The New York Times: Flood global social media with fake accounts used to advance an authoritarian agenda. Make them look real and grow their numbers of followers. Seek out online critics of the state — and find out who they are and where they live. Ch…
At Long Last, the World’s Most Powerful Space Telescope is Ready To Launch
Decades of tension, debate, and determination have led to this moment, as the James Webb Space Telescope begins its million-mile journey into deep space. From a report: For the world’s most advanced space telescope, and the thousands of people who’ve w…
Decentralized Exchanges Saw Over $1 Trillion in Trading Volume This Year
Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) reported more than $1 trillion in trading volumes in the year 2021, according to The Block Research. From a report: That figure is a massive 858% increase compared to 2020 DEX trading volumes, based on data as of December…
FDA Authorizes Second COVID-19 Antiviral Pill
The Food and Drug Administration authorized a second at-home antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 on Thursday. From a report:The clearance for the drug, called molnupiravir, came a day after the agency signed off on Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral, called Paxl…
Tech Execs and Engineers Are Quitting Large Companies For ‘Once-in-Generation’ Opportunity With Crypto
An anonymous reader shares a report : Ms. Carter is part of a wave of executives and engineers leaving cushy jobs at Google, Amazon, Apple and other large tech companies — some of which pay millions of dollars in annual compensation — to chase what t…
Amazon’s Alexa Stalled With Users as Interest Faded, Documents Show
Bloomberg Businessweek: Each holiday season since 2015, Amazon.com has counted on selling a lot of its Alexa voice-controlled smart speakers. For almost as long, it’s known that the devices have had trouble holding customers’ attention even into Januar…
Seconds Before a 6.2 Earthquake Rattled California, Phones Got a Vital Warning
In the moments before a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the northern California coast on Monday, roughly half a million phones began to buzz. From a report: An early-alert system managed by the US Geological Survey sent warnings out before the ground s…
Watching A Lecture Twice At Double Speed Can Benefit Learning Better Than Watching It Once At Normal Speed
The British Psychological Society: Watching lecture videos is now a major part of many students’ university experience. Some say they prefer them to live lectures, as they can choose when to study. And, according to a survey of students at the Universi…
Germany Is Closing Half of Its Reactors at Worst Possible Time
Germany is set to close almost half of its nuclear power capacity before the end of the year, putting further strain on European grids already coping with one of the worst energy crunches in the region’s history. From a report: The shutdowns of Grohnde…
South Africa’s Huge Omicron Wave Appears To Be Subsiding Just as Quickly As it Grew
South Africa’s huge wave of omicron cases appears to be subsiding just as quickly as it grew in the weeks after the country first announced to the world that a new coronavirus variant had been identified. From a report: South Africa’s top infectious-di…