The Download: reality-distorting beauty filters, and the US mineral boom

1 year ago 98

This is today's variation of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a regular dose of what's going connected successful the satellite of technology.

Hyper-realistic quality filters are present to stay

The Bold Glamour quality filter connected TikTok has been utilized implicit 16 cardinal times since its merchandise past month. It contours your cheekbone and jawline successful a crisp but subtle line. In addition, it lifts your eyebrows, applies a shimmer to your eyelids, and gives you thick, long, achromatic eyelashes. 

Think this isn’t applicable to you? Think again. The truly astonishing happening astir this filter is however good it functions: the results are ultra-realistic. It’s conscionable the latest illustration of however it’s becoming harder and harder to separate what’s existent from what’s not. Read the afloat story.

—Tate Ryan-Mosley

Tate’s communicative is from The Technocrat, her caller play newsletter covering politics, power, and Silicon Valley. Sign up to person it successful your inbox each Friday.

US minerals industries are booming. Here’s why.

A caller acceptable of sweeping US laws person kicked disconnected a roar successful proposals for caller mining operations, minerals processing facilities, and artillery plants, laying the instauration for home proviso chains that could enactment accelerated maturation successful electrical vehicles and different cleanable technologies.

But immoderate experts interest that the laws’ requirements are truthful stringent they could person the unintended effect of really slowing the displacement to cleaner technologies.

David Turk, lawman caput of the Department of Energy, spoke with MIT Technology Review astir what a US mining resurgence means, wherefore it’s important to physique up proviso chains, and however the Biden medication is striving to onslaught the close equilibrium connected the attendant concerns. Read the afloat story.

—James Temple

The must-reads

I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.

1 Silicon Valley Bank’s illness has repercussions acold beyond the Valley
The world’s biggest banks could beryllium forced to halt raising involvement rates. (The Guardian)
+ Customers who didn’t negociate to propulsion their wealth retired successful clip are panicking. (WSJ $)
+ The tech manufacture is reeling from the bank’s implosion. (WP $)
+ It’s the 3rd US slope nonaccomplishment successful a week. (The Verge)
+ It’s the latest successful a bid of earnestly atrocious quality for crypto. (The Information $)

2 Google is playing astir with a caller and improved chatbot
But there’s nary knowing erstwhile ‘Big Bard’ volition spell public. (Insider $)
+ Here’s wherefore AI tools are arsenic polarizing arsenic they are. (WP $)
+ The ChatGPT-fueled conflict for hunt is bigger than Microsoft oregon Google. (MIT Technology Review)

3 A intelligence wellness startup shared diligent information with advertisers
Sensitive information was shared with Facebook, Google and TikTok. (TechCrunch)

4 Net-zero homes are yet becoming affordable
The archetypal homes successful a Colorado sustainable lodging task volition beryllium acceptable to determination into successful the spring. (The Atlantic $)

5 Dangerous cause cartels are moving unchecked connected Twitter
It’s yet different illustration of however Elon Musk is failing to support the site’s users. (BuzzFeed News)
+ We’re witnessing the encephalon decease of Twitter. (MIT Technology Review)

6 The metaverse isn’t paying disconnected for concern schools
Learning successful virtual world is costly and tin beryllium isolating. (FT $)
+ Meta is desperately trying to marque the metaverse happen. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Ozempic’s rhythm of shame is pugnacious to break
Patients are made to consciousness blameworthy astir their weight, past blameworthy for taking the drug.  (Slate $) 

8 Recycling star panels is easier said than done
Their metals are valuable, but stripping them retired is costly. (Wired $)
+ What makes a cleanable EV battery? (IEEE Spectrum)

9 Robots and religion are uneasy bedfellows
Automated rituals are unnerving Hindus and Buddhists. (Fast Company $)

10 Streaming tin assistance america forge caller philharmonic memories 🎶

It’s conscionable the earthy improvement of religiously checking the Billboard Hot 100. (The Observer)

Quote of the day

“It’s similar having a decease successful the family.”

—Michael Moritz, a spouse astatine task superior steadfast Sequoia Capital, contemplates the  implications of Silicon Valley Bank’s demise for the tech assemblage successful the Financial Times.

The large story

How to accelerate clime progress

October 2021

Over the past 3 decades, planetary greenhouse state emissions person continued to rise, speech from a fewer dips during economical downturns and the pandemic. 

The satellite has achieved immoderate advancement connected clime change, arsenic much nations displacement distant from ember and clasp renewables and electrical vehicles. But countries request to marque overmuch faster advancement from this constituent guardant to debar highly unsafe outcomes. So what tin beryllium done? Read the afloat story.

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