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A cryptocurrency debunker’s quixotic quest to save endangered marmots with an emoji

Apr04
by on April 4, 2019 at 2:07 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, blockchain, cryptocurrency, Hard Fork


Marmots. If you’re unfamiliar with this creature, marmots are kinda like squirrels, but the size of a house-cat. In Canada, they’re heavily endangered, and one cryptocurrency anti-influencer is hellbent on raising awareness with an official marmot emoji. Preston Byrne is a lawyer and self-professed blockchain nerd. On Twitter, you’ll often find him subverting influencer-centric cryptocurrency discussion with talk of marmots. If it helps, the groundhog (from Groundhog Day) is technically a marmot. There’s also an (imaginary) marmot-associated cryptocorrency, Marmotcoin. Its (sadly theoretical) supply-limit is pegged to the population of marmots (unlike Bitcoin‘s fixed 21-million supply), and one marmot is always equivalent to one Marmotcoin. This…

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WhatsApp says its fake news tip line is just for research

Apr04
by on April 4, 2019 at 1:47 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, India


Earlier this week, WhatsApp announced that it’s launching a tip line in India to verify messages during the election. But as it turns out, the new service is not exactly a hotline for debunking fake news – but rather a tool for researching misleading information shared on the platform. As spotted by BuzzFeed News, an FAQ on Pronto’s – WhatsApp‘s partner for this project – website suggests it’s just meant for research purposes. According to the FAQ, this the project aims to study the misinformation phenomenon at scale during the Indian election: The Checkpoint tipline is primarily used to gather data…

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Or just read more coverage about: WhatsApp

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a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

WhatsApp says its fake news tip line is just for research

Apr04
by on April 4, 2019 at 1:47 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, India


Earlier this week, WhatsApp announced that it’s launching a tip line in India to verify messages during the election. But as it turns out, the new service is not exactly a hotline for debunking fake news – but rather a tool for researching misleading information shared on the platform. As spotted by BuzzFeed News, an FAQ on Pronto’s – WhatsApp‘s partner for this project – website suggests it’s just meant for research purposes. According to the FAQ, this the project aims to study the misinformation phenomenon at scale during the Indian election: The Checkpoint tipline is primarily used to gather data…

This story continues at The Next Web

Or just read more coverage about: WhatsApp

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TNW2019 Daily: Facts are fun

Apr04
by on April 4, 2019 at 1:18 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Events, Insider, TNW2019


There are only 35 days left until TNW Conference, and as we approach May 9 and 10, I’ve been thinking about all the amazing elements of our tech festival. In yesterday’s TNW2019 Daily, I shared some fun facts about the number 36 – today, I’m sharing some numbers that highlight how cool our event will be! TNW Conference, in numbers At TNW2019, you’ll enjoy: 40,000 square-meters of festival terrain 17,500 attendees per day 278 speakers and counting 13 tracks of tech inspiration 12 amazing venues 12 ticket options …and 2 full days of conference fun! This doesn’t even include all…

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Moshi’s stellar $50 earphones deliver surprisingly detailed sound over USB-C

Apr04
by on April 4, 2019 at 1:11 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Plugged


I’m not remotely a fan of phones ditching the headphone jack, but these are the sad times we live in. One of my biggest gripes with that decision is that the range of USB-C accessories isn’t great, particularly in the field of audio gear. But I’m glad that Moshi’s gotten into the game with its new Mythro C earphones. They draw power from your phone to support the inbuilt digital-to-analog converter (DAC) chip to deliver better quality audio than other similarly priced buds, and I’m happy to report that they’re pretty darn good. If you’ve been fiddling with a dongle…

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