Powerful Communication Podcast

Connecting the human brain directly to machines sounds like the stuff of science fiction but it could be closer than you think.

Elon Musk is trying to raise money for his own brain chip implant company Neuralink.

It's been reported that Musk has held talks with another company in the sector about investing in his own firm to try and move things forward.

Musk is said to be frustrated at the lack of progress with trials and achieving regulatory approval for the devices.

Facebook's efforts to bring the Metaverse to us all - the virtual world where we al interact with lifelike versions of ourselves through virtual reality headsets has hit a few snags.

The technology just isn't good enough or affordable enough for most people to bother with it and those that have ventured onto Facebook's Horizon Worlds have been left fairly disappointed.

The company continues to spend billions on the project and has just released a new promotional video showcasing what it COULD all look like but I think it's all a big "if" rather than when.

Remember in technology there are often no prizes for being 'first' with a new development.

Book lovers listen up, there's a new hashtag taking social media by storm and it's having a huge impact on the way books are sold.

BookTok is a TikTok community with more than 70 billion views.

People use hashtag booktok to share reviews and recommendations and connect with other books lovers, on TikTok.

It's almost like a giant online book club and one side effects is that books published years ago are getting talked about and shooting to the top of the current best sellers list.

Some of the books that go viral are out of print and hard to find - so if you've got one of them, you could make decent money selling it 2nd hand.

I've just picked up this warning from the United States about malicious QR codes being stuck to objects and buildings, that cause security issues when people scan them.

We all know the dangers of clicking links in emails from scammers but would you be so careful if you saw a QR code on the side of a parking meter? Or on a shop window?

Be vigilant at all times, if you've any doubt, don't scan the QR but try to check to see if it's legitimate.

Really important information for Apple users over the weekend there after a security breach was discovered putting certain iPhones, iPads and laptop and desktops at risk.

An urgent security patch was released and all Apple users are being urged to make sure they install it.

Any attackers that knew about the vulnerability could send users to a website and then take complete control of their machine.

So check your settings and if there are updates available - be sure to take them.

And remember this applies to Apple phones, tablets and Apple computers.

Google has announced another update to its algorithm, which will see it prioritise high quality websites aimed at humans rather than spammy sites designed to get higher up the Google rankings.

Google says sites that do nothing more than aggregate other content will be downgraded.

And how do you fancy FIFA 23 for 5 pence?

Don't get too excited - a decimal point in the wrong place saw the bargain available on the EA Sports webstore in India at a 99% discount.

The error has now been fixed but customers who were quick enough to buy the game at the incredibly low price will be able to keep it.

Flip phones were big for a while in the years before the iPhone but they're slowly but surely making their way back, along with something very new - foldable phones.

Apple hasn't stepped into this territory yet so it's giving the likes of Samsung a good run at it with some of its devices and of course these are all running the Android operating system.

Samsung's head of mobile recently said 'the mainstream moment for foldable smartphones is here' and analysts reckon the market is going to grow to 4 times it current size in the next 3 years.

The more expensive the phone, the more likely it is to be a foldable or flip phone - the question is, who'll come out on top?

Other devices worth a look, according to ZDNET.com include Motorola's RAZR line and the Mix Fold 2.

Foldable and flip phones give manufactures and users much more flexibility with the screen, which given they're often used for 2 things at once, such as watching a video while scrolling social media - makes sense.

One thing mobiles still aren't great at is multi tasking and having 2 windows open at once, so it's no surprise these devices are growing in popularity.

Saving money is an absolute must for many of us right now and of course technology can help.

It starts with keeping track of what you're actually spending and it might be that your bank's website or app if they have one, can actually do some of this for you.

Some have an online tool that automatically tracks what you're spending on groceries, fuel and so on and puts each expense into the right category. It might be as simple as just logging in and looking at it.

Other apps worth a look include Mint, Revolut, Moneyhub and Emma.

Ideally, you would want something that connects into your bank account which is going to save you the hassle of entering transactions manually.

Once you're tracking the spend, you can looking for opportunities to cut back and make savings - some of the apps will also keep track of online subscriptions you have.

Some of those apps I mentioned are free and some are paid for - so shop around and take advantage of free trials.

For advice, you've probably seen Martin Lewis the Money Saving Expert on television, he has a website too and for completely free, impartial debt advice there's www.stepchange.org

Using the power of social media to buy in bulk or negotiate group discounts is also worth considering - if you're in a community WhatsApp group for example, it might be that you can secure significant savings for everyone, if you can agree on what to buy and where to go.

If you're interested in a career in nursing, there's an unlikely source of information about the reality of life on the wards - the TikTok hashtag 'NursesOfTikTok'.

It's had an amazing 10.8 billion views and features medical professionals sharing advice, medical information and some of the best examples of nursing work.

Patient safety group Radar Healthcare has put together a list of some for he most informative and engaging UK nursing TikTok accounts, including @tiktoknurseUK and @amydarkins6.

Fans of original Pop Idol star Darius Danesh Campbell have been remembering his talents and personality on social media, after his family announced he'd died at the age of just 41.

Among the clips being shared is his original audition where he stunned the judged with his rendition of Britney Spears 'Baby One More Time'.

And a heads up if you're on a low income and certain benefits, from next Monday it'll be easier for you to get lower cost broadband.

New legislation means you'll be able to ask broadband providers if you quality for a lower tariff - up until now consumers had to do all the work and prove they were entitled to the discount.

Heads up Amazon Prime users, you now have less than one month until the price increase comes in.

15 September is the date - from that point on it's going to be £8.99 a month - that's a £1 increase or £95 if you pay for the whole year at once.

Amazon do point out that being a Prime user does get you access to some of the Prime Music and Video streaming content - obviously they hope that you maybe cut back on other streaming service you might use.

There are a lot of people who still think Prime just gets them free or discounted delivery.

Embarrassing news for Microsoft which has revealed just how badly its Xbox One console got beaten by the PS4.

The company hadn't released sales figures for several years but it's revealed today in court documents that Sony sold more than twice as many of its products.

Analysts expect the Nintendo Switch to overtake Sony sometime this year and become the world's most popular console.

Now could YouTube be the answer to the multitude of streaming service and platforms some of us have ended up using for different shows or sports events.

The Wall Street Journal reports plans are afoot that would make YouTube a 'channel store' so, for example instead of individuals singing up streaming from several entertainment companies and downloading separate apps, they would sign up via YouTube and access everything through that.

Could be interesting and one to keep an eye on.

Believe it or not there's a Pokemon World Championships and it's taking place in London, for the first time later this week with a 4 day event starting on Thursday.

Players from around the world will put their Furrets, Pickahus and Bulbasaurs against each other and if you haven't a clue what I'm talking about you can learn by tuning into the live streams - there's one for card game battles and another for Pokemon Go players - and it's all streamed on Twitch at twitch.tv/pokemon

You might have seen ads on social media recently for an app named Google's App Of The Year.

It's called Balance and it creates personalised meditation plans.

Other winners include Clementine, a hypnotherapy app for women and Laughscape which provides relaxation through comedy.

Now I mentioned 'BeReal' months ago on the Digital Minute and it continues to grow in popularity.

It's a photo sharing app that reminds you at a random point in each day to share a picture - but only one - of exactly what you can see at that moment.

It's now grown to about 3 million active users every day and there are signs that Instagram might be taking some of its ideas, including the ability to take a picture using your front and rear cameras at the same time.

It's called 'Dual Camera Mode' and means you can share what you're looking at and your reaction to it all in one post.

The Google Meet video calling app doesn't anything like the attention given to Zoom and Microsoft Teams but there are a few new features worth a mention, as reported by TechCrunch.com

Meet now has a live sharing feature which makes it easy to stream music and videos during calls from YouTube and Spotify, you can also play games like Uno and Heads Up..great when you're chatting with friends and family but perhaps wouldn't make you popular with the boss if you're on a work call.

Disney is celebrating profits across its business but the streaming service Disney + is doing particularly well - it now has more subscribers than Netflix.

Users in America who want to watch shows without adverts will see their prices increase - some expect the same to happen here in the UK.

It's 100 days to go until the World Cup kicks off in Qatar.

Find the official website at qatar2022.qa - it's packed with details of the stadiums, fixtures, artwork and more.