Silicon is one of the most abundant elements on Earth, and in its pure form the material has become the foundation of much of modern technology, from solar cells to computer chips. But silicon’s properties as a semiconductor are far from ideal. For one thing, although silicon lets electrons whizz through its structure easily, it […]
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How Greenwashing Affects the Bottom Line
Customers punish hypocrisy.
How Leaders Can Escape Their Echo Chambers
Six strategies to ensure your team tells you what you need to hear.
At Facebook, It’s Always Been All About Growth
This week, we interview the hosts of Land of the Giants. The podcast’s new season traces Facebook’s explosion from a tiny startup to the colossus known as Meta.
Congress Might Pass an Actually Good Privacy Bill
A bill with bipartisan support might finally give the US a strong federal data protection law.
A Film Challenges the James Webb Telescope’s Controversial Name
The documentary scrutinizes the former NASA administrator’s role during an era of homophobic policies.
15Five, which builds HR software used at Spotify, Credit Karma, and other companies, has raised a $52M Series C led by Quad Partners (Ingrid Lunden/TechCrunch)
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: 15Five, which builds HR software used at Spotify, Credit Karma, and other companies, has raised a $52M Series C led by Quad Partners — 15Five — an early mover in the world of building technology to help motivate teams, and to improve performance management for execs overseeing those teams …
Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Twitter, and others register for a license in Indonesia under which they might have to censor content and hand over users’ data (Cristina Criddle/Financial Times)
Cristina Criddle / Financial Times: Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Twitter, and others register for a license in Indonesia under which they might have to censor content and hand over users’ data — Meta, TikTok and Twitter among groups to register for licences under which authorities can censor platforms
Amazon will acquire primary health care provider One Medical for about $3.9B in an all-cash deal (Ingrid Lunden/TechCrunch)
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: Amazon will acquire primary health care provider One Medical for about $3.9B in an all-cash deal — Amazon’s interest in healthcare and being a major player in that industry is taking one big step forward today. The company has just announced that it intends to buy One Medical …
When cells’ tiny differences have far-reaching implications
Within a given tissue or organ, cells may appear very similar or even identical. But at the molecular level, these cells can have small differences that lead to wide variations in their functions. Alex K. Shalek, an MIT associate professor of chemistry, relishes the challenge of uncovering those small distinctions. In his lab, researchers develop […]
How to Buy and Sell NFTs (If You Must)
Here are a few tips for setting up your crypto wallet, navigating the market, and avoiding scams.
10 Great Deals on Air Purifiers, Carpet Cleaners, and More
Your home could probably use a refresh, right? These products can help.
The DHS Bought a ‘Shocking Amount’ of Phone-Tracking Data
The ACLU released a trove of documents showing how Homeland Security contracted with surveillance companies to scour location information.
Baidu’s video streaming service iQiyi signs a content deal with Douyin, TikTok’s sister app in China, ending a long dispute over alleged copyright infringement (Cissy Zhou/Nikkei Asia)
Cissy Zhou / Nikkei Asia: Baidu’s video streaming service iQiyi signs a content deal with Douyin, TikTok’s sister app in China, ending a long dispute over alleged copyright infringement — Douyin users will be able to use iQiyi content to make their own short videos — Under a new agreement, users of short video platform […]
Microsoft is eliminating many open job listings, including in its Azure and security units, but plans to honor job offers and make exceptions for critical roles (Dina Bass/Bloomberg)
Dina Bass / Bloomberg: Microsoft is eliminating many open job listings, including in its Azure and security units, but plans to honor job offers and make exceptions for critical roles — Microsoft Corp. is eliminating many open job listings, including in its Azure cloud business and its security software unit, as the economy continues to […]
Qualcomm unveils the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 and W5+ Gen 1 chips for wearables, based on 4nm process and debuting in watches from Oppo and Mobvoi (Andrew Myrick/Android Central)
Andrew Myrick / Android Central: Qualcomm unveils the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 and W5+ Gen 1 chips for wearables, based on 4nm process and debuting in watches from Oppo and Mobvoi — The upgrade we’ve been waiting for is here. — What you need to know — Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon W5 platform for […]
Spinning rotors made from DNA could power minuscule machines
Building devices at the nanoscale is difficult because small molecules move about randomly, but now researchers have made a working rotor using DNA
How to Write a Resignation Letter
Here’s what to say — and what to leave out.
A technique to improve both fairness and accuracy in artificial intelligence
For workers who use machine-learning models to help them make decisions, knowing when to trust a model’s predictions is not always an easy task, especially since these models are often so complex that their inner workings remain a mystery. Users sometimes employ a technique, known as selective regression, in which the model estimates its confidence […]
Secret code in letter ink unlocks text of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Ink laced with molecules that can store data has been used to write a letter containing a hidden, encoded message – the encryption key to unlock a text file of the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Are You Too Responsible?
If so, you’re not the only one suffering. Your team is too.
3 Ways Companies Make Work Purposeful
Retaining employees starts with keeping them engaged.
Biden administration to work with private sector in a 120-day sprint to create hundreds of cybersecurity apprenticeship programs to fill out cybersecurity roles (Brian Fung/CNN)
Brian Fung / CNN: Biden administration to work with private sector in a 120-day sprint to create hundreds of cybersecurity apprenticeship programs to fill out cybersecurity roles — Washington (CNN Business)The Biden administration is pushing to fill hundreds of thousands of cybersecurity jobs in the United States …
A coalition representing Apple, Meta, and others asks India to amend its proposed IT rules, including allowing a self-regulatory grievance redressal mechanism (Manish Singh/TechCrunch)
Manish Singh / TechCrunch: A coalition representing Apple, Meta, and others asks India to amend its proposed IT rules, including allowing a self-regulatory grievance redressal mechanism — An industry group representing several tech giants has requested the Indian government to make a series of changes …
How to Use Your Smartphone to Cope With Hearing Loss
From live transcriptions to sound filtering, here’s how you can benefit from features on Android and Apple devices.
A Lawsuit Against Meta Shows the Emptiness of Social Enterprises
Foreign-owned organizations like Sama and Tala offer feel-good promises but take advantage of weak labor protections and poor accountability.
Europe Has Descended Into the Age of Fire
Climate change has primed the landscape to burn. But human migration has made Europe’s wildfires increasingly catastrophic.
An interview with Matthew Ball on his new book about the metaverse, which he sees as the next phase of the internet, Meta’s big pivot, AR hardware, and more (Nilay Patel/The Verge)
Nilay Patel / The Verge: An interview with Matthew Ball on his new book about the metaverse, which he sees as the next phase of the internet, Meta’s big pivot, AR hardware, and more — Let’s talk about the metaverse. — You probably can’t stop hearing about it. It’s in startup pitches, in earnings reports […]
Silk offers an alternative to some microplastics
Microplastics, tiny particles of plastic that are now found worldwide in the air, water, and soil, are increasingly recognized as a serious pollution threat, and have been found in the bloodstream of animals and people around the world. Some of these microplastics are intentionally added to a variety of products, including agricultural chemicals, paints, cosmetics, […]
Apple’s Butterfly Keyboard Fiasco Leads to a $50M Settlement
The class action lawsuit alleged that the company knew about the problems with its MacBook keyboards.
Stray’s Post-Apocalyptic World Evokes the Walled City of Kowloon
This now-lost city on the outskirts of Hong Kong is perhaps the most influential gaming location you’ve never heard of.
Netflix plans to launch its cheaper, ad-supported plan in “the early part of 2023”, starting in “a handful of markets where advertising spend is significant” (Todd Spangler/Variety)
Todd Spangler / Variety: Netflix plans to launch its cheaper, ad-supported plan in “the early part of 2023”, starting in “a handful of markets where advertising spend is significant” — Netflix is angling to win over a new bloc of value-conscious consumers — and help turn around …
US lawmakers release internal Amazon, Meta, and Google documents that they say show evidence of self-preferencing, as they call for tougher tech antitrust laws (Makena Kelly/The Verge)
Makena Kelly / The Verge: US lawmakers release internal Amazon, Meta, and Google documents that they say show evidence of self-preferencing, as they call for tougher tech antitrust laws — The House Judiciary Committee released new documents Tuesday — New internal documents released Tuesday detail how three …
Zebedee, which focuses on adding Bitcoin and Lightning payment support in games, raises a $35M Series B led by Kingsway Capital with Square Enix among investors (Andrew Hayward/Decrypt)
Andrew Hayward / Decrypt: Zebedee, which focuses on adding Bitcoin and Lightning payment support in games, raises a $35M Series B led by Kingsway Capital with Square Enix among investors — Zebedee has raised another $35M to power in-game payments via the Lightning Network, and the gaming giant is onboard. — In brief
Instagram Slow to Tackle Bots Targeting Iranian Women’s Groups
Despite alerting Meta months ago, feminist groups say tens of thousands of fake accounts continue to bombard them on the platform.
The US military is making uniforms with built-in bug spray
Mosquito-proof fabrics are being tested by the US military in an effort to make uniforms that protect against malaria and other diseases
Heatwave is forcing some UK firms to turn off high-power computers
Companies are taking steps to prevent heat damage to high-power computers, with some shutting down machines used for performing software updates or graphic rendering
Fusion’s newest ambassador
When high school senior Tuba Balta emailed MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) Director Dennis Whyte in February, she was not certain she would get a response. As part of her final semester at BASIS Charter School, in Washington, she had been searching unsuccessfully for someone to sponsor an internship in fusion energy, a topic that […]
School of Engineering Awards for 2022
The MIT School of Engineering recently announced its 2022 awards, honoring outstanding faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students. The Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching, given to a faculty member whose contributions have been characterized by dedication, care, and creativity, was presented to Michael Short, Class of ’42 Associate Professor in Nuclear Science and Engineering. The Junior […]
How the Unionization Trend is Changing Workplace Dynamics
A conversation about how organized labor and management can best work together.
How Paper Catalogs Remain Relevant in a Digital Age
Researchers found they can effectively recreate the sensory experience of in-store shopping.
Unleash Your Organization’s Overlooked Talent
Leaders need to rethink who gets to contribute — and how.
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 (Kimberly Chin/Axios)
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 […]
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Shows Games Are a Shared Art
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.
Gender-Affirming Care Improves Mental Health—and May Save Lives
Scores of bills in US states aim to block medical treatments for trans youth. But research shows that these bans could have dire consequences.
How China Threatens to Splinter the Metaverse
In the future, the metaverse could be split into two: China and the rest of the world.
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 (Mark Kleinman/Sky News)
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 […]
Microsoft reverses its decision to ban the sale of open source software in the Microsoft Store, due to mounting criticism (Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson/BetaNews)
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.
17 Tips to Help You Survive Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
This battle royale is insane. Try these basics and tricks to outlast your 59 opponents and be the last bean standing.
Twitter Has Entered the Elon Musk Twilight Zone
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.