Natasha Mascarenhas / TechCrunch: a16z unveils Start, an accelerator that offers early-stage founders up to $1M in capital from its seed fund, after quietly piloting the program for over a year — For more than a year, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has quietly piloted its own take on an accelerator for early-stage entrepreneurs …
Harmful chips hidden on circuit boards revealed by their power use
Careful observation of the power consumption of a circuit board can reveal telltale signs that an attacker has tampered with it and installed a malicious device designed to steal sensitive information or cause crashes, say researchers.
The Essentials: Managing Up
How to set boundaries with your boss, give them feedback, disagree, and balance your needs with theirs.
The Best Leaders Have a Contagious Positive Energy
Researchers found that it supersedes charisma, influence, power, personality, attractiveness, and genius.
Making Quantum Computing a Reality
How Infosys is developing real-world applications of the technology.
Crypto Is Poised to Reshape Taxes—and Cities
Tokens like CityCoins could turn taxes into another investment vehicle, for better or worse.
The Artful, Subdued Translations of Modern Pop
Young artists like Latto, Vince Staples, and Doechii are subtly persuading listeners to rethink the way music genres can be interpreted.
A Brutal Wave of Bird Flu Spotlights the Need for a Poultry Vaccine
More than 27 million birds have died or been slaughtered, and wild birds are dying too. Without a shot, farmers have to rely on vigilance and culling their flocks.
China’s National Bureau of Statistics: quarterly chip production dropped 4.2% QoQ in March, the first time since early 2019, amid weaker demand and lockdowns (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg: China’s National Bureau of Statistics: quarterly chip production dropped 4.2% QoQ in March, the first time since early 2019, amid weaker demand and lockdowns — China’s quarterly production of semiconductors shrunk for the first time since early 2019 as consumer electronics demand softened …
A profile of Eva Shang, whose investment firm Legalist uses AI to fund lawsuits with a stronger chance of winning and has raised $400M in the past six months (Matt Wirz/Wall Street Journal)
Matt Wirz / Wall Street Journal: A profile of Eva Shang, whose investment firm Legalist uses AI to fund lawsuits with a stronger chance of winning and has raised $400M in the past six months — Fund manager, startup founder, blogger: Eva Shang is cracking the private debt market. The $400 million she raised in […]
Fan tokens issued by Manchester City and other soccer clubs have proven to be a disappointment for hopeful fans, with prices quickly losing steam within days (Ignacio Olivera Doll/Bloomberg)
Ignacio Olivera Doll / Bloomberg: Fan tokens issued by Manchester City and other soccer clubs have proven to be a disappointment for hopeful fans, with prices quickly losing steam within days — As soon as rumors started buzzing that soccer star Lionel Messi would transfer from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in August …
11 PC Games You Can Play Forever
There’s always something new to play, but these are our favorites when you’re seeking something tried and true.
Virtual classroom startup Class is testing Intel’s “emotion AI” tech that claims to detect bored, distracted, or confused students, raising privacy questions (Kate Kaye/Protocol)
Kate Kaye / Protocol: Virtual classroom startup Class is testing Intel’s “emotion AI” tech that claims to detect bored, distracted, or confused students, raising privacy questions — When college instructor Angela Dancey wants to decipher whether her first-year English students comprehend what she’s trying …
The iPad needs a “pro” mode when the device is connected to a keyboard and a trackpad, with Mac-like multitasking, a proper desktop, and more for advanced users (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg: The iPad needs a “pro” mode when the device is connected to a keyboard and a trackpad, with Mac-like multitasking, a proper desktop, and more for advanced users — Ahead of Apple’s developers conference, here’s how I suggest fixing its iPad software conundrum: a “pro mode” …
Beanstalk, a credit-focused stablecoin protocol using Ethereum, was exploited for ~$182M in various crypto assets by someone who had amassed governance tokens (Michael McSweeney/The Block)
Michael McSweeney / The Block: Beanstalk, a credit-focused stablecoin protocol using Ethereum, was exploited for ~$182M in various crypto assets by someone who had amassed governance tokens — Beanstalk, a credit-focused stablecoin protocol built on Ethereum, was exploited Sunday morning.
A Newly Measured Particle Could Break Known Physics
A new analysis of W bosons suggests these particles are significantly heavier than predicted by the standard model of particle physics.
How to Give macOS Quick Look New Powers
This simple utility is one of the Mac’s best tools. Here’s how to use it to preview code, peek into archives, and more.
How to Limit Who Can Contact You on Instagram
It’s your account—you decide who’s allowed to see your vacation photos or slide into your DMs.
Didi announces a shareholder meeting on May 23 to vote on delisting of its shares from the NYSE and reports Q4 2021 revenue of $6.4B, down about 12.6% YoY (Reuters)
Reuters: Didi announces a shareholder meeting on May 23 to vote on delisting of its shares from the NYSE and reports Q4 2021 revenue of $6.4B, down about 12.6% YoY — Didi Global Inc (DIDI.N) will hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on May 23 to vote on its delisting plans in the United States […]
Social media platforms have weakened major forces that bind democracies together, especially after 2009 when the virality of social media started to intensify (Jonathan Haidt/The Atlantic)
Jonathan Haidt / The Atlantic: Social media platforms have weakened major forces that bind democracies together, especially after 2009 when the virality of social media started to intensify — What would it have been like to live in Babel in the days after its destruction? In the Book of Genesis, we are told …
Twitter should not only open source its algorithm but also create a marketplace where anyone can build their own algorithms, and use the ones created by others (Nathan Baschez/Every)
Nathan Baschez / Every: Twitter should not only open source its algorithm but also create a marketplace where anyone can build their own algorithms, and use the ones created by others — You don’t have to be IN real estate to invest in it. Fundrise is an easy-to-use platform that lets you build …
Bringing “cultural diplomacy” to the classics
People often put national boundaries around the written word. If you read French poetry or Victorian novels, it is tempting to understand those texts strictly in relation to the history and culture of France or Britain. Yet it often helps to take a wider view about literary production. Consider that for many centuries, Chinese provided […]
North Korea’s Lazarus Group Was Behind $540 Million Ronin Theft
Plus: Spyware maker NSO Group deemed “valueless,” T-Mobile fails to buy its stolen data, and malware spreads on Telegram.
Meta’s Augmented Reality Glasses Are Still Years Away
Plus: Apple faces MacBook delays, Peloton switches gears, and Sonos acquires another speaker company.
Workers at Apple’s flagship Grand Central Terminal store in Manhattan have begun to formally collect signatures to form a union (Reed Albergotti/Washington Post)
Reed Albergotti / Washington Post: Workers at Apple’s flagship Grand Central Terminal store in Manhattan have begun to formally collect signatures to form a union — If successful, the effort would be the first time an Apple retail location has unionized — Workers at Apple’s flagship Grand Central Terminal retail location …
A profile of Anna Fang, CEO of China-based ZhenFund, who has backed 30+ seed-stage startups that became unicorns and 90+ startups that had a successful exit (Rebecca Szkutak/Forbes)
Rebecca Szkutak / Forbes: A profile of Anna Fang, CEO of China-based ZhenFund, who has backed 30+ seed-stage startups that became unicorns and 90+ startups that had a successful exit — When ZhenFund CEO Anna Fang was new to venture investing, her mentor told her that the right entrepreneurs to back are the ones …
Musk’s free speech definition is utter nonsense and his suggestions for Twitter completely ignore decades of content moderation iteration on social platforms (Mike Masnick/Techdirt)
Mike Masnick / Techdirt: Musk’s free speech definition is utter nonsense and his suggestions for Twitter completely ignore decades of content moderation iteration on social platforms — from the not-how-any-of-this-works dept — Lots of talk yesterday as Elon Musk made a hostile takeover bid for all of Twitter.
How to Change Your Browser in Windows 11 (Hint: It’s Not Easy)
Want to switch to Chrome or Firefox? Not so fast, my friend.
To Resurrect Jordan’s Lost Forests, People Plant Tiny Urban Ones
Environmentalists see small reforestation pilot sites around the capital of Amman as a first step to a greener future.
You—Yes, You!—Would Be a Better Owner for Twitter Than Elon Musk
The platform’s essential infrastructure should be controlled by a user-owned democracy.
An interview with a former Xinjiang prisoner, who details how China extensively uses tech like Hikvision surveillance cameras to facilitate human rights abuses (Zack Whittaker/TechCrunch)
Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch: An interview with a former Xinjiang prisoner, who details how China extensively uses tech like Hikvision surveillance cameras to facilitate human rights abuses — The rare firsthand account will help investigate human rights abuses — For 10 months in 2018, Ovalbek Turdakun was a prisoner …
At least seven crypto firms have suspended rupee deposits; CoinGecko: daily trading volumes on Indian crypto exchanges have fallen 88%-96% since peaking in 2021 (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg: At least seven crypto firms have suspended rupee deposits; CoinGecko: daily trading volumes on Indian crypto exchanges have fallen 88%-96% since peaking in 2021 — When Surojit Chatterjee walked on stage at a Coinbase Global Inc. conference in Bengaluru, India, on April 7 …
GitHub says an attacker used stolen OAuth user tokens issued to Heroku and Travis-CI to download data from private repositories belonging to npm and other orgs (Sergiu Gatlan/BleepingComputer)
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer: GitHub says an attacker used stolen OAuth user tokens issued to Heroku and Travis-CI to download data from private repositories belonging to npm and other orgs — GitHub revealed today that an attacker is using stolen user tokens (issued to Heroku and Travis-CI OAuth) to download data from private repositories.
Severance Is a Nightmare Vision of Office Life
The Apple TV+ show is one of 2022’s smartest series.
Why Your ‘Digital Shabbat’ Will Fail
‘Secular shabbats’ may be a trendy self-help tool, but they won’t curb your screen use or provide a quick fix for your stress.
Elon Musk Wasn’t the Only Reason to Be at TED
Plus: The conference 15 years ago, the limits of Web3, and yet another tragedy.
Sources: Elon Musk is speaking to investors, including Silver Lake, to partner with him on a bid for Twitter; a partnership could be announced within days (Josh Kosman/New York Post)
Josh Kosman / New York Post: Sources: Elon Musk is speaking to investors, including Silver Lake, to partner with him on a bid for Twitter; a partnership could be announced within days — Elon Musk is speaking to investors who could partner with him on a bid for Twitter, sources close to the matter told […]
Opera launches its Crypto Browser app on iOS, with a built-in crypto wallet, direct access to cryptocurrency and NFT exchanges, dApps, and more (Aliya Chaudhry/TechCrunch)
Aliya Chaudhry / TechCrunch: Opera launches its Crypto Browser app on iOS, with a built-in crypto wallet, direct access to cryptocurrency and NFT exchanges, dApps, and more — Opera has launched the iOS version of their Crypto Browser, designed for accessing web3, with a non-custodial crypto wallet built-in.
Coda Payments, which offers cross-border payments for games, alternative app stores, and other digital products, raises $690M at a $2.5B valuation (Dean Takahashi/VentureBeat)
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat: Coda Payments, which offers cross-border payments for games, alternative app stores, and other digital products, raises $690M at a $2.5B valuation — Coda Payments has raised $690 million in funding to enable cross-border payments for games and other digital products, as well as alternative app stores.
MIT students Bhav Jain and Liberty Ladd named 2022 Truman Scholars
MIT students Bhav Jain and Liberty Ladd have been selected as 2022 Truman Scholars. Truman Scholars demonstrate outstanding leadership potential, a commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector, and academic excellence. Jain and Ladd join 56 other scholars who were selected from 705 candidates nominated by 275 colleges and universities. President L. […]
School of Science announces 2022 Infinite Mile Awards
The MIT School of Science has announced the winners of the 2022 Infinite Mile Award. The selected staff members were nominated by their colleagues for going above and beyond in their roles at the Institute. Their outstanding contributions have made MIT a better place. The following are the 2022 Infinite Mile Award winners in the […]
A flexible way to grab items with feeling
The notion of a large metallic robot that speaks in monotone and moves in lumbering, deliberate steps is somewhat hard to shake. But practitioners in the field of soft robotics have an entirely different image in mind — autonomous devices composed of compliant parts that are gentle to the touch, more closely resembling human fingers […]
Supporting Employee Caregivers Starts with Better Data
Most employers remain in the dark about how many of their workers are caring for others at home.
Starting a New Job as a Mid-Career Professional
Five tips to help you adjust to a new workplace — especially if it’s been awhile.
Enough With the Corporate Non-Apologies for DEI-Related Harm
Real apologies reflect a genuine effort to understand the harm inflicted and take accountability for addressing it. Here’s how to do it right.
Wirelessly Whip Your Cream With This Battery-Powered Hand Mixer
Cuisinart gives the venerable plug-in kitchen gadget a cordless update.
New Tools for Taking Control of Your Web Browsing
This week, we learn about the new browser from DuckDuckGo and share some of our web privacy tips.
The Rise of Brand-New Secondhand EVs
The global chip shortage has triggered a surge in demand for prized, pricey used electric vehicles. It’s only just beginning.
China bans livestreaming of unauthorized video games, particularly of overseas games or competitions that have not been approved (Reuters)
Reuters: China bans livestreaming of unauthorized video games, particularly of overseas games or competitions that have not been approved — China said on Friday the livestreaming of unauthorised video games was banned, signalling stricter enforcement of rules as part of its broad crackdown …
Rapido, whose bike taxi service is available in about 100 Indian cities, raises a $180M Series D led by Swiggy, at a $800M valuation (Manish Singh/TechCrunch)
Manish Singh / TechCrunch: Rapido, whose bike taxi service is available in about 100 Indian cities, raises a $180M Series D led by Swiggy, at a $800M valuation — Swiggy has led a $180 million financing round into bike taxi startup Rapido as the Indian food delivery giant looks to broaden its fleet network across […]