2 Monkeys I.T

A report sent shares of Nvidia tumbling as concerns increase that Google is coming for its chip business.

(Credit: AP)

A Dutch designer has gone viral for building something straight out of a sci-fi protest — a transparent mask that completely blocks AI facial recognition from every angle.

Created by Jip van Leeuwenstein in 2017 at the Utrecht School of the Arts, the mask bends and distorts the face so heavily that recognition algorithms can’t lock on… yet people can still see your real expressions. It was part of a project called Surveillance Exclusion, aimed at exploring how ordinary people can push back against automated tracking.

The design spread across tech and privacy forums years ago, but it keeps resurfacing as facial-recognition cameras become more common — from airports to high streets.

What started as an art school experiment is now a symbol of the growing fight against an always-watching world.

Chinese researchers have created a revolutionary bamboo-based plastic that matches the strength and durability of conventional petroleum-derived plastics while being fully biodegradable.

The material is produced from bamboo cellulose nanofibers, which are chemically modified and combined with other natural compounds to form a high-performance bioplastic.

This innovative plastic exhibits excellent mechanical strength, comparable to traditional plastics like polyethylene or polypropylene, and can withstand high temperatures and significant stress without deforming.

Unlike regular plastics that persist in the environment for centuries, this bamboo version completely breaks down in soil within about 50 days through natural microbial action, leaving no toxic residue or microplastics behind.

The breakthrough addresses two major problems: dependence on finite fossil fuels and the global plastic pollution crisis. With bamboo being one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth, the raw material is abundant, renewable, and sustainable.

Researchers believe this biodegradable plastic could replace conventional plastics in packaging, disposable cutlery, electronic casings, and many everyday products, offering a practical, eco-friendly alternative that maintains performance while dramatically reducing environmental harm.