How might our universe emerge like a hologram out of a two-dimensional sheet? An infinitely distant “celestial sphere” could hold answers.
Ride Safely With Propella’s Easy-to-Maneuver Mini Ebike
More electric bikes need to be smaller so that smaller people can ride them.
Ethereum L2 scaling project Optimism fixes bug that left it open to unlimited ETH token creation in its accounts; $2M+ bounty given to Jay Freeman of Cydia fame (Tom Mitchelhill/Cointelegraph)
Tom Mitchelhill / Cointelegraph: Ethereum L2 scaling project Optimism fixes bug that left it open to unlimited ETH token creation in its accounts; $2M+ bounty given to Jay Freeman of Cydia fame — Ethereum scaling startup Optimism disclosed a “critical bug” fix in the project’s Geth fork that would have allowed malicious hackers to create […]
European Commission says it is planning to propose a bill for a digital euro in early 2023; the ECB expects to start working on a prototype at the end of 2023 (Bjarke Smith-Meyer/Politico)
Bjarke Smith-Meyer / Politico: European Commission says it is planning to propose a bill for a digital euro in early 2023; the ECB expects to start working on a prototype at the end of 2023 — The European Commission announced Wednesday it’s planning to propose a bill for a digital euro early next year.
Research: ModifiedElephant APT has targeted activists, journalists, lawyers, and others in India to spy on or plant digital evidence since at least 2012 (Tom Hegel/SentinelOne)
Tom Hegel / SentinelOne: Research: ModifiedElephant APT has targeted activists, journalists, lawyers, and others in India to spy on or plant digital evidence since at least 2012 — Executive Summary — Our research attributes a decade of activity to a threat actor we call ModifiedElephant.
Super Bowl AI: How NFL’s ‘Digital Athlete’ helps reduce concussions
The National Football League (NFL) has developed an artificial intelligence tool to try and reduce injuries in American football games.
How warehouse automation startups like Accelerate360 and Attabotics, grocery services like Misfits, and delivery firms like Veho are transforming supply chains (Christopher Mims/Wall Street Journal)
Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal: How warehouse automation startups like Accelerate360 and Attabotics, grocery services like Misfits, and delivery firms like Veho are transforming supply chains — Startups are developing better ways to move products around, from snapping up goods stranded by logistics snafus to automating warehouse work
Wallaroo, a NY-based startup that helps enterprises deploy, run, and observe ML models in production at scale, raises a $25M Series A led by Microsoft’s M12 (Kyle Wiggers/VentureBeat)
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat: Wallaroo, a NY-based startup that helps enterprises deploy, run, and observe ML models in production at scale, raises a $25M Series A led by Microsoft’s M12 — Enterprises are increasingly looking to AI for opportunities to boost revenue as their operations move online.
Paris-based Silvr, which offers revenue-based financing to e-commerce and SaaS companies in Europe, raises an €18M Series A and €112M in debt (Romain Dillet/TechCrunch)
Romain Dillet / TechCrunch: Paris-based Silvr, which offers revenue-based financing to e-commerce and SaaS companies in Europe, raises an €18M Series A and €112M in debt — French startup Silvr has raised a $20.6 million (€18 million) Series A funding round and has opened a $128 million (€112 million) debt line for its activities.
The Best Noise-Canceling Headphones to Escape Reality
Whether you prefer over-ears or earbuds, our favorite picks will add some serenity to your day.
The CIA Has Secretly Run a ‘Bulk Collection’ Program
Plus: Vulnerability fixes, the return of EARN IT, and more of the week’s top security news.
Hackers Rigged Hundreds of Ecommerce Sites to Steal Payment Info
The attackers exploited a known vulnerability and installed credit card skimmers on more than 500 websites.
UK’s largest insurer Aviva says VR headset-related damage claims increased by 31% in 2021, with an average claim of ~£650 and TVs being the most damaged item (Samuel Osborne/Sky News)
Samuel Osborne / Sky News: UK’s largest insurer Aviva says VR headset-related damage claims increased by 31% in 2021, with an average claim of ~£650 and TVs being the most damaged item — Aviva has said home contents claims involving the gaming headsets rose by 31% last year and have increased by 68% in five […]
Twitch has updated its policy to ban usernames that include “references to sexual acts, arousal, fluids, or genitalia” and references to hard drugs from March 1 (Kim Lyons/The Verge)
Kim Lyons / The Verge: Twitch has updated its policy to ban usernames that include “references to sexual acts, arousal, fluids, or genitalia” and references to hard drugs from March 1 — Cannabis and alcohol are still allowed — Video streaming website Twitch has updated its policy to ban usernames …
Bored Ape Yacht Club members, who have full IP rights for the ape character they own, are pursuing licensing deals to put ape characters on cannabis packaging (Mia Sato/The Verge)
Mia Sato / The Verge: Bored Ape Yacht Club members, who have full IP rights for the ape character they own, are pursuing licensing deals to put ape characters on cannabis packaging — When Richard Lee first brought his business proposal to Backpack Boyz, he could sense skepticism from the California-based cannabis company.
Shackleton exhibition showcases the power of Antarctic photography
More than a hundred years after Ernest Shackleton’s famous Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition, a new exhibition showcases some of the most iconic and rare images ever taken of the most southerly continent
Watch a biohybrid fish built from human heart cells swim
A fish built from human heart cells that swims like a zebrafish could teach us how the human heart functions.
Nuclear fusion energy record points way to harnessing power of the sun
The nuclear fusion experiment at the Joint European Torus in Oxford on 21 December saw a ball of super-hot plasma sustained for 5 seconds
Welcome to the Great Smushing
Digital technologies and Covid have collapsed our identities into mush—a condition that’s likely to outlast the pandemic.
We Tested a $135K Racing Simulator—and It Blew Our Minds
This UK company has taken fighter-jet sim tech and created a motor racing system that beats most F1 team setups. And you can buy it (if you can afford it).
Where to Find Those Free N95 Face Masks
High-quality disposable masks are being distributed at a variety of places across the country. Here’s how to claim yours.
China’s SMIC reports record $5.4B revenue in 2021, up 39% YoY, and $1.7B profit, up 138% YoY, as it looks to add more chip production capacity amid US sanctions (Arjun Kharpal/CNBC)
Arjun Kharpal / CNBC: China’s SMIC reports record $5.4B revenue in 2021, up 39% YoY, and $1.7B profit, up 138% YoY, as it looks to add more chip production capacity amid US sanctions — – China’s largest chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation reported record revenue and a surge in profit last year.
A profile of OpenSea, whose Web3 credentials have been called into question by crypto hardliners, as it tries to deal with security incidents and copycat NFTs (Gian M. Volpicelli/Wired UK)
Gian M. Volpicelli / Wired UK: A profile of OpenSea, whose Web3 credentials have been called into question by crypto hardliners, as it tries to deal with security incidents and copycat NFTs — Security issues and endless copycat listings are rife, but the platform’s attempt to stop them is angering everyone. — What is a […]
Booking.com will cut and outsource 2,700 call center jobs globally in the next few months, after Booking Holdings laid of ~25% of its workforce in 2020 and 2021 (Dennis Schaal/Skift)
Dennis Schaal / Skift: Booking.com will cut and outsource 2,700 call center jobs globally in the next few months, after Booking Holdings laid of ~25% of its workforce in 2020 and 2021 — Skift Take — We could hear more about Booking Holdings’ rationale for eliminating a chunk of Booking.com’s customer service workforce …
Review of 80K+ donations to the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” reveal a Bangladeshi digital marketing firm helmed two of the biggest Facebook groups promoting events (Grid News)
Grid News: Review of 80K+ donations to the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” reveal a Bangladeshi digital marketing firm helmed two of the biggest Facebook groups promoting events — As American politicians call for stateside convoys, a Grid investigation finds signs that foreign actors, QAnon and hate pervade the movement’s support.
A profile of the couple accused of conspiring to launder around $5B in stolen bitcoin, pieced together from sources, filings, and a voluminous online record (Tim Marchman/VICE)
Tim Marchman / VICE: A profile of the couple accused of conspiring to launder around $5B in stolen bitcoin, pieced together from sources, filings, and a voluminous online record — Heather Morgan and Ilya Lichtenstein wanted to be famous. Now, after being accused of laundering billions of dollars of crypto, they are.
Sources: Apollo Global is nearing a deal to acquire the point-of-sale terminal business of Paris-based payments company Worldline for close to $2.3B (Ben Dummett/Wall Street Journal)
Ben Dummett / Wall Street Journal: Sources: Apollo Global is nearing a deal to acquire the point-of-sale terminal business of Paris-based payments company Worldline for close to $2.3B — Pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital payments over cash — Apollo Global Management Inc. is nearing a deal to acquire the point …
Meet the amateur drone pilots defending Ukraine’s border with Russia
As tensions rise in Ukraine with Russian troops arriving at the border in increasing numbers, a small army of amateur engineers is monitoring events using homemade drones equipped with sensors and old Soviet missiles
Robofish powered by human cardiac cells gives fresh insight into heart
Insights from a synthetic fish built from plastic and gelatine and powered by human cardiac cells might one day be useful for treating heart disease
ClassPass makes health and fitness more accessible
Are you a Pilates person or a cycling person? Maybe you’re a HIIT person who’s convinced themselves they’re only interested in dance. Maybe you like to mix it up throughout the week. Maybe you simply don’t know yet. It’s hard to predict what kind of workout or wellness class will work best for you on […]
5 Ways to Restore Depleted Health Care Workers
Proven strategies that health systems are using to combat employees’ physical and emotional exhaustion.
Skills-Based Hiring Is on the Rise
A study of 51 million job postings shows a trend of companies moving away from degree requirements for many roles.
Research: How Do Warehouse Workers Feel About Automation?
Interviews with workers from around the world shed light on their hopes and concerns.
After the Great Resignation, Tech Firms Are Getting Desperate
Faced with a shortage of qualified workers and fierce competition, companies are offering candidates money to interview and plush perks if they stay.
14 Great TV and Soundbar Deals for Super Bowl Weekend
It’s the perfect time to upgrade your home theater before the big game.
Are You Being Tracked by an AirTag? Here’s How to Check
Useful advice for anyone worried that one of Apple’s trackers is following them without consent.
UK’s CMA accepts Google’s plan to phase out third-party cookies and replace them with Privacy Sandbox and will closely monitor the development of the product (Jon Porter/The Verge)
Jon Porter / The Verge: UK’s CMA accepts Google’s plan to phase out third-party cookies and replace them with Privacy Sandbox and will closely monitor the development of the product — The UK’s competition regulator will keep a ‘close eye’ on development — Google’s plan to phase out third-party cookies and replace …
Report: Amazon has received $4.7B in tax breaks globally over the past decade; $4.1B was from the US and weak disclosure laws could put the rest well over $600M (Lauren Kaori Gurley/VICE)
Lauren Kaori Gurley / VICE: Report: Amazon has received $4.7B in tax breaks globally over the past decade; $4.1B was from the US and weak disclosure laws could put the rest well over $600M — The report highlights how little is known about the cost of Amazon’s expansion to taxpayers around the planet. — Lauren […]
How researchers are using AI to analyze the undeciphered ancient script of the Indus Valley Civilization, and the challenges of deciphering long-lost languages (Alizeh Kohari/Rest of World)
Alizeh Kohari / Rest of World: How researchers are using AI to analyze the undeciphered ancient script of the Indus Valley Civilization, and the challenges of deciphering long-lost languages — Scholars have spent a century trying to decipher ancient Indus script. Machine learning may finally help make sense of it all.
Social media
Digital Evolution Whether it’s family, friends or work colleagues, we all inevitably lose touch with our various networks – it could be argued this is a completely natural process, whereby over time we align ourselves with individuals we have more in common with, or perhaps who are more relevant given our current circumstances; either way, […]
Curated, Digital Content for Everyone
Curated Information Feeds For a good few years now, I’ve actively modified who I follow, and what updates I receive digitally through social and news media – with Facebook, this generally means choosing who I want to receive updates from, and in what order (or at all), which allows me to maintain ‘friendship’ with individuals […]
Reuters News & the Semantic Web
As time goes on, i’m becoming more and more confident of the potential of the semantic web – typically, I tend to be a ‘second mover’ when it comes to new technologies or trends, I’ll usually let someone else be the early adopter, or at least remain skeptical until a quorum has emerged. But with […]
Data Privacy Musings, February 2016
The global Data Privacy landscape is currently a fairly chaotic, uncertain place – certainly the Snowden revelations, along with Wikileaks and similar have sparked all sorts of questions around who has access to what; global surveillance, monitoring and encryption have been hot topics for Silicon Valley and global governmental leaders There is no ‘compromise’ in encryption […]
Identity Access Management on the Blockchain
I’ve been looking at Blockchain technology recently (with some level of confusion), in regard to it’s potential application to IAM, and more generally around the cryptocurrencies that have emerged following Bitcoins success – it still remains to be seen how the Bitcoin implementation will continue operating once all coins have been mined, as the model […]
Social Collaboration
Does your business have a social network? Is it an Enterprise social network? What collaboration tools do you have, are they the same as social tools? There are a number of different ways to describe social and collaborative tools, and they are often used interchangeably. This is fine in a general sense, as the two […]