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To be precise, Yes! Smartwatches can play music these days without having a smartphone around.

All the latest watches by Apple, Samsung, Mobvoi, Garmin, and Fossil have enough capacity to store at least a few hundred songs.

Apart from that, as the smartwatches rose to prominence, popular music streaming services like Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Pandora all released their wearable apps. For Amazon Music and Spotify, Garmin and Samsung watches are best, whereas, Apple supports its own Apple Music and Fitbit is best for Pandora and Deezer.

This post will bust some of the myths surrounding the music experience on smartwatches.

Smartwatches have long been a remote control for music on phones. This feature hasnt been dropped but has become ubiquitous.

However, for the past couple of years, there has been a myriad of smartwatches with music storage. Fitbit, Apple, Samsung, and Fossil all have smartwatches with a storage capacity that ranges from a mere 4GB to as large as 32GB.

Keep in mind that roughly half of this storage is dedicated to music. Whereas, the other half is reserved for apps.

Streaming Music on Spotify, Amazon Music, & Deezer is what we have become used to, and nobody wants to go back to uploading good old Mp3 Music on smartphones. We dont expect our smartwatches to compel us to do so.

We accept that the early watches dont have connectivity options other than slow Bluetooth technology. But now we have Wi-Fi and even LTE connectivity on the smartwatches. So streaming tracks, audiobooks and podcast is very much a reality.

Samsung and Apple both have LTE variants for they demand a little extra. Keep in mind, streaming music on the smartwatch will take heavy on the battery performance.

Garmin spread the misconception about the music feature. Many of its models have a separate Music unit for which they cost extra (about $50). To mention a few, Garmin Venu SQ music, Garmin Forerunner 245 Music, and Garmin Forerunner 645 Music offer nothing more than music than their base models.

But many affordable watches these days offer music storage. Surely, you cannot stream music on these watches, but you can surely store songs. Both Huami and Mobvoi offer plenty of affordable watches that can store Mp3 Songs.

Apple has been reluctant to give way to third-party competitor apps on its devices, but for smartwatches, it seems to open up. Along with Apple Music, you can run other third-party music streaming apps.

The prime example is that of Spotify. We all know about the row between Apple and EPIC Games group, and that Spotify sided with the latter. But even that doesnt let Apple discontinue support for Spotify on its premium watches.

If youre a Spotify subscriber and own an Apple Watch, you can play and store playlists, podcasts, and albums right on your wrist.

Also, you can stream music right from your wrist independently from your iPhone via Wi-Fi or LTE.

If you are referring to the music being played on the tiny speakers of a smartwatch, true, it is a terrible experience. They are not build to play songs but for the voice assistant to read commands and actions.

However, if you connect the earbuds to your smartwatch, the music experience is the same as that on the smartphone.

The Bluetooth technology on the smartwatches was not strong enough so surely there was lag that can ruin your music experience. But now, most of the premium watches feature Bluetooth 5.0 which ensures better connectivity and fast transfer for data, thus a lag-free experience.

Smartwatches have been changing the world the same way smartphones and pc did decades ago. In the past, they were nothing but an extension of smartphones, mimicking the notifications, controlling music, and setting alarms.

The delinking of smartwatches from phones is welcome progress. Now, smartwatches have become a tech gadget in their own right. They can make calls, send texts, and even stream music independently of the smartphone over Wi-Fi and Cellular connectivity.

Apart from that, they can now track fitness and health metrics which havent been possible in smartphones.

See the article here:

Do Smartwatches Play Music? Streaming And Offline Music - TechBullion

Becoming a respected solo artist takes time, effort, and talent in order to discover your audience and the relatively new, yet experienced artist Seori is more than prepared to impress.

Hailing from South Korea, the natural singer/songwriter has expressed her pure, unchangeable love for music for a few years independently. Starting out on YouTube, Seori forged her own path by covering music including Abirs Tango and Best part by H.E.R., effectively putting herself on the map for her hauntingly beautiful voice. With that undeniable connection to R&B and Soul, Seori then began to build her own following, as people began to pick up on her unique vocal range and overall presence that built a reputation on raw talent.

As Seoris confidence and platform began to show growth, a shift soon followed, with the artist gaining the attention of her label ATIPAUS a fairly new company with a lot of belief behind the soloist. Since signing, shes found her own voice through her debut EP ?depacse ohw that introduced her incomparable soothing style to the world.

On the EP, the rising stars voice mesmerizes on her inspiring lead single Running through the night, then brings a nostalgic whistle backing to a electro-pop-esque tune with Really high. The EPs closing track I wanna cry feels like its yet another standalone track that establishes her dominance at emotional storytelling completing a triad of rsum worthy hits.

Seori only continued to find the next best steps for her career, with the singer getting to work alongside some of the biggest names in K-Pop but also some massive projects that any artist would be thrilled to take on. In early 2021, the HYBE group Tomorrow X Together (TXT) dropped their brilliant return single 0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) with the singer delivering a strong, whimsical chorus, charting at number 37 on the Billboard K-pop 100 and giving the singer affirmation from her powerhouse peers that shes a must-have artist for your playlist.

Seori also managed to dive into other solo projects, OSTs, and even a soundtrack for the major Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings but most recently, a track Dive with you feature eaJ. This song particularly expands her comfort zone with ballad-level arrangements and offers a universal perspective that relishes in love and the indescribable feeling of hope that comes with forging something stable. The video itself is used as yet another space for her significant messages, depicting a positive representation of LGBTQIA+ relationships and the importance of inclusivity (a message that feels encouragingly brave considering the current landscape of the genre).

For being so new to the industry, Seori has already stepped up as an artist with originality, humble beginnings, sincerity, and utter strength that were just fortunate enough to experience. With the new music video for Dive with you out now, we spoke to the up-and-coming star about her incredibly busy year and whats to come.

Firstly, congratulations on a major year for you! When you think back to some of your incredible cover songs, what has that transition been like to become a full-fledged singer/songwriter?

Seori: Since I was 18, I had a dream of becoming a singer-songwriter. I always love singing but someday I started to wonder what people who dont know me would think about my song and how to start as a singer-songwriter. So, I started uploading several song videos on YouTube, and luckily, I was able to meet ATISPAUS to prepare for the album. Making the album was so exciting, but it didnt feel real that I was becoming a singer at the same time. And I was worried about how people would listen to my first album because people liked my cover video of Abirs Tango. But fortunately, Im glad that many people like my music.

Youre quickly becoming one of the most sought-after artists in South Korea because people are starting to discover your vocal brilliance! Has there been a moment so far that has felt almost too good to be true?

Seori: I still have a long way to go to become a popular singer, but Im glad to hear that! There are so many moments that I couldnt believe its real. I was really happy when huge artists told me that they knew my song, and when I collaborated with a great artist or did a Marvel OST, and when I received support from many comments, I was really happy. But if I have to pick one that I cant forget, it was my first fan signing event. I was really happy to see and talk to the fans who came from afar and waited for a long time, that lingering happy feeling lasted for a long time. Thanks to that, I was able to realize that my fans were next to me, and that memory gives me the driving force.

You were featured on the massive hit song I Know I Love You with TXT earlier this year, and your chorus is impeccable! What was probably the best part of that collaborative process for that song in particular?

Seori: Thank you! To tell the story, I was able to hear the demo right away. The collaboration with TXT was unbelievable, and also the song was amazing. The songs atmosphere was amazing, just like my favorite songs, so I wondered how they knew my taste. I was able to work more happily for TXT greeted me comfortably and gave me good feedback while recording.

Your newest single Dive with you includes eaJ and you also just dropped the music video for the song too! When you first tackled the song, did you already have an idea about how you wanted the music video to play out or was it a concept that slowly came together later on?

Seori: The keywords and scenes I wanted to show in the video were the ocean and innocence. I wanted this song to be the purest and most passionate. Because many people must have experienced such pure and passionate hearts, are experiencing them and maybe will experience. Regardless of age, those memories are precious youth in us. I hope that this song will be filled with it and that the listeners can recall their shining page of life.

The song itself is such a sweet, almost power-ballad-like track and your sounds compliment each other extremely well! What were your initial hopes or pre-requisites to finding the right voice for this song?

Seori: I wrote Dive with you, with a beautiful male voice in my mind, not a song I would sing. Because I was listening to Watermelon Sugar when I was writing this song. But my producer and team members told me that it would suit me well, so I made it for myself. And as soon as I thought of featuring, I thought of eaJ. I compliment myself at that moment. I think it was a decision that cant be better. eaJs verse is so cool and beautiful, right?

We also were fortunate enough to see you on the Shang-Chi soundtrack for the aforementioned epic Marvel film, so congratulations on that one-of-a-kind achievement! Did working on music for this massive film bring any unique challenges or lessons?

Seori: Thank you for the congratulations! And thanks to the Warriors, I challenged and learned. Just like the title, I needed to express the courage of the warrior and tried to deviate from my usual vocal style. At first, I hesitated, but the director led me well, so I was able to make a new type of attempt. And it was my first time singing with such a huge orchestration, so I thought a lot about dynamics and how to create a magnificent feeling like a movie on my part. It really influenced me a lot in many ways!

Because of your growing platform and a long list of collaborators, I have to ask, are there any artists that youd consider to be dream features?

Seori: I have to say, Avril Lavigne. Shes the one who made me sing and write songs. Ive been a fan for a long time since I was young, and my favorite song changes every day because I like them all. Will she know me? I could faint if she knows me.

Features aside, youve also shown that you can really hold your own and it has people so excited to see what you do next! Can you drop any hints about what type of content we can expect from you in the coming months?

Seori: Im preparing hard for the HITC 2021 Festival! Im super excited to be on such a big stage. Its my first festival in front of audiences. I hope that everyone at the festival can enjoy it.

Youve dropped some incredible music like the music we discussed, and other standouts like Lovers In The Night! Is there one song youve worked on that youd say you have a special attachment to?

Seori: Its hard to say just one thing for sure because my favorites change every day, but today I want to pick a cd only track called If. I really love the lyrics of the song. If I have a chance, Id like to sing it live.

Finally, if you were going to return to your roots with a cover of a current song youre addicted to what would be your go-to cover song?

Seori: Stay by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber! I cant stop listening to it and singing along these days. Im sure everyone feels the same [laughs]. So, I guess I might upload the cover video of Stay.

Here is the original post:

Seori Breaks Down Collaborations And The Heartwarming Dive With You Music Video - PopWrapped

COVID-19 vaccination mandates are upon us. States, localities, and specific business sectors have created a range of approaches to combat the spread of the virus and protect their employees as they navigate evolving regulations around returning to work.

As of September 9, the U.S. government has stepped in, announcing that it will require businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure their workers are either vaccinated or tested once a week. This mandate poses multiple challenges for organizations that need to respond immediately to avoid the risk of fines. Businesses are looking for robust solutions to facilitate the process of securely uploading vaccination and testing status data.

Agility and scalability are top of mind. With a pandemic that is constantly evolving, organizations need a configurable solution that can adapt as regulations change and scale as programs ramp up. At the same time, employees may have strong feelings about the mandate - and some may object. While compliance is a must, so is listening and trust-building. Organizations need a transparent and noninvasive approach to collecting data that helps generate employee buy-in.

SAP and Qualtrics have been helping organizations worldwide navigate the global pandemic and offer solutions to help with vaccine mandates. With powerful vaccination and testing management capabilities, organizations can meet evolving vaccination requirements and improve employee safety and well-being. The result is fewer regulatory, legal, and workplace health risks.

With Qualtrics Vaccination & Testing Manager, also known as an employee vaccine management system, organizations can more quickly and simply gather COVID-19 vaccination status and ongoing test results from employees, contractors, and on-site visitors and spot issues in real time. All relevant information is securely maintained, helping businesses to comply with requirements, reduce risks, and avoid fines.

Qualtrics Vaccination & Testing Manager also provides a critical tool for following through on the most important objective: protecting employee health and well-being. Data is managed in a more secure manner that helps protect employee privacy. And while employee perspectives on the mandate will likely remain diverse, the solution helps organizations better listen to employee perspectives as regulations evolve while enabling the transparency and insight needed to have honest and informed conversations moving forward.

Pre-built and run in the cloud, Qualtrics Vaccination & Testing Manager helps organizations get up and running in days - versus weeks to months with other solutions. It also uses a combination of mobile-friendly digital forms, automated workflows and reminders, and intuitive dashboards that have been designed to confirm vaccination status and test results more securely and at scale.

What sets Qualtrics Vaccination & Testing Manager apart from many other offerings is its breadth, agility, and intuitive use:

As for helping keep sensitive employee data secure, Qualtrics Vaccination & Testing Manager includes built-in features that maintain personal health information and vaccination data separately from employee records. In addition, the solution is ISO 27001 and FedRamp compliant and HITRUST certified, which means its technology platform provides customers the tools to manage HIPAA compliance if needed. Learn more about Qualtrics Vaccination & Testing Manager here.

For existing customers using the SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central solution, SAP also offers a health and vaccine tracking portlet free of charge.

Available through the upgrade center of the SAP SuccessFactors solution, this portlet uses the flexible metadata framework technology already built into SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central. Organizations can customize and extend the portlet to meet a variety of monitoring needs as vaccination and testing requirements evolve.

Additionally, the portlet can produce analytics to identify and support high-risk employees based on location, business unit, department, age, work area, and more. Businesses can use practical, real-time dashboards and reporting to safely bring the workforce back to the office. For more information about the portlet, read this article on Safely Returning to the Workplace with SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central.

At SAP, we know that we're all in this pandemic together, and a big part of SAP's mission today is to help our customers make it through. These solutions enable organizations to tackle vaccination and testing requirements with confidence and without delay. They can get up and running more quickly with a cloud-based, pre-built solution that is intuitive, transparent, and flexible enough to adapt to change.

For a live demo, visit the SAP SuccessFactors booth at the HR Technology Conference September 28 - October 1.

Amanda Crittenden is global solution marketing lead for Employee Experience Management for SAP SuccessFactors.

See more here:

Employee Health, Corporate Compliance, and the New COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate: Are You Prepared? - Marketscreener.com

Bigg Boss 14 contestant Pavitra Punia said she prays Shehnaaz Gill returns to her normal life soon, as thats what even her late friend and actor Sidharth Shukla wouldve wishes for. Pavitra responded to queries around Shehnaazs current state of mind post the demise of her rumoured beau Sidharth earlier this month.

It is still very difficult to accept that we lost Sidharth. I spoke to Shehnaaz and I think she needs to be left in peace. To ask her if she is alright, well, we all know she isnt in a good state of mind right now and I dont think she can reply to anyone.

On being asked whether shes aware about the viral throwback videos of SidNaaz which fans have been uploading on social media to remember their favourite couple, Pavitra added, Im not aware about the video her fans have uploaded online but Im sure it must be something to motivate her and give her strength.

Sidharth and Shehnaaz struck a deep bond during their stint in Bigg Boss 13. While Sidharth emerged its winner, Shehnaaz finished third. The two continued to remain close friends. Though Shehnaaz was also honest about her fondness for the Balika Vadhu actor, Sidharth Shulkla always called her his close friend.

Sidharth passed away on September 2, leaving the entire film and television fraternity shocked. His untimely demise also saw Shehnaaz in a state of shock. Infact, Shehnaazs brother Shehbaz was one of the first ones to arrive soon after the news of Sidharths death broke. He was also by his sisters side throughout the tough time.

Sidharth and Shehnaaz have a massive fan following. Their fans have been dedicating videos and picture edits for the two on social media ever since.

Pavitra concluded at the event, I pray that Shehnaaz gets back on her feet because Im sure Sidharth must be watching over her somewhere from up there wishing she gets back to normal life. And we are also waiting to see that.

See the original post here:

Hope Shehnaaz Gill gets back to normal life, Sidharth Shukla must be wishing the same, says Pavitra Punia - The Indian Express

In a collection of essays written during the height of the pandemic, English writer Zadie Smith describes the misery of lockdowns as very precisely designed, and different for each person. Often, it is art that rescues us from seclusion and reminds us of our connection to others.

Arlo Parks debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams which takes its title from a line in a 2005 novel by Smith does just that. Released in January, it is a perfect companion for these challenging times. Navigating weighty themes like loneliness, mental health and sexuality, the album is an exercise in vulnerability and introspection. Its sad, but affirming, like a late night heart-to-heart with a close friend.

Its so cruel / What your mind can do for no reason, she sings on Black Dog, a devastatingly poignant song about living with depression.

Those months (during lockdown) were some of the toughest that a lot of people have ever experienced, Parks said in an interview with the Star. It brings me comfort to know that my record was a sort of soothing balm for people.

Since Parks breakout in 2018, the 21-year-old artist has attracted an intensely loyal fan base and has become one of the defining voices in contemporary indie pop. Earlier this month Collapsed in Sunbeams was awarded the 2021 Mercury Prize for the best British album.

Now, after months of delays caused by the pandemic, shes finally embarked on a tour, which includes a stop at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto on Tuesday her first ever Canadian show.

There was definitely a sense of frustration, said Parks. But the way I chose to look at because its always about perspective is that when I finally did get to play these songs live, they would have grown deep roots in peoples lives. People would know all the words and it would feel even more special because it was something that we had waited so long for.

Born Anas Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho in West London, Parks grew up surrounded by music from Prince, to Miles Davis and Charles Mingus, music kind of infused the household, she said.

As a teen, after discovering indie bands and hip-hop groups like Odd Future, Parks started playing guitar and writing her own music. At first, her ambitions were limited.

I was not cool enough to be in any scene, she said. I was very much in my own room doing my own thing. Music is a very personal, internal, insular kind of thing. It was something that I did for myself, by myself. The idea of sharing didnt really occur to me until a bit later.

Eventually, she began uploading demos to BBC Music Introducing, a platform that supports under-the-radar U.K. talent. This caught the attention of the folks at Beatnik Records, who released her breakout hit Cola in 2018.

After releasing two EPs in 2019, Parks teamed up with songwriter and record producer Gianluca Buccellati in early 2020 to record her debut album.

Recorded in various Airbnbs throughout East London at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Collapsed in Sunbeams is a reflection of Parks increasingly eclectic musical taste. Over 40 minutes, the album borrows sounds from indie rock, alternative rock, trip hop and neo-soul.

Theres definitely some Radiohead and Portishead (on the album). But a lot of the influences for this record came from across the pond, she said. DAngelo and Elliott Smith, Yo La Tengo, Joan Armatrading; I guess Ive just taken tidbits from everywhere. I try to have a kaleidoscope, or a collage, of all the things Im interested in.

Lyrically, Parks has described the album as a series of vignettes and intimate portraits surrounding my adolescence and the people that shaped it.

An avid reader, Parks approaches her songs with a literary sensibility and a focus on storytelling. Specifically, she cites James Baldwins classic 1956 novel Giovannis Room a landmark exploration of queer sexuality as an inspiration for her debut album.

Theres something about the way (Baldwin) writes, I cant even quite describe it, but theres a sense of, like, humanity and patience. I feel like hes very wide-eyed when he writes and theres this attention to detail.

Parks taps into the spirit of Baldwin on Eugene, a delicately rendered story about the narrators unrequited love for a straight girl. I had a dream, we kissed / And it was all amethyst, she sings over a bass line that would sound at home on the Radiohead album In Rainbows.

On the more upbeat Hope, Parks drops the details in favour of a more universal affirmation: Youre not alone, like you think you are.

Speaking backstage ahead of a sold-out show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York, Arlo Parks sounded exceedingly relaxed. Performing in front of a live audience, she said, feels like coming home.

Every performance has had this sense of safety. People are excited to see me and sing and dance. Theres just, like, a purity to the feeling.

Parks is tight-lipped about her plans for the future. I usually try to keep it a secret, she said. For the next two years, Im just touring and writing, and reading my books.

As a Mercury Prize winner, Parks joins the ranks of U.K. music royalty; James Blake, Skepta, Portishead, PJ Harvey and Anohni are among the previous recipients. But that doesnt seem to faze her.

I feel like with most prizes and external things, I see them as wonderful and special, but I try not to think about them too much, she said. You can never control what people are going to get out of the work; you can only control what you put in. So just continue making music that youre into.

Thats all I can do. So I guess thats what Ill do.

See the original post:

Opinion | Rising indie pop star Arlo Parks discusses the influences that shaped her debut album ahead of her first Canadian show - TheSpec.com

Since its inception, Apple has always prioritized privacy and security. It is not satisfied with making best-in-class, best-selling smartphones and tablets, it also wishes its customer to feel comfortable using their devices. With iOS 15, Apple is bringing another layer of security to their devices, thanks to Child Safety.

Today, we will tell you pretty much everything you need to know about Child Safety and help you understand how Apple is bringing this filtering system on board. Now, without further ado, let us check out what Child Safety is and how it can impact your day-to-day life.

Child Safety is an iOS 15 feature that is meant to curb the distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and help protect children from predators who use communication tools to exploit them. Apple is set to roll out the feature first in the United States and then other regions would follow. It is a three-fold feature that has the potential to put the parents minds at ease. As always, this new addition is being implemented free of cost. The only pre-requisite being iOS 15.

Apple is working closely with top child safety experts to make the system as fool-proof as possible.

Related: The best Android games for kids [Age group-wise]

The Child Safety feature set was not built overnight; Apple has perfected it over many iterations. In its current form, Child Safety in iOS 15 is broken into three sections. The first part is communication safety in the default Messages app. The second one is CSAM scanning in iCloud Photos. And finally, the third part comes in the form of safer guidance in Siri and search. Below, we will learn what these mean.

The default Messages app in iOS is arguably one of the most compelling parts of an Apple device, which is why this filtering system has the potential to be particularly effective. Communication safety adds an added layer to your childs Messages UI. When they receive a sexually explicit image, the photo is blurred and they are told of the sensitive nature of the photo. If they still wish to continue, there is a provision to send an alert to parents or guardians. The same filtering system comes into play if the minors choose to send sexually explicit photos. The parents are alerted if their child chooses to ignore the warning and pressed send.

This feature is exclusive to accounts set up as families in iCloud in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey.

CSAM detection in iCloud Photos is the most widespread implementation of the Child Safety program. It affects every user who backs up their photos to iCloud, which has caused a bit of a ruckus in the media lately. To detect and prevent the distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) Apple is making use of advanced cryptography techniques. After an image is detected and proved to violate the guidelines, iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 devices will report the instances to National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC is the hub for all CSAM-backed reports and works closely with law enforcement offices across the United States to punish the offenders.

The scanning of photos might raise some red flags, but Apple ensures that it does not scan all photos on iCloud. It only scans photos that fit a certain profile. The profile is given by NCMEC and other child safety services. On-device machine learning plays a massive role in CSAM detection. It limits exposure and accurately analyzes sensitive photos to offer parents peace of mind.

Related: 26 Zoom Games for Kids

While CSAM detection in iCloud and Communication safety focus on shielding under-age children from exposure. Safer guidance in Siri and Search is teaching users about problematic behavior. If a user employs Siri voice search or regular Search to search for queries related to Child Sexual Abuse Material, iOS 15 intervenes with a warning message. The warning explains that interest in such topics is problematic and harmful. iOS 15 even provides resources to help someone with the issue.

Child Safety is inherently built into iOS 15. So, you cannot shrug it off for good. However, there are a couple of conditions that you must meet to keep the service working as intended. First, the Communication safety feature is exclusive to accounts that are set up as Families. Isolated accounts do not have this feature. Also, as of now, CSAM detection only comes into play in iCloud photos. If you do not have iCloud, iOS 15 will not scan your private library for CSAM.

There is no distinct toggle to turn off the service, only indirect ways to disabling it.

No, Communication safety cannot be accessed by standard account holders. Your account is required to be set up as Family in iCloud settings before you can make the Child Safety feature work in iOS 15.

Apple is already facing a lot of flak regarding the photo scanning announcement. However, the company ensures that it has no intention of scanning all your photos and will not have access to any of your photos or messages. It will simply crosscheck your photos and messages with known CSAM profiles and report to the authorities if necessary.

No Apple will not scan all your photos in your iOS 15-powered iPhone. It will use on-device machine learning to cross-reference the photos you are uploading to iCloud, taking note of the suspected CSAM entries. If you do not upload photos to iCloud, the CSAM service is disabled by default.

CSAM detection applies to both old photos and new ones. If someone has media files that hint at sexual abuse of children, CSAM would notify the authorities right away and appropriate actions would be taken.

CSAM detection for photos in iCloud works by cross-checking photos with known CSAM images. If no matches are identified then the photo is given a green light. So, if you are worried about Apple reporting nude/semi-nude images of your children on your smartphone, rest assured that the company is working with multiple organizations to make sure no false reports are registered.

Apple has always been a vocal supporter of privacy, so much so that it prides itself as the most private company out there. So, when Apple came up with on-device scanning, alarms started to go off. Apple, however, has assured that the Child Safety system will not be used by the government or any other party to scan through users personal files. The entire system is completely auditable and there are many fail-safes to protect user data.

RELATED

See original here:

iOS 15 Child Safety Explained: New and Top Features to Know - The Android Soul

In todays society, we are hearing many confessions from people who belong to both low and high-profile societies suffering from depression. Heck, I can even tell that some of you who are reading this article are currently undergoing some kind of depression thats eating you from inside.

People spend years in decline or disbelief that there might be something going on in their heads and the Cupertino California-based tech giant believes that iPhones could be used to detect depression, anxiety, as well as cognitive decline.

Apple plans on undertaking this task by using several digital clues and will also use health data collected from physical activity as well as sleep patterns. However, this may still raise yet more privacy concerns however, Apple is determined to offer this service to its users and has promised that all the diagnosis work will be carried out on the device without uploading any data on the server.

The report is coming from WSJ, and this is what it reads.

Apple Inc. is working on technology to help diagnose depression and cognitive decline, aiming for tools that could expand the scope of its burgeoning health portfolio, according to people familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal []

The data that may be used includes analysis of participants facial expressions, how they speak, the pace and frequency of their walks, sleep patterns, and heart and respiration rates. They may also measure the speed of their typing, frequency of their typos, and content of what they type, among other data points, according to the people familiar with the research and the documents []

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The efforts spring from research partnerships that Apple has announced with the University of California, Los Angeles, which is studying stress, anxiety, and depression, and pharmaceutical company Biogen which is studying mild cognitive impairment. Seabreeze is Apples code name for the UCLA project and Pi is the code name for the Biogen project, according to the people and documents []

The extent of user tracking that may be required could spark privacy concerns. To address them, Apple aims for algorithms that work on users devices and dont send the data to Apple servers, the documents show.

Apple will undertake a UCLA study that will be tracking data for 3,000 volunteers starting this year and the Biogen study hopes to recruit 20,000 people to participate over the next two years, around half of which will have risk factors for cognitive impairment.

According to the report, the work is still in its very early stages, and there is a chance that it might result in nothing. However, Apple believes that things like depression and other mental illnesses lead to different smartphone usage patterns as shown in several studies however, the challenge here will create reliable algorithms that are reliable enough to accurately figure out the conditions because mental illnesses are still some of the most complicated forms of illnesses.

At the same time, Apple executives are said to be optimistic.

Even though the effort is at an early stage, top Apple executives are excited about the possibility. Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, who oversees Apples health unit, has spoken enthusiastically to employees about the companys potential to address surging rates of depression and anxiety as well as other brain disorders, according to people who have heard him talk about the efforts.

Mental illness and depression are not something that we just lock in the corner of our mind and forget about it, it takes real courage and strength to accepts that there is something wrong in our brains. My advice, change the way you live, take a break from everything, especially from the people who always talk negatively and leach over you. Spend time with yourself, a change in scenery will help, and above all, start watching Anime, it cures depression, my advice, goes for Naruto and OnePiece, they will lift your spirits.

source

More here:

Apple aims to cure depression, Anxiety, and Cognitive decline using its smartphones - TechnoSports

Spoken Word with Electronics is an audio series of unusual stories and commentary, paired with modular electronic sounds and noises and, in this episode, rare archives of underground counterculture newspapers!

Hi, everyone, welcome back to the show. While this show is a podcast about electronics, it is also a sort of Audio Magazine where I share other projects. I've been archiving and uploading odd material onto the web for 20 years now, the standout moments being Comics with Problems and The Realist Archive Project. To a discerning vintage audience, those links might raise a smile. (And hello if you've never visited either, too) Both projects represent early Internet efforts to scan and upload material, far before social media robbed people of their independence to do so on their own, and both projects have an interesting history regarding where uploaded content got shared. This episode of SWWE introduces the third archive project of the site, which is a direct companion of The Realist Archive: The Other Scenes Inventory Report.

To counterculture historians and rare paper collectors, OTHER SCENES is widely considered among the best underground newspapers published in the 1960s. It was a daring and no bullshit ride into drugs, politics, race, sex, and news. It is playful and it is a lot of fun. It also has been largely forgotten by time, as competitive papers like Rolling Stone survived. (Rolling Stone not only copied Other Scenes format, incidentally, but it also copied its contributor pool, namely Hunter S Thompson, who contributed to Other Scenes, considering its editor John Wilcock a colleague). You'll get a chance to read all of this O.S. material soon.

You might recognize John Wilcock's name from the comic that ran on Boing Boing here for about ten years. This archive is meant to be additional material for the collected print edition of those comics, but the depth of this material likely far exceeds the comic itself.

It is called 'the inventory report' as I have a large box of material from John, which needs closer scrutiny now that the comic is complete. So each two weeks, as part of Spoken Word with Electronics, there will be four OTHER SCENES items added, including audio commentary. You can download nicely restored PDF copies at the archive. Each PDF copy is free for you to non-commercially distribute and is OCR scanned for searchable text. This first installment includes rules on how to attend a San Francisco Sex Party in 1967, along with a garden party that Wilcock attended with Alan Watts at the Aldous Huxley estate.

The goal here is to upload the entire run (or a very close percentage) of OTHER SCENES. Much of this material has not been seen in more than fifty years. It's a ton of fun to read. As Wilcock's biographer, I'm most excited about providing audio commentary, going through all the material.

This first posting of the Other Scenes Inventory includes Issue #1 ("Fuck Hate", 1967), Issue 3 ("The Scene", 1967), a "Diagram of a Drug Abuser" (reference material, TX Dept of Public Safety, Narcotics Service), and the original 1966 advertisement Wilcock ran in the Village Voice when leaving both The Voice and The East Village Other to strike it out on his own.

Here's this week's commentary track:

The remainder of the show asks you for your feedback. Feedback is on our mind this week, as the headphones in our studio had a slight leak in them. This is a fun trick to learn how to purposefully do, as your headphones can cause amplifier-rattling feedback with just the slightest tilt off your ears into a microphone when recording. And if this is something you love doing too, I'm interested in hearing YOUR feedback! Send any screeching howling tones, or drones, or walkee talkee scratches, etc, to our Soundcloud page via Direct Message, and we'll include your feedback (with credit) in the next episode. All feedback welcome!

SPOKEN WORD WITH ELECTRONICS #59: "I'd Really Like Your Feedback" (ANNOUNCING: OTHER SCENES!)

Connect with SWWE via Good Endeavors and Other Scenes on Bandcamp, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google . Thanks and have a good week.

Make your mind happy, Visit the OTHER SCENES ARCHIVE Today!

Read more from the original source:

The Realist Archive Project launches a sequel: "The Other Scenes Inventory Report" - Boing Boing

WARNING: The following story contains images that may be disturbing to some readers

It was September 2001 and I had been sent to New York to cover a boxing match for a Puerto Rican newspaper. It was a world championship bout between Puerto Rican boxer Felix Trinidad and the American boxer Bernard Hopkins.

Trinidad was a good friend of mine and the paper would send me to cover most of his fights. Id asked not to go on that particular deployment but I was told I had to go.

So, on Saturday, September 8, I boarded a flight from the Puerto Rican capital, San Juan.

The fight was scheduled to take place on the following Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

On the morning of September 11, I headed to Central Park with photojournalists from two other Puerto Rican newspapers. Hopkins team had blocked access to his training sessions, which was unusual, but we hoped to spot him training in the park. We agreed that if one of us saw him, we would share the location with the others so we could each get the shots. It worked, and after wed taken the photographs, we went for breakfast on 53rd Street.

That was when one of those I was with received a call from Puerto Rico telling him a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. At first, he thought it was a joke. Then my boss called and told me to get to the towers to photograph the crash.

We immediately picked up our cameras and left, asking a taxi to take us to downtown.

By this time, the city from 14th Street to downtown had been sealed to everybody except first responders. We got as close as we could but were still some way from the towers. So we jumped out of the taxi, handed the driver a $20 bill and started running along West Broadway towards the towers. As we ran the 35 blocks, weaving in and out of the crowds, we stopped occasionally to photograph the chaos around us.

After about 25 minutes, we were within a block of the towers and there, on a quiet corner between Park Place and West Broadway, I saw a policeman, looking up at the North Tower. There was nobody else around. I took a photo of him capturing an image of that day that has been widely used since.

As I carried on walking towards the towers, a man in an FBI jacket passed me by. Shortly after, another in a Secret Service jacket walked past. I found it strange that they would be there for a plane crash.

I turned around and started walking towards the West Side Highway, and as I was walking, I saw the first person jump. She was a Black woman, in a smart skirt and vest top. I could see her clearly. It was like she was just floating.

I picked up my camera and took a photo. I remember saying to my fellow photographer Xavier Araujo, Wow, somebody just jumped. But he refused to believe me. He thought it was a piece of the building falling. But I was close enough to tell it was a person. I was so close I could see her face. She seemed calm and relaxed, as if she had no other option but to jump. She wasnt screaming for help or out of fear. I knew I was lucky not to see her hit the pavement.

When we got to the west side of the North Tower, we saw many other people jumping from the windows. Those images have stayed with me, and I often wonder what must have gone through their minds before they decided to jump.

I had been there for about 20 minutes when I heard the terrible sound, like a massive tree branch breaking, as the North Tower crumbled.

I photographed it as it collapsed and it was only then, when it no longer obscured my view, that I realised the South Tower had also fallen completely.

As I ran from the mayhem, I took one frame of a man kneeling on the floor crying, his shirt all torn. I switched lenses and saw a child running and screaming. As I took that frame, it reminded me of the photo of the Napalm girl from the Vietnam War.

I realized my digital cards were all full, so I ran a few blocks to the Getty Images office on Varick Street. There, I was uploading the contents of my memory card to a computer when we were told we needed to evacuate the building because the police suspected a bomb had been placed at the Holland Tunnel, adjacent to the office.

I left and took a taxi back to my hotel, from where I filed the photos I had taken. My newspaper ran a late edition that day and used my photos for it.

For the rest of the day, I stayed in my room. I cried a lot. I remember calling my ex-wife but being barely able to speak. Between sobs, I screamed, trying to tell her how many people I had seen jump from the towers.

To this day, I still have no recollection of what I did between 6pm on September 11 and the following morning. It must have been because of the shock.

When I woke up at 6am on September 12, I walked for more than 20 blocks towards the towers. I didnt see a single person during that walk, not even a dog. I regret not having taken those pictures because Im sure that was the only time in New York Citys history that the streets were so empty. I wish those images existed, somewhere other than just in my mind, because they were part of the 9/11 story, too.

I spent 21 days covering the 9/11 story before photographing the postponed Trinidad-Hopkins fight on September 29 and finally returning to Puerto Rico.

Today, I still have flashbacks images of the people standing in the windows before they jumped. I wonder what it was they saw that helped them make peace with that decision.

More importantly, it has always reminded me how fragile we are and that as human beings, we should give respect a chance. All races, cultures and nations should halt this constant creation of scars that has led to so many wars and conflicts such as 9/11.

Here is the original post:

Photographing 9/11: What did they think as they jumped? - Al Jazeera English

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With Covid-19 shifting most of our lives online, the appetitefor legal matters such as divorce to be dealt with in a way thatembraces technology has accelerated. A significant step towardsthis came into force from 13th September 2021 when HMCTS made thefinal move towards it being compulsory to use the online divorceportal to commence a divorce.

HMCTS have had the divorce portal for some time now, being usedby family lawyers and by people wanting to deal with the processdirectly. The change is that it will now become the only way tostart a divorce. A transition period has begun and paperapplications will continue to be processed until the 4th October2021, but no new paper applications will now be accepted. Witheffect from the 13th September, all new applications for divorcemust be made via the online portal, except for cases of nullity,dissolution of civil partnership and judicial separation.

As the petitioner in the divorce, it is as simple as loggingonto the portal, opening an account and beginning divorceproceedings by walking through the online forms presented. Theportal guides you through each step of your application with easyonline options such as uploading and retrieving documents. Thereare then email prompts when the respondent has completed theirdocuments and options for the next stages.

As the respondent, an email will be sent from HMCTS stating thata petition has been submitted and that you must also create anaccount. As it stands, the respondent has to complete the onlineprocess alone, but this will change in due course to helprespondents who may be uncomfortable using the new technology orsimply need to relieve pressure of the process.

With the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 cominginto force in April 2022, there will be no need for the partyseeking a divorce to establish fault by their spouse. This willmake the process more amicable. The current portal will be adaptedto reflect the changes in the law, with a simplification of thelanguage used also coming through. It is anticipated that this willmake the process easier still.

The divorce process can still be managed by a solicitor, whocompletes the forms and generally manages the entire process.However, many people are now choosing to deal with the divorceprocess themselves. It is a matter for the individual to decide,balancing the cost of using a solicitor against the added ease andpeace of mind the solicitor can bring. At present, there are stillsome of the stages of the process or legal terminology that may notbe so straightforward. Whilst errors in applications have reduceddrastically (less than 1% compared to 40% with the old system),incomplete or incorrect answers will not allow the application tobe processed and that can cause significant delay. It is hopedthose issues will reduce further when the changes in law come intoeffect next year.

It is also important that the timing of forms being submitted inthe divorce process is considered carefully. The impact ofconcluding a divorce (by obtaining what is currently called theDecree Absolute and what will become the Final Order when theterminology is updated) can be significant. It is often vitallyimportant to ensure that all financial matters have been concluded,with a separate standalone order in respect of the finances made,before proceeding with that final step.

It must also be remembered that the digital divorce process onlyends the marriage itself and does not address the more complexmatters such as child arrangements and financialarrangements.

At Boyes Turner, we are already familiar with the online divorceportal, having used it for some considerable time now. However, weunderstand that the process can still be daunting for many people,regardless of whether it is online or not. We therefore offer allclients a variety of options in relation to how the divorce itselfis managed, encouraging everyone to save legal fees wherepossible.

The benefits of a technology based approach are clear: reducingcost, reducing delay and also reducing paper consumptiondrastically, having a positive impact on the environment.

We at Boyes Turner are therefore fully embracing the digitalshift and are committed to using technology where possible to helpour clients. We are ready to deal with all online divorceprocedures and help you with any family issue faced. If you arecontemplating filing a divorce petition, would like some adviceabout the process or want to know more about the other technologiesavailable to make the process easier then please contact a memberof our specialist family law team.

The content of this article is intended to provide a generalguide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be soughtabout your specific circumstances.

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