Amazon listings for low-cost tech products can send shoppers down a rabbit hole of weird brand names, duplicate listings, and suspect reviews. Data from Fakespot shows bug zappers are ascendant.
The 30 Best Shows on Max (aka HBO Max) Right Now
From Curb Your Enthusiasm to The Regime, here’s everything you need to be watching on Max this month.
FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison
A US judge has sentenced Sam Bankman-Fried, one-time crypto wunderkind, to 25 years behind bars.
How MowPod, which sells podcast advertising tools, uses mobile game ads to incentivize gamers to follow shows on Apple Podcasts in order to earn in-game tokens (Ashley Carman/Bloomberg)
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg: How MowPod, which sells podcast advertising tools, uses mobile game ads to incentivize gamers to follow shows on Apple Podcasts in order to earn in-game tokens — At least nine of the current top 50 shows on Apple Podcasts have been promoted in mobile games — Welcome back to Soundbite.
Cybersecurity startup Zafran, which develops risk mitigation services, emerges from stealth with a $25M Series A co-led by Sequoia Capital and Cyberstarts (Meir Orbach/CTech)
Meir Orbach / CTech: Cybersecurity startup Zafran, which develops risk mitigation services, emerges from stealth with a $25M Series A co-led by Sequoia Capital and Cyberstarts — Zafran, founded in 2022 by Yashar (CEO), Ben Seri (CTO) and Snir Havdala (CPO), develops a risk and mitigation platform to pinpoint …
AI21 Labs launches Jamba, an AI model that integrates two architectures: transformer and Mamba, which is based on the Structured State Space model (Kyle Wiggers/TechCrunch)
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch: AI21 Labs launches Jamba, an AI model that integrates two architectures: transformer and Mamba, which is based on the Structured State Space model — Increasingly, the AI industry is moving toward generative AI models with longer contexts. But models with large context windows tend to be compute-intensive.
Atmospheric observations in China show rise in emissions of a potent greenhouse gas
To achieve the aspirational goal of the Paris Agreement on climate change — limiting the increase in global average surface temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels — will require its 196 signatories to dramatically reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Those greenhouse gases differ widely in their global warming potential (GWP), or ability […]
Second round of seed grants awarded to MIT scholars studying the impact and applications of generative AI
Last summer, MIT President Sally Kornbluth and Provost Cynthia Barnhart issued a call for papers to “articulate effective roadmaps, policy recommendations, and calls for action across the broad domain of generative AI.” The response to the call far exceeded expectations with 75 proposals submitted. Of those, 27 proposals were selected for seed funding. In light […]
VIAVI Solutions joins MIT.nano Consortium
VIAVI Solutions, a global provider of communications test and measurement and optical technologies, has joined the MIT.nano Consortium. With roots going back to 1923 as Wandell and Goltermann and to 1948 as Optical Coating Laboratory Inc., VIAVI is a global enterprise supporting innovation in communication networks, hyperscale and enterprise data centers, consumer electronics, automotive sensing, […]
A Unified Enterprise Performance Management Platform Can Help Your Finance Team Make Real-Time Decisions – SPONSOR CONTENT FROM WORKDAY & DELOITTE
Sponsor content from Workday.
Why Playing It Safe Is the Riskiest Strategic Choice
“Timid transformation” doomed certain retailers. There’s a better approach.
Getting Your Company’s Data Program Back on Track
If you’re struggling to extract value from your data, it might be time for a fresh start.
19 Best PS5 Games (2024): ‘Alan Wake II,’ ‘Spider-Man 2,’ ‘Baldur’s Gate 3,’ and ‘Stray’
The Sony PlayStation 5 is sitting atop a treasure trove of games and these are our favorites.
Jeffrey Epstein’s Island Visitors Exposed by Data Broker
A WIRED investigation uncovered coordinates collected by a controversial data broker that reveal sensitive information about visitors to an island once owned by Epstein, the notorious sex offender.
The White House Puts New Guardrails on Government Use of AI
Vice President Kamala Harris says new rules for government AI deployments, including a requirement that algorithms are checked for bias, will “put the public interest first.”
Analysis: in the past two years, Amazon committed to spending $148B over 15 years on data centers, including in Mississippi, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia (Matt Day/Bloomberg)
Matt Day / Bloomberg: Analysis: in the past two years, Amazon committed to spending $148B over 15 years on data centers, including in Mississippi, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia — Spending spree is a show of force as the company looks to retain cloud computing edge over Microsoft and Google.
Ray-Ban Meta glasses hands-on: AI features coming in April, triggered by “Hey, Meta”, are sometimes impressive and helpful, but the AI often gets things wrong (New York Times)
New York Times: Ray-Ban Meta glasses hands-on: AI features coming in April, triggered by “Hey, Meta”, are sometimes impressive and helpful, but the AI often gets things wrong — Brian X. Chen, left, and Mike Isaac, reporters for The New York Times, trying out Meta’s new Ray-Ban smart glasses.Aaron Wojack for The New York Times
A look at an Indian court case over Byju Raveendran’s control of Byju’s, as investors, who voted to remove Raveendran last month, brace for a protracted battle (Financial Times)
Financial Times: A look at an Indian court case over Byju Raveendran’s control of Byju’s, as investors, who voted to remove Raveendran last month, brace for a protracted battle — Once country’s most valuable start-up, Byju’s is beset with allegations of mismanagement and governance failings
Chair for gamers boosts player performance and prevents muscular aches
Gamers seemed to be more comfortable after playing in a specialist gaming chair compared with a standard office chair
Is it the school, or the students?
Are schools that feature strong test scores highly effective, or do they mostly enroll students who are already well-prepared for success? A study co-authored by MIT scholars concludes that widely disseminated school quality ratings reflect the preparation and family background of their students as much or more than a school’s contribution to learning gains. Indeed, […]
The Baltimore Bridge Collapse Is About to Get Even Messier
Closing the city’s seaport will send shockwaves across global shipping. Supersize container ships pose a growing risk to bridges and other infrastructure when things go wrong.
Online Conspiracies About the Baltimore Bridge Collapse Are Out of Control
Conspiracy theorists are calling the Baltimore bridge collapse a “black swan event,” and blaming everything from Israel to DEI to Covid vaccines.
‘Malicious Activity’ Hits the University of Cambridge’s Medical School
Multiple university departments linked to the Clinical School Computing Service have been inaccessible for a month. The university has not revealed the nature of the “malicious activity.”
Celestial AI, which develops optical tech for linking together processors and memory modules, raised a $175M Series C led by US Innovative Technology Fund (Maria Deutscher/SiliconANGLE)
Maria Deutscher / SiliconANGLE: Celestial AI, which develops optical tech for linking together processors and memory modules, raised a $175M Series C led by US Innovative Technology Fund — Celestial AI Inc., a startup that develops optical technology for linking together processors and memory modules, has secured $175 million in Series C funding.
NewRetirement, which offers financial retirement planning tools for consumers and enterprise customers, raised a $20M Series A led by Allegis Capital (Kyle Wiggers/TechCrunch)
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch: NewRetirement, which offers financial retirement planning tools for consumers and enterprise customers, raised a $20M Series A led by Allegis Capital — When entrepreneur Stephen Chen’s mom began approaching retirement age, she was forced to borrow money from Chen — and Chen’s brother — to make ends meet.
Oregon’s governor signs the first US right-to-repair law that bans manufacturers from using “parts pairing” to dictate what replacement components can be used (Jess Weatherbed/The Verge)
Jess Weatherbed / The Verge: Oregon’s governor signs the first US right-to-repair law that bans manufacturers from using “parts pairing” to dictate what replacement components can be used — Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has now signed one of the strongest US right-to-repair bills into law after it passed …
This robot predicts when you’re going to smile – and smiles back
An AI-powered robot named Emo watches people’s facial expressions and tries to match them, in an effort to make robots more relatable
Implantable battery is charged up by the body’s oxygen supply
Many medical implants run on batteries that need to be recharged, but what if you could do so just by breathing?
Student spotlight: Victory Yinka-Banjo
This interview is part of a series from the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science featuring students answering questions about themselves and life at the Institute. Today’s interviewee, Victory Yinka-Banjo, is a junior majoring in MIT Course 6-7: Computer Science and Molecular Biology. Yinka-Banjo keeps a packed schedule: She is a member of […]
A delicate dance
In early 2022, economist Catherine Wolfram was at her desk in the U.S. Treasury building. She could see the east wing of the White House, just steps away. Russia had just invaded Ukraine, and Wolfram was thinking about Russia, oil, and sanctions. She and her colleagues had been tasked with figuring out how to restrict […]
Persistent “hiccups” in a far-off galaxy draw astronomers to new black hole behavior
At the heart of a far-off galaxy, a supermassive black hole appears to have had a case of the hiccups. Astronomers from MIT, Italy, the Czech Republic, and elsewhere have found that a previously quiet black hole, which sits at the center of a galaxy about 800 million light years away, has suddenly erupted, giving […]
How a Generic Marketing Strategy is Captivating Consumers on the Values of Natural Diamonds – SPONSOR CONTENT FROM NATURAL DIAMOND COUNCIL
Sponsor content from Natural Diamond Council.
Why Isn’t Your Strategy Sticking?
How to identify the hidden obstacles that may thwart implementation — and address them before they take root.
Creating a Corporate Social Responsibility Program with Real Impact
Lessons from multinational companies that adapted their CSR practices based on local feedback and knowledge.
The Science of Crypto Forensics Survives a Court Battle—for Now
A jury convicted Roman Sterlingov of money laundering this month. His defense team says it will appeal, saying the crypto-tracing technique at the heart of the case is “pseudoscience.”
Elie Hassenfeld Q&A: ‘$5,000 to Save a Life Is a Bargain’
Here’s Elie Hassenfeld, your high school EA crush. As effective altruism spirals into self-doubt, the idealist quant is still at it, helping Silicon Valley richies give away hundreds of millions each year.
The Deaths of Effective Altruism
Sam Bankman-Fried is finally facing punishment. Let’s also put his ruinous philosophy on trial.
Elon Musk says X plans to make Grok available to all Premium subscribers “later this week”, expanding on Premium+ support; X Premium costs $8 per month (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: Elon Musk says X plans to make Grok available to all Premium subscribers “later this week”, expanding on Premium+ support; X Premium costs $8 per month — Following Elon Musk’s xAI’s move to open source its Grok large language model earlier in March, the X owner on Tuesday …
Israeli officials detail an expansive and experimental facial recognition program in Gaza to catalog Palestinians without their knowledge, starting in 2023 (Sheera Frenkel/New York Times)
Sheera Frenkel / New York Times: Israeli officials detail an expansive and experimental facial recognition program in Gaza to catalog Palestinians without their knowledge, starting in 2023 — The experimental effort, which has not been disclosed, is being used to conduct mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza, according to military officials and others.
How Phil Schiller, now an Apple Fellow, emerged as Apple’s most ardent public defender of its ecosystem, under threat from the US DOJ, the EU, rivals, and more (Wall Street Journal)
Wall Street Journal: How Phil Schiller, now an Apple Fellow, emerged as Apple’s most ardent public defender of its ecosystem, under threat from the US DOJ, the EU, rivals, and more — Former Chief Marketing Officer Phil Schiller has frequently made it clear that Apple doesn’t intend to yield to developer criticism
AI chatbots are improving at an even faster rate than computer chips
The large language models behind AI chatbots are developing so rapidly that after eight months, a model only needs half the computing power to hit the same benchmark score – which is much faster than the rate at which computer chips improve
Engineers find a new way to convert carbon dioxide into useful products
MIT chemical engineers have devised an efficient way to convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, a chemical precursor that can be used to generate useful compounds such as ethanol and other fuels. If scaled up for industrial use, this process could help to remove carbon dioxide from power plants and other sources, reducing the amount […]
New software enables blind and low-vision users to create interactive, accessible charts
A growing number of tools enable users to make online data representations, like charts, that are accessible for people who are blind or have low vision. However, most tools require an existing visual chart that can then be converted into an accessible format. This creates barriers that prevent blind and low-vision users from building their […]
Unlocking mRNA’s cancer-fighting potential
What if training your immune system to attack cancer cells was as easy as training it to fight Covid-19? Many people believe the technology behind some Covid-19 vaccines, messenger RNA, holds great promise for stimulating immune responses to cancer. But using messenger RNA, or mRNA, to get the immune system to mount a prolonged and […]
Is AI the Future of NPCs?
Artificial intelligence is poised to have a massive impact on video games in the next few years, something that excites and worries developers. Some think non-player characters might be AI’s killer app.
The Real Reason Some Abortion Pill Patients Go to the ER
The abortion pill mifepristone went in front of the US Supreme Court on Tuesday. Antiabortionists say an increase in emergency room visits shows it’s unsafe. Medical experts disagree.
RFK Jr. Announces VP Pick Is Tech Entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan
Earlier this year, Nicole Shanahan donated $4 million to American Values 2024, a super PAC supporting RFK Jr. She was also previously married to Google cofounder Sergey Brin.
Robinhood launches Gold Card, a 3% cashback credit card for Robinhood Gold members, eight months after it acquired credit card startup X1 for $95M (Mary Ann Azevedo/TechCrunch)
Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch: Robinhood launches Gold Card, a 3% cashback credit card for Robinhood Gold members, eight months after it acquired credit card startup X1 for $95M — Eight months after acquiring credit card startup X1 for $95 million, Robinhood announced today the launch of its new Gold Card …
Intel shares Microsoft’s “AI PC” requirements, such as including a Copilot key, and expands its AI PC acceleration program to help devs and hardware vendors (Paul Alcorn/Tom’s Hardware)
Paul Alcorn / Tom’s Hardware: Intel shares Microsoft’s “AI PC” requirements, such as including a Copilot key, and expands its AI PC acceleration program to help devs and hardware vendors — Meteor Lake dev kits use Asus NUCs optimized for AI development work. — Intel announced two new extensions …
Despite a crypto rally, VC funds focused on crypto are struggling to raise money, as limited partners prioritize tangible gains after the 2022 wipeout (Ryan Weeks/Bloomberg)
Ryan Weeks / Bloomberg: Despite a crypto rally, VC funds focused on crypto are struggling to raise money, as limited partners prioritize tangible gains after the 2022 wipeout — – Funds are struggling to raise cash to put into crypto startups — Limited partners prioritize tangible gains after 2022 wipeout