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Weird Wide Web: Emotional robots, attractive video chats and online dating for the elderly

All of your essential tech and social media news for the week in one byte-sized portion.

WELCOME TO THE Weird Wide Web – where we take a look at the week’s best offerings in tech and social media news.

Emotional robot of the week

This ‘human-like’ robot can read people’s emotions and understand their feelings. Pepper uses voice and emotion recognition and then uploads the data to a cloud system to help it learn to act more naturally.

ソフトバンク(SoftBank) / YouTube

Attractive video chat of the week

This app photoshops your face and then lets you appear that way in video chats with others, TechCrunch reports. You have the option of slimming down, making your eyes pop or showing up like a skeleton, if that’s what you’re into.

Looksery Looksery

Selfie phone of the week

dog selfie image dog selfie image

It was reported by @evleaks this week that HTC is planning to launch the ultimate selfie phone which is likely to have a high quality front-facing camera.

Dating site for the elderly of the week

Don’t grimace – old people need love too. Stitch is a new dating service that ams to provide ‘companionship’ rather then quick hook-ups like some other dating apps, Mashable reports. The site says it’s on a mission to “eradicate social isolation for mature adults” and we think that’s very noble.

elderly couple image elderly couple image

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9 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute mcbab
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    Jul 10th 2012, 1:57 PM

    Well done to the Customs and Garda.

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    Mute Darren
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    Jul 10th 2012, 2:06 PM

    Great Job done by guards and customs again ..

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    Mute Gerard
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    Jul 10th 2012, 2:44 PM

    Good work, cost me €1200 to get my injectors replaced because of washed fuel from a “reputable” filling station.

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    Mute Derek
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    Jul 10th 2012, 3:19 PM

    Report that station to the police. If you had to replace injectors your probably not alone. I wouldn’t let them off if they are making a quick buck which ends up costing customers costly repair work.

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    Mute Gerard
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    Jul 10th 2012, 3:23 PM

    I already did Derek, so did alot of people in my area, they were shut down by customs about 2 months ago. 2 brothers from dundalk were running the station. Only found this out after they were shut down. All the staff were locals and hadn’t a clue what was going on

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    Mute Alan Murphy
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    Jul 10th 2012, 7:37 PM

    A certain supermarket chain of petrol stations are notoriously guilty of that

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    Mute Katie Does
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    Jul 10th 2012, 2:13 PM

    My husband’s family live near the border, in a rural area. They can point out the lorries, drive you past the laundering plants and name the people involved. They like most people in the area (and judge them how you like for this, but they have to live there) just say nothing and ignore it.

    I’ve heard people say (and obviously this is no more than a feeling or hunch) that there is a certain ‘tolerance’ for this by the authorities. Plants that appear to operate openly, for months/years, are one day raided. Some people say (and this would be just hearsay) that on those days the stock is low, equipment has been moved and there are fewer lorries than normal.

    I have heard people say they’ve seen customs vehicles regularly pass these lorries and farms in the time they operate, a long, long time before action is taken.

    Of course I have no evidence of anything I’ve written above. It’s most likely just local gossip or an urban (or rural) legend.

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Jul 10th 2012, 2:51 PM

    Well Katie if there was no illegal fuel laundering there would be less Garda & customs overtime.

    Same with the overall limerick gang situation. I guess the guards could shut them down in an instant…but why would they…the guards have the most to lose!!!!!!

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    Mute Damian Martin
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    Jul 10th 2012, 5:18 PM

    that is serious bullshit!!!

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    Mute John Clarke
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    Jul 10th 2012, 6:10 PM

    Three people arrested-that’s hardly called tolerance!

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    Mute Gerry Ryan
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    Jul 10th 2012, 2:30 PM

    Surely in this day and age we regulate this more effectively. Why can’t farmers keep all receipts for diesel and submit them with their monthly/annual returns to get a tax rebate. X amount of litres allowed per annum based on Y number of registered farm vehicles.

    In a simple stroke, diesel laundering would stop, or am I missing something?

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    Mute Niall Mulligan
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    Jul 10th 2012, 2:46 PM

    You need the North to stop too.
    How do haulage contractors run their trailer units (refrigeration)
    How do I prove I used a certain amount in my Generator…. etc etc….

    Plus we are too damm lazy !

    11
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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Jul 10th 2012, 2:53 PM

    Public servant jobs and overtime.

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    Mute Mjhint
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    Jul 10th 2012, 6:13 PM

    Good system but i could give the farmer my receipts & split the money & theres the new fiddle. Not an easy fix this however if you target the buyers take vehicles & property where they knew what they were buying I think this would be better.

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    Mute Ben Gunn
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    Jul 10th 2012, 2:38 PM

    The problem is that the courts do not regard this as serious crime. A recent case saw a man covicted of laundery 6,000 litres PER DAY! When arrested he refused to say where he was taking the stuff or who his accomplices were. Sentence…two years, yes two years suspended. Where’s the deterrent.nnThe solution is to abolish agricultural deisel and repay the tax to farmers against receipts from the oil delivery company.

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    Mute Niall Mulligan
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    Jul 10th 2012, 1:47 PM

    Just remember lads. If you’re driving back to Dundalk from Blaney, don’t go through Culaville or the siezed goods and plant will be taken off you AGAIN ! http://www.thejournal.ie/customs-truck-carrying-fuel-laundering-evidence-hijacked-and-set-alight-148712-Jun2011/

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    Mute John Clarke
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    Jul 10th 2012, 5:27 PM

    The reasons these operations are not just taken out immediately are as seen with this one! The authorities wait and ensure the plant is operating and that there are individuals present! I don’t think that you can say that three arrests are the result of the authorities having a low tolerance! I don’t think you can really criticise when on one hand you say the locals turn a blind eye and then say nothing is done! People need to take responsibly for what is going on on their own doorstep before blaming others for inaction!

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    Mute Clive Hand
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    Jul 10th 2012, 1:45 PM

    O No! Not again……. (“,)

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    Mute Sean Slevin
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    Jul 10th 2012, 5:29 PM

    Fuel laundering in a border county?
    Never!

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    Mute BigChap1759
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    Jul 10th 2012, 3:08 PM

    Sorry but can someone explain how oil is laundered – do they mean diesel??

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    Mute Brendan Greene
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    Jul 10th 2012, 5:18 PM

    Agricultural diesel is sold at a lower price to farmers. It is marked with a red dye which can be detected by the Gardai if used in a private car.These smugglers buy or steal ag. diesel and use chemicals to wash out the red colour.These chemicals are very bad for modern diesels as they can affect the injectors and the mirror finish on their high efficiency fuel pumps.
    What a lot of people don’t know is that there is a similar scam concerning petrol.Additives which are bad for the engine can be added to “stretch” the petrol.

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    Mute Mary Mc Carthy
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    Jul 10th 2012, 2:18 PM

    Slippery !!!!!!!!!!!!

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    Mute Resel
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    Jul 10th 2012, 9:06 PM

    They should just advertise that this kind of fuel will damage your car costing you more in the end. Then people wouldn’t want it.

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    Mute pjbrowne
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    Jul 11th 2012, 5:37 AM

    the people don’t know they are buying it most petrol stations are in on the scam there making a fortune selling it to unsuspecting drivers it ruins modern deisel engines you would be better off using the agriculture diesel before it was washed and take your chance st least it won’t ruin your engine

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