Compilers of the Cambridge Dictionary have called “upcycling” the word of 2019.

Upcycling is the manufacture of new things from old or recycled materials. This process involves reusing things to reduce production and reduce climate impact. It is noteworthy that compared to 2011 the frequency of using upskaykling increased by 181%.

The shortlist of words also included:

carbon sink is a forest area that can absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide and reduce global warming,
compostable – compostable material,
preservation – conservation of natural resources.

The Skype messenger application does not currently work for users worldwide.

Another failure of the program occurred on Tuesday afternoon. Skype work is being complained of by users all over the world, primarily from Europe. Also, the messenger does not functiоn in Belarus, Russia, Poland and Ukraine. Skype crashes are coming from Asia, South and North America, Australia and Africa. The causes of the event are not yet known.

Skype is one of the most popular messenger apps. Every day, millions of people use it, both for online calls and for emailing from mobile devices and computers.

The US financial regulator has begun investigating allegations that the Apple card offers different credit limits for men and women.

It is noted that one of the complaints came from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. The investigation was launched by the Financial Services Department of New York (DFS), officials have already contacted Goldman Sachs, the bank that manages Apple Card.

The cause of the investigation was the complaint of technical entrepreneur David Heinmeier Hanssson. According to him, he received a limit 20 times higher on his Apple Card than his wife. At the same time, Hanson said that the discrepancy appeared despite the fact that his wife had a higher credit rating.

In China, officially began work on the development of 6G mobile network.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has announced that it will create 2 working groups to develop 6G. One of the heads of profile departments, the other – representatives of 37 universities, institutes, companies. Currently, the development is at an “early stage”.

“In this critical period of national development, we must attach great importance to the development of 6G, to promote it effectively and to open the path to innovation,” – said Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Wang Xi.

On November 1, China launched the world’s largest 5G mobile network.

On November 9, a Google search engine dedicated a doodle to the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The author of the image was Berlin artist Max Gutter. The doodle shows a couple of happy people hugging, standing on a dilapidated fence.

The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 as a reaction of the East German and Soviet leadership to the significant migration of the GDR population to West German Germany. On the evening of November 9, 1989, amid the gradual destruction of the pro-Soviet socialist bloc in Europe, the GDR’s government allowed the passage of checkpoints into the Berlin Wall for free passage.

Within months, residents of both parts of Germany had destroyed most of the wall.

Google has introduced an updated YouTube video platform interface design.

The new design gives you more options to help you find videos on the homepage more easily. The updated design is already being distributed and will soon be available to all users of the platform. The new design features longer video headlines and larger thumbnails to provide clearer video information at a glance.

When viewed on the homepage, you can see channel avatars under each video, making it easier to identify your favorite channel creators and user-friendly content.

In Ukraine, 5G testing will be conducted in six cities of Ukraine from December 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020.

Testing of 5G technology in Ukraine will be conducted by Ericsson and its mobile operator lifecell from December 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020. They will be held in the territory of the mobile carrier’s shops.

Radio DOT System base station equipment will be controlled by a specialized network test kernel (5G EPC) with limited functionality: only the internet will be available, without the possibility of voice calls.

New StrongArm Technologies Inc. startup tracker collects information about the movement of employees and sends it to the employer.

Such devices are already in use at Walmart Inc, Heineken NV and Toyota Motor Corp. According to the developers, trackers can improve the security system and reduce the number of injuries. And if necessary, the tracker will be an additional argument to penalize the employee.

According to a study conducted by the company, the number of injuries sustained by users while wearing trackers has decreased by 20-50%. However, unions are concerned that employers who collect employee data may use it for mass reductions. They believe workers can be fired or punished if their productivity drops.

The Microsoft-affiliated company Microsoft Japan introduced a 4-day workweek, after which employee productivity increased by 40%.

Microsoft conducted the experiment in August 2019. For three weeks in a row, the company’s employees rested on Friday. Under this regime, sales per employee increased by 40% compared to the same period last year.

At the same time, the company recommended that its employees limit the length of business meetings, instead of chatting. As a result, the company’s energy costs were reduced by 23% and document printing volumes decreased by 59%.

92% of employees surveyed are satisfied with the transition to a 4-week working week. But some employees believe that such a transition is detrimental to customers.

Ukrainian-American Antares booster launches Signus, which will deliver 3 750 kilograms of payloads to the International Space Station, including an experimental oven.

The spacecraft will deliver to the station an experimental Zero-G oven, which will investigate the properties of heat transfer and microgravity cooking.

More on the ISS is planned to test the device for recycling plastic thread for 3D printing. This thread can be used on the Made in Space Manufacturing Device, a 3D printer called Refabricator, which has been operating at the ISS Orbital Laboratory since 2016.

Also, the equipment will allow to test the “special vest” AstroRad, designed to protect astronauts from radiation.

German company Volocopter has announced the creation of a cargo drone, developed on the basis of electric aerotaxis.

The device, named VoloDrone, is already undergoing the first flight tests, during which it transports loads of up to 200 kilograms over a distance of up to 40 kilometers. The height of the drone is 2.3 meters, the diameter of the annular frame with air screws – 9.2 meters. It has a chassis rack, between which you can fasten the load.

Volocopter explained that the creation of a new drone is driven by customer requests that are interested in a drone based on the company’s aerotax.

VoloDrone can perform transportation when operated by the operator or automatically on predetermined routes.

Ukrtelecom will cease to provide payphone services from February 2020.

This is due to low demand and unprofitableness of payphones. According to the company, in 2017, there were approximately 900,000 minutes of talk time each month, and in 2019, less than 380,000 minutes. Payphones are “physically and morally outdated” and are not manufactured in Ukraine, which complicates operation.

“Today, the network has about 4,8 thousand pay phones, practically all of them are located in cities. On average, only about 2.5 minutes of calls take place from one payphone every day”, – Ukrtelecom noted.