Analysts are almost universally optimistic about Amazon.com Inc., one of the biggest winners this earnings season. But further

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 23, 2023--

Just as you thought social media platforms had all corners of the internet covered, along comes Threads, created by Facebook and Instagram owners Meta. In what has been described as a rival to Twitter, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has already had over 10 million people signed up in the first few hours of launching. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter For some, it’s a matter of jumping in with both feet and navigating the waters from there. Others will sit back and take a little more cautious approach. Either way, learning how to navigate the social media jungle using these few simple tips will be invaluable... Take a social media detox It’s easy to use social media compulsively and excessively. You can become so accustomed to scrolling through posts, laughing at videos and liking images that it can take over. According to data found by audience insights platform GWI, 29 per cent of people across Britain use more than five social media apps, with 54 per cent of 16-24-year-olds doing the same. “There has been a substantial surge in social media consumption over the past decade. What initially began as occasional Facebook ‘check-ins’ has now evolved into spending six to eight hours per day on various social media platforms such as TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and now, Threads,” said Marvin Winkelmann, the managing director of AFK Digital. That’s why he says moderation is key. “I strongly advocate for individuals to not only take periodic breaks from social media to rejuvenate their wellbeing but also to consider reducing their engagement before bedtime and during meals. By doing so, we can prioritise face-to-face interactions, which hold even greater significance than merely keeping up with the seemingly idealised virtual world.” Practise the right social media etiquette Winkelmann highlights that different platforms have different niches in terms of how people generally interact. “But a rule of thumb should always be to treat other users with respect.” It’s also why Chris Hackett, the founder of Face Digital, an SEO advisory firm, believes we all need to learn the right social media etiquette, which dictates how people should behave around others online. “Always be yourself,” he said. “Whether you’re using social media for personal or professional reasons, people connect with authenticity. This doesn’t mean you should be airing out your personal details, but you don’t have to hide behind an online persona. “Be careful with what you say. It may feel like a safe space, but using social media to vent or voice controversial opinions can come back to haunt you in the future. “And don’t post anything that you wouldn’t want an employer to see. Social media is, for the most part, public. Before you fire off that tweet, imagine a potential employer reading it and what they may think.” Be careful of negativity Hackett advised against getting into arguments on social media. “There are a lot of keyboard warriors around, and there is nothing to gain by arguing with them. If you don’t like something, scroll past it.” Plus, some of the negativity on social media could have an impact on your mental health – which is why it’s important to look after yourself. “Social media has become a constant figure in everyone’s lives, to the point where it can be detrimental to our mental health. The best way to deal with negativity is to take time away from toxic online environments,” said Hackett. Winkelmann added: “It is crucial to acknowledge that social media platforms tend to accentuate negativity due to the provocative nature of negative content. People love to disagree and share their opinions online. “As a result, the algorithms used by these platforms are designed to amplify such content. It is important for individuals to remain aware of this fact, bearing in mind that much of what is observed online is often an embellished representation of reality anyway.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 29, 2023--

Despite a few nerfs, the ISO Hemlock is still a viable AR to run in Warzone Season 4 thanks to Sally Is A Dog's deadly loadout.

Security researchers have discovered a USB propagating “worm” developed by state-backed Russian hackers to infect Ukrainian targets, which they warn is now spreading globally. The LitterDrifter worm automatically spreads malware via a hidden file within USB drives, with a victim’s data then transmitted back to the attackers. Cyber security firm Check Point Software described the malware as “a unique player in the Russian espionage ecosystem”, designed to collect data and spy on communications. The method of its distribution via removable USB drives means it is difficult to contain the worm to just the intended targets, according to the researchers. “Due to the nature of the USB worm, we see indications of possible infection in various countries like the US, Vietnam, Chile, Poland and Germany,” Check Point researchers wrote in a blog post detailing the threat. “In addition, we’ve observed evidence of infections in Hong Kong. All this might indicate that much like other USB worms, LitterDrifter have spread beyond its intended targets.” The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) said the campaign had been identified as originating from personnel within Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, the Ukrainian government has been under “near-constant digital attack”, according to Google’s Shane Huntley, who is a senior director at the tech giant’s threat analysis group. “Russian government-backed attackers have engaged in an aggressive, multi-pronged effort to gain a decisive wartime advantage in cyberspace, often with mixed results,” Mr Huntley wrote in a July post. Cyber attacks have also been perpetrated against Nato partners and Ukraine’s allies, witch such attacks increasing in 2023. Ukraine’s National Cybersecurity Coordination Center (NCSCC) recently revealed that Russian-backed hackers have been targeting European embassies. The latest discovery demonstrates how targeted attacks can easily spread globally when distributed in such a manner. “It leverages simple, yet effective techniques to ensure it can reach the widest possible set of targets in the region,” the Check Point researchers noted. “It’s clear that LitterDrifter was designed to support a large-scale collection operation.” Read More Tiny solar-powered van unveiled in Japan Democrats accuse Elon Musk and X of profiting from Hamas propaganda OpenAI reaches deal with Sam Altman to return as chief executive Tiny solar-powered van unveiled in Japan Democrats accuse Elon Musk and X of profiting from Hamas propaganda OpenAI reaches deal with Sam Altman to return as chief executive

Child predators are exploiting generative artificial intelligence technologies to share fake child sexual abuse material online and to

By David Shepardson Cruise is recalling 950 driverless cars from the roads across the United States and may

Toyota Motor was ramping back production at its Japan-based factories on Wednesday after a computer system processing orders

Apple on Tuesday is expected to freshen its iPhone lineup, improving performance and switching to a universal charger set to become...

A new technique is a dramatic breakthrough in the search for alien life, astronomers say. Researchers at the Breakthrough Listen project based at the University of California, Berkeley say they have developed a new way to be sure that any potential signal is really coming from space – and not from something more boring. Astronomers spend vast amounts of time looking for radio signals that might have come from alien civilisations as part of work on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI. But they have in the past been fooled by very human technology, such as cellphones, microwaves and car engines, that can produce a blast of radio signals that look as if they have come from distant worlds. One way to check whether signals are really alien is to point the telescope elsewhere and then repeatedly return to the same spot, with the hope of seeing the signal again and ensuring that it is not a false alarm. But that is not foolproof – and only works if the signal sticks around. Some of the most promising radio signals might only be detectable once. The so-called “Wow!” signal, for instance – a radio signal detected in 1977 that was so shocking the astronomer who found it wrote the exclamation on a printout – has not been detected since, and astronomers still do not know whether it was an alien message or just a mistake. Now scientists have devised a new test that can be used to see whether a signal has really passed through interstellar space, which should help show that it is not from elsewhere on Earth. It works by looking for “scintillation” – the changes in amplitude of a signal as it is affected by the cold plasma of space. “The first ET detection may very well be a one-off, where we only see one signal. And if a signal doesn’t repeat, there’s not a lot that we can say about that. And obviously, the most likely explanation for it is radio frequency interference, as is the most likely explanation for the Wow! signal,” said Andrew Siemion, principal investigator for Breakthrough Listen and director of the Berkeley SETI Research Center, which operates the world’s longest running SETI program. “Having this new technique and the instrumentation capable of recording data at sufficient fidelity such that you could see the effect of the interstellar medium, or ISM, is incredibly powerful.” Dr Siemion called the breakthrough “one of the biggest advances in radio SETI in a long time” and said that it would be the first time researchers would be able to differentiate a real signal from a false alarm, even if it was only detected once. The technique can only be used for signals that have travelled 10,000 light years or more to Earth, researchers note. If it was closer to us, the scintillation effect cannot be seen because they are not travelling through enough of the interstellar medium, or ISM. The research is described in a new paper, ‘On Detecting Interstellar Scintillation in Narrowband Radio SETI’, published in The Astrophysical Journal. Read More Battery breakthroughs are about to trigger a transport revolution Huge asteroid nearly crashes into Earth – and is only spotted days later ChatGPT rival with ‘no ethical boundaries’ sold on dark web

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 6, 2023--