greece
Latest
Android earthquake alerts are now live in Greece and New Zealand
Google is rolling out its Android earthquake detection feature in New Zealand and Greece after launching the system in parts of the US.
Experimental AI lie detector will help screen EU travelers
In the future, you might talk to an AI to cross borders in the European Union. The EU and Hungary's National Police will run a six-month pilot project, iBorderCtrl, that will help screen travelers in Hungary, Greece and Latvia. The system will have you upload photos of your passport, visa and proof of funds, and then use a webcam to answer basic questions from a personalized AI border agent. The virtual officer will use AI to detect the facial microexpressions that can reveal when someone is lying. At the border, human agents will use that info to determine what to do next -- if there are signs of lying or a photo mismatch, they'll perform a more stringent check.
'Assassin's Creed: Odyssey' takes the series to ancient Greece
Just hours after the leaked image of a keychain accessory revealed the game, Ubisoft has posted a quick teaser for Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. With only five seconds of video, the teaser serves as a quick callback to the movie 300 as a Spartan-looking warrior boots his enemy off of a cliff, before flashing the game's logo with a familiar helmet in the middle. Along with the leak, an insider told JeuxvideoLive that this game follows Assassin's Creed: Origins with a trip to ancient Greece, where there's plenty of heroic tales, battles and mythology to mine. Kotaku reports other sources claiming that it should arrive during Ubisoft's fiscal 2019 period, and that it will include even more RPG-style elements than the last game. We'll find out more during E3
Uber halts some service in Greece following stricter rules
Uber is still very much at odds with some cities over their attitudes toward ridesharing. The company is suspending UberX service in Athens, Greece from April 10th onward in the wake of newly-approved laws that limit how ridesharing companies can operate in the capital. It's not clear "if and how" Uber can operate under these new rules, the company said, and it doesn't want to resume service until there's an "appropriate solution" that everyone can live with. UberTaxi (which uses taxi drivers) will continue to operate.
Greece wants to force Uber into hiring full-time taxi drivers
Greece, a country with a lot of debt and an angry taxi lobby, is the latest to ponder anti-ride-sharing legislation. The country reportedly plans to force ride-sharing firms like Uber and Taxibeat to ink three-year contracts with licensed drivers, effectively turning them into full-time employees. Operators would need to buy taxi licenses be subject to stricter rules than currently allowed, according to Reuters.
Recommended Reading: President Obama, Commander in Nerdiness
Obama to leave the White House a nerdier place than he found it Gardiner Harris, The New York Times President Obama has accomplished a lot of things during his eight years in office. One of the causes he's championed is science and STEM education. The New York Times takes a look at how the commander-in-chief is leaving the Oval Office a much nerdier place than he found it with science fairs, advisory committees and more.
FBI Dark Web hacks were a part of a global child porn bust
That FBI hacking initiative that caught 1,500 pedophiles on the Dark Web? It was just the tip of the iceberg. Motherboard has discovered that the operation was just one part of Operation Pacifier, a global campaign to fight child porn hidden through anonymity networks like Tor. The effort had the FBI hacking systems as far afield as Chile, Denmark and Greece -- there are also hints of possible operations in Colombia and Turkey. The US agency wasn't working alone, either, as it teamed up with Europol to collect information and pass it along to local law enforcement.
Doomed Indiegogo campaign hopes to crowdfund Greece's debt relief
Can crowdfunding do something better than make a beer cooler with a built-in Bluetooth speaker? That's what Thom Feeney believes after setting up an Indiegogo campaign to pay Greece's $1.7 billion loan fee that it owes to the International Monetary Fund. The project is hoping to raise the cash by encouraging all of Europe's 503 million citizens to kick in a few bucks for a postcard, a Greek salad or vouchers for a bottle of Ouzo. The page has been up for just over two days and already the figure stands at €200,000 ($223,000), although that's still less than a tenth of a percent towards the final figure.
It turns out the world's oldest 'computer' dates back to 205 BC
The device regarded the world's first computer (analog, of course) could have been used even earlier than researchers thought. Inspection of a dial from the 2,000-year-old Antikythera Mechanism and an examination of Babylonian eclipse records revealed the device's origin to be 205 BC, 50-100 years before previous findings indicate. The new date offers a clue as to how Greeks predicted eclipses and planetary position, too. Until now, scientists thought the system was based on trigonometry, but that method didn't exist yet, so instead, the mechanism relied on Babylonian arithmetic. Using a process of elimination, a pair of researchers compared records and recovered pieces of the dial that aided with eclipse prediction in order to arrive at the new calculation. The hunt continues for the rest of the Antikythera Mechanism, as a team is hoping to continue its search of the shipwreck where fragments have been found this spring. [Photo credit: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images]
Caturday: Charis the assistant editor
Charis is a 1-1/2 year old Greek cat who, according to his human Dimitrios Georgoulas, thinks of himself as an assistant editor at AppleWorldHellas. Dimitrios tells us that Charis loves Apple products, especially the new iPad Air and the MacBook Pro with Retina display. Charis appears in most of the unboxing photos and videos at the blog, and his dream in life is to have his own MacBook someday! We'd love to see photos of your favorite feline soaking up the warmth of an Apple product, chasing a Magic Mouse, or just being a general nuisance while you're attempting to work on your Mac, iPad, or iPhone. Please let us know via our feedback page and please remember that your cat photo has to have some sort of connection to Apple or its products. For security reasons we can't accept inbound attachments, so you should host the photo (Dropbox, Flickr, iPhoto Journals, etc.) and send us the link. Many thanks to Dimitrios Georgoulas!
Tulpa mixes Limbo, Alice, occultism for two-character platforming
Tulpa is an eerie, symbolic puzzle-platformer that draws inspiration from Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, American McGee's Alice and Limbo, with roots in occultism and theosophy. In layman's terms, it's a creepy game about secrets and sanity. It features two playable characters: Ophelia, who can interact with the physical world, and Oliver, who uses telekinesis to move objects. Tulpa comes from two student developers and a musician in Larisa, Greece, working under the studio name Encryptique. The word "tulpa" translates to "conjured thing" or "thoughtform," magical things created by thought alone. "Oliver is Ophelia's tulpa," Encryptique writes. "He was created by her own mind in need for support. That cause has an effect. Ophelia needs Oliver to be close, otherwise she begins to lose her sanity, ensuing an inevitable death." Encryptique is looking to raise $4,500 on Indiegogo to finish Tulpa for PC, Mac and Linux. Specifically, the team needs two Unity Pro licenses, money for sound effects and a new laptop for the musician. Encryptique expects polishing Tulpa to take several months, though it will invite backers to beta test the game before launch. Tulpa is also on Steam Greenlight. [Images: Encryptique]
Spotify bops to Taiwan, Turkey, Greece and Argentina today
The fine people of Canada may still not have access to Spotify, but Greece, Turkey, Taiwan and Argentina are all getting the ad-supported music-on-demand service starting today. Yes, that's at least one new country for three separate continents -- Spotify's really spreading the love around with today's expansion, apparently. According to the company, that puts Spotify in 32 total "markets" worldwide, comprising 24 million "active users" -- not too shabby for seven years of existence! The company's last big expansion was in April, when it arrived in Mexico, Malaysia and several other territories. Here's hoping it finally arrives in Canada some time this year as well -- our Canadian staffers are getting awfully antsy.
Report: Detained ARMA devs released by Greece
Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar, two Czech developers from Bohemia Interactive accused of espionage in Greece, are reportedly free on bail. HelpIvanMartin.org, the community website established to follow the case, has translated two Czech news reports that the men are on their way home after posting €5000 bail.The pair have spent over 120 days in jail, after they allegedly photographed and recorded military objects, for what the Greek authorities considered espionage. Bohemia Interactive stated early on that the two men were on vacation and were not there on official company business. The company also claimed the pair did not enter any military area and were not taking pictures of military objects for use in ARMA 3.
Jailed ARMA devs thank fans and friends for support in handwritten note
The Bohemia Interactive developers being detained in Greece sent a handwritten note to fans and friends expressing thanks for words of encouragement and the knowledge that they are "not forgotten." The note, sent last week, is now online at HelpIvanMartin.org.Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar were arrested after being accused of spying on Greek military installations on the island of Lemnos. They've since spent 81 days in jail, with the Czech president recently asking the Greek president to treat their case with "special care."In the note, the Czech devs say they are being treated well, and that they are doing their best "to stay optimistic and use this time well." They go on to thank the 14,000+ signatories of the petition created to show support for the detained pair.We have a full version of the note in text after the break.
Czech diplomats get involved in ARMA developer detainment in Greece
A Czech ambassador was reportedly invited to a meeting by the Greek president regarding the detainment of Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar, two developers from Bohemia Interactive accused of espionage. HelpIvanMartin.org, which has been following all the developments of the case, states the meeting was set up following a letter from Czech President Vaclav Klaus to Greek President Karolos Papoulias.HelpIvanMartin.org have a full primetime news report with translation on the diplomatic maneuvering. The developers were recently refused bail and are accused for photographing Greek military installations on the island of Lemnos. They have been in jail for 75 days.
Jailed ARMA devs have been refused bail
Detained ArmA 3 developers Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar have been denied an appeal against their espionage charges. Eurogamer, working off a translation of news site Rozhlas, reports the pair of Czech developers have now been held for over 70 days, waiting weeks longer to have their appeal heard due to a strike in the Greek legal system.Developer Bohemia Interactive previously stated the two men were on vacation and were not there on official company business. The pair stated two months ago the incident was a "completely absurd misunderstanding."The men are reportedly in a cell with over 25 people, sleeping on the ground. According to family members, the tone of their conversations with the men have changed to them asking to be saved. The Czech government claims it is doing what it can. Bohemia has set up a site to show support.
First gameplay video of Alientrap's Apotheon is gorgeous, coming in 2013
Alientrap, developers of PC and XBLA game Capsized, recently unveiled a gameplay trailer for its next game, Apotheon. The side-scrolling action RPG game draws from Greek mythology in both its appearance and story, as players control a hero on a quest to stop the now-evil Greek goddess Hera after she de-thrones Zeus.The description for Apotheon from Alientrap's official site notes "a large single player campaign in a massive open world Mount Olympus," as well as "online multiplayer with deathmatch and team based gamemodes." The game is in development for PC, and will launch on Steam sometime in 2013. %Gallery-168851%
Website, petition created to support detained ARMA 3 devs
Bohemia Interactive is directing press and fans to HelpIvanMartin.org, a community-created website established to share news and show support for ARMA 3 developers Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar currently held in Greece on suspicion of espionage.We followed up with Bohemia Interactive for clarification on some points it made in a statement yesterday, where the company contested information reported in the original news piece on the incident. Bohemia Interactive denies the pair told authorities they were collecting images for ARMA 3."Their legal council has stated, according to an investigation file in his possession, that from the very beginning of their detention both of them testified that they were on holiday in Greece. They stated that they knew Lemnos from their work and, therefore, they picked it as their holiday destination. Never did they tell the investigators that they were there on business," a Bohemia Interactive representative told Joystiq."Our colleagues deny the accusation of espionage. We consider the matter to be a gross misunderstanding; Ivan and Maxell traveled to Limnos on vacation, certainly not to gather materials that may endanger the national security of Greece."
ARMA devs detained in Greece call incident 'completely absurd misunderstanding'
Bohemia Interactive developers Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar, currently detained in Greece on what are reported espionage charges, have relayed a statement to their friends and family."The conditions are tough, but the people we meet treat us fairly and correctly. It is all a completely absurd misunderstanding that will certainly be quickly explained," the pair, currently being held in Mytilene, wrote. "We mainly think of you, our families; you have to stay calm and not to worry about us. We hope we will meet soon."Bohemia continues to state that the two men were on vacation and were not there on official company business. Furthermore, the company states the pair did not enter any military area and did not take any pictures of military objects for use in the upcoming ARMA 3.
Employees of ARMA dev arrested on spying charges in Greece
Bohemia Interactive is currently unable to provide comment about two alleged employees arrested in Greece on suspicion of espionage. IN.gr reports two Czech citizens were found in possession of video and photos of military installations on the island of Lemnos, Greece.The two men, aged 28 and 33, have been charged with espionage. The pair apparently told authorities they work for Bohemia Interactive and were collecting images for ARMA 3."We would like to apologize for not providing any statement, but we do not have any official and confirmed information at the moment," Bohemia Interactive told us. "For more details please contact Czech Embassy in Greece or Czech ministry of foreign affairs."We've reached out to both entities for further comment. We'll update as information becomes available.Update: CVG spoke with a producer at Bohemia Interactive who confirmed the men's employment, he also added the pair are being transferred to the district court, but have yet to be charged.Update 2: Bohemia Interactive's CEO speaks, statement after the break.Update 3: From the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic follows the case, however, there is no official statement on this."
