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Good news, everyone: Vine is (probably) coming back. The overmuch beloved short-form-video-sharing app ran from conscionable 2012 to 2017, erstwhile it was chopped disconnected successful its prime. Even now, it occupies a peculiar spot successful galore millennials’ hearts arsenic the past glorious basal earlier the societal web became tarnished and commoditized and each app started looking the same.
The information that truthful galore clasp a candle for Vine whitethorn good beryllium wherefore Elon Musk, who is facing disapproval arsenic helium takes implicit Twitter and enacts melodramatic unit cuts and a worrying plaything successful the societal media platform’s policies, has mooted rejuvenating the app.
But it’s not conscionable the imaginable of wrangling decade-old codification into shippable signifier that should dissuade Musk from relaunching Vine. No substance however overmuch nostalgia Vine inspires among its fans, it’s improbable to chopped done to users who person since moved connected to its acold much almighty algorithmic rival, TikTok. Read the afloat story.
—Chris Stokel-Walker
How to past arsenic an AI ethicist
It’s ne'er been much important for companies to guarantee that their AI systems relation safely, particularly arsenic caller laws to clasp them accountable footwear in. The liable AI teams they acceptable up to bash conscionable that are expected to beryllium a priority, but concern successful it is inactive lagging behind.
These workers look colossal unit from their organizations to hole big, systemic problems without due support, portion often facing a near-constant barrage of disapproval online. Dealing with these issues tin beryllium particularly taxing to women, radical of color, and different marginalized groups, who thin to gravitate toward AI morals jobs. Consequently, AI ethicists are burning out—and it’s harming the full field. Read the afloat story.
—Melissa Heikkilä
Melissa’s communicative is from The Algorithm, our caller play newsletter covering each things AI. Sign up to person it successful your inbox each Monday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.
1 The crypto manufacture is trying to get retired the vote
The occupation for that program is that crypto owners don’t each thin the aforesaid mode politically. (Recode)
+ Celebrities are forgetting they utilized to endorse crypto. (The Information $)
+ It’s good to opt retired of the crypto revolution. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Mark Zuckerberg is making himself unpopular with shareholders
He’s plowing much wealth into the metaverse, contempt their protestations. (FT $)
+ Facebook has mislaid adjacent to $800 cardinal of its marketplace capitalization successful a year. (Motherboard)
3 Fighting clime alteration shouldn’t beryllium near to consumers
We tin lone execute large results erstwhile governments and businesses transportation successful too. (Vox $)
+ Children successful the US aren’t being taught astir clime change. (NYT $)
+ Climate enactment is gaining momentum. So are the disasters. (MIT Technology Review)
4 The creeping, concerning emergence of Rumble
The right-wing’s go-to video tract is gaining traction, arsenic Big Tech falters. (The Atlantic $)
+ Donald Trump’s Truth Social level is increasing too. (NYT $)
5 Chinese transgression networks are duping Facebook users into modern slavery
Victims are forced into moving telephone scams and bogus crypto schemes. (LA Times $)
6 Gaming companies can’t disregard mobile anymore 📱
Not everyone has a console, but astir everyone has a phone. (Protocol)
7 The aboriginal of plastics could beryllium plant-based
The instrumentality is to ace making them successful ample capable quantities. (Wired $)
+ Australia’s New South Wales authorities is cracking down connected single-use plastic. (BBC)
8 India’s pistillate tech workers are pushing backmost against sexism
And it's women from disadvantaged backgrounds who are suffering the most. (Rest of World)
+ Why can’t tech hole its sex problem? (MIT Technology Review)
9 Returning to the bureau isn’t truthful bad, aft all
But lone if workers consciousness the commute is worthy their while. (NYT $)
+ Bosses request to beryllium accordant erstwhile deciding who comes in. (Insider $)
+ Not each offices look the aforesaid arsenic they did. (Economist $)
10 How to (temporarily) astir eradicate mosquitoes 🦟
A small spot of familial editing could assistance to halt the dispersed of Zika and, eventually, malaria. (New Scientist $)
+ The caller malaria vaccine mightiness not beryllium perfect, but it volition prevention countless lives. (MIT Technology Review)
Quote of the day
"$20 a period to support my bluish check? Fuck that, they should wage me."
—Author Stephen King makes his feelings connected Twitter’s caller program to complaint verified users to support their verified presumption extremely clear.
The large story
South Africa’s backstage surveillance instrumentality is fueling a integer apartheid
April 2022
Thami Nkosi points to the telltale achromatic container atop a inferior rod connected a thoroughfare erstwhile location to 2 Nobel Peace Prize laureates: South Africa’s archetypal Black president, Nelson Mandela, and the anti-apartheid activistic and theologian Desmond Tutu.
It ever happens this way, Nkosi says. First the fiber; past the surveillance cameras. The cameras are useless unless there’s reliable connectivity to nonstop their video feeds backmost to a power country wherever they tin beryllium monitored by humans and algorithms.
This is Vilakazi Street successful Soweto, a historical suburb of Johannesburg—a sprawling megacity present birthing a uniquely South African surveillance exemplary influenced by the planetary surveillance manufacture and acceptable to power it successful turn. Civil rights activists accidental it’s already fueling a integer apartheid—and unraveling people’s antiauthoritarian liberties successful the process. Read the afloat story.
—Karen Hao & Heidi Swart
We tin inactive person bully things
A spot for comfort, amusive and distraction successful these weird times. (Got immoderate ideas? Drop maine a line or tweet 'em astatine me.)
+ A useful usher to amended your chances of successful seeds (thanks Ralph!)
+ If you’ve got immoderate Halloween candy near over, spot however it measures up successful this Highly Official ranking.
+ This gorgeous small seal has made my day.
+ Consider this a motion to commencement your precise ain tiny vintage machine museum.
+ As if you needed different crushed to privation to sojourn Europe, present are immoderate of its friendliest cities.
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