A newly implemented e-commerce rating system in the city-state of Singapore has rated Facebook’s Marketplace as the least trustworthy e-commerce platform, behind Amazon and its Alibaba-owned Asian analogue Lazada. The ratings system, known as the E-commerce Marketplace Transaction Safety Ratings (TSR) [PDF], was launched on May 14th by the Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams (IMCS).

From personal experience, my own daughter has been defrauded twice via Facebook Marketplace. My own dealings with Amazon have not been bad, as they at least have a call centre which sorts things out for you. On Facebook’s side, they have zero interest in sorting anything out, as it is mostly user to user sales. Locally we also have a marketplace called Bid or Buy, and they can act as the middle-person by accepting the client payment, you dispatch the goods, and then withdraw the funds from them if the buyer has received them in order. This has worked very well for me, as it also assures me that an actual payment has been made. I’d happily part with a small percentage for this service, as it gives the buyer some peace of mind too.

See https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/17/facebook_rated_least_safe_ecommerce/

#technology #marketplace #singapore #ecommerce

Cheapest does mean this is no high-end bike, but still this is pretty good value, and with next month’s fuel price going up sharply, this may be worth considering especially for those who normally get stuck in the car traffic.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/gadgets/443966-cheapest-electric-bicycle-you-can-buy-in-south-africa.html

#technology #ebike #environment #southafrica

Erase.bg is an incredibly simple background remover tool that was first created for companies to use for e-commerce projects. But it’s also available for free to use for anyone. You can use the iPhone or Android app, or you can use it directly on their website.

I tested it on iOS with two images, and it did an excellent job. It’s worth noting too that the developer has state don on the Apple app store that no data is being collected from users.

See https://lifehacker.com/this-free-app-removes-any-photo-background-1848930015

#technology #images #backgrounderase #erasebg

The iPhone can now recognise and identify numerous subjects, one of which is plants! This little known feature is useful in a few ways. Obviously, keen gardeners and plant lovers can now simply take an image of a flower they like, look it up instantly (or when it suits them) and then go buy one for themselves, all without needing to ask for or remember the grandiose Latin name. 

So actually this did not work on my iPhone 12 Pro, but the Google Photos app (on the iPhone) did in fact do a lookup and worked. (at least my wife says it is correctly identified, as I have no clue which plant is which).

See https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to-identify-plants-on-iphone

#technology #botany #iOS #plants

ONLYOFFICE offers a high-performance, well-featured, and fully-functional alternative to LibreOffice (which, though awesome, is a bit ‘old-school’ for some folks’ UI tastes). It’s also the next-best thing to that stalwart of the productivity software scene: Microsoft Office.

ONLYOFFICE 7.1 inherits a swathe of improvements recently deposited in the cloud-side version of the suite, such as improved performance, better Microsoft Office compatibility, and a handy new print preview mode in all of the suite’s respective components.

See https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2022/05/onlyoffice-desktop-editors-7-1-released

#technology #opensource #alternativeto #onlyoffice #officesuite

It’s a good point that oils tend to clog up the razor as well as line the basin. It is true that a good shaving soap should/could offer good glide capabilities. It’s a pity though that this (and a few other alternatives) are just not available to me locally, and shipping makes the products prohibitively expensive.

Watch a video about this soap at https://youtu.be/O4AQTnXkAj8

#traditionalshaving #wetshaving #preshave

Back in the early days of Android, Titanium Backup was the go-to backup solution made exclusively for root users. Its impact on the power user community over the years is undeniable; however, Titanium Backup’s days are numbered since it isn’t being maintained. Luckily, there’s a more modern option for those that don’t want to rely solely on the online backups you get from your Google One account. Swift Backup is the perfect choice for your backup needs, giving you both offline and custom cloud storage options without requiring full root access.

So if Google provides online device backups using Google One, why would anyone want to use another option instead? Many users prefer to have more choice over how they back up and restore their devices. Also, when restoring your apps using a Google One backup, you’ll have to redownload them from the Play Store since it only keeps a list of which ones were installed. Using Swift Backup as your recovery option after a factory reset can save time, battery, and network data since you won’t have to download them from scratch.

See https://www.androidpolice.com/how-to-use-shizuku-to-restore-your-android-apps/

#technology #android #backups #shizuku

The suitcase-sized device, which requires less power to operate than a cell phone charger, can also be driven by a small, portable solar panel, which can be purchased online for around $50. It automatically generates drinking water that exceeds World Health Organisation quality standards. The technology is packaged into a user-friendly device that runs with the push of one button.

Unlike other portable desalination units that require water to pass through filters, this device utilises electrical power to remove particles from drinking water. Eliminating the need for replacement filters greatly reduces the long-term maintenance requirements.

See https://news.mit.edu/2022/portable-desalination-drinking-water-0428

#technology #desalination #drinkingwater #USA

Tesla’s recycled batteries have provided almost 92% of their original raw materials back to Tesla for future use, according to new information in Tesla’s 2021 Impact Report. Tesla’s factories are already using an in-house, closed-loop recycling system. This allows for all of Tesla’s batteries that it receives to be recycled with up to 92% of the raw materials being used again.

Tesla also shared some details about its battery chemistry, noting that lithium only accounts for around 1.5% of the full battery pack weight. Tesla’s iron phosphate battery packs have neither any cobalt nor nickel.

What’s probably most important though, is that these matters are being focused on, measured, and reported. That’s how improvements are gauged and achieved.

See https://cleantechnica.com/2022/05/08/teslas-recycled-batteries-almost-92-reuse-of-raw-materials/

#technology #environment #batteries #tesla #recycling

Thanks to advances in computer vision and AI that allows Google to fuse together billions of Street View and aerial images to create a rich, digital model of the world — they’ve introduced a whole new way to explore with Google Maps. With their new immersive view, you’ll be able to experience what a neighborhood, landmark, restaurant or popular venue is like — and even feel like you’re right there before you ever set foot inside. So whether you’re travelling somewhere new or scoping out hidden local gems, immersive view will help you make the most informed decisions before you go.

Glide down to street level to explore nearby restaurants and see helpful information, like live busyness and nearby traffic. You can even look inside them to quickly get a feel for the vibe of the place before you book your reservation.

This is clearly a whole level above plain satellite imaging and 3D buildings. It starts rolling out in Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo later this year with more cities coming soon.

See https://blog.google/products/maps/three-maps-updates-io-2022/

#technology #googlemaps #immersiveview #mapping

On 11 May 2022 NVidia announced that they are releasing an open source kernel driver for their GPUs, and this linked article shares with you some background information and how this will impact Linux graphics and compute going forward.

The driver will only support NVidia Turing chip GPUs and newer, which means it is not targeting GPUs from before 2018. Luckily I see this will include my RTX2060 GPU.

I’m still wondering if the sudden timing of this move to open source was not somehow related to NVidia’s source code being taken during the hack in February 2022, where Lapsus$ demanded NVidia “make current and all future drivers for all cards open source”, or they’d release the code themselves. NVidia had no doubt already been moving in the direction of open sourcing, but the hack may have tipped the scales for them.

See https://blogs.gnome.org/uraeus/2022/05/11/why-is-the-open-source-driver-release-from-nvidia-so-important-for-linux/

#technology #opensource #nvidia

Small 14- to 35-seater minibus taxis, known as matatus, play a major role in providing transport services for urban commutes in Kenya. Estimates put Kenya’s minibus and bus fleet at just over 100,000 vehicles. Matatu is Swahili for the number three. It is believed the name stuck from the 1970s when the fare was 3p.

With emissions from the transport sector accounting for a huge chunk of the pollution in large cities such as Nairobi, the adoption of electric buses is bound to have a significant impact in reducing emission levels. The electric BYD K6 minibus, which has seating capacity of around 20 or so passengers and with a range of about 250 miles in city driving, is a candidate to slot in perfectly into this ecosystem.

Kenya’s grid is already very clean, with a whopping 92.3% of the locally generated electricity coming from renewables A lot of this capacity is available during the night.

See https://cleantechnica.com/2022/05/09/byd-k6-minibuses-being-piloted-in-kenyas-matatu-industry/

#environment #EV #Kenya #publictransport #Africa

Duovox Mate Pro can see through the darkness, and offer a clear, true-color 2K video of your surroundings — without a flash – down to 0.0001 lux, equivalent to an overcast (not clear), moonless night sky.

It costs US$599, but has US$190,044 already pledged of its US$25,000 goal.

See https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/duovox/duovox-mate-pro

#technology #kickstarter #camera #nightphotography

One of the best things about Android is that it’s an open platform where anyone can publish an app on the Play Store or even on their own site; anyone and everyone can sideload an APK. Independent app developers can freely experiment with ideas that might not appear on competing platforms like iOS, which is why Android Police has rounded up a handful of quality apps that suit this category, something of a sister article to our best Android apps roundup.

Today’s roundup covers an assortment of unheard-of apps. It includes stuff that isn’t very popular but is infinitely valuable, a mix of niche releases, as well as bigger titles that might not get the attention they deserve (here’s looking at you, Adobe). So if you’re on the hunt for some interesting and unique apps to install on your Android device, you’ve come to the right place. Enjoy!

See https://www.androidpolice.com/best-indie-android-apps/

#technology #android #indieapps #mobile

There are many online job sites for technologists. They include Dice, The Ladders, and Crunchboard. But, while there are open-source programs for job sites, such as Jobberbase, there are only a handful of sites specializing in open-source jobs. Now, there’s a new entry trying to become The site for open-source technology jobs: Open Source JobHub.

Linux New Media USA, the open-source publishing company behind Linux Magazine and FOSSlife, launched the new global job board to help people find their place in the global open-source ecosystem.

See https://www.zdnet.com/article/a-new-job-site-just-for-open-source-jobs-opens-its-doors/

#technology #opensource #FOSS #jobs

Group14’s flagship product is a silicon-carbon powder marketed under the trademarked name SCC55, and they are not shy about listing the advantages.

“SCC55 has five times the capacity and affords up to 50% more energy density than conventional graphite for Lithium battery anodes,” Group14 states. “Its unique hard carbon-based scaffolding keeps silicon in the most ideal form — amorphous, nano-sized, and carbon-encased. The result is the best-in-class anode material that exhibits outstanding first cycle efficiency and long life upon Li-ion battery cycling.” Group14 emphasizes that its technology is based on abundant and “non-exotic” materials.

The point has always been that when lost of money is thrown into research, over time the results will bear fruit. We can expect to see many more improvements by others in battery design as well as manufacturing.

See https://cleantechnica.com/2022/05/09/more-bad-news-for-fossil-fuels-silicon-lithium-ev-batteries-deliver-next-level-performance/

#technology #EV #batteries #greentech #SCC55 #environment

Sharp is not a renowned smartphone maker, but in its home market Japan, it is known for launching phones equipped with massive camera sensors and crazy display technologies. As a follow-up to last year’s Aquos R6 and its impressive 1-inch rear camera, Sharp has announced the Aquos R7 with some notable upgrades that set itself apart from the best Android phones like the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Google Pixel 6 Pro.

Sharp claims the new Leica-branded shooter can take in up to 1.8x times more light than the previous 1-inch sensor.

See https://www.androidpolice.com/sharp-aquos-r7-reveal-with-47mp-camera/

#technology #sharp #mobile #photography #camera

An official KDE Connect mobile client is now available on the Apple App Store. The addition of this official iOS app means folks with an iPhone and/or iPad can benefit from a deeper set of integration between their mobile devices and their Linux desktop. So things like seeing battery level, notifications, shared clipboard, sending files, etc are what should work.

But, this iPhone so…. the app will not work in the background, which is a bit of a pain for things like notifications. The app is trying to address that, and as of now, the clipboard pushes from the phone to the Linux desktop, but not the other way. So consider it work in progress, but at least the app has made it from TestFlight to the main app store.

Yes, I know, I used to use the app on Android, and it did do everything. If you’re a Linux user with an Android phone, you certainly want to use this app.

See https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2022/05/kde-connect-iphone-app-available

#technology #linux #iOS #KDEconnect #iphone

A Disney+ subscription in South Africa will offer less than half the titles available on Netflix but boasts superior features at a lower price.

Disney+ is launching locally on 18 May 2022, with a monthly price of R119 or an annual subscription of R1,190.

Walt Disney Africa recently provided a complete list of all of the content that will be available on the service. These include popular movies and TV shows from Disney’s Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and National Geographic properties. It will also boast a wide range of adult-focused movies and TV shows from its Star catalogue, including content created by FX, 20th Century Studios, and 20th Century TV.

The linked article helps highlight many of those differences for South Africans. What we don’t see though is what epic movies may be available on Disney that South Africa’s are currently not getting on Netflix, as that could be a decider for many.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadcasting/443688-disney-vs-netflix-south-african-libraries-and-features-compared.html

#technology #southafrica #streaming #netflix #disney

The creators of the endless flood of anti-EV misinformation often claim to be great environmentalists — “Don’t get me wrong…” is a common beginning to their disingenuous articles and posts. In an ironic sense, there may be some truth to this, because they’re certainly believers in recycling. These anti-EV and anti-renewable energy rants rely on a standard repertoire of myths, most of which have been recirculated since modern EVs began to appear a decade ago — and most have been thoroughly debunked and/or made irrelevant by technological and business developments.

When it comes to battery raw materials, some of the claims of the anti-EV brigade are nonsense (lithium isn’t a fuel, and it isn’t going to become “the new oil”), but some are built around grains of truth. Extracting minerals from the earth always has impacts on local environments and communities. The big bête noire of batteries is cobalt, much of which comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a war-torn land in which child labour is common.

The linked article expands a bit on what is being done around the issues, with links to what those steps are. Now if only the fossil fuel industry were not as considerate themselves around their extraction of raw materials, transporting, refining, fracking, etc. I see the day coming when, like the cigarette companies were finally unmasked in court, the same day will come for oil executives.

See https://cleantechnica.com/2022/05/08/debunking-common-anti-ev-myths-part-two-responsible-sourcing-of-raw-materials/

#environment #bigoil #myths #EV #rawmaerials