Author: Brett Venter

It was bound to happen eventually. El Salvador has become the first country in the world to accept bitcoin as legal tender. The new law was signed by the country’s president Nayib Bukele and accepted by its Congress, officially adopting the cryptocurrency as a method of payment. First El Salvador, then… the world! President Bukele said of the move in a tweet, “It will bring financial inclusion, investment, tourism, innovation and economic development for our country.” The idea, in part, is to aid El Salvadorians living abroad to send remittances back home, while companies and even the government will have…

The best kind of work has to be getting paid for someone else’s – but, like the internet (and law enforcement) would say, that’s illegal. It’s paid off for the JBS meat plant attackers, to the tune of around $11 million. That’s about R150 million in South African terms – not a bad payday for nothing more than stopping other people from doing their jobs. JBS does negotiate with terrorists The meat supplier has issued a statement confirming that it has paid “…the equivalent of $11 million in ransom in response to the criminal hack against its operations.” According to…

Facebook doesn’t have the best history when it comes to creating its own hardware. There was a smartphone that didn’t go anywhere and we’re not counting the Oculus stuff – they paid for that. Its more modern attempts – witness the Portal range – have proved more successful, leading the company to think that it can launch a smartwatch. Yup, there’s a Facebook smartwatch on the horizon. Here’s what’s known so far. Watch, out for Facebook The wearable device hasn’t been officially announced but it’s coming – we should see it turn up in about a year’s time, though it’ll…

Facebook might be a little annoyed at both Google and Apple, what with both companies instituting policies that stand to cut down on the social network’s earnings. Now, we’re not saying that’s what has fuelled its latest feature for creators on the platform, but we’re not not saying it either. Facebook intends to launch a breakdown of what creators on its platforms stand to earn for events. But it’s not just going to include Facebook fees. The estimate will also include the percentage both Google and Apple take. Facebook’s revenge Which is, you know, a sensible thing to do. Online…

One of the most powerful tools of the information age (no, not Mark Zuckerberg — he’s merely a powerful tool) is social media. But, like any tool that was developed with no idea what it might one day become, it is inherently broken. It’s broken because it claims to be a specific thing — a place where speech can be heard — but it’s incapable of delivering on that claim. Because, at its heart, social media is really about two things. Neither of them is speech. It’s all about data and profit. One leads to the other, but both rely…

Former Amazon CEO and occasionally the richest man in the world Jeff Bezos is about to add another accolade to his list of achievements. Bezos is heading to space, giving us the perfect opportunity to resurface this deepfake video of Bezos and Elon Musk facing off as members of a Star Trek episode. Jeff Bezos to blast off View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jeff Bezos (@jeffbezos) Okay, so he’s not going quite deep enough into space to be abducted by aliens and have his cranium expanded, but he will make it into space –…

Telkom Pay has launched what it calls the first virtual Mastercard in Africa created for performing transactions through messaging app WhatsApp. The digital wallet service’s card is the result of a collaboration between Nedbank (who have some history with WhatsApp payments), Mastercard (who just love harvesting interest) and Ukheshe Technologies (who seem like… pretty decent fellows, so far). You’re going to Telkom Pay for that Basically, users of Telkom’s digital wallet service will create a virtual Mastercard in the Telkom Pay app, which is then linked to the wallet itself. They’ll have to load cash onto the card and that…

It feels like it’s barely been a few days since the last new issue of Stuff Magazine was released and here were are again. It’s Stuff’s June-July 2021 issue, on shelves both physical and digital, and what an issue it is. Though it’s awfully cold outside, there are two ways to handle it. Either you can stay inside, wrapped in blankets and not moving much (pity Eskom’s made sure your heater is largely useless), or you can head outdoors and trade frost for sweat. We’ve got an issue packed with ways you can burn calories while staying distant from other…

You know that feeling of dread any time an unknown number calls your smartphone? WhatsApp intends to make you feel that when you’re attempting to get your account verified on a device. Which, to start, isn’t as bad as it seems, and to continue, might not stick around as a feature. The messaging app, according to WABetaInfo, is currently testing so-called flash calls for account verification on a limited number of Android accounts. Basically, what happens is that instead of sending you an SMS, the app dials your number and rings a couple of times. You don’t have to answer…

Apple’s recently announced (and priced) AirTags, the company’s version of the device-finding Tile, were long expected but, while it’s a slick little piece of technology, it’s not perfect. There’s the little matter of the AirTag relying on what is basically a massive surveillance network, which works so well that the tiny tracker can potentially be used as a stalking tool. Well, Apple reckons it’s got a way to address that. Avoiding AirTag animosity See, the easiest way to track someone is to slip an AirTag into their bag or car and then use Apple’s Find My app to see where…