Politico: Russia-backed falsehoods and digital tricks related to its invasion of Ukraine are putting tech giants on the defensive over the spread of online disinformation — The world’s biggest social media companies are scrambling to combat a global barrage of Kremlin-backed falsehoods …
About: blatcho
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Google is under pressure to remove or cut commercial ties with some prolific pro-Russian YouTube channels; pro-Kremlin broadcasters are popular on the platform (Mark Bergen/Bloomberg)
Mark Bergen / Bloomberg: Google is under pressure to remove or cut commercial ties with some prolific pro-Russian YouTube channels; pro-Kremlin broadcasters are popular on the platform — With sanctions on Russia ramping up following its invasion of Ukraine, Google’s YouTube is under pressure to remove …
A profile of Nebraska-based PenLink, a wiretapping company helping law enforcement like the FBI, DEA, and ICE collect data from Apple, Meta, Google, and others (Thomas Brewster/Forbes)
Thomas Brewster / Forbes: A profile of Nebraska-based PenLink, a wiretapping company helping law enforcement like the FBI, DEA, and ICE collect data from Apple, Meta, Google, and others — A small Nebraska company is helping law enforcement around the world spy on users of Google, Facebook and other tech giants.
Using artificial intelligence to find anomalies hiding in massive datasets
Identifying a malfunction in the nation’s power grid can be like trying to find a needle in an enormous haystack. Hundreds of thousands of interrelated sensors spread across the U.S. capture data on electric current, voltage, and other critical information in real time, often taking multiple recordings per second. Researchers at the MIT-IBM Watson AI […]
How US Sanctions Will Crimp Russia’s Tech Sector
Russian firms and government agencies rely heavily on semiconductors from Western companies that will be cut off following the Ukraine invasion.
Russia’s Cyber Threat to Ukraine Is Vast—and Underestimated
The Kremlin’s web of nonstate hackers can wreak just as much havoc as Putin’s government.
The Best Accessories for Your New PlayStation 5
From backup controllers to full-on sound systems, here are our favorite complements to your PS5.
Vox Media, Complex Networks, and BDG are considering using their own mobile-optimized article pages instead of using Google’s AMP; WaPo dropped AMP last summer (Alexandra Bruell/Wall Street Journal)
Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal: Vox Media, Complex Networks, and BDG are considering using their own mobile-optimized article pages instead of using Google’s AMP; WaPo dropped AMP last summer — Owners of the Verge and Bustle test alternatives to AMP framework, an effort they expect will generate more ad revenue
Etsy beats with Q4 revenue of $717M, up 16.2% YoY, vs. $685M est., and 2021 revenue of $2.3B, up 35% YoY, with 96.3M active buyers, up 17.6% YoY; stock up 20%+ (Annie Palmer/CNBC)
Annie Palmer / CNBC: Etsy beats with Q4 revenue of $717M, up 16.2% YoY, vs. $685M est., and 2021 revenue of $2.3B, up 35% YoY, with 96.3M active buyers, up 17.6% YoY; stock up 20%+ — – Shares of Etsy soared as much as 24% in extended trading on Thursday. — The company reported fourth-quarter […]
Block reports Q4 revenue of $4.08B, up 29% YoY, and $1.96B in Cash App bitcoin revenue, up 12% YoY; bitcoin revenue hit $10B in 2021, up 119%; stock is up 20%+ (Michael McSweeney/The Block)
Michael McSweeney / The Block: Block reports Q4 revenue of $4.08B, up 29% YoY, and $1.96B in Cash App bitcoin revenue, up 12% YoY; bitcoin revenue hit $10B in 2021, up 119%; stock is up 20%+ — Quick Take — Payments company Block, formerly known as Square, said Thursday that it made $1.96 billion in […]
Meet the robots that can reproduce, learn and evolve all by themselves
Machines that can mate and produce offspring can help us clean up nuclear sites, explore asteroids and terraform distant planets – but could they prove a threat, asks Emma Hart, who is helping develop them
Will Russia’s invasion of Ukraine trigger a massive cyberwar?
Russia, Ukraine and many of the latter’s Western allies have the ability to launch cyberattacks on other nations, and both sides seem ready for digital skirmishes
A new, inexpensive catalyst speeds the production of oxygen from water
An electrochemical reaction that splits apart water molecules to produce oxygen is at the heart of multiple approaches aiming to produce alternative fuels for transportation. But this reaction has to be facilitated by a catalyst material, and today’s versions require the use of rare and expensive elements such as iridium, limiting the potential of such […]
More sensitive X-ray imaging
Scintillators are materials that emit light when bombarded with high-energy particles or X-rays. In medical or dental X-ray systems, they convert incoming X-ray radiation into visible light that can then be captured using film or photosensors. They’re also used for night-vision systems and for research, such as in particle detectors or electron microscopes. Researchers at […]
Chemical synthesis yields potential antibiotic
Chemists at MIT have developed a novel way to synthesize himastatin, a natural compound that has shown potential as an antibiotic. Using their new synthesis, the researchers were able not only to produce himastatin but also to generate variants of the molecule, some of which also showed antimicrobial activity. They also discovered that the compound […]
Does Your Health Plan Leave Your Workers Functionally Uninsured? – SPONSOR CONTENT FROM CENTIVO
Sponsor content from the Centivo.
Using a Mantra to Be a More Inclusive Leader
Focusing on a clear intention can help you act in a way that’s consistent to your values.
Why Becoming a Data-Driven Organization Is So Hard
Company culture is often a bigger hurdle than any technical problem.
27 Awesome Gear Deals From Winter Clearance Sales
Retailers are clearing out their cold-weather stock—while snow is still on the ground. Buy now, use now, and shred some gnar.
Sea Level Rise Will Be Catastrophic—and Unequal
A chilling new report predicts a foot of sea level rise in the US by 2050. But quirks of physics mean everyone will suffer in different ways.
Dependent on Facebook Groups? Here’s How to Break Free
For people with serious medical conditions, groups are a valuable source of information—and they make it hard to quit Facebook. Here are some alternatives.
Experts say Russia could use cryptocurrency to minimize the impact of US sanctions, including a forthcoming digital ruble and spoils from ransomware attacks (New York Times)
New York Times: Experts say Russia could use cryptocurrency to minimize the impact of US sanctions, including a forthcoming digital ruble and spoils from ransomware attacks — Russian companies have many cryptocurrency tools at their disposal to evade sanctions, including a so-called digital ruble and ransomware.
India-based Niyo, which provides digital savings accounts and other banking services, raises a $100M Series C led by Accel and Lightrock India (Manish Singh/TechCrunch)
Manish Singh / TechCrunch: India-based Niyo, which provides digital savings accounts and other banking services, raises a $100M Series C led by Accel and Lightrock India — India’s Niyo has raised $100 million in a new financing round as the consumer-facing neobank platform looks to add lending and other features …
As Russia attacks Ukraine, Bitcoin falls 8% to a one-month low, Ether drops 12%, and others crash, wiping $150B off the crypto market in the last 24 hours (Arjun Kharpal/CNBC)
Arjun Kharpal / CNBC: As Russia attacks Ukraine, Bitcoin falls 8% to a one-month low, Ether drops 12%, and others crash, wiping $150B off the crypto market in the last 24 hours — – Bitcoin fell to a one-month low on Thursday with other cryptocurrencies including ether plunged.
Russia’s Sandworm Hackers Have Built a Botnet of Firewalls
Western intelligence services are raising alarms about Cyclops Blink, the latest tool at the notorious group’s disposal.
Africa’s Oldest DNA Is Helping Address Science’s Racial Bias
Scientists have way more DNA from ancient Europeans than Africans. Now analysis of a genome from nearly 20,000 years ago is answering questions about the continent’s past.
The Best Kids’ Headphones for Sensitive Little Ears
If you use screens for work and play, your child probably does too. These are the best pairs we’ve bought and tested for our own kids.
Reddit publishes its 2021 transparency report: 297M pieces of content were removed out of 5.8B total, 2,813 users and 2,625 subreddits were permanently banned (Andy Maxwell/TorrentFreak)
Andy Maxwell / TorrentFreak: Reddit publishes its 2021 transparency report: 297M pieces of content were removed out of 5.8B total, 2,813 users and 2,625 subreddits were permanently banned — As one of the more popular user-submitted content sites on the internet today, Reddit and its community moderators have to work hard to keep the platform […]
The UK and US say they have identified “Cyclops Blink”, new botnet malware linked to Russian-backed Sandworm hacking group, which appears to replace VPNFilter (Dan Goodin/Ars Technica)
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica: The UK and US say they have identified “Cyclops Blink”, new botnet malware linked to Russian-backed Sandworm hacking group, which appears to replace VPNFilter — The Russian government’s Sandworm group uses previously unseen Cyclops Blink. — Hackers for one of Russia’s …
Cloudflare acquires email protection startup Area 1 Security for $162M in cash and stock; Cloudflare’s stock is down 55%+ from its November 2021 all-time high (Joe Williams/Bloomberg)
Joe Williams / Bloomberg: Cloudflare acquires email protection startup Area 1 Security for $162M in cash and stock; Cloudflare’s stock is down 55%+ from its November 2021 all-time high — Cloudflare Inc. said it has agreed to buy email protection provider Area 1 Security Inc. for $162 million, the security vendor’s …
Physicists observe an exotic “multiferroic” state in an atomically thin material
MIT physicists have discovered an exotic “multiferroic” state in a material that is as thin as a single layer of atoms. Their observation is the first to confirm that multiferroic properties can exist in a perfectly two-dimensional material. The findings, published today in Nature, pave the way for developing smaller, faster, and more efficient data-storage […]
Four Ways to Connect Digital Threads with Simulation and Realize the Promise of Industry 4.0 – SPONSOR CONTENT FROM ANSYS
Sponsor content from the Ansys.
5 Ways Marketing Leaders Can Drive More Value in 2022
Marketers must claim the broader growth agenda, connecting the dots across data, digital, and the full customer journey.
Scaling Synthetic Biology (with Ginkgo’s Reshma Shetty)
Ginkgo Bioworks COO Reshma Shetty discusses the company’s integrated approach to scaling synthetic biology.
Energy Firms Are Going ‘Green’ by Offloading Dirty Coal Plants
In the EU, phasing out emissions often means paying someone to take over polluting plants—and keep them running.
Inside the Lab Where Intel Tries to Hack Its Own Chips
Researchers at iSTARE have to think like the bad guys, finding critical flaws before processors go to production.
It’s Tough to Build a Corporate Culture in a Remote-Work World
There are Zoom happy hours and digital water coolers, but employees feel disconnected, and work feels transactional.
Sources: Mark Cuban’s live video and audio app Fireside is in talks to raise a $25M Series A at a $125M valuation and plans NFTs and metaverse tools in Q2 (Manish Singh/TechCrunch)
Manish Singh / TechCrunch: Sources: Mark Cuban’s live video and audio app Fireside is in talks to raise a $25M Series A at a $125M valuation and plans NFTs and metaverse tools in Q2 — Mark Cuban’s interactive platform Fireside, which helps creators reach audiences through live and virtual shows …
Trump’s Truth Social has been almost entirely inaccessible in its first days due to technical glitches, a 13-hour outage, and 300,000-person waitlist (Drew Harwell/Washington Post)
Drew Harwell / Washington Post: Trump’s Truth Social has been almost entirely inaccessible in its first days due to technical glitches, a 13-hour outage, and 300,000-person waitlist — Former president Donald Trump, a longtime critic of how Democrats debuted Healthcare.gov, is facing a bungled website launch of his own.
Canada-based eSentire, which provides a managed threat detection and response service, raises $325M at a $1B+ valuation, bringing its total funding to $411.2M (Duncan Riley/SiliconANGLE)
Duncan Riley / SiliconANGLE: Canada-based eSentire, which provides a managed threat detection and response service, raises $325M at a $1B+ valuation, bringing its total funding to $411.2M — Canadian managed detection and response startup eSentire Inc. today said it has raised $325 million in new funding to invest in research and development and hire more […]
A security technique to fool would-be cyber attackers
Multiple programs running on the same computer may not be able to directly access each other’s hidden information, but because they share the same memory hardware, their secrets could be stolen by a malicious program through a “memory timing side-channel attack.” This malicious program notices delays when it tries to access a computer’s memory, because […]
An NFT Bubble Is Taking Over the Gig Economy
Two-thirds of freelancers on Fiverr say they’re servicing the NFT industry. But is it sustainable?
An Optical Spy Trick Can Turn Any Shiny Object Into a Bug
Anything from a metallic Rubik’s cube to an aluminum trash can inside a room could give away your private conversations.
From BioWare to Beer: How Greg Zeschuk Makes Dreams Come True
The studio cofounder isn’t in the gaming industry anymore, but he’s still building new things—and still playing games.
With Meta handicapped by Apple’s ATT, Shopify should build an advertising business to complement Shop Pay and the Shopify Fulfillment Network (Ben Thompson/Stratechery)
Ben Thompson / Stratechery: With Meta handicapped by Apple’s ATT, Shopify should build an advertising business to complement Shop Pay and the Shopify Fulfillment Network — Tobi Lütke, who famously started Shopify when he realized that the software he built to run his snowboard shop was a much bigger opportunity …
London-based fintech Weavr, which offers online businesses preconfigured financial service APIs, raises a $40M Series A led by Tiger Global (PYMNTS.com)
PYMNTS.com: London-based fintech Weavr, which offers online businesses preconfigured financial service APIs, raises a $40M Series A led by Tiger Global — Embedded finance startup Weavr raised $40 million in a Series A funding round led by Tiger Global, with participation from Mubadala Capital, Latitude Fund, QED Investors, Anthemis and Seedcamp.
Berlin-based Zenjob, which offers a marketplace that connects students looking for a side job with over 2,500 companies, raises a $50M Series D led by Aragon (Natasha Lomas/TechCrunch)
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch: Berlin-based Zenjob, which offers a marketplace that connects students looking for a side job with over 2,500 companies, raises a $50M Series D led by Aragon — More money for casual job-matching in Europe: Zenjob, a marketplace platform that targets students looking for side jobs in sectors like retail …
Singing in the brain
For the first time, MIT neuroscientists have identified a population of neurons in the human brain that lights up when we hear singing, but not other types of music. These neurons, found in the auditory cortex, appear to respond to the specific combination of voice and music, but not to either regular speech or instrumental […]
Stacey Abrams and Lara Hodgson on Entrepreneurship and Self-Doubt
The three-time founders share their hard-won lessons.
To Reach Your Goals, Embrace Self-Compassion
Four strategies to help you let go of paralyzing perfectionism and move forward.