6 The public backlash against data centers is intensifying in the US
Protests and litigation are blocking projects. (CNBC)
+ One potential solution? Putting them in space. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Five-minute EV charging is becoming a reality
China’s BYD has started rolling it out. (Gizmodo)
+ “Extended-range electric vehicles” are about to hit US streets. (Atlantic $)
8 Stealth signals are bypassing Iran’s internet blackout
Files hidden in satellite TV broadcasts keep information flowing. (IEEE)
9 Shoe brand Allbirds made a shock pivot to AI, sending stock up 700%
No bubble to see here, folks. (CNBC)
+ What even is the AI bubble? (MIT Technology Review)
10 The largest ever map of the universe is complete
It captures 47 million galaxies and quasars. (Space.com)
Quote of the day
“I like the internet as much as anybody, but we’ve got to go on an internet diet. We don’t need to pay for corporations to do their internet stuff.”
—Sylvia Whitt, a 78-year-old retiree based in Virginia, tells the Washington Post why they’re protesting against data centers.
One More Thing
ISRAEL VARGAS
AI and the future of sex
Some Republican lawmakers want to criminalize porn and arrest its creators. But what if porn is wholly created by an algorithm? In that case, whether it’s obscene, ethical, or safe becomes a secondary issue. The primary concern will be what it means for porn to be “real”—and what the answer demands from all of us.