It’s been five years since the founding of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s Science program (not CZI itself, which is a year older), which has proven to be quite a generous patron of cutting-edge biotech science and research, and far from winding down, the organization is stepping on the gas as good outcomes from its grants […]
After being pushed out of Google, Timnit Gebru forms her own AI research institute: DAIR
Almost exactly one year ago, Timnit Gebru, one of the leaders of Google’s ethics in AI team and one of the foremost experts in that topic, was fired after sending an email of concern to her team. Now she has set up shop herself with a brand new research institute, DAIR, focused on the topics […]
Report claims Amazon collects over a third of seller revenue, bringing in $121B in 2021
A new study claims that Amazon makes far more from fees on its Marketplace platform than even the cash cow known as AWS. The report says that Amazon’s fees for participating effectively on its store have grown to the point where sellers now give the company about 34% of their earnings — and this has […]
Gift Guide: 15 gift ideas for gamers when the next-gen consoles aren’t an option
The giving season has arrived, but an ample supply of next-gen consoles has not. Between chip shortages and resellers/bots, the chances of someone getting their hands on a PS5 or Xbox Series X without a whole lot of effort(/luck) are slim to none.
Robots and AI assist in designing and building Swiss university’s ‘hanging gardens’
Architecture and construction have always been, rather quietly, at the bleeding edge of tech and materials trends. It’s no surprise, then, especially at a renowned technical university like ETH Zurich, to find a project utilizing AI and robotics in a new approach to these arts. The automated design and construction they are experimenting with show […]
With new tech and $3.6M seed, DiviGas aims to clean up hydrogen production
Hydrogen is at the center of many industrial processes and potentially part of major future energy ecosystems, but the process of isolating and storing it is wasteful and expensive. DiviGas, armed with a $3.6M seed round, hopes to clean up the hydrogen production industry with a new tech that leapfrogs existing methods, potentially supercharging this […]
Cognixion raises $12M to build its brain-monitoring headset for people with disabilities
Cognixion, a startup designing an intuitive brain-monitoring headset and interface for people with physical disabilities, has raised a $12M A round to pursue its accessibility ambitions. Armed with this funding, it should be able to complete the long list of requirements necessary for any medical or assistive device to be made widely available. The company, […]
Tobii’s TD Pilot brings gaze-based typing, text-to-speech and app navigation to iPad
Tobii is bringing its eye-tracking tech to the iPad with TD Pilot, a case meant to turn Apple’s tablet into a powerful all-in-one tool for people with physical impairments. Equipped with TD Pilot, users can launch and use apps, type quickly and speak with a synthetic voice using nothing but their gaze. IPadOS 15 brought […]
Nintendo’s Zelda Game & Watch is another worthwhile stocking stuffer for retro collectors
I have in my hands the Legend of Zelda Game & Watch, the second in Nintendo’s line of whimsical throwback handhelds clearly meant as stocking stuffers for those who already have (or can’t find) a Switch. It does a fine job, and the three old-school Zelda games included are great options for Nintendo-hard adventure that […]
Mastodon issues 30-day ultimatum to Trump’s social network over misuse of its code
Former President Trump’s new social network might be in hot water before it even launches. Mastodon, a free social media framework, alleges that Truth Social is passing open source software off as its own, and has given them 30 days to fix this. If it doesn’t fix things by the end of next month, things […]