Category: Uncategorized

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 […]

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 […]

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.

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

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.

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 […]

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 …

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 […]

Four research-backed recommendations.

Sponsor content from EMERSON.

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 […]

Seven factors to consider.

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

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 …

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

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.

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

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 […]

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

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

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

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.

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 […]

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.

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.

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 …

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

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

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 […]

Russ Mitchell / Los Angeles Times: Amazon has invested $75M so far to help Ukraine, including getting 10PB of government data out of the country in suitcase-sized Snowball Edges for AWS uploading  —  Since Februrary, Amazon has been playing Santa Claus to Ukraine, delivering planeloads of goods, including blankets, hygiene kits …

This super exclusive electro-retro ride is cooler than Bullitt’s classic on the outside—with the tech from Arrival’s electric vans under the hood.

Plus: An FBI platform got hacked, an ex-Twitter employee is sentenced for espionage, malicious Windows 10 installers circulate in Ukraine, and more.

Do you struggle to nod off or stay asleep through the night? These WIRED-tested tools can help.

Sean Hollister / The Verge: Anker’s security cameras brand Eufy quietly removed 10 commitments from its privacy page, including encryption, after questions about keeping those promises  —  It’s been two weeks since we reported that Anker’s Eufy lied to us about the security of its security cameras, and we’ve been pushing the company for answers […]

Jasper Ward / Reuters: Source: Sam Bankman-Fried plans to reverse his decision to contest extradition to the US; legal experts say any trial is likely more than a year away  —  Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is expected to appear in court in the Bahamas on Monday to reverse his decision to contest extradition …

These discounted vacuums, smartphones, and gift cards will help you finish up shopping—without overspending.

By overtly supporting green and tech sectors, governments can stimulate economic growth and innovation.

Laura Preston / n+1: A first-person narrative on working as a human fallback for Brenda, a real estate conversational AI chatbot, as part of a team of about sixty operators  —  THE RECRUITER WAS A CHIPPER WOMAN with a master’s degree in English.  Previously she had worked as an independent bookseller.

Matt Burgess / Wired: Analysis: multiple major Russian cities appear to have faced widespread GPS disruption during the past week, as part of efforts to evade Ukraine’s drone attacks  —  Navigation system monitors have seen a recent uptick in interruptions since Ukraine began launching long-range drone attacks.

The risk of escalation from cyberattacks has never been greater—or the pursuit of peace more complicated.

Mike Florio / NBCSports.com: Report: Apple has backed out of the negotiations for the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, leaving Amazon and Google as the frontrunners  —  The company once regarded as the frontrunner for NFL Sunday Ticket has opted to take a Sunday drive, instead.  —  Buried in an item on Puck.news from Dylan […]

Brian Fung / CNN: Twitter sparked an international outcry by suspending journalists, and some legal experts say it could face regulatory scrutiny for blocking links to Mastodon  —  Elon Musk’s Twitter sparked an international outcry on Thursday by suspending a number of journalists at major news organizations who cover him.

Historian Michael Livingston explores the real-world myths and legends the author used to construct his epic fantasy series.

The entrepreneur says he’s cracking down on doxing. Many see his account-blocking spree as self-serving.

Once a mainstay in arguments about how soulless and bloody video games could be, the franchise is now a star of narrative design.

Semafor: Sources: the MD of Elon Musk’s family office is seeking new equity investors for Twitter, offering shares of Twitter at $54.20, the same price that Musk paid  —  The managing director of Elon Musk’s family office is seeking new equity investors for Twitter as users revolt, advertisers flee …

9to5Mac: Apple, Google, and Mozilla are collaborating on the development of Speedometer 3, a browser benchmark that measures responsiveness  —  Speedometer is a browser benchmark that measures responsiveness by simulating user interactions on demo web applications.  Introduced by Apple’s WebKit team …

Nuclear fusion, infectious diseases and an incredible new space telescope were ongoing stories in 2022, but what were some of the other big scientific developments, discoveries and events of the year?