Wall Street Journal: Study: some streaming devices keep playing content when TVs are off, leading to ~17% of ads being shown when users can’t see them, costing brands $1B+ per year — Lack of communication between TV sets and streaming devices causes estimated waste of over $1 billion in ad dollars
Conti’s Attack Against Costa Rica Sparks a New Ransomware Era
A pair of ransomware attacks crippled parts of the country—and rewrote the rules of cybercrime.
Ikea’s New Turntable, and 9 More Standouts From Milan Design Week
Furniture 3D-printed from lemons and flat-pack concrete furniture are just some highlights from the Salone del Mobile trade show in Italy.
Has the US Learned Nothing From the UK’s Gambling Woes?
As American sports betting accelerates, a similar reckoning is sure to follow.
All three of China’s top livestreaming influencers on Taobao have gone dark in recent months amid increasing government scrutiny on e-commerce livestreaming (Zeyi Yang/MIT Technology Review)
Zeyi Yang / MIT Technology Review: All three of China’s top livestreaming influencers on Taobao have gone dark in recent months amid increasing government scrutiny on e-commerce livestreaming — Three top livestreaming personalities on the platform Taobao commanded legions of fans who bought billions of dollars’ worth of goods—until they suddenly went dark.
Sources: Apple will use Apple ID data for identity verification and fraud prevention, rely on credit reports and FICO scores for its buy now, pay later service (AnnaMaria Andriotis/Wall Street Journal)
AnnaMaria Andriotis / Wall Street Journal: Sources: Apple will use Apple ID data for identity verification and fraud prevention, rely on credit reports and FICO scores for its buy now, pay later service — Tech giant will approve borrowers and fund loans itself rather than rely on a bank — Apple Inc. tiptoed into finance […]
Atlanta-based Ledgible, which develops crypto tax and accounting software to determine tax liabilities for consumers and enterprises, has raised a $20M Series A (Tom Matsuda/The Block)
Tom Matsuda / The Block: Atlanta-based Ledgible, which develops crypto tax and accounting software to determine tax liabilities for consumers and enterprises, has raised a $20M Series A — Crypto tax and accounting startup Ledgible has closed a $20 million Series A led by asset management firm EJF Capital.
Helping renewable energy projects succeed in local communities
Jungwoo Chun makes surprising discoveries about sustainability initiatives by zooming in on local communities. His discoveries lie in understanding how renewable energy infrastructure develops at a local level. With so many stakeholders in a community — citizens, government officials, businesses, and other organizations — the development process gets complicated very quickly. Chun works to unpack […]
Meta Hits the Brakes on Portal, AR Glasses, and Other Hardware
Plus: Metalenz’s camera tech makes its way into phones, Microsoft launches the Xbox TV app, and the OnePlus 10 Pro gets an upgrade.
How China Hacked US Phone Networks
Plus: Russia rattles its cyber sword, a huge Facebook phishing operation is uncovered, feds take down the SSNDOB marketplace, and more.
A defense of blockchains and crypto, as they go through growing pains in a bid to transform the US payments industry, which has been stagnant for decades (Matthew Green/A Few Thoughts on Cryptographic Engineering)
Matthew Green / A Few Thoughts on Cryptographic Engineering: A defense of blockchains and crypto, as they go through growing pains in a bid to transform the US payments industry, which has been stagnant for decades — Last week a group of technologists, including Bruce Schneier, sent a letter to Congress outlining their concerns around […]
A look at advanced large language models, as a Google engineer is placed on paid leave after becoming convinced that its LaMDA chatbot generator became sentient (Nitasha Tiku/Washington Post)
Nitasha Tiku / Washington Post: A look at advanced large language models, as a Google engineer is placed on paid leave after becoming convinced that its LaMDA chatbot generator became sentient — AI ethicists warned Google not to impersonate humans. Now one of Google’s own thinks there’s a ghost in the machine.
Dutch ACM says Apple’s latest changes to App Store rules, which let developers of dating apps choose payment methods, meet local and EU competition requirements (Mitchell Clark/The Verge)
Mitchell Clark / The Verge: Dutch ACM says Apple’s latest changes to App Store rules, which let developers of dating apps choose payment methods, meet local and EU competition requirements — It’s still unhappy about the carve-out for dating apps in the Netherlands — Apple announced on Friday that it once again updated …
The Last-Ditch Effort to Save Wild Salmon
As climate change deals a blow to coastal habitats, coho salmon are disappearing from California’s Russian River. Can conservation hatcheries save them?
The Best Kindles to Take Your Library Anywhere
Amazon has six ebook readers. Here’s how they stack up—and which one might be right for you.
Johnny Depp Has Become a Full-Circle Meme
TikTok played an integral role in his defamation trial—now Depp himself has joined the cacophony of memes.
Elon Musk’s Starlink has become an unexpected lifeline in Ukraine, on the battlefield and in the war for public opinion, impressing many Western militaries (Politico)
Politico: Elon Musk’s Starlink has become an unexpected lifeline in Ukraine, on the battlefield and in the war for public opinion, impressing many Western militaries — UkraineX: — How Elon Musk’s space satellites changed the war on the ground — From artillery strikes to Zoom calls,
An interview with Apple’s Craig Federighi and VP of Design Alan Dye on the new features in iOS 16 for customizing lock screens (Lance Ulanoff/TechRadar)
Lance Ulanoff / TechRadar: An interview with Apple’s Craig Federighi and VP of Design Alan Dye on the new features in iOS 16 for customizing lock screens — Your iPhone’s Lock Screen is the first thing you see when you pick up your phone. It’s also the face you present to the world and those […]
A week with Dall-E 2, OpenAI’s text-to-image AI tool that is in private research beta and feels like a breakthrough in the history of consumer tech (Casey Newton/The Verge)
Casey Newton / The Verge: A week with Dall-E 2, OpenAI’s text-to-image AI tool that is in private research beta and feels like a breakthrough in the history of consumer tech — I remember the first time I Shazam’d a song, summoned an Uber, and streamed myself live using Meerkat. What makes these moments stand […]
The Tricky Business of Elon Musk Getting Twitter Fire-Hose Access
Twitter has reportedly given the billionaire access to its full stream of tweets and related user data. Is your privacy in jeopardy?
The January 6 Hearing Was a Warning
The House committee’s televised hearings interrogate the Capitol attack with damning new evidence. Whether it’s enough to prevent another one is uncertain.
The Dune Miniseries Is a Fascinating Piece of History
The three-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel doesn’t quite hold up, but it’s still fascinating to watch.
AT&T says it is the first operator in the world to achieve 20 Gbps download and upload speeds with a production fiber network (Michael Potuck/9to5Mac)
Michael Potuck / 9to5Mac: AT&T says it is the first operator in the world to achieve 20 Gbps download and upload speeds with a production fiber network — Back in January, AT&T launched impressive speeds up to 5 Gbps with its fiber internet service in over 70 US cities. Now AT&T fiber is out with […]
Daniel Ek says Spotify’s upcoming audiobooks vertical will adopt the freemium model; Spotify’s acquisition of audiobook distributor Findaway is under DOJ review (Ariel Shapiro/The Verge)
Ariel Shapiro / The Verge: Daniel Ek says Spotify’s upcoming audiobooks vertical will adopt the freemium model; Spotify’s acquisition of audiobook distributor Findaway is under DOJ review — This story is part of a group of stories called — This article first ran in Hot Pod Insider, The Verge’s audio industry newsletter.
Jack Dorsey’s Bitcoin venture TBD plans to launch a “Web 5” platform, using the Ion network, focused on decentralized identity and data storage for applications (Michael McSweeney/The Block)
Michael McSweeney / The Block: Jack Dorsey’s Bitcoin venture TBD plans to launch a “Web 5” platform, using the Ion network, focused on decentralized identity and data storage for applications — TBD, the Bitcoin-focused venture first announced last spring, unveiled an ambitious effort Friday to build a decentralized Web platform dubbed “Web 5.”
UK military investigating quantum computers for battlefield tanks
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has bought a quantum computer that doesn’t require bulky cooling equipment, meaning it could one day be installed on military hardware such as tanks
The rise of computer-generated, artificially intelligent influencers
Virtual humans are gaining popularity on social media, with some amassing millions of young followers. But what psychological impact are they having?
Researchers discover a new hardware vulnerability in the Apple M1 chip
William Shakespeare might have been talking about Apple’s recently released M1 chip via his prose in “A Midnight Summer’s Dream”: “And though she be but little, she is fierce.” The company’s software runs on the little squares made of custom silicon systems, resulting in Apple’s most powerful chip to date, with industry-leading power efficiency. Yet […]
Does Your Company’s Culture Reinforce Its Strategy and Purpose?
Strategies for leaders to align all three.
Weighing the Risks of Inflation, Recession, and Stagflation in the U.S. Economy
The biggest liability could be how policymakers respond in the next few months.
Prediction Engines Are Like Karma: You Get What You Stream
WIRED’s spiritual advice columnist on the virtues of sharing a streaming profile and screwing with algorithms.
Sea to Summit’s Arlo TR1 Is a Fantastic Ultralight Tent
It’s the company’s first in this product category, and it’s one of the best we’ve tested.
The Quarry Lets You Experience What’s Great About Slasher Films
The video game combines couch co-op bonding with the joy of watching horror films with friends.
Sources: some US news outlets prepare for shortfalls as Meta weighs ending fees for news; annual fees averaged $20M+ for NYT, $15M+ for WaPo, and $10M+ for WSJ (Wall Street Journal)
Wall Street Journal: Sources: some US news outlets prepare for shortfalls as Meta weighs ending fees for news; annual fees averaged $20M+ for NYT, $15M+ for WaPo, and $10M+ for WSJ — Social-media company pays more than $10 million a year to a handful of news organizations to feature their content on its news tab
After delivery startup Gorillas raised $1B in October, sources say it is drastically cutting costs, reducing staff benefits, and considering closing warehouses (Aggi Cantrill/Bloomberg)
Aggi Cantrill / Bloomberg: After delivery startup Gorillas raised $1B in October, sources say it is drastically cutting costs, reducing staff benefits, and considering closing warehouses — After Germany’s rapid food delivery startup Gorillas Technologies GmbH closed a $1 billion funding round last October …
Source: Meta will distribute the first version of its AR glasses, codenamed Orion, exclusively to developers, helping them build software for future devices (Alex Heath/The Verge)
Alex Heath / The Verge: Source: Meta will distribute the first version of its AR glasses, codenamed Orion, exclusively to developers, helping them build software for future devices — It’s also canceling a planned smartwatch with two cameras — Meta has decided to not sell the first version of its full-fledged AR glasses …
An astrophysicist in a biomedical universe
For many of us, the pandemic sparked pivotal changes. And Magdelena S. Allen was no exception. Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Allen wanted to learn about everything. She loved stargazing and the physical sciences, but she was also interested in law and writing. Her parents, who homeschooled her and her sister until high school, were […]
Economics Needs More Socioeconomic Diversity
The high concentration of wealth and privilege in the field deprives it of essential perspective on issues such as inequality, unemployment, and inflation.
Today’s CEOs Don’t Just Lead Companies. They Lead Ecosystems.
It’s no longer enough to keep your board happy and appease shareholders.
Stop Tinkering with Your Corporate Strategy
If you keep changing it, did you even have one to begin with?
Summer Game Fest’s Biggest Announcement Was a Remake
But at least it’s a remake of The Last of Us Part 1.
Hackers Can Steal Your Tesla by Creating Their Own Personal Keys
A researcher found that a recent update lets anyone enroll their own key during the 130-second interval after the car is unlocked with an NFC card.
Frost Giant Studios’ Debut Mixes Starcraft With Diablo
Founded by ex-Blizzard devs, the new studio’s first foray is a real-time strategy game that focuses on fun and ’90s vibes.
Jack Dorsey and Jay-Z launch The Bitcoin Academy, giving free financial education classes on Bitcoin at the Brooklyn public housing complex where Jay-Z grew up (Amanda Silberling/TechCrunch)
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch: Jack Dorsey and Jay-Z launch The Bitcoin Academy, giving free financial education classes on Bitcoin at the Brooklyn public housing complex where Jay-Z grew up — Is billionaire-funded crypto education really what low-income people need? — Twitter co-founder and Block CEO Jack Dorsey …
AMD updates its Zen architecture roadmap, including Zen 4 improvements in 2022 and Zen 5 in 2024 with a mix of 4nm and 3nm processes and AI and ML optimizations (Ryan Smith/AnandTech)
Ryan Smith / AnandTech: AMD updates its Zen architecture roadmap, including Zen 4 improvements in 2022 and Zen 5 in 2024 with a mix of 4nm and 3nm processes and AI and ML optimizations — Today is AMD’s Financial Analyst Day, the company’s semi-annual, analyst-focused gathering. While the primary purpose …
DocuSign reports Q1 revenue up 25% YoY to $588.7M, vs. $581.8M est., and a $27.4M net loss, up from $8.4M YoY, as the company moderates hiring; stock drops 20%+ (Jordan Novet/CNBC)
Jordan Novet / CNBC: DocuSign reports Q1 revenue up 25% YoY to $588.7M, vs. $581.8M est., and a $27.4M net loss, up from $8.4M YoY, as the company moderates hiring; stock drops 20%+ — – DocuSign delivered 25% revenue growth from a year earlier but investors are increasingly concerned with profitability.
Quantum computers proved to have ‘quantum advantage’ on some tasks
Not only do quantum computers have the edge over classical computers on some tasks, but they are also exponentially faster, according to a new mathematical proof
Quantum computers could create completely new forms of matter
The way we can tweak interactions between qubits in quantum computers means the machines could help us create novel structures with weird properties we have never seen in nature
New CRISPR-based map ties every human gene to its function
The Human Genome Project was an ambitious initiative to sequence every piece of human DNA. The project drew together collaborators from research institutions around the world, including MIT’s Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, and was finally completed in 2003. Now, over two decades later, MIT Professor Jonathan Weissman and colleagues have gone beyond the sequence […]
Student-powered machine learning
From their early days at MIT, and even before, Emma Liu ’22, MNG ’22, Yo-whan “John” Kim ’22, MNG ’22, and Clemente Ocejo ’21, MNG ’22 knew they wanted to perform computational research and explore artificial intelligence and machine learning. “Since high school, I’ve been into deep learning and was involved in projects,” says Kim, […]