Tech and Auto

More than ever, telephones are central to translation. Thanks to the arrival of translation apps like Google Translate, and even language-learning apps like Duolingo, the mobile phone might be more important to the world of translation than it ever has been. But what about the world of interpreting? Though they are closely related, translation and interpreting are distinct entities, and phone technology has affected them in very different ways. So what do the recent developments in phone translation technology mean...

Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that he wants "1 billion people to use VR", with Facebook's new Oculus Go headset poised to lead the charge of user-friendly, affordable virtual reality systems. But what will the consequences of Zuckerberg's promise be? Will 13% of the world's population really have a use for VR, and if so, what will that use be? Here are the largest potential markets for VR technology that could further its ascent into the mainstream.   Communication...

The iconic Aston Martin which Sir Paul McCartney owned at the height of The Beatles’ success is set to sell for a staggering £1.5 MILLION. McCartney was just 22 when he bought the Aston Martin DB5 in 1964. He was part of the biggest pop group the world had ever seen and had just finished filming A Hard Day's Night. Paul McCartney’s old Aston Martin which he owned at the height of The Beatles’ success is set to sell for...

If you are an experienced Mac user, you will agree that nothing compares to the smoothness of performance of these beautiful machines. The interface design, the animated micro-interactions, and the responsiveness – everything creates the illusion of a friendly being communicating with you. The more is your frustration when the being becomes forgetful and sluggish. Unfortunately, this often happens to older Macs or to some non-top of the line models with less RAM and disk space capacity. The reason is...

A computer that thinks for itself has mastered the world's most difficult game with no human input, scientists have revealed. The Artificial Intelligence computer program taught itself the game, and scientists claim the breakthrough is a gamechanger with all sorts of applications. Deep Mind's updated AlphaGo algorithm defeated its predecessor by 100-nil - which in turn had been too good for Go champion Lee Sedol last year. Go is a 3,000 year-old Chinese game and has trillions of possible moves...

Brits are forking out hundreds of pounds on car repairs every year – but most have NO IDEA what they were for. The average owner has forked out £342 on garage bills over the last 12 months, with more than one in ten paying up to £1,000. Despite paying for these car repairs, over 60 per cent didn’t understand what the work was for, one in five didn’t even ask what was wrong and almost half said they completely trusted...

Police officers have been receiving extra lessons in high-speed car chases - by playing a VIDEO GAME. PlayStation has partnered up with Lincolnshire Police in order to provide extra tuition to specialist drivers using Gran Turismo Sport. The project - which aims to boost skill and safety - has seen officers clock an initial lap time at Silverstone race course in Towcester, Northants. The four drivers then received specialist training using the game, including a new virtual reality mode. Any...

It’s no secret that big data analytics is taking the business world by storm, imparting a whole new world of corporate intelligence value. What is not so clear is how businesses seek to deal with the copious quantities of data that will be generated by big data applications. Blockchain poses a possible solution as it represent an immutable, consensus driven, self-verified platform for transactions. Clear audit trails and transparency regarding data origin all contributes to an effective framework for dealing...

Petrol and diesel vehicles are to be banned from a city centre in what is believed to be the world's first Zero Emissions Zone. The new zone in Oxford City Centre will see all petrol and diesel taxis, cars and buses excluded from six central streets from 2020. The area will then be expanded in 2025 and 2030 to encompass the entire city centre, and finally in 2035 HGVs will be banned from the same zone - making it what...