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A chess-playing robot broke its seven-year-old opponent's finger
In something out of Black Mirror meets Queen's Gambit, a chess robot accidentally broke a child's finger during an exhibition in Moscow.
Moscow metro launches facial recognition payment system despite privacy concerns
The Moscow metro has launched what authorities say is the first mass-scale deployment of a facial recognition payment system.
Russian court says facial recognition tech does not violate privacy
While some countries are taking a stand against the use of facial recognition on the grounds of privacy invasion, Russia is taking the opposite view. A court in Moscow has ruled that the city's use of facial recognition does not violate the privacy of citizens.
Yandex is testing autonomous delivery robots at its Moscow HQ
Delivery robots from Amazon, Postmates and Starship are already in the wild, but they're not the only ones with self-driving couriers. Another tech giant, Yandex, is working on its own autonomous package carrier, called Yandex.Rover.
Tesla in Moscow crashes into tow truck while on Autopilot
Another Tesla crash might serve as a reminder that Autopilot isn't flawless. Driver Alexi Tretyakov reported that his EV (said to be a Model 3) crashed into a parked tow truck on Moscow's Ring Road while Autopilot was active. The owner said the August 10th incident occurred while he was driving at the speed limit with his hands on the wheel -- it's just that neither he nor the semi-autonomous system spotted the truck.
Moscow is adding facial recognition to CCTVs to ID criminals
Moscow's local authorities are giving the city's 170,000 security cameras a power-up. According to Bloomberg, they're adding facial recognition tech to the CCTV network with the intention of IDing criminals on the streets. Moscow's extensive network of security cams have been keeping an eye on the city and recording millions of hours of video since 2012. Processing all that footage proved to be a daunting task, however: police officers quickly realized that it was impossible to look through them all to find culprits to arrest. Authorities believe facial recognition is the answer to that problem.
Kaspersky and Microsoft reach truce over antivirus software
Microsoft and Kaspersky Lab appear to have reached a truce over their ongoing antivirus (AV) software battle. The Moscow-based cyber security firm has agreed to withdraw antitrust complaints following Microsoft's announcement that it would change the way it delivers security updates to users. The dispute between the two companies began in 2016 when Kaspersky accused Microsoft of anti-competitiveness. The company argued that the US tech giant wasn't giving other developers enough notice of updates and new releases that would mess up third-party security software settings. As such, users' computers would either be left unprotected or would automatically default to Windows Defender.
Russia wants permission to fly a spy plane over the US
Russia requested permission on Monday to fly a surveillance plane equipped with an advanced electro-optical imaging sensor over the US, despite objections from American officials. Both the US and Russia are signatories on the Open Skies Treaty, an international agreement that allows for unarmed observation flights over the entirety of the 34 member nations. The treaty was originally designed to increase the military transparency of member nations. However the US is arguing that Russia is exploiting the spirit of the treaty by using such advanced technology.
Moscow's prominent cemeteries will get free WiFi
Remember this next time you're stuck in a place with no internet connection: even some cemeteries in Moscow will offer free WiFi visitors can use starting in 2016. These are no ordinary graveyards, though -- Novodevichy, Troyekurovskoye and Vagankovo are the most prominent in the city, and where a number of the country's most recognizable citizens were buried. In fact, that's the exact reason why the local government has decided to install "zones of psychological comfort," or simply WiFi hotspots for the rest of us browsing the internet outside of burial grounds, within these three locations.
The biggest data center in Russia will be nuclear powered
According to the news agency Telecom Daily, the Rosenergoatom power company is building what will be the largest data center in Russia -- and they're plopping it right on top of the Kalinin power station. Located about 120 miles northwest of Moscow, the station will provide the 80 MW that engineers estimate will be needed to power the data center's 10,000 or so server racks. The construction is projected to cost $975 million, not including the IT buildout.
Philips helps to re-create Times Square in a Moscow shopping mall
Russia and the US may not be best buds right now, but that hasn't stopped the former building a homage to one of New York's famous landmarks in its newest shopping mall. The VEGAS Crocus City teamed up with Philips' booming lighting business to build a scaled-down version of Times Square, complete with the red bleachers found on the TKTS booth on 47th street. Naturally, the lighting company supplied both jumbo screens and its Color Kinetics LEDs for the inside and outside of the building, which can show off 16 million colors and broadcast text and graphics depending on what's required. We bet the team over at the Allianz Arena are now casting some envious glances east.
Apple reported to be preparing direct sales in Russia, wanting more Macs for Moscow
Despite Russia's size, Apple has always had to sell in the country through carriers and resellers -- a pain for customers who might have to wait weeks beyond the initial launch of a device to see it in stores. If we're to believe tips from distributor insiders speaking with Kommersant, Apple wants at least some kind of first-party presence in the country. The company has supposedly set up a majority-owned local branch, Apple Rus, to run an operation that would start direct sales as soon as 2013. As for official retail stores, we simply don't know. Apple executives were reported as disappointed in available locations following a trip to Moscow in 2011, but there's been no chatter since. Apple certainly hasn't commented on the subject. We do know that iOS- and Mac-loving Russians in at least major cities will be happy if Apple establishes a more official presence, even if it still leaves us mourning the lost opportunity for an obvious Snow Leopard tie-in.
Google Street View now sending snapshots from Russia, with love
We've lived vicariously through Google Maps a few times in the past, including an excursion down the Amazon River. Today, those plans for a trip to Russia can get a lot more detailed as Street View is now virtually pacing the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Points of interest that you'll be able to take a peek at include Red Square, Moscow Kremlin, Peterhof and both Tsaritsino and Kuskovo parks. Hit the source links below to get that sightseeing adventure started -- sans backpack, of course.
New periodic table elements finally get names, will probably want to trade them in
Flerovium and livermorium. Prime names for really ugly babies -- or, equivalently, new elements on the periodic table. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry opted for the latter last week, baptizing elements 114 and 116 just about six months after they were first ratified. Back in June, as you may recall, Russia's Joint Institute for Nuclear Research proposed flerovium and muscovium as names for the two ultraheavy elements, while deferring to the IUPAC for final say on the matter. At the time, the organization said it would likely accept any name, as long as "it's not something too weird." Flerovium (Fl), named after Soviet nuclear physicist Georgiy Flerov, apparently passed that litmus test. Muscovium, sadly, did not. Instead, slot 116 will belong to livermorium (Lv), named after California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which collaborated on the discovery of the element, back in 2000. Bill Goldstein, associate director of Lawrence Livermore National Labs' Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, heralded the decision as a celebration of his institute's collaborative contribution to chemistry: "Proposing these names for the elements honors not only the individual contributions of scientists from these laboratories to the fields of nuclear science, heavy-element research, and super-heavy-element research, but also the phenomenal cooperation and collaboration that has occurred between scientists at these two locations." The nomenclature isn't entirely set in stone, however, as the two names must first endure a five-month public comment period before appearing in chemistry textbooks.
Moscow Mars flight simulation comes to close after 520 days
For the past 520 days, six men have been taking part in an experiment -- Mars500, a simulation of the effects of long-duration space flight carried out at the Moscow Institute. Over the last 17 months and change, the crew has had its stress and hormone levels monitored, been subject to studies on isolation and dietary supplements and has had its communication with the outside world severely hampered. The crew emerged earlier today, happy to be back, after never really having left. After release, the half-dozen members were taken to quarantine to be checked out by doctors. The scientists running the show seem satisfied with data gathered during the study and are hoping to take things to the next level, conducting a similar experiment in orbit.
Gresso flaunts $30,000 white iPhone 4, holds more ice than a skating rink
Sure, you probably waited longer than you should have to get the elusive white iPhone 4. But, you know what's better than a boring regular model? One with diamonds, crystals and pearls... of course! Known for its ridiculous custom mobile devices, Gresso may force you to refinance your house and hock a kidney to afford its latest creation, the Lady Blanche. A solid diamond-coated mineral glass backing, three independent Swiss clocks and pearl dials replace the usual body on this iced-out iPhone. If the $30k diamond model is a bit out of your price range, the much more affordable Swarovski crystal version will only set you back 7,000 bones. Release details are unclear at this point, but when they drop you better act fast -- only 150 of these gems will be available. Heck, if you have that kind of cash lying around, just get the salesman to throw in one of these for your iPad, too.
Apple planning Moscow, Russia Apple Store
Apple may be moving forward with plans to expand its retail arm into Russia. According to ifoAppleStore, Apple Senior Vice President of Retail Ron Johnson and Vice President of Real Estate Bob Bridger visited Moscow recently and toured the newly renovated Hotel Moskva, which is located in the heart of downtown Moscow. The former Hotel is in the final stages of reconstruction and will be the future home of the Four Seasons Hotel and other retail establishments. Apple is reportedly looking at a 16,000 square-foot, two-level retail space within the building that should be ready for occupancy by the end of 2011 or early 2012. A lease has not been signed, but a decision on renting the space could be made very soon. This store would be the first for Russia and the first to land in far Eastern Europe. Currently, there are no Apple stores in any of the former Soviet Union republics, and the Easternmost store is located in Dresden, Germany. [Via Macstories]
Simulated Mars mission simulating return to Earth as we speak, astronauts genuinely overjoyed
We thought the Hundred Year Starship initiative to strand aged astronauts on Mars by 2030 was depressing, and in comparison the European Space Agency's Mars-500 project is little more than a walk in the park (a very small, confined, and extremely monotonous park). Essentially Bio-Dome re-written to simulate travel to Mars and back (without that lovable scamp Pauly Shore), the project bills itself as "the first full duration simulation of a manned flight to Mars," with astronauts conducting a 640-day voyage to the red planet and back -- all without leaving the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP). Members of the crew "landed" on Mars on February 12th of this year, returning to the craft on February 24th. As we speak, they should be entering into a spiral orbit away from Mars, and with any luck they'll be back just in time for their ticker-tape parade on November 5th (hopefully that part isn't a simulation). A joint experiment by the European Space Agency, Russia, and China, the $15 million project studies the complex psychological and technical challenges encountered on long spaceflights.
MeeGo-based Intel Atom phone and tablet spotted from Russia with love
First the 2018 World Cup and now this. An Intel press event in Moscow was reportedly the site of some new MeeGo device reveals. Mail.ru's Anton Spiridonov was on hand and managed to spot Intel Atom-based phone the Hi/Lo Vibrant (we haven't heard of the company, either) and a tablet of some sort, both equipped with the Linux-based OS. Not much else is known save for what appears to be a 5 megapixel camera labeled as such on the back. More pics below. [Thanks, Chris] %Gallery-108694%
Munk Bogballe debuts Classic Bespoke luxury laptop line: $7,000 and way, way up
With a name like Munk Bogballe, it has to be pricey... right? Right. 2.5 years after launching what's likely the most expensive MacBook of all time, the aforesaid purveyor of fine, fine mobile computers has introduced its Classic Bespoke collection -- at the Millionaire Fair in Moscow, no less. So, what does a base price of €5,200 ($7,180) buy you? A 5.1 pound slab of aluminum, accented with lush leather, a mahogany screen frame, freshwater pearl on / off button and oodles of gold. Oh, and a single line of diamonds, presumably for squeezing out six to ten more frames per second in Portal. You may also expect to get only the latest and greatest when it comes to technology, but you'd be badly mistaken; the standard configuration ships with a Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a paltry 500GB hard drive. If you're hot for an SSD, ostrich leather or an 18 carat gold power button, that'll be extra. Not like you really care, Mr. Millionaire. %Gallery-106090%
