The Changing World Order
Drones are the new bombs, code the new currency, chips the new oil, and AI the new everything. Technology has reshaped geopolitics forever and a new world order is being carved in silicon
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Why progress was so slow, for so long
Progress was agonizingly slow for most of human history, but the rapid progress of the last few centuries was not a fluke.
America underestimates the difficulty of bringing manufacturing back
Tariffs won’t bring manufacturing back to the US, but there are ways to make it happen — if America is serious about doing so.
Pantheon creator Craig Silverstein on uploading our brains to the internet
How the cult hit sci-fi show imagines a “techno-realist” future.
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Google announces cheaper alternatives to college degrees
Google’s new certificate program provides alternatives to college degrees that are cheaper to obtain, but potentially worth the same in the job market.
How thread became critical in a pandemic
Tech giants have teamed up to help innovate the PPE supply chain and lessen the risk of future shortages, starting with the world’s leading thread supplier.
Loon is beaming balloon-based internet to Kenya
The Loon balloon-based internet platform looks to bring connectivity to those without it. The first commercial deployment is taking place high above Kenya.
Starlink internet to begin beta testing
SpaceX’s Starlink internet project promises to use satellites to improve internet access. Beta testers will get the chance to try it later this summer.
With US clothing sales in a freefall, Walmart sells secondhand
Consumers can now purchase secondhand clothing from a new resale store in the largest retailer – Walmart.
Singapore to give all residents wearables for contact tracing
Singapore is testing the ability of wearables for contact tracing to prevent an increase in coronavirus infections as it lifts lockdown restrictions.
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Challengers
Healthy fast food start up takes on the McDonald’s empire
This LA-based business wants to radically alter the fast food industry by selling healthy fast food at the same low cost as competitors like McDonald’s.
Fighting child exploitation with big data
Last year, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 18 million reports of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse. Now, they’re using a new technology to confront this issue with the force necessary to eradicate it.
First autonomous air taxi terminal to open in 2020
Chinese autonomous aerial vehicle company EHang plans to build the world’s first air taxi terminal in Hezhou, China, before the end of 2020.
Ghana uses drones to speed up coronavirus testing
In Ghana, Zipline is helping speed up coronavirus testing by using drones to deliver test samples, and it wants to bring the service to the U.S.
Apple and Google join forces on coronavirus tracking project
Apple and Google are collaborating on a coronavirus tracking project they hope will eliminate the privacy concerns surrounding contact-tracing apps.
Contact-tracing apps could help end coronavirus lockdown
A new University of Oxford study found that contact-tracing apps could help bring the coronavirus pandemic to an end without violating citizens’ rights.
New app uses location data to track the coronavirus
Researchers from MIT and Harvard have created a smartphone app to track the coronavirus, and it puts a premium on user privacy.
Minecraft players built a massive library for censored news
Minecrafts’s Uncensored Library is exploiting a loophole in surveillance technology to sneak the news past government censorship.
Hey Alexa, quit eavesdropping
Researchers at the University of Chicago have developed an ultrasonic audio jammer that doubles as a fashion accessory.
Why aren’t the World Bank’s pandemic bonds helping fight COVID-19?
The World Bank sold pandemic bonds to address global health emergencies, but it has yet to release any of the money to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak.
New tech could finally change drone regulations for the better
FAA drone regulations require pilots to have a visual line of sight of their aircraft, but new detect-and-avoid systems could change that.
The anti-facial recognition fashion statement
These designers are trying to outsmart surveillance systems with anti-facial recognition makeup, glasses, and clothing. Can they help us go incognito?
In a circular economy, leaders look to eliminate waste
A step further than recycling, a circular economy would eliminate the idea of garbage completely. But will consumers hop on board? We gave it a try, and here’s our honest review.
The fleet of underwater drones probing Earth’s interior
The Earth’s interior may be the last wild frontier, but not for long. These underwater drones are scanning the ocean to create a 3D model of its internal dynamics.
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