Noplace, a new social media platform, quickly rose to the top of the App Store charts. It is being dubbed "the MySpace for Gen Z."

The app rivals Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), emphasizing an ad-free and algorithm-free experience to allow users to create genuine connections.

It aims to provide an authentic social media experience, competing with Instagram and other established platforms like TikTok. It features customizable color-block profiles, a friends-only feed. It functions like a global group chat or Twitter rival, focusing on current activities and interests in a text-based feed, with two feeds (friends and global) in reverse chronological order, without support for photos or videos for now, but may include them in the future.

It does not use algorithms to curate feeds or boost engagement, opting for AI-generated suggestions instead.

Noplace users cannot set their profiles to private, but a moderation team ensures user safety, especially for users under 18, by moderating the feed.

The app uses AI to suggest content, summarize missed updates without manipulating feeds algorithmically, and continuously refine content curation and recommendation accuracy.

Initially invite-only, Noplace has now publicly launched and is free to download on the App Store, accessible in read-only mode on the web. It is currently not available on the Play Store.

Noplace gained popularity during an invite-only beta phase and has received funding from Alexis Ohanian's 776 and Forerunner Ventures. It raised $19 million with a pre-money valuation of $75 million. Development began in late 2023.

Noplace's success is attributed to meticulous planning, extensive user feedback, and viral TikTok campaigns. The app resonates with the target demographic's desire for nostalgia and freedom from curated posts.

Sources: Independent, Yahoo, Digital Music News, Pluggedin, The UBJ, Creative Bloq, Tyler Paper, CHCH, PhoneWorld, PetaPixel, DesignRush, Dataconomy, Tech Times, The Mercury, KDH News, Webster County Citizen, KPVI, MacObserver, NewsReports

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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In honor of the International Arabic Language Day, students from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology have developed an application to help Israelis who study Arabic with Madrasa, a social, technological, and community-oriented initiative that advocates for better communication in Israeli society through spoken Arabic courses.

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With over 100,000 registered students, Madrasa promotes language learning through a platform that includes free online courses, extensive activity through digital channels, and various other collaborations.

"During our seven years of operations, we have seen the need for people to practice their speaking proficiency while learning, and heard the same question from students over and over again: 'What about an app?" Gilad Sevitt, founder and director of Madrasa said.

This question led to the collaboration between Madrasa and Technion students – from the Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science – to create an application that features a voice recognition component that will support tens of thousands of students.

"Working with the students was very effective and helpful," Sevitt said. "They came on board and contributed greatly to our project and we enjoyed working together on both the linguistic and technological levels.

The component will be integrated as soon as possible in the courses alongside all videos, games, and exercises, and will be a kind of conversation bot through which students can practice their proficiency of spoken Arabic."

Technion students created an infrastructure for learners to have conversations with voice recognition components. Such bots "converse" in spoken Arabic and teach students to pronounce words and discuss various topics.

The app will upgrade the students' learning experience, provide alerts, and serve as the basis for other developments, such as mobile games. A trial version of the app will be released in the coming months.

The United Nations' World Arabic Language Day is commemorated annually on December 18, which is the anniversary of a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly making Arabic one of its official working languages.

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Is good help still so hard to find? Maybe not – an Israeli startup's robotic applications platform can be integrated into its first service robot, Gary.

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On Oct. 12, Unlimited Robotics announced the launch of its developer's platform, Ra-Ya, which is designed to make it easier for software engineers to build robotic applications even without prior experience in hard-coded environments.

The hardware and software applications can be integrated into Gary, Unlimited Robotics' first service robot, which is scheduled to hit the market for sale to consumers, businesses, and offices in 2022.

Guy Altagar, CEO of Unlimited Robotics, explains that programming a robotics application is "not that simple for most software developers," and says that his company is "democratizing the way people can build applications for robots."

According to Altagar, "We are empowering software engineers who do not have prior experience in robot programming, especially if they have experience in JavaScript and Python, to actually create pragmatic solutions for people's homes, businesses, and offices."

Gary is designed to perform chores for home, business, and office environments. Gary can autonomously navigate and move in both familiar and new places indoors, as well as adapt to multiple types of surfaces such as grass, carpets, and tile. Gary has a top speed of 1.2 meters/sec (3.1 mph).

Gary can also fetch and carry, holding up to 5 kg (11 lbs.) of payload with its two arms, each of which is equipped with a different gripper device adapted to grabbing, holding, or squeezing. The service robot features three different infrared and in-depth cameras, which help it improve its performance through artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

"Usually, a standard robot or an electronic device can perform only one function. With our technology, we are bringing a new way to build several mechanical and operational applications – all in one device," Altagar states.

The beta version of Ra-Ya is free, and developers can integrate and offer their applications to Gary's consumers or businesses. Because the company's network features "unique" interconnectivity technology, each robot "teaches" others how to perform their next tasks better," Altagar says.

Unlimited Robotics has announced a waiting list for Gary. Anyone entering his or her name must pay a one-time fee of $99. The company plans to charge a monthly "subscription" fee for purchasers. Customers are welcome to pay in Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and Ethereum.

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CyTaka cybersecurity firm announced Wednesday the launch of its gamified cybersecurity-focused coding education and training competition for software developers with a monthly prize of $1 million.

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When CyTaka CEO Doron Amir came up with the idea for the competition, he had one goal in mind: to make the world safer, more secured and connected not by going after the threat actors but by preventing the code vulnerabilities that give them easy targets.

"We want to create 'cyber heroes,'" he explained. "It's time to change the global celebrity culture from brawn and beauty to brains. Our goal is to find the smartest people in the software development world and bring them the fame and glory they deserve."

In the first stage of the competition, participants are required to complete challenges via the CyTaka app. Those who make it to the live competition will be able to vie for the $1 million monthly prize. The first such live competition will be held on Aug. 15 in Dubai.

The competition "resets" every month, so less experienced participants have a chance to succeed.

"CyTaka is a living, breathing, and ever-evolving application, creating a comprehensive learning environment," Amir said. "Our participants will be exposed to the latest developments and trends in cybersecurity that will allow them to continuously keep up to date, enhancing their professional knowledge.

"Training them to be exceptionally security-aware and strengthening their focus on writing safer, stronger, less vulnerable code will directly address the cybersecurity crisis," he said

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