selling virtual goods and digital currency. The digital assets sales are being tested in Horizon Worlds, Meta’s free VR platform, the company announced on Monday. The initial trials will allow a “handful of creators,” to sell virtual items and effects, such as fashion accessories or VIP access to virtual worlds. “The abilit
Anytime you use a video teleconferencing app, you’re sending your audio data to the company hosting the services. And, according to a new study, that means all of your audio data. This includes voice and background noise whether you’re broadcasting or muted. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison investigated “many popular apps” to determine the extent that video conferencing apps capture data while users employ the in-software ‘mute’ button. According to a university press release,
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Organizations’ failure to properly manage the servers they lease from cloud service providers can allow attackers to receive private data, research my colleagues and I conducted has shown. Cloud computing allows businesses to lease servers the same way they lease office space. It’s easier for companies to build and maintain mobile apps and websites when they don’t have to worry about owning and managing servers. But
When choosing a new job, you’re not just looking for the perfect role. You also need to consider what kind of company you want to work for. Do you want to work for a social enterprise with an inspiring mission? Do you see yourself thriving in a company that’s fully remote? And probably the most important question is, do you want to work at a startup or join a corporation? You may be wondering if the size of a company is really that important. If you’re only working with people in your team, does
Since the invention of Bitcoin in 2009 the global cryptocurrency market has grown from nothing to a value of around US$2 trillion. From a price of US$1 in 2011, Bitcoin rose to an all-time high of more than US$63,000 in April 2021, and now hovers around the US$42,000 mark. Large fluctuations in cryptocurrency prices are common, which makes them a highly speculative investment. What kind of people are willing to take the risk, and what motivates them? We conducted a survey to find out. In particu
Fitbit has just vaulted over a huge hurdle: it can now continuously monitor users’ heart rhythms. This was authorized by the US’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — and takes the wearable company a step closer to combating the Apple Watch. Google — the owner of Fitbit — declared that the FDA authorized the use of its new PPG (photoplethysmography) algorithm. This is used to identify atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heart rhythm. The reason monitoring for this condition (which impacts al
How does a sport go from a series of events to climate activists? And an international sailing competition? Surely, there’s something radically divergent between a series of multi-million dollar races which involve travel around the planet and sustainability –- or is there? Upon hearing that the SailGP is the first climate-positive sport on the planet, aided by a whole load of innovation in sailing and technology, I wanted to find out more. So I headed to San Francisco to learn all about it. T
The quantum computing race is far from over, but it’s clear that IBM is off to an early and substantial lead. This assessment comes on the heels of Big Blue’s latest launch: two new Qiskit Runtime primitives debuting today (you read it here first). Quantum computing promises to do two things for society: help us solve today’s problems faster, and put us in a position to solve tomorrow’s problems. And whether those problems involve optimization, simulations, or needle-in-a-haystack searches, we’l
Hondatoday announced some pretty bold electrification plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The Japanese automaker will invest $40 billion (¥5 trillion yen) in its EV segment, including a new lineup, battery production, and software development. 30 new EV models by 2030 Yep, you read that right. 30 new EVs by 2030. This is huge for Honda, especially as it’s currently only offering one electric vehicle — the Honda e — which itself is limited to the European market. The company is planning
Fans of ratings, rejoice! Netflix has introduced a new way for you to display your affection for a show: a double thumbs up. This is the first change of the rating system since 2017, when the company moved from a star system (ergo, one to five), to the like or dislike model (thumbs up and thumbs down) that we’re all familiar with. Now, Netflix is shaking this up again with the launch of a third option — the super like (or, if you want, double thumbs up). Here’s what the ‘double thumbs up’ (or… I