New GPT-4 app can be ‘life-changing’ for visually-impaired people, say users

Mar17
by on March 17, 2023 at 9:30 pm
Posted In: Insider


The first app to integrate GPT-4’s image-recognition abilities has been described as ‘life-changing’ by visually-impaired users. Be My Eyes, a Danish startup, applied the AI model to a new feature for blind or partially sighted people. Named “Virtual Volunteer,” the object-recognition tool can answer questions about any image that it’s sent. Imagine, for instance, that a user is hungry. They can simply photograph an ingredient and request related recipes. If they’d rather eat out, they can take an image of a map and get directions to a restaurant. On arrival, they can snap a picture of the menu and hear…

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EU’s new green tech strategy aims to keep production in the bloc

Mar17
by on March 17, 2023 at 3:13 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized


On Thursday, the European Commission unveiled the Net-Zero Industry Act, a much-anticipated proposal aiming at boosting the EU’s green tech production amidst an increasingly intense global race. The new regulation is a key part of the European Green Industrial Plan — the bloc’s response to the US’ $369 billion package of green subsidies — seeking to ensure that at least 40% of the union’s net-zero technology demand is produced domestically by 2030. “We need a regulatory environment that allows us to scale up the clean energy transition quickly,” President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in a statement.…

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Quantum computing sector reacts to UK’s new £2.5B programme

Mar15
by on March 15, 2023 at 7:41 pm
Posted In: Insider


The UK government has pledged to invest £2.5bn in quantum computing over the next 10 years, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced today. The programme forms part of the new Spring Budget, which aims to reduce inflation and the risk of a recession.  The British tech sector will play a central role in the plan. As part of a goal to make the UK a “science and technology superpower,” Hunt wants to build a world-leading “quantum-enabled economy” by 2023. To create this, the government is more than doubling its previous funding commitment to the field. It aims to attract another £1 billion…

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‘Router freedom’ has arrived in Greece — here’s what it means

Mar15
by on March 15, 2023 at 3:11 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized


Greece has become the seventh EU country to introduce a principle called “router freedom.” This means consumers of any Internet Service Provider (ISP) can now use a modem or router of their choice, instead of equipment provided by the ISP. The freedom of choice for routers and modems is regulated in the EU by two primary sets of rules. The first one comes from the Net Neutrality Regulation in 2015, which establishes the people’s right to choose their own digital equipment. The second one is is a set of guidelines to identify the network termination point (NTP) in different network…

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Sailing, reimagined: UK startup bets wind-powered ships will cut carbon emissions

Mar15
by on March 15, 2023 at 12:41 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized


The maritime industry may have long replaced sails with engines, but a UK startup is betting that wind-powered ships still have a bright future. Founded in 2014, Smart Green Shipping (SGS), has developed a new type of wind sail, called FastRig, that cuts carbon emissions. According to the company, it can be retrofitted to existing commercial vessels with available deck space, requiring no additional crew to operate it or port-side infrastructure changes. It’s also retractable to allow for standard loading and unloading operations, and it’s designed to be recyclable. FastRig is paired with the startup’s software tool, TradeWind, which provides…

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