In this Worldwide Wrap, Apple refuses to answer questions about Russian Siri's apparent homophobia, and DogTV helps lonely pets unwind.
Is Siri homophobic?
Apple is refusing to answer questions about why the Russian-language version of its voice assistant, Siri, sidesteps or gives homophobic answers to LGBTI-related questions.
The issue came to light when a Russian man living in London uploaded a YouTube video in which Siri gave answers such as "You are so rude!" and "I will pretend I haven't heard" to questions about gay marriage in England. Apple has simply said the issue has been "fixed".
Via: The Guardian
DogTV comforts lonely pets
The world's first TV channel for dogs, DogTV, is gathering steam in nine countries and on YouTube. The channel aims to help dogs cope better with the anxiety and panic they experience when their humans are away, and has shown positive results.
DogTV's content, which is scientifically developed and tailored to dogs' vision and hearing, forms three categories: stimulation, relaxation and exposure, which exposes dogs gently to things that may frighten them, like traffic and vacuum cleaners.
Via: The Guardian
Success Kid meme
Sam Griner, whose portrait became the well-known "Success Kid" meme, has used his Internet fame to raise money for his father's vital kidney transplant.
In an online fundraising campaign, the family has been given $93 000 - well over the $75 000 they needed - to cover the kidney surgery an aftercare treatment Justin Griner needs to survive.
Via: BBC News
Android phones search
Android users can now use Google Search to find their phones if they lose them.
Typing "Find my phone" into Google will now pull up the Android Device Manager tool, which shows users where their phone is on Google Maps.
Via: Mashable
Smart Surf watch
The Ultratide smartwatch uses real-time data to display current surf conditions at any beach the user chooses, saving them pointless trips to the beach when conditions are less than favourable.
The wearable will be on sale for $300 by the end of April.
Via: Wired
DNA tells twins
DNA profiling has for decades been unable to tell identical twins - who have the same DNA profile - apart. This has been known to present ethical problems in criminal cases in which forensic investigators have been unable to pinpoint which identical twin committed a crime.
The Forensic Genetic Research Group has demonstrated proof of principle for a cost-effective method of forensically differentiating identical twins based on a concept known as DNA methylation.
Via: Mashable
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