8 million people, 14 alerts: why some covid-19 apps are staying silent

Microsoft's solution to Zoom fatigue is to trick your brain 

The Download Your daily dose of what’s up in emerging technology 07.10.20 Good morning! Today: why some covid contact tracing apps aren't triggering notifications, and Microsoft's solution to Zoom fatigue is to trick your brain. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. 8 million people, 14 alerts: why some covid-19 apps are staying silent   The problem: France’s contact tracing app was downloaded by 2 million people but has only sent out 14 virus notifications. And Australia’s app has notified no one in the state of Victoria, despite having far greater adoption. Why? It’s not necessarily a sign of failure in and of itself. There’s been a lot of hype around the technology. And in a situation where there aren’t many cases, people are social distancing, and the density of app users is low, you wouldn’t expect to see that many notifications. But it’s clear there’s a gulf between what was promised and the reality of what these apps are delivering.  So what went wrong? Both France and Australia shunned the model put forward by Google and Apple—where data is kept on the user’s phone to maintain privacy—in favor of a centralized approach, where user information is sent to remote servers. This is problematic because Google and Apple have restricted how much Bluetooth scanning centralized apps can do in the background. It’s caused a series of technical difficulties. Australia’s app only works 25% of the time on some devices, in particular iPhones. Users have complained that France’s app drains their phone’s battery life—possibly the reason that hundreds of thousands of people have uninstalled the app since downloading it. Read the full story. Microsoft’s solution to Zoom fatigue is to trick your brain Tired? Me too: There’s a certain routine to logging on to the now-ubiquitous videoconference: join a screen of Brady Bunch–like squares, ping-ponging your gaze between speakers but mostly staring self-consciously at your own face. What started as a novelty of working at home is now an exhausting ordeal that can leave us feeling mentally wiped out.  An alternative: Microsoft thinks it’s got a solution. It has launched “Together Mode” for its Teams business software. The videoconferencing tool uses artificial intelligence to take a cutout of your live video image and place it into a fixed position within a setting, for example a virtual auditorium. The idea is that when you can see people in a fixed position, nonverbal cues like looking at or pointing at a speaker become clearer and more like what would happen in a natural in-person meeting. It claims it will make videoconferencing feel less taxing. Will it work? We are increasingly fed up with video calls. Despite the promise of a more democratic virtual platform, women have had a more difficult time making their voices heard. Another nagging issue is, well, the Microsoft solution still involves your face. And perhaps self-consciousness is the root of the problem to begin with. Read the full story. —Tanya Basu We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + Want to get your travel fix? Why not try this new show on Amazon which takes in culinary delights around Europe.   + Cats are not intimidated by bald eagles. And here are some hilarious cat posts which will improve your day (yes yes, I’m quite a big fan of cats, in case you hadn’t noticed.)   + This 10-year-old girl playing Anarchy in the UK by the Sex Pistols on drums is AMAZING.   + A collection of 29 short stories inspired by the current moment.   + Linkin Park t-shirts are all the rage in China and I approve. The top ten must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 We have been left to fend for ourselves But preventing the spread of coronavirus shouldn’t be a matter of individual responsibility. (The Cut)   + How the US’s smallest state engineered a big covid comeback. (Politico)   + More young people are getting (and spreading) coronavirus. (Axios) 2 Everything you need to know about face masks Including the issue bedeviling all glasses-wearers: how do you stop them steaming up? (The Guardian) 3 Robots may be here to stay in hospital wards 🤖🏥 UV cleaning bots, screening bots, and telepresence robots have all helped to lighten healthcare workers’ load. (The Verge)   + Meatpacking is another sector that could potentially do with a dose of automation. (WSJ $) 4 Emissions cut today won’t slow warming until mid-century That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get slashing, however. (The Economist $) 5 Dataminr helped police surveil Black Lives Matter protesters The fact the CIA is one of the AI startups’ investors seems to be a bit of a giveaway. (The Intercept) 6 The pandemic is inspiring creative ways to get local food 🍲 Farmers are adopting new tech to sell their produce directly to consumers. (WP $) 7 TikTok took down almost 50 million videos in the second half of 2019 That’s over three times more than YouTube, to put it in perspective. (BBC)   + It would be very hard for the US to ban TikTok (and it’s a bad idea anyway). (The Verge)   + TikTok stars are trying to land their own reality TV shows. (NYT $)   + TikTok traders are piling into the joke cryptocurrency Dogecoin. (Fortune) 8 Silicon Valley is in increasingly open war with the media Tempers are running high, and no one comes out looking good at the end. (New Yorker $) 9 Zoom is fighting rumors in India that it’s a Chinese company Out-of-control xenophobia, meet rampant misinformation. (Buzzfeed)   + When we look back, will we remember all these Zoom events? (WP $) 10 Would we recognize life on Mars if we found it? It could be very different from anything we’ve previously encountered. (Wired $) EmTech MIT, our flagship event, is going online. Join us virtually this October as our carefully curated lineup of leaders and experts explore the road ahead for cloud computing, AI, biotech, innovating in the new economy, cybersecurity, and more. Register now. Quote of the Day “If they really don’t want me here — and the administration has made that very clear in a number of ways — maybe I shouldn’t have come.” —Macarena Ramos Gonzalez, a native of Spain who is nearing the end of a Ph.D. program in applied physiology at the University of Delaware, tells the New York Times how he feels about the fact he may have to leave the US due to new ICE rules. Top image credit: Associated Press Please send Linkin Park t-shirts to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up for free Leading with Innovation. Join us online, October 19-22. *View this in a browser You, Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog received this newsletter because you subscribed with your email address *Edit email preferences   |   *Unsubscribe from all emails Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142

*the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally For a treasure box of Spurgeon  here for audio and here for books or audio      Bible Study Material Free Shipping On Orders of $30 Or More (continental U.S., excludes digital products) SHOP THE SALE SHOP THE SALE SHOP THE SALE Bible Study Material from alibris Free shipping info here Take $2 off $30+ Coupon code:JULY Take $3 off $45+ Coupon code:ROAD Take $4 off $55+ Coupon code:TRIP Offer Expires 11:59pm on 07/31/2020 Take $2 off $30+ Coupon code:JULY Take $3 off $45+ Coupon code:ROAD Take $4 off $55+ Coupon code:TRIP Affiliate marketer links: Affiliate marketer Rick Livermore with Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog will earn a commission on the Bible Study Material you buy from faith gateway store  and alibris.  Brought to you by Rick Livermore and Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog    If you would like to offset my expenses of producing all this free content, but you want to pass on buying  materials from faith gateway store and alibris, feel free to give a little something-------Give through PayPal-----Rick Livermore-Webmaster220 I live in San Juan Capistrano California now  a fan of tubitv.com/category/faith_and_spirituality also a fan of tubitv.com/channels/dovechannel also a fan of   94 FM The Fish Nashville also a fan of various The Fish stations all over the country The most important link on this blog is this one about cures to the coronavirus.  Landmark info about the treatment of severe cases of the COVID-19 virus Also this one about vaccines that immunize people from catching the coronavirus.  Then there is this one about copper as a weapon to combat this virus. This one could save some lives about the Red Cross. This one is a plasma cure link.