Joanna Ossinger / Bloomberg: Fasset, which lets users in emerging markets to buy and sell digital assets easily and conveniently, raises a $22M Series A led by Liberty City and Fatima Gobi — Fasset, a digital-asset gateway, is planning a major expansion in some areas of the Islamic world, as it seeks to boost the […]
Driverless cars can be tricked into seeing red traffic lights as green
Aiming lasers at the cameras used in driverless cars caused them to incorrectly interpret red traffic lights as green 30 per cent of the time
Study finds an unexpected upside to imposter syndrome
Even many successful people harbor what is commonly called impostor syndrome, a sense of being secretly unworthy and not as capable as others think. First posited by pyschologists in 1978, it is often assumed to be a debilitating problem. But research by an MIT scholar suggests this is not universally true. In workplace settings, at […]
Learning to think critically about machine learning
Students in the MIT course 6.036 (Introduction to Machine Learning) study the principles behind powerful models that help physicians diagnose disease or aid recruiters in screening job candidates. Now, thanks to the Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC) framework, these students will also stop to ponder the implications of these artificial intelligence tools, which […]
Elon Musk Is Right About Twitter
It really is the closest thing we have to an online public square—and that’s terrible for democracy. Let his takeover bid be a wakeup call.
Wikipedia Editors Are Ready to Stop Accepting Crypto Donations
A majority of editors voiced support to end such donations, arguing that the Bitcoin and Ethereum networks consume too much energy.
Elon Musk Has Triggered a Battle for the Future of Twitter
Twitter’s board has to accept Musk’s $43 billion offer or make a counterattack.
A lawsuit filed against OlympusDAO’s co-founders over $20M+ in the DAO’s native tokens could unmask their identities, testing the limits of pseudonymity in DAOs (Sam Kessler/CoinDesk)
Sam Kessler / CoinDesk: A lawsuit filed against OlympusDAO’s co-founders over $20M+ in the DAO’s native tokens could unmask their identities, testing the limits of pseudonymity in DAOs — An early Olympus investor alleges he was cheated out of millions of OHM tokens when key smart contracts were rendered inoperable.
California-based Twingate, which offers zero-trust security tools for enterprise, raises a $42M Series B led by Bond Capital (Jay Fitzgerald/CRN)
Jay Fitzgerald / CRN: California-based Twingate, which offers zero-trust security tools for enterprise, raises a $42M Series B led by Bond Capital — ‘We think there’s a huge opportunity to work with channel members to help them solve the security problems of their clients,’ says CEO Tony Huie.
Sources: Twitter’s board is considering a poison pill after Elon Musk’s bid; a source says another plan under consideration is saying that the offer is too low (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg: Sources: Twitter’s board is considering a poison pill after Elon Musk’s bid; a source says another plan under consideration is saying that the offer is too low — Twitter Inc.’s board is considering adopting a measure that would protect the company from hostile acquisition bids …
Professor Emeritus Leo Marx, influential scholar of American history, dies at 102
Leo Marx, internationally famed scholar of American history and founding member of MIT’s Program in Science, Technology, and Society (STS), died on March 8 at his home in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. He was 102. Respected and beloved as a scholar, teacher, colleague, and friend, Marx provided decisive leadership in giving the humanities […]
Frequent encounters build familiarity
Do better spatial networks make for better neighbors? There is evidence that they do, according to Paige Bollen, a sixth-year political science graduate student at MIT. The networks Bollen works with are not virtual but physical, part of the built environment in which we are all embedded. Her research on urban spaces suggests that the […]
Three from MIT awarded 2022 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans
MIT graduate student Fernanda De La Torre, alumna Trang Luu ’18, SM ’20, and senior Syamantak Payra are recipients of the 2022 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. De La Torre, Luu, and Payra are among 30 New Americans selected from a pool of over 1,800 applicants. The fellowship honors the contributions of immigrants […]
How to Ask Whether an Employee Is Happy at Work
And get a real answer.
How Collaborative Intelligence Can Boost Business Innovation – SPONSOR CONTENT FROM MURAL
Sponsor content from Mural.
Find Joy in Any Job: What Do I Really Love To Do?
Part two of our special series with Marcus Buckingham on how to craft a job around the things you love.
Our Favorite Umbrellas Will Help You Ride Out the Rain
These picks will protect you from the showers, withstand the wind, and hold up for the long haul.
Time Got So Much Weirder. The World Needs a New Lexicon
Our days aren’t ruled by the sundial or the pendulum clock anymore. They’re measured in binges and darkmodes.
15 Good N95, KF94, and KN95 Face Masks to Buy Right Now
Here are the best disposable coverings we’ve tested and researched—and where you can find them.
Reddit updates its search to index comments, available globally on the web but not its apps, and improves natural language searches (Jasmine Hicks/The Verge)
Jasmine Hicks / The Verge: Reddit updates its search to index comments, available globally on the web but not its apps, and improves natural language searches — The new rollout also comes with a refined search experience for desktop users on the platform — Today, Reddit is updating its search feature to index comments.
Filevine, which offers tools to help with legal workflows such as document management and billing, raises a $108M Series D, bringing its total funding to $155M (Kyle Wiggers/TechCrunch)
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch: Filevine, which offers tools to help with legal workflows such as document management and billing, raises a $108M Series D, bringing its total funding to $155M — Filevine, a startup offering a software-as-a-service product for legal case management, today announced that it closed …
PitchBook: VCs invested $148B globally in Q1, down 25% from $191B in Q4 2021, as rising inflation and the war in Ukraine dampen investor appetites (Swetha Gopinath/Bloomberg)
Swetha Gopinath / Bloomberg: PitchBook: VCs invested $148B globally in Q1, down 25% from $191B in Q4 2021, as rising inflation and the war in Ukraine dampen investor appetites — Private companies globally are pulling back sharply on raising new funds, as pressure on public markets begins to weigh on the lofty valuations sought by […]
Feds Uncover a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ for Hacking Industrial Systems
The malware toolkit, known as Pipedream, is perhaps the most versatile tool ever made to target critical infrastructure like power grids and oil refineries.
Some (Kinda) Good Climate News: 2 Degrees Is Doable
Humans could keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, new research shows, but only if countries actually stick to their pledges.
11 Ways to Upgrade Your Wi-Fi and Make Your Internet Faster
There’s always something you can do to improve your connection at home.
Context, an app that lets users follow and track other people’s crypto wallets and transactions, raises a $19.5M seed led by Variant Fund and Sam Altman (Callan Quinn/The Block)
Callan Quinn / The Block: Context, an app that lets users follow and track other people’s crypto wallets and transactions, raises a $19.5M seed led by Variant Fund and Sam Altman — Quick Take — The round was led by Variant Fund and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. — The firm’s app lets users track on-chain […]
After the pandemic forced employees to work from home, some neurodivergent people are thriving at remote cybersecurity jobs (Nicolle Liu/Wall Street Journal)
Nicolle Liu / Wall Street Journal: After the pandemic forced employees to work from home, some neurodivergent people are thriving at remote cybersecurity jobs — The Covid-19 pandemic forced many employees to work from home, leveling the playing field for people with conditions such as autism, who might not fare as well in office settings
India’s ban on Chinese apps, including TikTok, has allowed homegrown short-video apps like Josh to thrive; Josh has 150M+ MAUs and a $5B valuation as of April (Saritha Rai/Bloomberg)
Saritha Rai / Bloomberg: India’s ban on Chinese apps, including TikTok, has allowed homegrown short-video apps like Josh to thrive; Josh has 150M+ MAUs and a $5B valuation as of April — Jiya Kiran Valambhia’s success story as a social media influencer is a familiar one in the age of TikTok.
AI strips out city noise to improve earthquake monitoring systems
The sounds of cities can make it hard to discern the underground signals that indicate an earthquake is happening, but deep learning algorithms could filter out this noise
Joystick-operated robot could help surgeons treat stroke remotely
MIT engineers have developed a telerobotic system to help surgeons quickly and remotely treat patients experiencing a stroke or aneurysm. With a modified joystick, surgeons in one hospital may control a robotic arm at another location to safely operate on a patient during a critical window of time that could save the patient’s life and […]
MIT Schwarzman College of Computing unveils Break Through Tech AI
Aimed at driving diversity and inclusion in artificial intelligence, the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing is launching Break Through Tech AI, a new program to bridge the talent gap for women and underrepresented genders in AI positions in industry. Break Through Tech AI will provide skills-based training, industry-relevant portfolios, and mentoring to qualified […]
MIT OpenCourseWare launches NextGen platform
After serving millions of learners around the world for the last 20 years, MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) has launched its next-generation platform to allow for flexible growth, experimentation, and evolution in open learning. MIT’s “NextGen OCW” offers a new and improved experience for learners, more support for educators, additional opportunities for open education collaboration, and a […]
Venture Capital and Deep Decarbonization (with Energy Impact Partners’ Shayle Kann)
A longtime investor on the challenges of investing in the net zero economy.
Research: VCs Reward Self-Presentation Over Qualifications
An analysis of more than 4,000 firms, their founders, and their funders.
An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Surviving the “Death Valley Curve”
Two key questions: Do you have the right business model, and do you have growth ambitions?
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Still Rocks, But Power Comes at a Cost
The G14 debuted as an affordable, powerful gaming laptop contender. The new version still has plenty to love, apart from a declining value proposition.
Russia Is Leaking Data Like a Sieve
Ukraine claims to have doxed Russian troops and spies, while hacktivists are regularly leaking private information from Russian organizations.
Biofuels Are Getting a Second Look—and Some Tough Questions
Bioethanol has been touted as a green way to cut reliance on Russian oil. But new modeling suggests it isn’t the climate solution.
Analysis of Google search results for 50+ trans celebrities shows transphobic suggestions, such as “before surgery” or “as a guy”; Google says it fixed an issue (JD Shadel/Them)
JD Shadel / Them: Analysis of Google search results for 50+ trans celebrities shows transphobic suggestions, such as “before surgery” or “as a guy”; Google says it fixed an issue — When the world has a question, we Google it. Processing more than three billion searches a day …
Meta’s plan to take up to a 47.5% cut of each virtual transaction on Horizon Worlds draws criticism from NFT proponents; OpenSea takes a 2.5% cut (Daniel Van Boom/CNET)
Daniel Van Boom / CNET: Meta’s plan to take up to a 47.5% cut of each virtual transaction on Horizon Worlds draws criticism from NFT proponents; OpenSea takes a 2.5% cut — Meta, previously known as Facebook, is figuring out how to monetize the metaverse. … It’s been nearly six months since the company formerly […]
Salsify, which helps e-commerce brands manage inventory, raises a $200M Series F led by TPG at a $2B valuation and says it has 1,200 customers (Ingrid Lunden/TechCrunch)
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: Salsify, which helps e-commerce brands manage inventory, raises a $200M Series F led by TPG at a $2B valuation and says it has 1,200 customers — E-commerce is booming, but it’s become increasingly apparent over the years that the businesses that are able to capitalize on that trend …
Embracing ancient materials and 21st-century challenges
When Sophia Mittman was 10 years old, she wanted to be an artist. But instead of using paint, she preferred the mud in her backyard. She sculpted it into pots and bowls like the ones she had seen at the archaeological museums, transforming the earthly material into something beautiful. Now an MIT senior studying materials […]
Russia’s Sandworm Hackers Attempted a Third Blackout in Ukraine
The attack was the first in five years to use Sandworm’s Industroyer malware, which is designed to automatically trigger power disruptions.
Capture Your Daring Feats With Our Favorite Action Cameras
Gearing up to shred the slopes or dive into the seas? These photography tools are made for danger.
How the Battle Over a Pesticide Led to Scientific Skepticism
The movement to bring DDT back after its ban found a curious ally: Big Tobacco. But the endangered industry was after something bigger.
Ukrainian officials say they stopped an attack on an energy facility with help from ESET and Microsoft, and identified a new variant of the Industroyer malware (Jonathan Greig/The Record)
Jonathan Greig / The Record: Ukrainian officials say they stopped an attack on an energy facility with help from ESET and Microsoft, and identified a new variant of the Industroyer malware — Ukrainian officials said they stopped an attack on an energy facility with the help of researchers from ESET and Microsoft.
Former Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith is sentenced to 5+ years in prison and fined $100K for helping North Koreans use cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions (Cheyenne Ligon/CoinDesk)
Cheyenne Ligon / CoinDesk: Former Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith is sentenced to 5+ years in prison and fined $100K for helping North Koreans use cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions — Griffith previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate international sanctions for giving a talk at a crypto conference in Pyongyang in 2019.
Many tech companies, eager to please employees returning to offices, are providing perks like concerts with pop stars, food trucks, and “appreciation events” (New York Times)
New York Times: Many tech companies, eager to please employees returning to offices, are providing perks like concerts with pop stars, food trucks, and “appreciation events” — Tech companies really want their employees to be happy — or at least less annoyed — about returning.
Stress-testing sausages may give vegan products a meat-like mouthfeel
Plant-based alternatives to sausages can sometimes lack the textures of meat products, and testing the mechanical properties of the foods explains why
MIT.nano Immersion Lab Gaming Program awards third annual seed grants
MIT.nano has announced its next round of seed grants to support hardware and software research related to sensors, 3D/4D interaction and analysis, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), and gaming. The grants are awarded through the MIT.nano Immersion Lab Gaming Program, a four-year collaboration between MIT.nano and NCSOFT, a digital entertainment company and founding member of […]