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More companies bail from Facebook's Libra crypto project



In blockchain news, Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency project was initially backed by a bunch of big names, but it's now losing friends fast. Last week, Paypal packed its bags and left the initiative. And since Friday, Stripe, eBay, Visa, Mastercard, and Mercado Pago have also dropped out.

According to Ars Technica:



“But this is an awkward development for Facebook. When the company introduced Libra earlier this year, it said it hoped to grow Libra's membership from 27 companies to more than 100 by the time the Libra network launched in 2020. Instead, the association's membership has fallen to 22 companies.

"The even more ominous sign for Facebook is who bowed out. All but one of the payment-processing companies that originally signed up for Libra have now withdrawn (the one exception so far is Netherlands-based payment company PayU, which signaled its continued support on Wednesday). Their participation would have been significant because Libra faces a lot of skepticism from regulators. Companies like Visa and Mastercard have ample experience with regulations related to payments and could have helped Libra navigate those issues. But they also had the most to lose from confrontations with regulators.”



Adding to legal questions, Libra also has yet to figure out how it will operate alongside conventional currencies.

Learn more about the current status of the Libra project at Ars Technica.

Scottish teens hack police website and social media



Two Scottish teens are in big trouble after hacking into the Metropolitan Police's website and making posts on the police department's Twitter account.



According to BBC:



“The country's largest police force was hit by a cyber attack in July and a series of tweets were sent from its verified account, which has more than 1.2 million followers. A stream of unusual emails were also sent from the force's press bureau. The arrested teenagers are aged 18 and 19 and from Lossiemouth and Glasgow.”



One tweet read "no comment get my lawyer." Another said "what you gonna do phone the police?" Since the teens got arrested, this questionable content has been deleted.



As to whether this prank will be worth it or not, the 1990 Computer Misuse Act calls for jail time and fines for "unauthorized access to computer material" and "unauthorized modification of computer material."

Learn more about these Scottish teen hackers at BBC.

But there's more going on in the world than that.

Microsoft keyboard includes Office, emoji keys



In a sign of the times, Microsoft's keyboards are getting updated — perhaps for millennials. These new typing interfaces will have dedicated shortcut keys for to access both emojis and Office.



According to The Verge:

“Microsoft’s latest keyboards now include dedicated Office and emoji keys. The software giant was previously experimenting with an Office key on keyboards earlier this year, and now the company is launching a new Ergonomic and slim Bluetooth Keyboard that include the dedicated button. The Office key replaces the right-hand Windows key, and it’s used to launch the Office for Windows 10 app that acts as a hub for Microsoft’s productivity suite. You can also use the Office key as a shortcut to launch Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. Office key + W opens Word for example, while Office key + X opens Excel.



"Alongside the Office key, there’s also a new emoji key on these new keyboards. It will launch the emoji picker inside Windows 10, but you won’t be able to assign it to a specific emoji or even create shortcuts, unfortunately. An emoji key on a new Microsoft keyboard certainly seems unusual, but the company is really targeting this new hardware at businesses where Office is prevalent and emoji use is increasingly on the rise.”



Many of us have had emoji shortcuts on our software-based keyboards for a while, I guess it was only a matter of time until physical devices caught up.

It’s unknown whether or not these new keyboards will be sold by third parties. They will be available in stores starting Oct. 15.



Learn more about Microsoft's latest keyboards at The Verge.

And you can't not know this.

Singapore bans ads for sugary drinks



Singapore, say goodbye to soft drink ads on your computer, smartphone, and television screens. The country is the first to ban any advertisements for sugary drinks on all media platforms.



According to CNN:



“Soft drinks, juices, yogurt drinks and instant coffee would all be affected by the new regulation, the ministry said in a press release. The ministry also says it will continue to gather consumer and industry feedback in the next few months, before announcing further details on its implementation next year. In addition to an ad ban, the ministry announced that sugary drinks would also be required to display a color-coded, front-of-pack nutrition label to list nutritional quality and sugar content.”



This ban is part of Singapore’s effort to fight diabetes. But are the sugary drink manufacturers scared? Maybe not. The Singaporean arm of Coca-Cola signaled they’re cool with the new regulation by stating the change will have "minimal impact on our portfolio" — which includes low-sugar options.



Learn more about Singapore's ban on sugary drink ads at CNN.

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