James Shotter / Financial Times: Over 100 Israeli tech groups let staff join a “warning strike” over controversial government plans to curb judiciary powers, the latest warnings by businesses — Executives say new government’s move to curb judicial powers will scare away vital investment to the self-styled Startup Nation
A look at crypto money laundering in 2022: illicit addresses sent nearly $23.8B, up 68% YoY, four addresses got $1B+ combined, DeFi got record funds, and more (Chainalysis)
Chainalysis: A look at crypto money laundering in 2022: illicit addresses sent nearly $23.8B, up 68% YoY, four addresses got $1B+ combined, DeFi got record funds, and more — The 2023 Crypto Crime Report — Money laundering is crucial to all financially motivated crime because it’s what enables criminals …
When should data scientists try a new technique?
If a scientist wanted to forecast ocean currents to understand how pollution travels after an oil spill, she could use a common approach that looks at currents traveling between 10 and 200 kilometers. Or, she could choose a newer model that also includes shorter currents. This might be more accurate, but it could also require […]
Robot Cars Are Causing 911 False Alarms in San Francisco
City agencies say the incidents and other disruptions show the need for more transparency about the vehicles and a pause on expanding service.
Apple MacBook Pro (16-Inch, 2023) Review: Great Gets Greater
It’s pricey, but the M2 Max brings a pleasant performance boost to an already fantastic machine.
Most Criminal Cryptocurrency Funnels Through Just 5 Exchanges
The crypto money-laundering market is tighter than at any time in the past decade, and the few big players are moving a “shocking” amount of currency.
Medium updates its standards to welcome “responsible use” of AI-assistive technology and to require labels for any story created with AI assistance (Scott Lamb/3 Min Read)
Scott Lamb / 3 Min Read: Medium updates its standards to welcome “responsible use” of AI-assistive technology and to require labels for any story created with AI assistance — Transparency, disclosure, and publication-level guidelines — Last month, we asked the Medium community what you think about …
Sources: Amazon plans to launch an NFT initiative in April, with more than a dozen crypto-native partners and a focus on blockchain-based gaming (Michael Bodley/Blockworks)
Michael Bodley / Blockworks: Sources: Amazon plans to launch an NFT initiative in April, with more than a dozen crypto-native partners and a focus on blockchain-based gaming — Amazon is launching a digital assets enterprise, according to four sources familiar with the matter, who said that an NFT initiative is expected in the spring.
Intel reports Q4 revenue down 32% YoY to $14B, vs. $14.46B est., Data Center and AI down 33% YoY, and Q1 2023 revenue guidance below estimates; stock drops 9%+ (Chavi Mehta/Reuters)
Chavi Mehta / Reuters: Intel reports Q4 revenue down 32% YoY to $14B, vs. $14.46B est., Data Center and AI down 33% YoY, and Q1 2023 revenue guidance below estimates; stock drops 9%+ — Chipmaker Intel Corp (INTC.O) forecast first-quarter revenue below Wall Street targets on Thursday, slammed by a worsening PC market …
AI has designed bacteria-killing proteins from scratch – and they work
An AI was tasked with creating proteins with anti-microbial properties. Researchers then created a subset of the proteins and found some did the job
Medical AIs are advancing – when will they be in a clinic near you?
Trained on real electronic health records, medical AIs are making rapid progress. How long before we see these tools widely used in the clinic, wonders Alex Wilkins
Two Lincoln Laboratory software products honored with national Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards
The Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) has awarded 2023 Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards at the national level to two MIT Lincoln Laboratory software products developed to improve security: Keylime and the Forensic Video Exploitation and Analysis (FOVEA) tool suite. Keylime increases the security and privacy of data and services in the cloud, while FOVEA expedites […]
Targeting cancer with a multidrug nanoparticle
Treating cancer with combinations of drugs can be more effective than using a single drug. However, figuring out the optimal combination of drugs, and making sure that all of the drugs reach the right place, can be challenging. To help address those challenges, MIT chemists have designed a bottlebrush-shaped nanoparticle that can be loaded with […]
Preparing to Announce Layoffs in a Virtual Meeting
With practice, you can deliver difficult news effectively and compassionately.
How Startups Can Land a Second Meeting with a Corporate Partner
Researchers attended 150 meetings between start-ups and corporations including IBM, Sony, L’Oréal, Toyota, and AstraZeneca.
Research: What Fragile Masculinity Looks Like at Work
When male employees feel that their masculinity has been threatened, it can lead them to engage in harmful behaviors.
ChatGPT Is Coming for Classrooms. Don’t Panic
The AI chatbot has stoked fears of an educational apocalypse. Some teachers see it as the reboot education sorely needs.
The Rise of the Tech Bro Supervillain
For decades movie bad guys were easily identified by their mustaches or mwa-ha-has. These days, evil wears a hoodie.
The Workforce Is Failing Women. Business Leaders Can Stop It
Workplaces must undergo huge structural changes if they are to stop the exodus.
Hands-on with DoNotPay, a service claiming to be the first robot lawyer: slow, drafted a terrible defamation demand letter, missed legal issues, and more (Kathryn Tewson/Techdirt)
Kathryn Tewson / Techdirt: Hands-on with DoNotPay, a service claiming to be the first robot lawyer: slow, drafted a terrible defamation demand letter, missed legal issues, and more — Note: This post is an adaptation of what started initially as a Twitter thread. — I’ve been going pretty hard on DoNotPay …
New York AG Letitia James asks Madison Square Garden Entertainment for information on the alleged use of facial recognition to deny access to ticket holders (Wall Street Journal)
Wall Street Journal: New York AG Letitia James asks Madison Square Garden Entertainment for information on the alleged use of facial recognition to deny access to ticket holders — Probe related to company’s alleged use of the technology to bar certain ticket holders from its venues
Worldwide smartphone shipments declined 18.3% YoY to 300.3M in Q4 2022, the largest ever drop in a quarter; Apple dropped 14.9%, Samsung 15.6%, and Xiaomi 26.3% (IDC)
IDC: Worldwide smartphone shipments declined 18.3% YoY to 300.3M in Q4 2022, the largest ever drop in a quarter; Apple dropped 14.9%, Samsung 15.6%, and Xiaomi 26.3% — Worldwide smartphone shipments declined 18.3% year over year to 300.3 million units in the fourth quarter of 2022 (4Q22) …
The US government is suing Google – again
A new US government lawsuit alleges that Google has harmed innovation and raised costs for internet users by attempting to monopolise the digital advertising industry
“This is the type of life that I want”
Growing up in Idaho, Catherine Ji found herself with a lot of time to write. “Idaho is a great environment for writing because it’s isolated and there’s a bunch of nature,” says Ji. “I wrote so much poetry — a lot of really messy poetry. I just loved it so much. It really defined my […]
Generative AI Won’t Revolutionize Game Development Just Yet
Hypesters say artificial intelligence will one day automate all the hard work of video game creation. But it’s not that simple.
Apple Mac Mini (M2 Pro, 2023) Review: The Missing Piece
This small but powerful machine fills a great gap between everyday use and those looking for a little more power.
You Might Survive a Nuclear Blast—if You Have the Right Shelter
The escalating risks of Russia’s war in Ukraine have led scientists to study the unthinkable and model the aftermath of nuclear detonation.
North Carolina-based Zift Solutions, whose ZiftOne tool helps companies manage channel marketing, sales, and operations, raised $70M led by Investcorp (Edward Gately/Channel Futures)
Edward Gately / Channel Futures: North Carolina-based Zift Solutions, whose ZiftOne tool helps companies manage channel marketing, sales, and operations, raised $70M led by Investcorp — ITP’s investment will help accelerate Zift Solutions’ GTM strategy and continued international expansion.
Meta plans to reinstate Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks with “new guardrails to deter repeat offenses”, after a two-year ban (Axios)
Axios: Meta plans to reinstate Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks with “new guardrails to deter repeat offenses”, after a two-year ban — – “We’ve always believed that Americans should be able to hear from the people who want to lead the country,” Clegg told Axios.
IBM plans to lay off about 1.5% of its global workforce, or around 3,900 jobs, focusing on workers who remained after spinning off Kyndryl and Watson Health (Brody Ford/Bloomberg)
Brody Ford / Bloomberg: IBM plans to lay off about 1.5% of its global workforce, or around 3,900 jobs, focusing on workers who remained after spinning off Kyndryl and Watson Health — International Business Machines Corp. delivered an upbeat annual sales forecast while announcing it would eliminate about 1.5% …
AI legal assistant’s first appearance in court has been cancelled
DoNotPay’s AI was due to represent a defendant in court for the first time next month over a speeding ticket, but plans have been abandoned, according to the founder of the company
ChatGPT can find and fix bugs in computer code
The AI chatbot ChatGPT is as good as standard machine learning approaches at fixing bugs in code, and does even better if you engage in dialogue with it
Metal robot can melt its way out of tight spaces to escape
A millimetre-sized robot made from a mix of liquid metal and microscopic magnetic pieces can stretch, move or melt. It could be used to fix electronics or remove objects from the body
Remembering Mary Morrissey, whose service to MIT spanned 45 years
Mary Louise Morrissey, whose career at MIT spanned 45 years, including her service as director of the Information and Special Events Center, passed away peacefully on Jan. 17 at the age of 95. Morrissey joined the MIT community in 1950, working in the Registrar’s Office. At the time, all student transcripts were handwritten in India […]
School of Engineering fourth quarter 2022 awards
Members of the MIT engineering faculty receive many awards in recognition of their scholarship, service, and overall excellence. The School of Engineering periodically recognizes their achievements by highlighting the honors, prizes, and medals won by faculty working in our academic departments, labs, and centers. Paul Blainey of the Department of Biological Engineering received the Chan Zuckerberg […]
How to Work with Your Unionizing Employees
Approaches that will lead to better outcomes for both workers and employers.
Women Get “Nicer” Feedback — and It Holds Them Back
Research found that a fictional “Sarah” got much kinder feedback than “Andrew,” even when their performance was identical.
Why Success Doesn’t Lead to Satisfaction
It’s time to confront your unhealthy relationship with achievement.
Airlines and Cattle Farmers Have Beef With Google’s Climate Math
The company offers estimates of the emissions impacts of flights and recipes. Businesses with sales at stake are pushing back.
Celebrities, TikTok, and a Cat Bot Are Crashing Chess.com
Millions of eager players have overrun the legacy website.
The Problematic Arrival of Anti-Obesity Drugs
Fat activists say they’re tools of coercion. Celebrities are taking them to get slim. Is this really the road people want to go down?
Wharton School Professor Christian Terwiesch found OpenAI’s ChatGPT was able to pass a final exam for the school’s MBA program, scoring between B- and B (Kalhan Rosenblatt/NBC News)
Kalhan Rosenblatt / NBC News: Wharton School Professor Christian Terwiesch found OpenAI’s ChatGPT was able to pass a final exam for the school’s MBA program, scoring between B- and B — ChatGPT uses AI to pass final exam at UPenn’s Wharton — New research conducted by a professor at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School found […]
Texas Instruments reports Q4 revenue down 3.4% YoY to $4.67B, breaking a run of double-digit growth since 2020, and issues tepid Q1 guidance below estimates (Ian King/Bloomberg)
Ian King / Bloomberg: Texas Instruments reports Q4 revenue down 3.4% YoY to $4.67B, breaking a run of double-digit growth since 2020, and issues tepid Q1 guidance below estimates — Texas Instruments Inc., one of the world’s largest chipmakers, suffered its first sales decline since 2020 and gave a tepid forecast …
UK-based enterprise VR training startup Gemba, used by Coca-Cola, Pfizer, and more, raised an $18M Series A led by Parkway; courses can cost ~$7,250 per person (Paul Sawers/TechCrunch)
Paul Sawers / TechCrunch: UK-based enterprise VR training startup Gemba, used by Coca-Cola, Pfizer, and more, raised an $18M Series A led by Parkway; courses can cost ~$7,250 per person — Gemba, an enterprise-focused virtual reality (VR) training startup used by some of the world’s biggest companies, has raised $18 million in a Series A […]
Artificial skin can detect nearby objects without even touching them
A skin crafted from two layers of electrodes around an ion-infused sponge is better at sensing than human skin because it can detect nearby objects and what they are made of
The outline of people’s bodies can be detected from Wi-Fi signals
Machine learning can analyse how the signals from Wi-Fi transmitters are disrupted by human bodies to reveal what position people are sitting, standing or lying in
MIT Gas Turbine Laboratory prepares to jet into the future
In 1941, the National Academy of Sciences appointed a committee to assess the use of gas turbine engines — which use heat released during fuel combustion to produce thrust for propulsion — in aviation. The group of luminaries concluded that due to the temperature limitations of existing materials, gas turbines did not have much of […]
The Earth Is Begging You to Accept Smaller EV Batteries
Electric vehicles are selling fast. But unless people change how they get around, the demand for battery materials threatens its own environmental disaster.
9 Best Coffee Subscription Boxes We’ve Tasted (2022): Gifting, Fresh, Decaf, Single-Origin
These services deliver freshly roasted, delicious coffee picks right to your door—each with its own twist.
15 Best Recycled and Upcycled Clothes (2023): Leggings, Sneakers, T-shirts
Do you need new leggings, or a robe? Get ones made from recycled bottles or deadstock.