![The Safety Check feature on Facebook.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/c/3/y/u/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gua52v.png/1486696642340.jpg)
![The Safety Check feature on Facebook.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/c/3/y/u/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gua52v.png/1486696642340.jpg)
NBA starts professional esports league
![The new esports league will mimic the structures and conventions of the NBA.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/9/y/e/f/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu9y0e.png/1486688958227.jpg)
To go along with its actual, professional basketball league, the NBA is creating a new division for players who excel at video-game basketball.
Twitter can't make money off Donald Trump's tweets
![Some analysts think that Trump's frequent usage of the platform could actually hurt Twitter with advertisers.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/9/a/c/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu9rfv.png/1486708701692.jpg)
In a year where Twitter was in the media more than ever before, its advertising revenues decreased.
Can Rock Band VR win over the virtual crowd?
![While Rock Band VR will put you up on stage, wearing an Oculus Rift headset means you're really going solo.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/9/2/e/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu920y.png/1486679401974.jpg)
Will the dream of belting out your favourite songs in front of a packed house inspire budding rock stars to invest in a virtual reality headset?
We're all obsessed with keeping our phones charged
![What battery percentage makes you anxious?](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/9/q/1/0/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu9q0j.png/1486675199836.jpg)
Survey shows that almost all of us go to surprising lengths to make sure we don't run out of battery.
RTX and the power of small, passionate audiences
![Greg Miller](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/9/6/b/9/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu8vg6.png/1486710890451.jpg)
Thousands flocked to Sydney last weekend to play games and finally meet people they've known on the internet for years.
Facebook cracks down on ads that discriminate
![Facebook will begin disapproving ads that violate new policies.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/g/p/p/t/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu93e8.png/1486608311614.jpg)
Facebook said Wednesday that it's making three changes to stop housing, employment and credit-related ads on its network that discriminate based on personal attributes.
'This is personal for me': Facebook extends caregiving leave
!["This is personal for me," said Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, whose husband died suddenly two years ago.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/8/w/6/k/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu8vlt.png/1486598947949.jpg)
Employees at the social media giant will now receive bereavement leave, paid leave to care for an ill relative and paid family sick time.
Samsung battery factory catches fire
![Social media users posted pictures of the factory fire online.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/8/t/9/9/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu8sk2.png/1486594012091.jpg)
A fire broke out at a Samsung SDI factory in China this week when faulty, discarded batteries ignited, setting trash and other items ablaze.
Smokin! Digital tech rescues rotting Marley tapes
![Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/7/3/p/l/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu73bq.png/1486546173738.jpg)
With dozens of greatest hits albums released since his death, it was thought that Bob Marley's back catalogue had been exhausted. But a rundown former hotel in an unfashionable corner of north-west London has thrown up a treasure trove of previously lost recordings.
Counterstrike player handed 1000 year ban for allegedly harassing 15-year-old girl
![Screen grab from the ESEA website of user Bloominator's profile.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/8/9/9/w/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu89g8.png/1486584803558.jpg)
In a ban spanning several lifetimes and then some, the third-party Counter-Strike tournament service ESEA has banned a user until 3016 for allegedly harassing a minor.
Twitter's plan to weed out abusive tweets
![Twitter has a troll problem.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/y/s/0/0/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu7swk.png/1486598879056.jpg)
Twitter knows it has a problem with online abuse, and now it's announced three more changes to help users deal with it.
Stan takes the fight to Netflix with 4K streaming, offline viewing
![Stan is stepping up, taking the fight to Netflix and Amazon in Australia's subscription video showdown.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/8/i/y/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu7ua9.png/1486512600357.jpg)
Australia's home grown streaming service is finally shaping up as a worthy Netflix rival, as they prepare to fend off Amazon Prime's big push.
Smart earbuds promise relief for kids struggling in classroom
![Perth school boy Kai finds it easier to concentrate on the teacher's voice with Nuheara's IQbuds helping to compensate ...](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/7/s/1/l/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu7s1e.png/1486525571582.jpg)
Nuheara's earbuds were designed to cancel outside noise while listening to music, but the company is now exploring how they might help people distinguish voices in noisy environments as well.
Uber eyes flying vehicles, hires NASA veteran
![An artist's rendition of how Uber sees the future of on-demand urban air transportation, from last year.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/c/r/d/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu7k2n.png/1486449133282.jpg)
Uber Technologies is speeding ahead with plans for flying cars, which could zoom among urban centers such as Silicon Valley, San Francisco and Oakland, by hiring a NASA veteran who has presented research about the possibilities.
Amazon ponders robot-run supermarket with three human staff
![A robot fills orders inside an Amazon fulfilment centre in the US.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/7/4/0/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu71gt.png/1486445609575.jpg)
Sick of nagging or unhelpful retail staff? Amazon might be here to help.
Will Snapchat last, or will it fade before our eyes?
![Snapchat had 161 million daily users at the end of last year, but the rate at which new ones are joining has slowed.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/6/f/5/g/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu769q.png/1486432944674.jpg)
At this point, Snap's share sale looks closer to mimicking Twitter's stumbles than Facebook's ascendance.
'Cyborg' Twitter accounts see conservative voices dominate
![Daniel John Sobieski, a retiree in Chicago is credited with an increase in the pro-Trump social media presence.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/7/5/d/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu6xll.png/1486431377142.jpg)
How America's most prolific tweeters send conservative political messages constantly, even when they're sleeping.
These smart TVs were apparently spying on their owners
![The FTC says the Vizio case shows how a television or other appliance might be telling companies more than their owners ...](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/r/d/r/3/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu70p5.png/1486532256548.jpg)
TV maker Vizio has been accused of secretly collecting - and selling - data about its customers' locations, demographics and viewing habits.
Horror returns home in Resident Evil 7
![The restriction of a first-person viewpoint does wonders for the game's tension.](/web/20170211195601im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/1/w/5/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.gu6ddf.png/1486411860769.jpg)
Adopting a first-person perspective and refocusing the narrative after a succession of bloated, tiresome sequels, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard marks a return to horror, suspense and claustrophobia.