About: blatcho

What if the U.S. placed a tax on robots? The concept has been publicly discussed by policy analysts, scholars, and Bill Gates (who favors the notion). Because robots can replace jobs, the idea goes, a stiff tax on them would give firms incentive to help retain workers, while also compensating for a dropoff in payroll […]

Matador’s Flatpak dry bags will protect your gear from rain, even when you least expect it.

Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover is a case study in destruction. It doesn’t have to be this way.

When it rains, it pours. Here are our picks for cold, wet days—plus expert tips on deciphering product specs.

Brian Fung / CNN: SEC deposition: in 2017, Zuckerberg considered saying Facebook was investigating “organizations like Cambridge Analytica”, before advisers suggested against it  —  Mark Zuckerberg considered disclosing in 2017 that Facebook (FB) was investigating “organizations like Cambridge Analytica” …

James Reddick / The Record: US prosecutors say two men conspired with Russian hackers to tamper with JFK airport’s taxi queuing software, allegedly letting drivers cut the line for a fee  —  Two Queens men have been arrested and are facing up to 10 years in prison on charges that they conspired with Russian hackers […]

Mishaal Rahman / Esper Blog: Android and Google Chrome will soon no longer trust certificates from TrustCor Systems, following Firefox and Edge, over alleged ties to a US defense contractor  —  The world’s biggest tech companies have lost confidence in one of the Internet’s behind-the-scenes gatekeepers.

Research firm DeepMind has built an AI to optimise cooling systems in buildings. In tests, it reduced energy usage by around 10 per cent

The IEEE recently announced the annual winners of their 2023 prestigious medals and technical awards, and a number of MIT faculty and alumni have been honored. Rodney Brooks, Panasonic Professor of Robotics Emeritus of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, was awarded the IEEE Founders Medal “for leadership in research and commercialization of […]

A conversation with Hollywood legend Ron Howard about talent, success, and taking chances.

Here’s what the best-performing ones do differently.

Plus strategies for driving transformative growth in 2023.

People won’t be saying “It’s conscious!” about an AI in 2023—no matter how smart it may seem.

From the stylish Evercade to the old-school Sega Genesis Mini, these machines will have you bleeping, blooping, and blasting back to the good old days.

Elon Musk claims plane-tracking data is a risky privacy violation. But the world loses a lot if this information disappears—and that’s already happening.

Thomas Brewster / Forbes: The DEA finds a Mexico-based methamphetamine and cocaine gang operating across the US, Mexico, Europe, and Australia used Binance to launder $15M to $40M  —  A methamphetamine and cocaine gang operating across the U.S., Mexico, Europe and Australia used the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange Binance …

Sam Schechner / Wall Street Journal: Amazon agrees to settle two EU antitrust cases related to third-party sellers on its platform, won’t pay a fine, and will adhere to commitments for seven years  —  Amazon.com Inc. has agreed to settle two European Union antitrust cases related to allegations about its treatment of third-party sellers …

Tracy Wang / CoinDesk: A look at Modulo Capital, a mysterious multi-strategy hedge fund founded in 2022 and based in Albany in The Bahamas, which received $400M from Alameda Research  —  Founded in early 2022, Modulo operated out of the same luxury Bahamian condominium community where Sam Bankman-Fried and other FTX employees lived.

A magnetic slime robot that drew comparisons to the Marvel character Venom could navigate through narrow passages and fix broken circuits

Eliza Wells wrestles with deep ethical questions that have implications well beyond her field. A fourth year student in MIT’s philosophy PhD program, Wells studies morality and facilitates discussions at the Institute about ethics and technology. “I believe that philosophy can change lives. I want to help people interrogate their values so that they can […]

Whale-sized shonisaurs dominated the ocean 230 million years ago. A fossil cluster offers a fascinating glimpse at how they lived—based on where they died.

The US is offering four more at-home tests to every household. Here’s how to get yours.

This UK-based EV conversion company took the Holy Grail of American ICE sports cars, and made it suitable for modern-day racers—so we tried the prototype.

Adi Robertson / The Verge: Tumblr adds support for livestreaming to its iOS and Android apps in the US; the service is powered by video platform Livebox, which lets users tip streamers  —  Tumblr is adding support for livestreaming via the video platform Livebox.  The feature is being rolled out to US users on iOS […]

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch: ImagenAI, which uses AI to help photographers edit photos and automate postproduction, raised $30M from Summit Partners, bringing its total funding to $34M  —  ImagenAI, a startup using AI to help professional photographers edit photos and automate post-production work …

Matt Levine / Bloomberg: Analysis of Elon Musk’s reported attempts to raise more money for Twitter via an equity sale at an absurd price, why his successor will be unpopular, and more  —  Oh Elon  —  Imagine taking the job!  Yesterday Elon Musk tweeted a poll asking if he should step down as “head” of […]

It’s highly unusual for MIT students to be encouraged to throw one another to the floor, but that’s exactly what was happening during a lab that met in the Wrestling Room at the duPont Athletic Center at MIT in November.  After learning some basic judo moves and pairing off, students were instructed to shift their […]

On Monday, Dec. 5, at around 1 a.m., a tiny sphere of deuterium-tritium fuel surrounded by a cylindrical can of gold called a hohlraum was targeted by 192 lasers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California. Over the course of billionths of a second, the lasers fired, generating […]

Sponsor content from EMERSON.

Four research-backed recommendations.

Seven factors to consider.

The moment in season 2 captured exactly what it was like to be alive in another wearying year.

The US is more alert to the risks of strep infections, but the UK has better data. It’s not clear which makes more difference in controlling disease.

If harassment isn’t tackled soon, many women will go permanently offline to avoid online abuse.

Carly Wanna / Bloomberg: Crypto.com’s 2022 World Cup sponsorship, a symbol of how aggressively crypto companies spent on ads to gain users, was largely overshadowed by FTX’s collapse  —  At Sunday’s World Cup championship final between France and Argentina, Crypto.com will have a highly coveted seat right on the sideline …

Vicky Ge Huang / Wall Street Journal: Investor letter: Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein details options if the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust’s EFT plans fail, including a tender for outstanding shares  —  Michael Sonnenshein attempts to assuage fears of Grayscale Bitcoin Trust investors after collapse of FTX

Stephanie Bodoni / Bloomberg: The European Commission sends Meta a statement of objection for possible antitrust breaches over tying Marketplace to Facebook and imposing unfair trading terms  —  Meta Platforms Inc. was hit with a complaint from European Union antitrust watchdogs over concerns it’s unfairly squeezing …

As senior vice president for the Institute’s real estate group, the MIT Investment Management Company (MITIMCo), Steve Marsh has worked closely with the senior administrations of the past three MIT presidents to lead game-changing real estate efforts that helped attract countless industry collaborators to Kendall Square, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  With a keen ability to strategize […]

The Shark FlexStyle, TheraFace Pro, and Dermaflash Luxe want you to cancel your next salon appointment.

These WIRED-tested two-wheelers will help you scoot scoot scoot around town.

The past and future are tightly linked in conventional quantum mechanics. A tweak could let quantum possibilities increase as space expands.

Washington Post: Elon Musk says polls will decide major policies at Twitter and then launches a poll that asks “Should I step down as head of Twitter?”; “Yes” is leading by 10%+  —  After a new policy prompted a backlash, Twitter CEO Elon Musk said future policies would be determined by polls.

New York Times: A profile of ex-FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame, a big GOP donor who emerged as a central player in the FTX scandal after flagging fraud to regulators  —  The co-chief executive of an FTX unit who told regulators about wrongdoing at the exchange was a big Republican donor.  He also bought […]

Emma Roth / The Verge: Twitter says it will remove tweets and accounts promoting their presence on Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Nostr, and Post  —  Twitter will no longer allow users to promote their presence on certain social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Nostr, and Post.

This powerful dual-motor electric scooter is reliable, if a bit bumpy

The rise of agnotology will equip us with the tools to tackle mis- and disinformation, whatever its source.

Amy Harmon / New York Times: A profile of iNaturalist, a not-for-profit social network that uses an ML algorithm to help users identify plants and animals, driving cooperation and consensus  —  A not-for-profit initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society, iNaturalist says it aims …

Nancy Scola / Politico: A Q&A with CA Rep. Ro Khanna about Elon Musk, being mentioned in the “Twitter Files”, passing antitrust and privacy laws, cryptocurrencies, FTX, and more  —  A longtime creature of the tech world, it’s perhaps not surprising that Rep. Ro Khanna makes an appearance in the latest Silicon Valley scandal.

Sarah Marsh / Reuters: Report: Huawei accounts for 59% of Germany’s 5G radio access network equipment compared to 57% in 4G networks, despite intense diplomatic pressure from the US  —  Germany has become even more dependent on Huawei for its 5G radio access network equipment (RAN) than in its 4G network despite growing worries …

When Peter Williams was taking 2.002 (Mechanics and Materials II) this past semester, he won a trophy whose height is approximately equal to the width of three human hairs. Rather than feeling short-changed over his minuscule prize, the senior in mechanical engineering considered it a fitting award for a contest in which he and his […]