I’ve scoured the internet to find you today’s most interesting/important/scary/fascinating stories about tech.
1 New privacy-focused apps are ill-equipped to meet censorship requirements
It makes maintaining a balance between privacy and policy more complicated. (WP $)
+ How to honestly talk to kids about the Texas shootings. (Atlantic $)
Big Tech’s 2 lobbying efforts are paying off
Democrats are wary of backing antitrust legislation for fear of losing a thin majority. (Politico)
+ Industry lobbyists have also successfully undermined privacy regulation efforts. (Tick)
+ What does breaking up Big Tech really mean? (MIT . Technology Review)
3 Pleasant sensations to the touch are difficult to reproduce
But scientists are doing their best with sensors and prostheses. (National Geography $)
+ Invent soft things to solve hard problems. (MIT . Technology Review)
4 Our obsession with restoring nature is in vain
Living ecosystems are not static environments, so why should we treat them that way? (New Statesman $)
+ “One trillion trees” is a great idea — could become a dangerous climate distraction. (MIT . Technology Review)
5 A Japanese toy company owns shares in 4Chan
And sexually suggestive anime characters might explain why. (Wired $)
+ Malicious rumors a transgender person is responsible for the Texas shooting started on 4Chan. (Rolling Stone)
6 Students are afraid of being accused of cheating by the algorithm
Schools are placing too much trust in systems that can make misjudgments. (NYT $)
How Birth Control Could Change in a Post-Roe . World
Including “night before” pills and sperm-banning gels. (Neo.Life)
+ Data collection could get worse if abortion is banned. (FT $)
+ Activists Are Helping Texans Access Abortion Pills Online. (MIT . Technology Review)
8 African Market Entrepreneurs Thriving Thanks to Supply Chain Startups
Make it possible for them to order products in bulk without having to move. (FT $)
+ Major blockchain projects are also flooding the continent. (Quartz)
9 ways to keep up with the news without being overwhelmed
Turning off notifications is a good place to start. (WP $)
10 An AI Painted a Unsettling Portrait of the Queen
And critics were unimpressed with the results. (Guardians)
+ The dark secret behind AI-generated cute animal images. (MIT . Technology Review)
Big story
Why don’t you really know what you know
October 2020
What does it really mean to know anything? How much can we make sense of the world when so much of our knowledge is based on evidence and arguments provided by others?
These questions are not only important to scientists. Many other areas are becoming more complex and we have access to more information and informed opinions than ever before. At the same time, however, growing political polarization and misinformation are making it difficult for us to know who or what to trust. Read full story.
—Matthew Hutson
We can still have good things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction during these strange times. (Any comments? Drop me a line or tweet ’em with me.)
+ If I’m not excited enough about Jurassic World Dominion coming to theaters next month, here it is list of 20 best movies about dinosaurs tilted me over the edge.
+ The Sims’ answer to the Addams Family has been given glamorous makeup.
+ Definitely yes a lot of monkeys scattered throughout art history.
+ An ambitious couple is hoping eat their way around the world by recreating meals from every country — in alphabetical order.
+ This one love letters to cities is a reminder of what great city life is all about.
