Shares in Next Digital, Lai’s tabloid media group, rose up to 344% in afternoon trade after pro-democracy activists urged investors to buy in, reports the Financial Times. Police detained Lai alongside nine others under a new Beijing directive aimed at curtailing foreign influence and secessionist activities in Hong Kong, now a focal point for China’s rocky international relations. [Read: Kodak stock sinks 45% after alleged insider trading halts its pharma pivot] One activist-trader, a columnist for Next Digital’s Apple Daily, reportedly profited around HK$75,000 ($9,700) after buying (and selling) 1....

Studies show human empathy is on the decline – a deficit costing the average brand $300 million in lost revenue every year. Developments in artificial intelligence (AI) to help brands recognize opportunities to respond in an empathetic way are on the rise. Understanding the customer mindset really starts with brands truly connecting with their customers to effectively market, sell, and serve. Empathetic AI solutions are coming into the picture to compliment and empower sales, marketing, and service professionals on the customer front lines; these are helping to identify the customer’s emotional state and intent, enabling organizations to deliver a high-definition customer experience....

And big tech is terrified. Up front: The Center for Data Innovation published a report on Sunday titled “How Much Will the AIA Cost Europe?” According to the organization’s research: You say that like it’s a bad thing. Background: The AIA proposes vast, sweeping regulations. But it certainly isn’t Draconian or Luddite (in fact we think it might be too soft). It’s a complex proposal and there’s a lot more to it than we can get into in this article....

According to the rumors, the new game is very early in development — that’d jibe with the vague hints Bioware tossed out last year that it was working on “secret stuff” with regards to ME. The original source of the rumors appears to be this story from Kotaku, which also specifies the game will be directed by Mike Gamble, whose previous work with Bioware includes several previous ME titles and Anthem....

On the other hand, Ethereum and Monero are the protagonists of 500 and 380 daily comments respectively. That’s according to a new research paper by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which analyzed three years worth of discussions on Reddit from January 2015 to January 2018. As part of their study, the researchers sought to measure the speed and scale at which discussions about Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Monero spread. The paper says cryptocurrencies “are disproportionately used by criminals and hackers, and their use has political and economic implications....

Last Friday, officials reportedly spotted a suspicious uptick in activity in the early morning, particularly phishing attempts. They confirmed an attack was underway approximately three hours later, and promptly shut down affected servers and computers. — The City Of New Orleans (@CityOfNOLA) December 13, 2019 New Orleans’ services generally still operate — even in situations like these — thanks to forward thinking from city officials. Representatives told the media that police, fire, and EMS are functional outside of the city’s internet network....

Hola Pandemic Pals, Sorry we’re late today. My toddler has a stomach bug and we’re out of toilet paper. I had to print out a bunch of copies of Breitbart’s home page to handle the mess. Why the unsolicited jab at Steve Bannon’s propaganda outlet? Because it published a video last night spreading purposely harmful COVID-19 misinformation from a group of medical “experts” called America’s Frontline Doctors composed of several anti-vaxxers and at least one exorcist....

Nobody is in a big hurry to get back to their office. If you’ve been working remotely for the past year, you probably wish the exodus from the old work desk could be a permanent thing. Of course, there are a very small handful of advantages to being back in the old office again. And one of them is that sweet dual monitor setup you’ve got. It’s more than just aesthetics too....

The line consists of two fashion-oriented models, the Frames Tenor and Soprano, and the more sporty Frames Tempo — meant for cycling, hiking, and the like. Bose says it’s improved sound quality on all of them while creating the “tiniest, thinnest, most invisible Bose speaker systems ever.” Not that there’s any way you won’t see that huge bulge on the arms of the glasses, but at least they should be more comfortable to wear or hide under a hat....

The evidence, now in the hands of the Irish data regulator, reportedly accuses the Big G of allowing users (and their browsing habits) to be profiled, resulting in targeted advertisements. It’s claimed that these actions circumvent EU privacy regulations that demand user consent, as well as transparency from tech giants like Google. Remember: Google is Brave’s number one competitor According to Financial Times, Brave’s chief policy officer Johnny Ryan discovered Google’s alleged secret web pages after tracking his data as it was traded on Google’s advertising exchange Authorized Buyers, formally known as DoubleClick....

Summer’s here. That means a few things: sunshine, chilling in the park, cold brews, and hanging out with your friends. Although this is a beautiful picture we’ve painted, there’s something missing. Something big. Something like a Nerf battle. Maybe even something like a kickass Nerf bow battle like you’re a modern day Robin Hood? If you’re unfamiliar with Nerf (I mean, is this even possible? Surely everyone’s had a childhood?...

I love listening to music through good speakers. While headphones are an intimate and enjoyable way of listening to your favorite tracks, there’s little better than cranking the volume on some speakers and really feeling those tunes. While it’s good to have a full amplifier and standing speaker set-up, this just isn’t convenient or suitable for a lot of people — especially if you have a fair few rooms you want music in, and you mainly listen to digital tracks....

I was always intrigued by smart speakers, but I just didn’t see the point in them for a long time. Yeah, asking to set timers and about the weather was useful, but they always seemed hamstrung by the lack of a screen. Using only your voice, things like changing tracks or browsing news sources was clumsy at best or impossible at worse. I just didn’t see the point. Then, I got a smart speaker with a screen....

It’s been difficult not to feel suffocated by the iPhone 11 release. Apple has officially taken over the internet. However, Samsung is holding out an impromptu olive branch to the world in the form of $200 off its 512GB Galaxy s10. That, friends, is a damn good deal — but what are the features we need to know about? Well, in today’s age, the screen is everything, and boy does the 512GB Samsung Galaxy S10 deliver....

The cryptocurrency exchange will be launching its Coinbase Card in six more European nations. As of today, the crypto-funded debit card will be available to users in Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The debit card lets users spend the cryptocurrency they hold on Coinbase anywhere in the world, providing the store accepts Visa cards as payment. Coinbase’s UK CEO Zeeshan Feroz told CNBC the goal of the card is to make payments with digital currencies as seamless as paying with cash....

Control sees you take on the role of Jesse Faden, who is named the ‘Director’ of a secretive government agency after it’s been overwhelmed by a supernatural threat. Your job is to unravel the mysteries that have taken over, using special abilities and the help of other employees at the agency along the way. I’m particularly keen on exploring the stark environments and watching the story unfold, since Remedy is great at both those things....

Owners of new Model 3s in China reportedly complained to the EV maker when they found out their vehicles had an old, less capable component, according to the BBC. [Read: Tesla finally returns Autopilot to second-hand Model S owner] The most up to date Model 3s use the 3.0 Tesla chip, but the supply constraints have forced Tesla to install the 2.5 chip. These processors are used in the car’s Autopilot system, and have been since last April....

According to lawyer Stephen D Palley, a Washington-based lawyer focused on blockchain and smart contracts, Craig Wright — also known as Faketoshi — could face additional sanctions in the epic $10 billion lawsuit against the Kleiman estate. Palley shared his thoughts on Twitter, saying: “If I were the judge reading this I would be absolutely outraged.” — Palley (@stephendpalley) December 17, 2019 Palley is referring to a court filing docked on December 16 by Velvel (Devin) Freedman — representing the Kleiman estate — which states that “[…] Craig’s conduct in this litigation has been antithetical to the administration of justice....

That’s according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The commission states that many of these fraudulent operations leverage social media platforms, fake celebrity endorsements, or online trading platforms that are made to look legitimate in an attempt to attract prospective investors. In a statement promoting a scheme seeking to raise awareness about fraudulent activity in the country, ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard urged citizens to learn about modern scams to stay protected....

Digital technologies are often put forward as a solution to environmental dilemmas. The spread of the internet came with claims of a huge reduction in printing, and by replacing paper with bytes, we thought we’d reduce our negative environmental impact But this early promise of solving environmental problems may not be delivering because digital devices, like most technologies, also have environmental impacts. Devices are powered by electricity – often produced in coal-fired plants – and are manufactured from materials such as metals, glass and plastics....