Tech Digest daily roundup: Stunning shots of Jupiter from James Webb telescope
The world’s newest and biggest space telescope is showing Jupiter as never before, auroras and all. The James Webb space telescope took the photos in July, capturing unprecedented views of Jupiter’s northern and southern lights, and swirling polar haze. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, a storm big enough to swallow Earth, stands out brightly alongside countless smaller storms. One wide-field picture is particularly dramatic, showing the faint rings around the planet, as well as two tiny moons against a glittering background of galaxies. The Guardian
Apple staff are fighting back against the company’s return-to-office order, saying it risks stifling diversity and wellbeing. The group – called Apple Together – has launched a petition demanding “location flexible work”, saying that work arrangements should be between a worker and their “immediate manager”. Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook told employees in and around the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, that they should return to the office three days a week from 5 September. He said this would help preserve the “in-person collaboration that is so essential to our culture”. Sky News
Meta has confirmed that it’s internally prototyping a new Instagram feature that’s suspiciously similar to BeReal, the social media app that’s recently exploded in popularity. The so-called “IG Candid” feature discovered by leaker Alessandro Paluzzi mirrors BeReal by prompting the user to share an authentic photo at a random time each day. My colleague Casey Newton has taken to calling these imitators “murder clones,” because of how they appear designed to neutralize upstarts by imitating their killer features. The Verge
PSVR2 will release in early 2023, Sony has confirmed. PlayStation France was first to let the cat out of the bag, but other major regional accounts have since followed with the relatively simple message, including PlayStation UK. It perhaps didn’t take a genius to figure out that PSVR2’s release date would be early next year, but this is the first time we’ve heard the company officially mention it. The Japanese giant’s generally been pretty secretive about the device, unveiling information in a scatter-shot manner and only announcing a handful of games so far. Push Square
Coming early 2023. #PSVR2 pic.twitter.com/R3MwWVPyNt
— PlayStation UK (@PlayStationUK) August 22, 2022
Despite cynicism from rivals and fierce global competition, Britishvolt has repeatedly insisted it can help to prepare UK carmaking for the electric age. Formed in 2019, the company has raised £2bn – in principle at least – for one of the country’s first battery “gigafactories”, including £100m from the taxpayer. Spades are in the ground for a site in Blyth, hailed by bosses as “absolutely vital to maintain the UK industry”. So the sudden departure of the company’s chief executive and co-founder this weekend will spark consternation among British automotive bosses – as will a decision to reduce its valuation by £400m owing to pressure on international markets. Telegraph
YouTube has banned influencer Andrew Tate for violating its policies. The Google-owned social media site took action following Meta’s decision to ban Mr Tate from Facebook and Instagram. The former kickboxer rose to fame in 2016 when he was removed from TV show Big Brother over a video which appeared to depict him attacking a woman. He went on to gain notoriety online – with Twitter banning him for saying women should “bear responsibility” for being sexually assaulted. BBC
