Tech Girl Energy: The Weekly Debrief

EP22: Goodbye Skype, Amazon's Cat Qubit Chip, Meta's Spotting Celeb Scams

Episode Summary

Get ready for a whirlwind of tech nostalgia and cutting-edge innovation in this week's episode of Tech Girl Energy. Join Harriet & Numi Gildert as they reminisce about the heyday of Skype, its iconic role in connecting people globally, and ponder over Microsoft's decision to retire it. Then, shift gears into the future with Amazon's groundbreaking quantum computing chip—could this be the dawn of a superpowered version of The Sims?!

Episode Notes

TECH GIRL ENERGY: THE WEEKLY DEBRIEF

Episode 22 - Goodbye Skype, Amazon's Cat Qubit Chip, Meta's Spotting Celeb Scams 

Join hosts Numi & Harriet as they dive into the tech headlines of the week, aiming to deliver a perfect blend of 50% information and 50% fun. From nostalgic farewells to groundbreaking advancements, this episode covers it all.

Highlights:

Sunny Days in the UK: A light-hearted start with both hosts enjoying rare sunny weather across England.

Farewell Skype (RIP):

• Microsoft announces Skype will close down in May.
• Reflecting on its impact since its launch in 2003 and reminiscing about MSN Messenger days.
• Discussing how Skype missed out during the pandemic boom despite being an early leader in video calling.

Amazon's Quantum Leap:

• Amazon enters the quantum computing race with their new Cat Qubit powered chip.
• Exploring what makes this technology revolutionary, including error correction capabilities due to cosmic ray interference!
• Speculating potential applications for industries like finance and research.

Meta’s AI Facial Recognition for Scam Prevention:

• Meta introduces facial recognition tools to combat celebrity scam ads targeting users in the UK.
• Discussion around challenges of distinguishing real from fake content using advanced AI technologies.

LINKS

Microsoft closing down Skype: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn7vxlrvxyeo

Cat Qubit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly331r4p48o

Meta’s facial recognition tools: https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/meta-naga-munchetty-facebook-instagram-consumers-b2709192.html