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The Uber Files data leak and the chasm between ethics and lobbying

On July 11, the Guardian newspaper dropped a bombshell across the media and political landscapes with the first revelations about Uber and its law-breaking activities around the world, on an industrial scale, in the pursuit of profits. News about the Uber Files published by the Guardian and a global array of media partners was the visible first step in making use of a treasure trove of data leaked by a whistleblower to shine a bright spotlight on a company that…

Keep an open mind about AI

The suspension of a Google engineer called Blake Lemoine, who claimed an AI (artificial intelligence) in the form of a computer chatbot he was working on had become sentient and was thinking and reasoning like a human being, has stimulated a lot of comment over the past few weeks following the story’s publication in the Washington Post. It formed the starting discussion that Shel Holtz and I had in this month’s long-form episode 263 of the For Immediate Release podcast,…

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3: making foldable phones mainstream

In mid-May, I got a new phone, a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. Launched in August 2021, this device bolstered Samsung’s reputation for innovation and leading-edge technology where they succeeded in bringing to market a smartphone with ‘flexible glass‘ that clearly was ready for the mainstream. Since then, Samsung has gone on to grab a commanding share of the overall foldable-smartphone market where sales of the Flip 3 accounted for 51% of all foldables shipped during Q1 2022. Overall, Samsung…

A showcase of talent for the world

We watched the Platinum Party at the Palace music concert on Saturday night (4 June 2022), broadcast live by the BBC from outside Buckingham Palace in London where more than 20,000 people had gathered to experience it in person. It was in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II marking her 70 years on the British throne. What I saw on my HD TV at home was a stunning event, a spectacular showcase of so much talent that…

Mo / NFTs

See the wood for the trees with NFTs

We’re seeing the metaverse and Web 3.0 being used to hide promo codes, and companies are getting people to look around and earn things in the metaverse – that’s where I think there’s going to be a lot of growth. In NFTs, we see a market that is quite flooded, but it’s become the path of least resistance for companies to get involved in the space. NFTs are how brands are dipping their toes in the water. Dan Jurek, the…