Author: zppiot
It is easy to convince ourselves that we now live in a dematerialized ethereal world, ruled by digital startups, artificial intelligence, and financial services. Yet there is little evidence that we have decoupled our economy from its churning hunger for resources. We are still reliant on the products of geological processes like coal and quartz, a mineral that’s a rich source of the silicon used to build computer chips, to power our world. Three recent books aim to reconnect readers with the physical reality that underpins the global economy. Each one fills in dark secrets about the places, processes, and…
It’s unclear what’s behind the second strategy, but Seydina Ndiaye, a program director at the Cheikh Hamidou Kane Digital University in Dakar who helped draft the development agency’s white paper, claims it was drafted by a tech lobbyist from Switzerland. The commission’s strategy calls for African Union member states to declare AI a national priority, promote AI startups, and develop regulatory frameworks to address safety and security challenges. But Ndiaye expressed concerns that the document does not reflect the perspectives, aspirations, knowledge, and work of grassroots African AI communities. “It’s a copy-paste of what’s going on outside the continent,” he…
How technology is being used to preserve memories at risk from climate disasters – CBS News Watch CBS News When climate disasters hit, important memories stored in photos and other artifacts can be lost forever. Dave Malkoff takes a look at how technology is being used to help preserve those memories. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On #technology #preserve #memories #risk #climate #disasters
By the time the polls opened on Election Day, baseless claims of voter fraud had been building on social media for months, fueling doubts about the integrity of the election. Posts proliferated on X and other platforms pointing to hiccups like technical issues with voting machines, power outages and spelling errors on ballots as examples of a supposedly brewing conspiracy. And at 4:30 p.m. on Election Day, former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that there was “a lot of talk about massive cheating” in Pennsylvania — which officials said had “no factual basis whatsoever.” But as the votes were tallied…
Deck the halls! Holiday menu returns at Starbucks Deck the halls! Holiday menu returns at Starbucks 00:53 Starbucks’ online ordering app malfunctioned Thursday, the same day the coffee giant introduced its holiday-themed menu. The outage continued into Friday, triggering complaints from customers on social media who said they weren’t able to pre-order drinks and avoid standing in line for two days in a row. Downdetector, which tracks website and app outages, collected more than 2,000 consumer complaints about the Starbucks app not working Thursday. The site received more than 2,300 reports of problems with the app Friday, too. Starbucks app not workingWhen…
Robots carve sculptures in Italy, sparking outrage among traditional artisans – CBS News Watch CBS News In Carrara, Italy, a studio is using robots to create sculptures, a move that has traditional sculptors concerned about the future of Italian art. Bill Whitaker explores the clash between technology and heritage on “60 Minutes.” Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On #Robots #carve #sculptures #Italy #sparking #outrage #among #traditional #artisans
Tech companies have been funneling billions of dollars into quantum computers for years. The hope is that they’ll be a game changer for fields as diverse as finance, drug discovery, and logistics. But while the field struggles with the realities of tricky quantum hardware, another challenger is making headway in some of these most promising use cases. AI is now being applied to fundamental physics, chemistry, and materials science in a way that suggests quantum computing’s purported home turf might not be so safe after all. Read the full story. —Edd Gent What’s next for reproductive rights in the US…
Modeling a weakly correlated system using DFT is not an exponentially scaling problem, though. This suggests that with more data and computing resources, AI-based classical approaches could simulate even the largest of these systems, says Tkatchenko. Given that quantum computers powerful enough to compete are likely still decades away, he adds, AI’s current trajectory suggests it could reach important milestones, such as precisely simulating how drugs bind to a protein, much sooner. Strong correlations When it comes to simulating strongly correlated quantum systems—ones whose particles interact a lot—methods like DFT quickly run out of steam. While more exotic, these systems…
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Thursday what he called a “world-leading” plan to implement a social media ban for all children under the age of 16. While much of the detail of the proposed legislation has yet to be made clear, the Australian leader said at a news conference that the bill involves an age verification process where “the onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access” to their platforms.Under the proposed legislation, social media companies would face sizable fines for allowing younger children to access their platforms, but there…
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Trump’s win is a tragic loss for climate progress —James Temple Donald Trump’s decisive victory is a stunning setback for the fight against climate change. The Republican president-elect’s return to the White House means the US is going to squander precious momentum, unraveling hard-won policy progress that was just beginning to pay off, all for the second time in less than a decade. It comes at a moment when the world can’t afford to waste time, with nations…
The US election could create global ripples as well, and very soon. US negotiators will meet with their counterparts at the annual UN climate conference that kicks off next week. With Trump set to move back into the White House in January, they will have little credibility or leverage to nudge other nations to step up their commitments to reduce emissions. But those are just some of the direct ways that a second Trump administration will enfeeble the nation’s ability to drive down emissions, and counter the growing dangers of climate change. He also has considerable power to stall the…
At long last, NASA’s Europa Clipper mission is on its way. After overcoming financial and technological hurdles, the $5 billion mission launched on October 14 from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. It is now en route to its target: Jupiter’s ice-covered moon Europa, whose frozen shell almost certainly conceals a warm saltwater ocean. When the spacecraft gets there, it will conduct dozens of close flybys in order to determine what that ocean is like and, crucially, where it might be hospitable to life. Europa Clipper is still years away from its destination—it is not slated to reach the Jupiter system until…
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Life-seeking, ice-melting robots could punch through Europa’s icy shell At long last, NASA’s Europa Clipper mission is on its way. It launched on October 14 and is now en route to its target: Jupiter’s ice-covered moon Europa, whose frozen shell almost certainly conceals a warm saltwater ocean. When the spacecraft gets there, it will conduct dozens of close flybys in order to determine what that ocean is like and, crucially, where it might be hospitable to life. Europa…
This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. Voters have elected Donald Trump to a second term in the White House. In the days leading up to the election, I kept thinking about what four years means for climate change right now. We’re at a critical moment that requires decisive action to rapidly slash greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants, transportation, industry, and the rest of the economy if we’re going to achieve our climate goals. The past four years have seen the US take climate…
2D barcodes encode substantially more information than their 1D counterparts. This enables them to link physical objects to a wide array of digital resources. For consumers, 2D barcodes can provide a wealth of product information, from food allergens, expiration dates, and safety recalls to detailed medication use instructions, coupons, and product offers. For businesses, 2D barcodes can enhance operational efficiencies, create traceability at the lot or item level, and drive new forms of customer engagement. An array of 2D barcode types supports the information needs of a variety of industries. The GS1 DataMatrix, for example, is used on medication or…
“These models sometimes seem to be really amazing at reasoning, but it’s just like they’re really good at pretending, and it only takes a little bit of picking at them to break them,” he says. There is still much more work to be done, Godement admits. In the short term, AI models such as o1 need to be much more reliable, faster, and cheaper. In the long term, the company needs to apply its chain-of-thought technique to a wider pool of use cases. OpenAI has focused on science, coding, and math. Now it wants to address other fields, such as…