In this week's worldwide wrap, a new Gmail feature helps lazy users respond to their e-mails, a new app walks nervous users home at night, and a new device helps anxious parents manage their children's Internet use.
Google responds to e-mails for you
Google's Gmail is rolling out a service, called Smart Reply, that will guess which e-mails it can craft responses to, and offer users a choice of replies they can send with one tap.
"For those e-mails that only need a quick response, it can take care of the thinking and save precious time spent typing. And for those e-mails that require a bit more thought, it gives you a jump start so you can respond right away," says B'alint Mikl'os, software engineer at Gmail.
Via: Wall Street Journal
App walks users home at night
Smartphone users who feel anxious about walking home alone can now find comfort in Companion, an app which helps friends track their journey and monitor their safety.
The app uses GPS tracking to show the user's appointed "virtual companions" where they are on a map. The user can call for help from their companions by pressing an "I feel nervous" button.
Via: The Guardian
Device helps parents manage kids' tech use
Circle with Disney, released this week, is a device that pairs with a local WiFi network to give parents control over what kind of content or apps their children are accessing on their devices, and for how long.
"Controlling your child's content in the home used to be as simple as grabbing the remote. Now it requires a bit more technological trickery," writes Brian Barrett for Wired.
Via: Wired
Minecraft used to teach chemistry
A group of students at the University of Hull, England, have created an educational version of Minecraft that allows users to explore molecular structures in order to understand molecular chemistry.
The project aims to engage young scientists in a fun and interactive way.
Via: BBC News
Anonymous leaks KKK details
Anonymous has published details of about 1 000 Ku Klux Klan (KKK) sympathisers online in the form of a list of social network users who have joined or liked KKK-related groups on Facebook or Google+.
The hacking coalition says it used human intelligence, rather than hacking, to create the list. The list is a form of resistance against racialised violence, such as is perpetuated by the white supremacist KKK, says Anonymous.
Via: BBC News
Chrome brings Twitter's stars back
A number of browser extensions for Google Chrome have emerged to help bring Twitter's star-shaped "favourite" button back, after the social network replaced it with an unpopular heart-shaped "like" button.
Extensions helping take the hearts away include StarBack, Fav Forever, and Stylish, which lets users replace the heart button with an emoji of their choice.
Via: Wired
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