This is today’s edition of Download, Our weekday newsletter provides daily coverage of what’s happening in the tech world.
We may never fully know how video games affect our health
For decades, lawmakers, researchers, journalists, and parents have worried that video games are bad for us: they encourage violent behavior or harm mental health. These concerns have spilled over into policy decisions that affect millions of people.
The World Health Organization added “gaming disorder” to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) in 2019, while China restricts people under 18 from playing video games to more than three hours a week to prevent minors. adult addiction.
However, in recent years, more and more studies have argued that video games are actually good for us, improving cognition, reducing stress and strengthening communication skills.
The fact that we don’t fully understand how games affect our health, if any, demonstrates the complexity of drawing definite conclusions about how, a new study finds. and why playing video games affects us. Read full story.
—Rhiannon Williams
How do strong muscles keep your brain healthy?
We often think of muscle as something that exists separate from the mind. The truth is, our brains and muscles are constantly talking to each other, sending electrochemical signals back and forth. In a very tangible way, our brain health depends on keeping our muscles moving.
Exercise stimulates what scientists call the brain-muscle “cross-talk,” and protein molecules released when muscles contract help determine specific beneficial responses in the brain. These may include the formation of new neurons and increased synaptic plasticity, both of which enhance learning and memory. Read full story.
—Bonnie Tsui
Things to read
I scoured the internet to find you today’s most interesting/important/scary/fascinating stories about tech.
1 Google flagged a father’s lingerie photos of his son as abusive
When Big Tech’s abuse detection tools go wrong, the consequences can be extremely dire. (NYT $)
Software can do better than ‘male’, ‘female’ and ‘other’
In many cases, just a few simple lines of code are enough. (MIT Technology Review)
3 Removing carbon needs a code of ethics
This industry has made a lot of wild claims. Codes of conduct can help reign in the likelihood of them becoming scammers. (Protocol)
+ Seville is using ancient Persian technology to combat climate change. (Bloomberg $)
+ Companies hoping to grow carbon-sucking kelp may be rushing ahead of science. (MIT Technology Review)
4 websites selling abortion pills on the black market are thriving
It’s not always clear where the pills come from or how to use them. (WSJ $)
+ Crossing state lines is taking its toll on abortion seekers. (Slate)
+ Where to buy abortion pills and how to use them?. (MIT Technology Review)
5 NSO Group has a new CEO
As part of a larger inner shake-up. (FT $)
+ The hacking industry faces the end of the era. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Big Tech is preparing for a new wave of ‘big lies’ misinformation
Critics say their outdated detection and removal methods won’t help protect the midterms. (WP $)
7 No evidence that student behavior apps work
But anyway, schools across America are adopting them. (Undark)
+ Software that monitors students during testing causes inequality and violates their privacy. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Amputated prostheses
Well-intentioned engineers are failing to understand what amputees really need from their prosthetics. (IEEE Spectrum)
9 Inside Reddit’s vile nude market
In addition to selling photos and videos, the community works together to remove the women who appear in them. (BBC)
+ A horrifying new AI app turns women into porn videos with just one click. (MIT Technology Review)
10 Thai activists trolling their monarchy
Use the Despicable Me and Harry Potter comics. (Foreign Policy $)
Quote of the day
“Continually reminding you to use your phone is another.”
—Deborah Mackenzie, 23, explains why she won’t join the youth group by using BeReal, an app that promotes authenticity, to Guardians.
Big story
Video games are dividing Korea
December 2019
When American entertainment company Blizzard released StarCraft, their real-time sci-fi strategy game, in 1998, it wasn’t just a hit, it was an awakening. At the time, Korea was seen as a technologically difficult land rather than a big market. Blizzard didn’t even bother localizing the game to Korean.
Even so, StarCraft – where players battle each other with armies of galactic species at war – has been a smashing success. Of the 11 million copies sold worldwide, 4.5 million are in South Korea.
StarCraft and PC bang culture spoke to a generation of young Koreans suffering from economic anxiety and increased academic pressure. The social aspect of StarCraft set the stage for another phenomenon: esports. Read full story.
—Max S. Kim
We can still have good things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction during these strange times. (Any comments?Drop me a lineortweet ’em with me.)
+ You heard it here first — here it is hottest color of the year 2023.
+ This story about a The seal broke into a biologist’s house Fun.
+ This is automatic cringey LinkedIn Post Maker gave me hours of entertainment.
+ how great Catherine Zeta-Jones looks in the new Addams Family story, Wednesday?
+ Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation is such a tune, it break laptop.
