Author: Stuff writer

Access to public information and too much access to personal information has taken the spotlight at the  2022 Climate Change Conference (COP27) taking place in Egypt this week. Journalists and environmental activists on Monday used social media to post various websites that they were unable to access from the conference. Websites that appear blocked from Egypt include Human Rights Watch, Al Jazeera, and Earth Uprising, according to journalists and activists’ tweets on Monday. There are so many blocked websites in Egypt at #COP27 , that it is noticeable and hard for us to work. We can’t use our @Earth_Uprising Medium site, because…

Apple might soon change the trigger phrase for its voice assistant from ‘Hey Siri’ to a one-word command. According to a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company plans to drop the greeting side of things by changing the trigger phrase to simply ‘Siri’. It might feel a bit rude to start commanding beloved Siri without greeting it first…especially here in Africa. Why is Apple suddenly dropping its manners? Well, you can call it good old peer pressure. By the way, Siri turns 12 years old next year, so it’s old enough to deal with it. Read More: ‘Hey Siri’:…

Xpeng, electric-vehicle maker went literal with its flying car prototype which was unveiled in October earlier this year. The flying car looks like a mixed breed between a regular car and a drone. Internally named the X3, it’s designed for driving on the road as well as for flying. During its maiden voyage, the X3 is seen rolling out of a garage and then raising itself towards the sky vertically. “Designed for both air flight and road driving, the flying car conveniently features a sleek rotor fold-away system for seamless conversation between driving and flying,” says Xpeng, the Chinese electric…

Google will soon introduce a package-tracking system ahead of the festive season so you can get an idea of when your gift to your loved ones, or yourself, will get to your doorstep. To avoid spending time searching through your hundreds of emails and various delivery codes, the platform plans to enable a feature that gets all the important info about your package in your inbox. The mail is quick to read and gives an update on when to expect delivery, letting you get on with your life faster. “For orders with tracking numbers, Gmail will prominently display your current…

The $8 fee introduced by new owner Elon Musk on Twitter Blue is here to stay, and a fee might soon also be introduced on the main platform. “We’re exploring ways to make the Twitter experience next level—and Twitter Blue is just the beginning, “ notes the description on Twitter about the platform – an indication that you may soon have to pay for that tick and possibly more features on the mainstream platform. “Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month”, says Musk…

Now that you’ve spent enough time preparing for your exam (or at least we hope you have), here are some websites, apps, and tips from Tiktokers to give you a boost. At least now you can get spend your time wisely when you get that urge to use your phone when you should be studying. We’ll keep it short so you can get back to your books. Websites & Blogs On these websites, you’ll get past examination papers to give you an idea of what to expect. A good place to start would be the National Department of Basic Education’s…

Some sights are out of this world. SpaceX invited a few photographers to capture the Falcon Heavy rocket’s launch this week – its first in three years. Photographers set up remote cameras next to Landing Zone 2, near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, to catch a glimpse of the world’s most powerful (for now) rocket as it blasted off this world in a spectacular display Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/gcLtIWizoF — SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 1, 2022 The Falcon has landed On Tuesday,  as the  Falcon Heavy rocket took to the sky, two side boosters separated from the heavy rocket and descended…

Now that we can’t clearly remember a time before Zoom and online meetings where we are sometimes forced to show our faces, video conferencing platforms (like Zoom) also seem to be getting braver and more demanding.  Zoom says you’ll have to update your desktop and mobile app every 90 days starting from 1 November. It will also offer you more updates in between.  On a document published last week, it says the move is in line with industry standards. “Starting this November, Zoom will be enforcing a new minimum version every 90 days. This change is in line with industry…

Some Instagram users across the world could not log into their accounts on Monday, some even received a message letting them know their accounts had been suspended. Additionally, others also noticed their follower count dropping… oh the horror.  “We suspended your account on October 31, 2022,” notes a message to Instagram users who had been affected. The good news is, it was mostly because of a bug. Yes, some of you may have really lost followers and some of you may have been suspended for valid reasons. But for those that behave themselves on social media, it might have come…

Sadly, fuel isn’t getting cheaper in South Africa this month. Diesel, petrol and paraffin prices are set to increase on Wednesday, 2 November. Today would be a good day to fill up your tank. Diesel prices will see a massive spike with an increase of R1.43 a litre and petrol, both 93 and 95, will increase by R0.51. Paraffin will also increase by R0.77. Gas is the only fuel that will drop this month with a decrease of R0.98. Read More: South African jet fuel shortages could lead to cancelled flights and missed schedules Inland, you can expect to pay…