technology

Breakthrough: “Electronic soil” boosts crop growth by over 50%::This research introduces an innovative approach to soilless cultivation, or hydroponics, by integrating electronic soil, or eSoil.

Note: I am not affiliated with the project

Japan to crack down on Apple and Google app store monopolies::TOKYO – Japan is preparing regulations that would require tech giants like Apple and Google to allow outside app stores and payments on their mobile

I have used several different generators. What they all seem to have in common is that they don’t always display what I am asking for. Example: if I am looking for a person in jeans and t-shirt, I will get images of a person wear things totally different clothing and it isn’t consistent. Another example is if I want a full...

Israel grants Intel $3.2 billion for new $25 billion chip plant::undefined

I got interested in this question a few years ago, when I started writing about the “denominator problem”. A great deal of social media research focuses on finding unwanted behavior – mis/disinformation, hate speech – on platforms. This isn’t that hard to do: search for “white genocide” or “ivermectin” and...

Apple is now banned from selling its latest Apple Watches in the US::Apple can no longer sell the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Watch Series 9 in the US. The International Trade Commission issued an import ban on the devices that took effect on December 26th, 2023.

Link to talks schedule, times are CET (deal with it)...

It’s All Bullshit: Performing productivity at Google::The tech industry is supposed to be the cradle of innovation—but it’s become a redoubt of waste and unproductivity.

Study shows AI image-generators being trained on explicit photos of children::Hidden inside the foundation of popular artificial intelligence image-generators are thousands of images of child sexual abuse, according to a new report that urges companies to take action to address a harmful flaw in the technology they built

FTC sounds off about AI abuse and fraud to Copyright Office::Sir, this is a Wendy’s

Question for the masses because I’m curious:...

The dark side of social media on youth mental health::The U.S. Surgeon General’s recent advisory highlights the perilous impact of social media on youth mental health, linking it to rising cases of eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction.

Rumors swirl that TSMC chairman Mark Liu was forced to retire over Arizona fab debacle::After TSMC announced the upcoming retirement of chairman Mark Liu, some have speculated it might not have been voluntary.

The Era of American Computer Magazines Has Drawn to a Close::I’ve been buying a copy of Maximum PC magazine at the airport newsstand on every long-distance trip I’ve taken over the past two decades. I’m primarily a Mac user but Maximum PC, which started life as boot, bought at these … Continue reading →

Tesla drivers had highest accident rate, BMW drivers highest DUI rate, study finds::Tesla drivers had 24 accidents per 1,000 drivers during the period from mid-November 2022 to mid-November 2023, according to a study by Lending Tree.

Fixing car and e-bike batteries saves money and resources, but challenges are holding back the industry

Nearly half of new passenger cars in EU electrified -ACEA::Sales of electric cars in the European Union were almost half of all new passenger car registrations in the EU between January and November 2023 and already crossed the halfway mark in the month of November alone, data showed on Wednesday. Electrified vehicles - either...

Research: The Growing Inequality of Who Gets to Work from Home::There is a large and growing divide in terms of who gets to work from home. Research on job postings found that remote work is far more common for higher paid roles, for roles that require more experience, for full-time work, and for roles that require more...