1 year ago
118 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.
These craft could alteration however we fly
Some companies deliberation it’s clip the aviation manufacture got a makeover, and galore are betting it’ll travel successful the signifier of eVTOLs: electrical vertical take-off and landing vehicles.
There are hundreds of companies moving to bring the tiny aircrafts that instrumentality disconnected and onshore similar a chopper and alert similar a level to the skies. If they summation regulatory approval, they could alteration however we deliberation astir flight.
But that’s a large “if,” and determination are different questions for the manufacture to reply earlier these caller flying vehicles go a reality. So, however adjacent are today’s eVTOLs to taking off, and is immoderate of this a bully thought for the climate? Our clime newsman Casey Crownhart has been digging into the information down the claims. Read the afloat story.
Casey’s communicative is from The Spark, her play clime and vigor newsletter. Sign up to person it successful your inbox each Wednesday.
Join america aboriginal contiguous to sermon the aboriginal of AI!
MIT Technology Review is hosting a LinkedIn Live league to sermon however generative AI is affecting the mode we unrecorded and work. Join our AI writers Will Douglas Heaven and Melissa Heikkilä, on with quality exertion Charlotte Jee, for a speech connected the ways generative AI is reshaping industries from biotech to media, and what it can—and can’t—do.
Tune in astatine 12.30pm ET contiguous to articulation the conversation, and if you haven’t already, sign up to The Algorithm, Melissa’s play newsletter covering each the latest AI developments.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.
1 OpenAI isn’t truthful unfastened anymore
The institution is staying tight-lipped connected however it trained GPT-4. (The Verge)
+ How Big Tech’s dependable assistants fumbled their years-long AI lead. (NYT $)
+ Microsoft is having to bounds worker entree to its AI hardware. (The Information $)
+ GPT-4 is bigger and amended than ChatGPT—but OpenAI won’t accidental why. (MIT Technology Review)
2 The US is trying to unit TikTok’s owners to merchantability their stake
Or hazard a prohibition successful America. (FT $)
+ But however realistic is trying to prohibition it, really? (Bloomberg $)
+ The UK authorities is reportedly mulling implicit banning the app connected unit devices. (The Guardian)
3 Crypto is staring down the tube of a banking crisis
Founders fearfulness that morganatic companies are being dragged down with the scammers. (Wired $)+ What’s adjacent for crypto. (MIT Technology Review)
4 A Texas justice could revoke support for an termination pill
The determination could curtail entree to the cause crossed the US. (BBC)
+ Walgreens told its clients it won’t administer the Mifeprex pill successful 31 states. (Vox)
+ Tech companies could beryllium providing important information to assistance prosecutions. (Slate $)
+ Where to get termination pills and however to usage them. (MIT Technology Review)
5 NASA has unveiled its caller spacesuits 🧑🚀
Crucially, they’re a amended acceptable for women. (The Guardian)
6 Biotech startups are connected shaky ground
Silicon Valley Bank’s illness has sent shockwaves done the industry. (WSJ $)
7 Drone deliveries are yet making inroads
But Amazon is obscurity to beryllium seen. (Axios)
+ Mass-market subject drones person changed the mode wars are fought. (MIT Technology Review)
8 What YouTube’s hustle bros are truly trying to merchantability you
Money and self-improvement astatine the disbursal of beauteous overmuch everything else. (Vox)
9 How a azygous TikTok video sparked a car transgression wave
Kia and Hyundai cars are easy hijacked, and viral clips explicate precisely however to bash it. (Insider $)
10 One man’s lonely quest to marque friends successful the metaverse
Is determination anyone retired there?! (NY Mag $)
+ Meta is desperately trying to marque the metaverse happen. (MIT Technology Review)
Quote of the day
“We didn’t hold to the 'dynamic pricing' / 'price surging’ / ‘platinum ticket' thing... due to the fact that it is itself a spot of a scam?”
—Robert Smith, frontman of stone set The Cure, lashes out astatine Ticketmaster’s pricing systems.
The large story
Brain stimulation tin amended the representation of older people
August 2022
Many of america volition conflict to retrieve things arsenic we get older. A gentle signifier of encephalon stimulation mightiness help, according to caller research. Growing grounds suggests that applying electrical stimulation to encephalon networks tin alteration the mode they work, perchance strengthening connections betwixt encephalon regions.
The attack appears to boost the memories of older radical and assistance them retrieve lists of words. Throughout the experiment, radical who received encephalon stimulation improved successful their quality to retrieve words, portion determination was nary specified betterment among those who weren’t stimulated. Read the afloat story.
—Jess Hamzelou
We tin inactive person bully things
A spot for comfort, amusive and distraction successful these weird times. (Got immoderate ideas? Drop maine a line oregon tweet 'em astatine me.)
+ White Russians astatine the ready: The Big Lebowkski is 25 years old!
+ I anticipation you bask this beauteous rendition of Clair de Lune arsenic overmuch arsenic this saccharine elephant. 🐘
+ Next clip you’re successful Iceland, beryllium definite to cheque retired its power plants (no, seriously!)
+ This technological probe into wherefore a carton of beef soup turned bluish is eye-opening (if a small stomach-turning.)
+ Rio Carnival precocious returned aft 3 agelong years, and Brazilians truly partied similar it’s 1999.
