About: blatcho

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters: The European Union strike a provisional deal for its ~$47B Chips Act, which aims to double the bloc’s share of global chip output to 20% by 2030  —  The European Union on Tuesday agreed a 43 billion euro ($47 billion) plan for its semiconductor industry in an attempt to catch […]

What actually is a neural network and are AIs conscious? Here are five important questions about artificial intelligence answered

There is no doubt that the latest advances in artificial intelligence from OpenAI, Google, Baidu and others are more impressive than what came before, but are we in just another bubble of AI hype?

In 2019, MIT’s Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Office collaborated with several research labs in the Department of Biology to determine the feasibility of recycling clean lab plastics. Based on early successes with waste isolation and plastics collection, EHS collaborated with GreenLabs Recycling, a local startup, to remove and recycle lab plastics from campus. It […]

The vast majority of absorbent materials will lose their ability to retain water as temperatures rise. This is why our skin starts to sweat and why plants dry out in the heat. Even materials that are designed to soak up moisture, such as the silica gel packs in consumer packaging, will lose their sponge-like properties […]

As Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, this year’s MIT Energy Conference spotlighted the role of geopolitics in the world’s efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the worst effects of climate change. Each year, the student-run conference, which its organizers say is the largest of its kind, brings together leaders from around the […]

What sparked a SaaS crash in 2022 — and why its best days are still to come.

A spate of laws and rules in three areas — noncompete clauses, pay transparency, and human capital disclosures — will have far-reaching implications on the talent landscape.

A conversation with Joseph Fuller and Manjari Raman of HBS about developing frontline employees.

More than half of the enterprise routers researchers bought secondhand hadn’t been wiped, exposing sensitive info like login credentials and customer data.

You can carry this compact camp cooker like a suitcase to go anywhere and grill anything.

These accounts claim they’re warning people about alleged pickpockets and thieves, but they’re also stoking fear and hate.

Joseph Menn / Washington Post: Citizen Lab: NSO Group deployed at least three new “zero-click” hacks against iPhones with iOS 15 and early versions of iOS 16 in 2022; Apple fixed the exploits  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Israeli spyware maker NSO Group deployed at least three new “zero-click” hacks against iPhones last year …

Alex Heath / The Verge: Q&A with Bluesky CEO Jay Graber about its AT Protocol, content moderation, and more; he says the federated social network has let in about 20,000 users so far  —  As Elon Musk continues wielding Twitter like a blunt weapon against competitors like Substack, the downsides …

Bloomberg: Chinese government data: semiconductor output fell nearly 15% YoY in Q1 2023; smartphone production fell 13.8%, as local brands like Oppo and Xiaomi struggled  —  China’s production of key electronics declined so far this year despite a bullish rebound in the overall economy, showing the unevenness of the country’s recovery.

Cycling teams are beginning to plan their riders’ diets using statistical models that analyse data on the route, weather conditions and individuals’ power output

The streamer’s highly anticipated reunion left many disappointed, showing that TV might have a leg up on streaming when it comes to live programming.

Three criminal cases detail China’s alleged attempts to extend its security forces’ influence online—and around the globe.

VW’s latest big electric cruise sedan showcases new tech and impressive aerodynamics, but can it take on the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Tesla Model S?

Kanishka Singh / Reuters: Illinois, Michigan, and seven other US states join the DOJ lawsuit against Google, jointly filed with eight states in January 2023, for alleged ad tech monopoly  —  Nine more U.S. states on Monday joined a civil antitrust lawsuit filed earlier by the Justice Department against Alphabet Inc’s Google …

Jordan Pearson / VICE: A winner at the Sony World Photography Awards rejects the award, saying his submission was AI-generated and meant to test if such competitions were ready for AI  —  A winner at this year’s Sony World Photography Awards wasn’t a photo at all.  —  Jordan Pearson

TechCrunch: Ransomware gang Vice Society leaks data stolen from US network infrastructure company CommScope, including thousands of employees’ SSNs and bank account details  —  Hackers published a trove of data stolen from U.S. network infrastructure giant CommScope, including thousands …

Sponsor content from DELOITTE GLOBAL TAX.

The Biden administration is calling on organizations to build defenses into system designs, rather than relying on IT protections alone.

A study with Baul folk musicians found that recording asynchronously boosted creative freedom for women and didn’t negatively affect it for men.

Twitter’s suppression of trans joy can kill, at the precise moment we need to be strong.

The single-dose antibiotic regimen dramatically reduces transmission of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. But it doesn’t have the CDC’s blessing yet.

Sam Altman says the research strategy that birthed ChatGPT is played out and future strides in artificial intelligence will require new ideas.

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: Razor Group, which buys and scales up e-commerce merchants, raised an €80M Series C, sources say at a $1.2B valuation and acquires its competitor Stryze Group  —  The business of being an e-commerce aggregator may be down but it is definitely not out.  —  Razor Group, one of the string …

Mark Savage / BBC: A song that uses AI to clone the voices of Drake and The Weeknd without the artists’ permission goes viral on social media  —  A song that uses Artificial Intelligence to clone the voices of Drake and The Weeknd has gone viral on social media.  —  Called Heart On My Sleeve […]

Ian Johnston / Financial Times: As Palantir vies for a £480M contract to build a “federated data platform” for the UK’s NHS, experts say the company’s Foundry tool is costly and hard to use  —  Internal opposition voiced over US company’s bid for lucrative expansion within British health service

Need to keep an eye (or ear) on your kids from another room? Our picks will help you do it.

Need to keep an eye (or ear) on your kids from another room? Our picks will help you do it.

Keep your phone, tablet, laptop, and other electronics running with these handheld power banks.

Keep your phone, tablet, laptop, and other electronics running with these handheld power banks.

Feeling the pull of a clean machine? We’ll help you make sense of the company’s whirlwind lineup.

Feeling the pull of a clean machine? We’ll help you make sense of the company’s whirlwind lineup.

Nikhilesh De / CoinDesk: A US House Committee publishes a draft stablecoin bill, which proposes a moratorium on stablecoins backed by other cryptocurrencies, a CBDC study, and more  —  The stablecoin bill is the first major piece of crypto legislation in 2023.  —  The U.S. House Financial Services Committee published …

Nikhilesh De / CoinDesk: A US House Committee publishes a draft stablecoin bill, which proposes a moratorium on stablecoins backed by other cryptocurrencies, a CBDC study, and more  —  The stablecoin bill is the first major piece of crypto legislation in 2023.  —  The U.S. House Financial Services Committee published …

Patience Haggin / Wall Street Journal: Q&A with Microsoft’s CVP of ads on keeping Bing Chat results from being too promotional, AI-powered search threatening publishers’ ad revenue, and more  —  Kya Sainsbury-Carter, who recently was named to head the company’s ad business, offers an inside look at Microsoft’s game plan

Patience Haggin / Wall Street Journal: Q&A with Microsoft’s CVP of ads on keeping Bing Chat results from being too promotional, AI-powered search threatening publishers’ ad revenue, and more  —  Kya Sainsbury-Carter, who recently was named to head the company’s ad business, offers an inside look at Microsoft’s game plan

Nico Grant / New York Times: Sources detail Google’s project Magi, with 160+ people working full time on it, to enhance search with AI, as Samsung considers making Bing search the default  —  The tech giant is sprinting to protect its core business with a flurry of projects, including updates to its search engine and […]

Nico Grant / New York Times: Sources detail Google’s project Magi, with 160+ people working full time on it, to enhance search with AI, as Samsung considers making Bing search the default  —  The tech giant is sprinting to protect its core business with a flurry of projects, including updates to its search engine and […]

A programme to test robotic vehicles in the Mojave Desert shows that they can autonomously navigate rocky landscapes to get to their destination, without roads or maps

A programme to test robotic vehicles in the Mojave Desert shows that they can autonomously navigate rocky landscapes to get to their destination, without roads or maps

This new dash camera is more suited for delivery or rideshare drivers—and even then, it might not be worth the inconvenience.

The Biggest Microbiome Study Sheds Light on Shared Health Risks

Robot excavators and other equipment held big promise for heavy equipment makers—like self-driving cars, the technology has proven difficult to perfect.

Coco Feng / South China Morning Post: The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, created by Congress in 2000, accuses Shein and Pinduoduo’s Temu of data risks, IP infringement, and more  —  Chinese-backed digital platforms Shein and Temu have become the latest targets of the US government, after an official report raised concerns …

Shirin Ghaffary / Vox: Similarweb: Twitter’s traffic fell 7.7% YoY in March, the third straight month of decline, unique web visitors fell 3.3% YoY, and Android app DAUs fell 9.8% YoY  —  Say goodbye to the old Twitter and hello to the new normal.  —  It’s been a year since Elon Musk initiated his takeover […]