Technology

It takes young people in the UK less than a minute to get annoyed while waiting for their phone content to download, new research has claimed. Young phone users are five times more likely to lose their temper because of slow download speeds than older people, a new survey of UK smartphone users by Chinese manufacturer OnePlus has shown. The annoyance caused by slow internet connectivity and download speeds, labelled "load rage", is the biggest frustration cited in the lives of young people. Two-fifths of young people claiming they felt symptoms of burnout - including fatigue, insomnia and anxiety - because of the digital-heavy nature of their lives. … [Read more...] about Rise of ‘load rage’ as millennials grow increasingly frustrated with technology

Faced with seesawing commodity prices and the pressure to be more efficient and environmentally friendly, farmer Jamie Butler is trying out a new worker on his 450-acre farm in England's Hampshire countryside. Methodically inspecting Butler's winter wheat crop for weeds and pests, the laborer doesn't complain or even break a sweat.  That's because it's a four-wheel robot dubbed 'Tom' that uses GPS, artificial intelligence and smartphone technology to digitally map the field. Joe Allnutt, lead roboticist at British startup company the Small Robot Company, inspects a farming robot named Tom as part of a trial in East Meon, southern England Tom's creator, the Small Robot Company, is part of a wave of 'agri-tech' startups working to transform production in a sector that is under economic strain due to market pressures to keep food cheap, a rising global population and the uncertainties of climate change.  Most robots are still only being tested, but they offer a glimpse of how … [Read more...] about Robots in the field: Farms embrace autonomous technology as ‘agri-tech’ startups race to make food production cheaper and more efficient

LibDems have become the first major party to propose that police use of facial recognition technology to fight crime should be halted. The party is demanding a moratorium on its deployment “unless and until” it can be used without infringing people’s privacy or discriminating against particular sections of society. The LibDems want new laws to provide “clear regulation and robust oversight” to prevent misuse of the technology by police and to protect the public from invasive use. A similar demand has been made by the information and biometrics commissioners At least three police forces - in London, South Wales and Leicestershire - have deployed the technology to scan crowds for potential suspects... … [Read more...] about LibDems call for a halt to police use of facial recognition technology over privacy fears

The climate change emergency is on ­everyone’s minds – but 60% of us say we would be more inclined to try to help the environment if we had a better ­understanding of what we can do. Despite the noise around recycling and reducing single-use plastic, there’s one missing piece in the climate change conversation: becoming more energy efficient. Yet we could get 11% closer to the UK’s 2050 carbon emissions target right now if we all took energy efficiency measures at home. On top of what we can do in our own ­households, the country’s energy system is in urgent need of an upgrade. Our current, outdated system wastes millions of pounds worth of energy because the system cannot accurately map out when and where demand is high. However, smart meters in our homes are able to provide the data needed for the whole country to become more efficient. Upgrading to a smart energy system could save our country millions of pounds each year – and cut … [Read more...] about Making this one change could save enough energy to power Aberdeen, Cardiff and Manchester for a year

Proving that nothing is secret from the all-seeing eye of Google, we now have the option to bank with it.  The search giant yesterday unveiled a new current account which it said it would launch in the US next year, in a tie up with Citi. But it is not the only technology company trying to crack the financial sector. Along with Apple’s credit card and Facebook’s digital currency, Silicon Valley’s intention to make its way into our wallets has never been clearer than in recent months.    But why has it taken the most innovative companies in the world so long to break into this lucrative market?   The first thing to note is that the US and the UK are two very different financial markets. The UK enjoys a bustling fintech scene with challenger banks sprouting up and the likes of Monzo and Revolut giving the stalwarts a run for their money.   But while we have had little to choose from by way of credit cards and current accounts, in the US, there … [Read more...] about Why Monzo and Revolut have nothing to fear from Google’s march into banking