Tech Digest daily round up: Elon Musk to host Saturday Night Live
Elon Musk is to host the US comedy show Saturday Night Live in May. The tech billionaire, boss of carmaker Tesla and aerospace company SpaceX, will be joined by musical guest Miley Cyrus. The choice was criticised by some who said Musk had no talent for showbiz and was simply chosen because of his wealth. Deadline.com said he “seems like a left-field choice for a sketch comedy show (but) has shown a quick wit in his online dealings with fans, foes and the like, so may have a few surprises in store”. Variety writer Jenelle Riley said she was “disappointed” with the show’s choice, adding: “A host should have some discernible talent other than…being rich?” Sky News
The boss of networking giant Cisco has said the shortage of computer chips is set to last for most of this year. Many firms have seen production delayed because of a lack of semiconductors, triggered by the Covid pandemic and exacerbated by other factors. Cisco chief Chuck Robbins told the BBC: “We think we’ve got another six months to get through the short term. “The providers are building out more capacity. And that’ll get better and better over the next 12 to 18 months.” That expansion of capacity will be crucial as advances in technology – including 5G, cloud computing, the internet of things and artificial intelligence – drive a big increase in demand. BBC
Fast-growing technology start-ups are flocking back to central London offices, as names including Amazon and Google shun remote working and urge staff to return to their desks. Exclusive figures seen by The Sunday Telegraph and compiled by JLL show that technology, media and telecom companies are currently on the hunt for 1.18 million square feet of space in central London. That compares to the 906,000 square feet of offices space rented in the area last year, and 1.73 million square feet in 2019. Chris Valentine, the head of JLL’s West End operations, said the figures were “really positive” given Britain had spent the whole of the first quarter in lockdown and “sentiment and take-up still improved”. He said the 1.18 million square feet of active demand in the first quarter did not include some major technology companies, which were now beginning their own searches for office space. Telegraph
English football has confirmed a complete social media blackout will take place next weekend. In a press release the Premier League, English Football League, The FA and Women’s Super League have revealed they will boycott all social media platforms from Friday, April 30 to Monday, May 3. The boycott is in protest of the continued abuse players have been receiving over recent months and years and is aimed at forcing Facebook, Twitter and Instagram into action. It means that supporters will receive no updates via social media for any of next weekend’s matches. One Football
A pink supermoon is set to brighten the night skies over the UK next week, though there will not be any noticeable difference in colour, as the name might suggest. The full moon in April is also known as the “pink moon” as it is named after pink flowers, known as phlox, which bloom in the springtime. The celestial event is expected to take place just before sunset on April 27 as the moon rises in the east and will be visible until it sets in the west the next morning. It is also a supermoon because the full moon will occur when it is near its closest point to the Earth in its orbit. Anna Ross, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, told the PA news agency: “The average distance of the moon from the Earth is 384,400km, but the moon will reach its closest point this lunar month on April 27 at 16:24, when it will be 357,379 km away. Yahoo! News
