About: blatcho

Researchers found they can effectively recreate the sensory experience of in-store shopping.

A conversation about how organized labor and management can best work together.

Leaders need to rethink who gets to contribute — and how.

In the future, the metaverse could be split into two: China and the rest of the world.

Scores of bills in US states aim to block medical treatments for trans youth. But research shows that these bans could have dire consequences.

Gabrielle Zevin’s novel makes a case that video games are one of the most empathetic forms of creativity—something the writer and her husband know well.

Kimberly Chin / Axios: Flip, which lets shoppers monetize their purchases by posting video reviews, has raised a $60M Series B at a ~$500M valuation, bringing its total raised to $95M  —  Social commerce platform Flip wants to put a face—and a voice—to online beauty product reviews, in a bid to help shoppers make more […]

Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson / BetaNews: Microsoft reverses its decision to ban the sale of open source software in the Microsoft Store, due to mounting criticism  —  Having previously upset software developers by implementing a ban on the sale of open source software in its app store, Microsoft has reversed its decision.

Mark Kleinman / Sky News: Source: UK mobile banking startup Starling told staff it ended a four-year process to get an Irish banking license, signalling a shift in its expansion strategy  —  The digital lender told staff on Monday that a four-year ambition to launch a retail bank in Ireland was being brought to a […]

The company laid off some US staff and told workers in Europe and the UK that their jobs are at risk.

In the tortured deal’s alternate reality, it makes sense for the company’s leaders to try to force Musk to take over—but things will get tricky if they succeed.

This battle royale is insane. Try these basics and tricks to outlast your 59 opponents and be the last bean standing.

Greg Kumparak / TechCrunch: Slack to update its subscriptions on Sept. 1, with free plans getting access to the last 90 days of messages and Pro plans to cost a max $8.74/user per month  —  Slack, the chat platform that serves as an online watercooler for oh-so-many teams, is bumping up its monthly price and […]

Malathi Nayak / Bloomberg: A private antitrust lawsuit, filed in California, accuses Apple of using its smartphone dominance to fend off competition to Apple Pay from rival payment apps  —  Apple Inc. was hit with an antitrust lawsuit over Apple Pay, accused of using its market power in the mobile device industry …

PYMNTS.com: New York-based Meow, which offers corporate investors a compliant-first approach to cryptocurrency investing, raised a $22M Series A led by Tiger Global  —  Crypto corporate treasury firm Meow raised $22 million in a Series A funding round led by Tiger Global, with participation from QED Investors …

A quadruped robot can learn how to walk by adjusting its gait after every stumble, mimicking the way animals learn how to move

Late this spring, the MIT Governance Lab (MIT GOV/LAB) hosted a pair of online conversations between public service leaders about governance innovation. Discussion topics included how governments can be motivated to innovate and what role design can play in reforming government and public services.  MIT GOV/LAB is an applied research group directed by Lily L. […]

Four researchers with MIT ties — Juncal Arbelaiz, Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao, Sandya Subramanian, and Heather Zlotnick ’17 — have been honored with competitive Schmidt Science Fellowships. Created in 2017, the fellows program aims to bring together the world’s brightest minds “to solve society’s toughest challenges.” The four MIT-affiliated researchers are among 29 Schmidt Science Fellows […]

Over several decades, neuroscientists have created a well-defined map of the brain’s “language network,” or the regions of the brain that are specialized for processing language. Found primarily in the left hemisphere, this network includes regions within Broca’s area, as well as in other parts of the frontal and temporal lobes. However, the vast majority […]

Three ways to improve both — at the same time.

Don’t undervalue the overlooked.

Five strategies to get a word in.

The loss of sea ice is exposing darker waters, which absorb more of the sun’s energy. It’s a devastating feedback loop with major consequences for the planet.

The Nolan has a total of four motors and is the most stable sit-stand workstation I’ve ever tried.

Among the Boston slowcore group’s inspirations are The Ocarina of Time, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and Mario Party 3.

Wall Street Journal: The linchpin in Microsoft’s Netflix deal was Xandr, the ad tech firm it recently acquired from AT&T that’s helping fuel Microsoft’s online advertising ambitions  —  Tech company, embracing underdog role, reignites its ambitions in online advertising  —  Microsoft Corp. MSFT 1.04%▲ …

Nikkei Asia: Tracxn: ~$8.5B in VC funding was raised by Indian education startups from 2014 to 2021, with about half of that in 2021 alone, as they vie for US marketshare  —  Grab for market share takes on extra urgency as valuation woes and job cuts bite  —  AKITO TANAKA, Nikkei Asia chief business news […]

Karen Hao / Wall Street Journal: Researchers say Alibaba’s cloud platform that hosted Shanghai’s now-leaked police database used outdated systems that didn’t offer the ability to set a password  —  Cybersecurity companies say Alibaba’s cloud platform that hosted Shanghai’s police database used outdated systems that didn’t offer ability to set a password

Unemployment insurance is a lifeline for many people when work goes away. And when times get really bad in the U.S. — in recessions and during the Covid-19 pandemic — Congress has extended the duration of unemployment benefits for millions of workers. But is there a better way to structure the timing of unemployment insurance? […]

It has never been hard to imagine how information technology (IT) might improve health care services. Fast messaging replacing faxes. Electronic health records that can be accessed more easily. Software that can inform doctors’ decisions. Telemedicine that makes care more flexible. The possibilities seem endless. But as a new review paper from an MIT economist […]

Microsoft’s subscription service includes captivating titles like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and Citizen Sleeper.

Streaming music giving you the blues? These entry-level turntables will help you rock on to analog audio at home.

Wall Street Journal: Adam Neumann’s Flowcarbon and some other startups offering cryptocurrencies backed by carbon-offset credits have slowed product rollouts amid the crypto crash  —  Investors rushed to startups offering cryptocurrencies backed by carbon-offset credits, then the markets tanked

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch: Sydney-based Hivery, whose software helps retailers select the right mix of products to stock on store shelves, has raised a $30M Series B led by Tiger Global  —  Hivery, a startup that bills itself as an “optimization platform” for retailers, today announced that it raised $30 million …

Mark Bergen / Bloomberg: Seattle-based Phaidra, whose AI software automates building controls for industrial facilities like power plants, raised a $25M Series A led by Starshot Capital  —  Industrial production is one of the dirtiest corners of the corporate world.  A startup from former Google engineers thinks …

With her homeland mired in war, the sphere-packing number theorist Maryna Viazovska has become the second woman to win a Fields Medal in the award’s history.

Donating to national organizations is great. But these local reproductive health care services—in places under immediate threat—could use your help, too.

There may be a reason your favorite shows aren’t looking their best.

Nathan Grayson / Washington Post: A look at YouTube’s strategy that began in 2019 of signing Twitch streamers who have a network of collaborators to try and build its own game streaming culture  —  Listen  —  Gift Article  —  Where once the departure of Twitch stars for YouTube Gaming elicited shock and awe …

Sabah Gurmat / Rest of World: An app for India’s largest public employment program is jeopardizing the livelihood of millions in the country due to technical glitches and poor connectivity  —  Poor connectivity and an English-only interface make the app unusable for many who rely on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal: MakeMyMove: at least 71 US cities and town are now offering cash grants and other perks to attract remote tech workers, up from 24 in October 2021  —  Incentives are drawing high-paid tech workers, and challenging how we think about local economic development

Thousands of people are traveling far and paying huge sums for a procedure that has not been proven effective for persistent Covid symptoms.

Plus: A wild Indian cricket scam, an elite CIA hacker is found guilty of passing secrets to WikiLeaks, and more of the week’s top security news.

Plus: BMW fiddles with fee-based feature unlocking, Twitter lets you untag yourself, and the final beta of Android 13 arrives.

CNBC: The 2022 “crypto winter” differs from previous crashes, in part due to the macro environment, the TerraUSD collapse, excess leverage, and contagion via 3AC  —  – Cryptocurrencies have suffered a brutal comedown this year, losing $2 trillion in value since the height of a massive rally in 2021.

Financial Times: India escalates its crackdown on Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi, which control ~60% of its smartphone market, with claims of tax evasion and unlawful remittances  —  Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi hit by claims of tax evasion and unlawful remittances in legal actions that have stoked tensions with China

Alastair McCready / VICE: Online scam centers in Southeast Asia have perfected “pig butchering”, a romance-meets-investment fraud, to lure victims into bogus investment schemes  —  Thousands of imprisoned and abused workers are propping up Southeast Asia’s ‘pig butchering’ industry, an online fraud emptying bank accounts across the world.

From extra game storage to a fancy new 120-Hz TV, here are our favorite WIRED-tested complements to your PS5.

Seizure-inducing methyl bromide and carcinogenic formaldehyde are only some of the poisonous gases scientists found inside cargo containers.

Capture that weird message, high score, or malfunctioning app in a snap.