Michael Jordan and son Jeffrey starting tech company to link fans to athletes
NBA legend Michael Jordan has joined his first-born son Jeffrey in starting up a new tech company that links fans to sports in a more intimate way. HEIR Inc. is a startup that will offer a consumer platform that vows “to build culturally-inspired consumer brands rooted in tech and entertainment.” Starting in 2022, HEIR Inc. […]
Instagram set to bring back the chronological feed in 2022
Instagram users have long complained about the social media platform removing its chronological feed in 2016, and now it looks like it will be making a comeback in 2022. At a Senate hearing on Instagram and teen safety on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, said the social media giant plans to […]
Android users are in luck after this iOS 15 update
Apple changed the game with this one. The days when you needed an Apple product to FaceTime are over. Apple has introduced the ability to FaceTime between Androids and iPhones. With the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 update, those with Apple devices can create a link to FaceTime and send it directly to Android users. […]
Powerful cyber espionage tool hacks your iPhone without you even clicking anything
If you own an iPhone, apple watch or a mac computer, you could have spyware on your phone or computer even if you did NOTHING to let it in. No spam or phishing trick was even needed. Apple issued emergency software updates for a critical vulnerability in its products today (Monday 9/13) after security researchers […]
Office 365 users: Beware of new phishing attack to steal your identity
Hundreds of millions of people around the globe use Microsoft Office 365, which includes Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, Publisher and more. Unfortunately, criminals are always in cyberspace trying to steal your information and their latest schemes are very sophisticated. Microsoft has warned that one common method of avoiding clicking on a phish — […]
Instagram set to retire swipe-up links as of Aug. 30
Instagram has announced that they’re set to retire their swipe-up feature. Long sought after by users since its inception, the feature allowed for links to be included directly in Instagram stories, but there was just one catch: you had to have at least 10,000 followers. Those who have yet to reach that milestone might not […]
How social media might evolve in 2021
As we start the new year, there has been a significant rise in social media usage in the wake of the pandemic. From Instagram live segments, Facebook lives TV shows, Twitter worldwide discussions, and Clubhouse master classes; social media has played a significant part in people’s lives that is certain to continue throughout 2021. Below […]
How to tell the difference between AI-created images and real people online
Photography is a widely used art form in the nation and in places beyond. “Self-portraits,” a genre in the medium, and “headshots,” modern-day portraits, have become easier and more accessible to take because of technological advances, such as the installation of high-quality cameras in smartphones, tablet devices, and more. But with these groundbreaking advances bring […]
‘Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ for PS5 strikes cultural chords
The PlayStation 5 gaming console is flying off shelves faster than Sony can restock them. Insomniac’s latest Spider-Man video game may be the reason why. “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales” features many of the same things that made the original game for PS4, “Marvel’s Spider-Man,” good. Players will recognize the controls and mechanics of the previous […]
Neil deGrasse Tyson says asteroid could hit Earth before 2020 election
The year 2020 continues to find new ways to produce theatrical-like twists and turns. But instead of relying on the comfort of fiction, strangeness is occurring in real life. On Sunday, Oct. 18, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson added more drama to an already weird year by posting an image on social media of an asteroid […]
Facebook announces major Africa investment
Facebook has announced plans for a major investment in internet connectivity in Africa. The American social media giant has revealed it is investing in data centers, submarine cables and Wi-Fi infrastructure, and that the continent’s economy will ultimately grow by almost $60 billion by 2024. The investment means that more people in sub-Saharan Africa will […]
HBCU graduate Justin Shaifer creates cartoon to excite students about STEM
Justin Shaifer is a STEM revolutionary and educator. Shaifer earned a full scholarship from NASA and NOAA to attend Hampton University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in marine and environmental science. He is currently working toward a doctorate in science education at Columbia University. The Chicago native is also the founder of Fascinate Inc., […]
T-Mobile apologizes for 12-hour outage
T-Mobile has issued a statement after its customers faced a 12-hour outage on Monday, June 15, 2020. The telecommunications firm’s President of Technology Neville Ray has denied that the outage was caused by a DDoS attack or any other malicious behavior, but he admitted that T-Mobile failed to meet its “own bar for excellence” after […]
WhatsApp introducing coronavirus fact-checking chatbot
WhatsApp is introducing a chatbot to help with coronavirus fact-checking. The new feature — which was launched this week by the Poynter Institute for Media Studies’ International Fact-Checking Network — will connect the messaging app‘s users with more than 80 organizations to tell them whether certain information is false. The database includes rumors determined as […]
Facebook launches app for couples
Facebook has launched a couples-only app. While many couples are separated during the global health pandemic the social media network has given them away to communicate with Tuned, on which they can send messages, music and even create their own online scrapbook of their memories together. Tuned is the brainchild of Facebook’s new product experimental […]
How algorithms are transforming discrimination, part 2
Algorithms are sets of step-by-step instructions that tell a computer what to do. Algorithms can also be designed to learn by themselves instead of only following instructions. For example, pretend you want to write an algorithm that tells the search engine how to identify pencils. So you feed the algorithm data — millions of photos […]
Samsung is donating smartphones; here’s what you need to know
Samsung is donating smartphones to quarantined patients. The tech giant has revealed its plans to help fight the global virus, and the firm will be going further than providing funding and medical supplies such as face masks and hygiene kits. In a statement, Samsung announced: “We are donating smartphones to patients in quarantine to help […]
How algorithms are transforming discrimination, part 1
Algorithms are everywhere. You rely on them every day to make countless important decisions. You hit the search button in Google, and the search engine filters through millions of webpages to find what you want. An algorithm — a set of mathematical rules embedded into the computer — is what makes this possible. Algorithms have […]
Twitter testing new features to resemble Instagram functionality
Twitter is testing a new feature to give users more freedom. The social media platform has announced “fleets” — similar to vanishing posts on sites like Instagram and Snapchat — to allow people to post thoughts they may not want to share in a more “permanent and performative” way. In a series of tweets, Twitter’s […]
Nick Bey shares why Relevant Systems is focused on minorities and women
Relevant System’s CEO Nick Bey’s trip to Cameroon would change him. His team was assigned to design a weather station for local farmers to increase crop production. They were successful and developed the first portable weather station in Cameroon. Bey was inspired by his trip to make Relevant Systems a company that would employ minority […]