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Dogs can smell cancer, Parkinson’s, malaria, and other conditions that cause changes in human body odor. There’s even published research on dogs’ ability to smell Covid-19.

Scientists could train more and more dogs to aid in disease detection, and deploy them around the world. But this kind of training is expensive, difficult, and time-consuming. Plus, not everyone likes dogs, and not everyone would appreciate being sniffed by a dog before a basketball game or during a doctor’s appointment.

Essentially, the hope is for scientists to engineer a robot nose to detect diseases the way a dog’s nose can.

From The sense of smell is still a mystery. But that’s not stopping research on robot noses. – Vox:

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Platforms could employ KYC directly, requiring ID for every new signup, and limiting the number of accounts each person can control. But not everyone wants to have to trust Meta with their personal information, because the company’s data security team is about as reliable as Man U’s back four. (Sorry, had to.) Social media’s untrustworthiness is a business opportunity, however. The solution to confirming online identity is a profitable layer/middleman in waiting.

From ID | No Mercy / No Malice:

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“A digital euro would provide a level of privacy equal to that of current private sector digital solutions.“

From Three big CBDC stories: Digital euro delivers on privacy , Hong Kong goes full speed ahead with e-HKD, and Australia’s new pilot reaches out to innovators:

This seems like a very low bar to me. Surely we should be far more ambitious in our demands on next-generation digital currency.

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According to new data from Juniper Research, global spending on digital identity verification checks will rise from US$11.6 billion in 2022 to US$20.8 billion in 2027, and is expected to reach US$40 billion.

From Digital identity verification to top $40 billion in 2032 – What is new? – Security Boulevard:

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The Tesla Bot had the ability to walk around untethered, wave to the audience, and even did a little, somewhat conservative dance. In a video, Tesla showed that the Tesla Bot can already pick up a box and deliver it to a desk where people are seated. It can identify and pick up other objects including a metal bar and a watering can that’s used for plants.

From Tesla just shocked everyone with its Optimus robot prototype | Digital Trends:

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A document that was written just a year after William the Conquer did his conquering has gone on display in the City of London. It’s dated from 1067, and is the oldest document owned by the City of London, as it confirms the rights of the City after the new King was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

From The City of London’s oldest document is currently on public display:

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Just as we see holograms of ABBA playing to packed crowds in London and a young Bruce Willis appearing in advertisements (Willis has sold his rights to be recreated by AI for future film projects as well) we surely soon see celebrities all around us enabling transactions in the metaverse. Pop into your bank branch and you’ll be served by the celebrity that AI determines

Bruce Willis may have retired from acting following a diagnosis of aphasia, but a version of him will live on in future projects. Last year, the actor’s “digital twin” appeared in an ad for a Russian telecom created by a company called Deepcake. Now, it’s being reported that he sold his rights for future film, advertising and other projects to Deepcake, according to the company’s website and The Telegraph.

Engineers created the digital double drawing from content in Die Hard and Fifth Element, when Willis was 32 and 42, respectively. With his likeness now on the company’s AI platform, it can graft his likeness onto another actor’s face in a relatively short amount of time.

From A Bruce Willis deepfake will appear in his stead for future film projects | Engadget:

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How many times every day are stories like this repeated around the world? A bungled software upgrade

A man had hundreds of pounds drained from his bank account after being charged over a hundred times for parking fines.

Andy Gynn, from Worcester, found himself in an unarranged overdraft after he was wrongly charged £610 in tickets.

Dozens of others in Worcester have reported being charged similar huge fees, with many being sent fines from car parks they never used or weeks after they parked.

From Faulty parking machine drained £610 from drivers’ bank account: Man charged 122 times in three days | Daily Mail Online:

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A report published last week on revamping the Government of Canada’s digital infrastructure states that the next step to making services more convenient is to introduce a federal “Digital Identity Program.”

Details of the program were scarce in the publication titled Canada’s Digital Ambition 2022 which was signed off by President of the Treasury Board Mona Fortier and the Chief Information Officer of Canada, Catherine Luelo.

Citing the pandemic, the report outlines how a federal framework would also be integrated with provincial digital identities.

“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for government services to be accessible and flexible in the digital age. The next step in making services more convenient to access is a federal Digital Identity Program, integrated with pre-existing provincial platforms,” the report explained.

From Trudeau government to introduce national “Digital Identity Program” | True North:

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Think stated that 41% of people have been denied credit due to the inability to verify identity or legal status, and 35% have been denied due to the inability to access payment history. Furthermore, 33% of self-employed workers say their employment status has been an obstacle for them getting a mortgage, while 31% believe it has hampered their ability to obtain credit.

Tink stated that many people are being excluded from credit due to outdated and blinkered credit scoring models. It added that traditional credit checks means there is no robust way of protecting consumers if economic circumstances change and affordability becomes an issue.

Tink UK and IE Banking and lending director Tasha Chouhan said, “It’s clear many lenders still rely on traditional credit checks to determine eligibility for loans. There is no place for such models in our current economic climate, and the sooner this is recognised, the better the outcome will be for both lenders and consumers.

“New forward-looking models are drawing on open banking technology to provide a holistic picture of people’s finances. It’s vital to protect potentially at risk or vulnerable consumers from problem debt or default as the economic climate worsens. At the same time, it’s key to promoting financial inclusion, as people now more than ever need access to safe, affordable, and regulated borrowing options.”

From Traditional lending models not ‘fit for purpose’ – Tink claims.

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