Manufacturing had a big summer. The CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law in August, represents a massive investment in U.S. domestic manufacturing. The act aims to drastically expand the U.S. semiconductor industry, strengthen supply chains, and invest in R&D for new technological breakthroughs. According to John Hart, professor of mechanical engineering and director of […]
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How to Infuse Liberatory Practices into Work Practices
Applying lessons from the Black feminist tradition.
MIT in the media: 2022 in review
From the announcement that President L. Rafael Reif would be stepping down and the news that Duke University Provost Sally Kornbluth had been named MIT’s 18th president to the Institute’s first Climate Grand Challenges and the opening of the new MIT Museum in Kendall Square, MIT faculty, researchers, students, and staff made headlines in 2022. […]
How to Get Better at Asking for Help at Work
Strategies to help you get the support you need to do your best work.
Validating Product-Market Fit in the Real World
Online ad platforms make it easy to obtain data-backed insights.
The Secret Life of Plant Killers
To take out invasives, the US relies on crews wielding hatchets, chainsaws, and herbicide. It’s a messy, fun job—but it may not be enough to stop the spread.
How Twitter played a major role in research and science communication, especially during the pandemic, as researchers and scientists leave the service (Chris Stokel-Walker/Nature)
Chris Stokel-Walker / Nature: How Twitter played a major role in research and science communication, especially during the pandemic, as researchers and scientists leave the service — Chris Stokel-Walker is a freelance journalist in Newcastle, UK. — You can also search for this author in — PubMed Google Scholar
The SEC’s Paul Munter says the regulator is increasing scrutiny of audit firms working with crypto companies, warning investors to be “very wary” of some claims (Jean Eaglesham/Wall Street Journal)
Jean Eaglesham / Wall Street Journal: The SEC’s Paul Munter says the regulator is increasing scrutiny of audit firms working with crypto companies, warning investors to be “very wary” of some claims — Regulator concerned about cryptocurrency companies overstating audit firms’ narrow reports
How ByteDance and TikTok, which owe their existence to intermingled Western and Chinese ideas, capital, and people, became entangled in the US-China rift (Alex W. Palmer/New York Times)
Alex W. Palmer / New York Times: How ByteDance and TikTok, which owe their existence to intermingled Western and Chinese ideas, capital, and people, became entangled in the US-China rift — A Chinese app conquered the planet — and now the U.S. is threatening to shut it down. Can the world’s biggest virality machine survive?
Merging storytelling and technology, “The Conquered” comes together in true MIT fashion
It started with a childhood memory. Or maybe it was a dream. MIT Senior Lecturer Ken Urban couldn’t get the image of a face in a window out of his head. Eventually he developed the vision into a rough idea for a plot. Last year, he shared an early treatment with Jay Scheib, MIT’s Class […]
15 Best Weighted Blankets (2022): Cooling, Throws, and Robes
These accessories might not cure your anxiety or insomnia, but they can feel like a hug when you really need one.
The Case That Foreshadowed the Lessons of the FTX Collapse
Before there was SBF, there was another “ethical crusader” who learned the same hard truths about the technology of trust.
11 Rapid At-Home Covid-19 Tests—and Where to Find Them
How accurate are over-the-counter swabs? Does your insurance cover them? We have answers.
The FCC proposes a record-breaking ~$300M fine against an auto warranty scam robocall campaign that made 5.1B+ calls to 550M+ US phone numbers in Q1 2021 (Tonya Riley/CyberScoop)
Tonya Riley / CyberScoop: The FCC proposes a record-breaking ~$300M fine against an auto warranty scam robocall campaign that made 5.1B+ calls to 550M+ US phone numbers in Q1 2021 — The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday proposed a record-breaking $300 million fine against an auto warranty robocall campaign …
Sources detail steps Netflix may take to reduce US password sharing, like charging account owners an extra sharing fee at just below the $6.99 ad-supported tier (Wall Street Journal)
Wall Street Journal: Sources detail steps Netflix may take to reduce US password sharing, like charging account owners an extra sharing fee at just below the $6.99 ad-supported tier — Putting a stop to the practice without alienating customers will be a challenge — The end of password sharing is coming to Netflix soon …
Micron reports Q1 revenue down ~47% YoY to $4.09B and plans to reduce its workforce by ~10% over the next year; Micron had 48,000 employees in September 2022 (Ian King/Bloomberg)
Ian King / Bloomberg: Micron reports Q1 revenue down ~47% YoY to $4.09B and plans to reduce its workforce by ~10% over the next year; Micron had 48,000 employees in September 2022 — Micron Technology Inc., the largest US maker of memory chips, gave a lackluster revenue outlook for the current period …
Super-absorbent towel soaks up liquids better than cloth or paper
A hydrogel mesh made from vinegar, baking soda, glycerol and alcohol sucks up water three times as well as products made from paper or cloth
Pablo Jarillo-Herrero delivers 2022 Dresselhaus Lecture on the magic of moiré quantum matter
“We have barely scratched the surface of the moiré quantum matter universe,” said Pablo Jarillo-Herrero at the 2022 Mildred S. Dresselhaus Lecture. The Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics at MIT, Jarillo-Herrero is at the forefront of the scientific exploration into moiré quantum systems, where correlated physics, superconductivity, and other phases of matter can […]
A Loyalty-Driven Singles’ Day in China Lends Lessons to Sales-Centric Shopping Holidays – SPONSOR CONTENT FROM ALIBABA
Sponsor content from ALIBABA.
This is your brain. This is your brain on code
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which measures changes in blood flow throughout the brain, has been used over the past couple of decades for a variety of applications, including “functional anatomy” — a way of determining which brain areas are switched on when a person carries out a particular task. fMRI has been used to […]
Reimagining a curriculum for tomorrow’s engineers at the University of the Andes
Nestled in the foothills of Bogotá, the University of the Andes (Uniandes) draws students across Colombia who are looking to study engineering. Today, those graduates are better equipped than ever, thanks to a comprehensive redesign of the university’s undergraduate engineering curriculum, inspired in part by its relationship with MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab […]
How Higher Ed Can Contend with Learning Platforms
The question is not whether to engage, but how to do so.
Research: Consumers Value Fate in Marketing Narratives
The story of how a product was discovered can change the level of consumers’ interest.
Vans Can (and Should) Go Electric
High costs stopped commercial fleets from embracing EVs. But now that the numbers finally add up, it makes sense to switch.
Q&A With ‘Cyclettes’ Author and Designer Tree Abraham
In Cyclettes, author and designer Tree Abraham takes readers on an illustrated ride through her life.
Kuo: Apple plans to cancel or postpone iPhone SE 4 mass production, set for 2024, due to lower than expected shipments of its middle- and lower-tier iPhones (Juli Clover/MacRumors)
Juli Clover / MacRumors: Kuo: Apple plans to cancel or postpone iPhone SE 4 mass production, set for 2024, due to lower than expected shipments of its middle- and lower-tier iPhones — Apple will cancel or postpone mass production for the planned 2024 iPhone SE 4, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in a series […]
In a Twitter Space, Elon Musk says he expects Twitter to “be okay” next year after cost cutting, claiming the company was on course to spend ~$5B in 2023 (Hannah Murphy/Financial Times)
Hannah Murphy / Financial Times: In a Twitter Space, Elon Musk says he expects Twitter to “be okay” next year after cost cutting, claiming the company was on course to spend ~$5B in 2023 — Social network’s owner offers snapshot of dire finances to explain huge lay-offs since $44bn takeover
It’s Time to Focus on Reproductive Longevity Research
Sidelined for too long, research into this vital aspect of health for people with ovaries will pick up pace in 2023—and it could see some big breakthroughs.
Twitter security flaw may leave videos sent in direct messages exposed
Videos sent in Twitter direct messages can theoretically be viewed by anyone, a weakness that could be leveraged by hackers, but the company isn’t planning on fixing this flaw
George Hotz, aka geohot, who joined Twitter on November 18 after Elon Musk’s “extremely hardcore” pledge, resigned, saying he could not make “any real impact” (Jay Peters/The Verge)
Jay Peters / The Verge: George Hotz, aka geohot, who joined Twitter on November 18 after Elon Musk’s “extremely hardcore” pledge, resigned, saying he could not make “any real impact” — George Hotz, known for being the first person to carrier-unlock an iPhone and jailbreaking the PS3 …
Should we tax robots?
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 […]
Putting a new spin on computer hardware
Luqiao Liu was the kind of kid who would rather take his toys apart to see how they worked than play with them the way they were intended. Curiosity has been a driving force throughout his life, and it led him to MIT, where Liu is a newly tenured associate professor in the Department of […]
SEC deposition: in 2017, Zuckerberg considered saying Facebook was investigating “organizations like Cambridge Analytica”, before advisers suggested against it (Brian Fung/CNN)
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” …
5 Best Rain Jackets (2022): Cheap, Eco-Friendly, Hiking, and Running
When it rains, it pours. Here are our picks for cold, wet days—plus expert tips on deciphering product specs.
Billionaires Are A Security Threat
Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover is a case study in destruction. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Save Your Gear From the Elements With These Waterproof Bags
Matador’s Flatpak dry bags will protect your gear from rain, even when you least expect it.
DeepMind’s AI cuts energy costs for cooling buildings
Research firm DeepMind has built an AI to optimise cooling systems in buildings. In tests, it reduced energy usage by around 10 per cent
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 (Mishaal Rahman/Esper Blog)
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.
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 (James Reddick/The Record)
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 […]
Ron Howard on Collaborative Leadership and Career Longevity
A conversation with Hollywood legend Ron Howard about talent, success, and taking chances.
MIT community members win 2023 IEEE medals and awards
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 […]
Research: Few Corporate Spinoffs Deliver Value
Here’s what the best-performing ones do differently.
Innovating in Uncertain Times: Lessons from 2022
Plus strategies for driving transformative growth in 2023.
9 Best Retro Game Consoles (2022): Evercade, Polymega, Analogue Pocket, and Controllers
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.
Conscious Machines May Never Be Possible
People won’t be saying “It’s conscious!” about an AI in 2023—no matter how smart it may seem.
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 (Sam Schechner/Wall Street Journal)
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 …
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 (Thomas Brewster/Forbes)
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 …
Elon Musk and the Dangers of Censoring Real-Time Flight Trackers
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.
This Venom-like magnetic slime robot was a big hit in 2022
A magnetic slime robot that drew comparisons to the Marvel character Venom could navigate through narrow passages and fix broken circuits
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 (Tracy Wang/CoinDesk)
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.