I scoured the internet to find you today’s most interesting/important/scary/fascinating stories about tech.
Bitcoin Traders Don’t Care About Recession
Debating the definition of a recession and whether we’re in a recession feels like a distraction. (CoinDesk)
+ Technically, the US may be in a recession right now, but much of the economy remains strong. (Guardians)
+ This is why the popular definition of recession is informal. (Atlantic $)
+ Bitcoin’s Value Is Heading For Its Best Month Since 2021. (Bloomberg $)
2 Iran is ramping up drone production
It wants to sell them to overseas buyers, including Russia. (NYT $)
+ Why business is booming for AI startups in the military. (MIT Technology Review)
3 The CHIPS Act Won’t Fix the Semiconductor Shortage
Part of that is because the shortages seem to be easing anyway. (Recode)
+ Packages of billions of dong must be invested wisely. (Wired $)
+ Chipmakers say they urgently need the subsidies promised by the bill. (FT $)
4 Democrats haven’t released a poignant video about Joe Biden
Despite the best efforts of conspiracy theorists to convince the internet. (BBC)
+ The biggest threat of deepfakes is not the deepfakes themselves. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Performing and transient online outrage
Not succumbing to their level can make things less frustrating. (Atlantic $)
6 sticky patches that could revolutionize the way we take ultrasounds
Patients can wear them at home instead of having to go to the hospital. (guardian)
7 Chinese virtual idols sold out
Their adoring fans don’t always consider the people behind the animations. (The rest of the world)
+ How China’s biggest online influencers fell from their thrones. (MIT Technology Review)
8 TikTok is controlled by strangers, not friends
The platform has rejected the social model championed by Facebook, with great success. (New Yorkers $)
+ Instagram has shyly (and only temporarily) pulled back some of its much-hated recent changes. (NYT $)
+ Facebook has announced it will double the amount of AI-recommended feed content. (Motherboard)
+ Snap and TikTok offer richer, more interesting recommendations than Google. (Slate)
9 This Aging Institute Wants To Help You Live Better, Not Longer
But the shadow of the promise of immortality still loomed. (Neo.Life)
+ Saudi Arabia plans to spend $1 billion a year exploring treatments that slow down the aging process. (MIT Technology Review)
10 Meet the human holding the cloud online ️
Often under extremely punitive conditions. (Aeon)
Quote of the day
“What frustrates me the most is being accused of distorting the truth. As meteorologists, we report the truth. There is no conspiracy.”
— Meteorologist and weather presenter Tomasz Schafernaker told his employer, BBCabout his frustration at the online abuse he received from climate change protesters during the recent severe UK heatwave.
Big story
Meet the injured veteran with a penis transplant
October 2019
