I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Ukraine is unleashing regular drone attacks on Moscow
Some seem to have been intercepted—but not all. (NYT $)
+ Mass-market military drones have changed the way wars are fought. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Biden signed a measure limiting US investment in Chinese tech
The order targets advanced semiconductors and quantum computers. (WSJ $)
+ China’s internet giants are rushing to stockpile billions of dollars worth of chips ahead of potential restrictions. (FT $)
+ The US-China chip war is still escalating. (MIT Technology Review)
3 Inside the race to rescue the world’s DNA 🧬
More than 40,000 species are categorized as threatened. The true figure will be much higher. New Yorker $)
4 People are using AI to give voices to dead children
Hard to see any benefit to this whatsoever, and it deeply hurts bereaved parents. (WP $)
+ This company is struggling to stop its deepfake tech being used for misinformation. (Wired $)
+ Digital clones of the people we love could forever change how we grieve. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Twitter is being forced to hand over Trump’s data
After being held in contempt of court and fined $350,000. (Politico)
+ Trump’s tweets are coming back to bite him. (The Atlantic $)
6 Tons of work is being plowed into hydrogen planes ✈️
It’s early days, but if technical challenges can be overcome, they could be a promising part of decarbonizing aviation. (Ars Technica)
+ Hydrogen-powered planes take off with a startup’s test flight. (MIT Technology Review)
7 There’s a decent chance you’re oversharing if you’re on Venmo
Everyone can see your contacts list, for example. (NYT $)
8 How to make Slack work for you
Being driven mad by non-stop notifications? You need to read this. (WP $)
+ Slack is about to undergo its biggest redesign yet. (The Verge)
9 Apple Maps is better than it used to be
But, I mean… Google’s already won. (The Guardian)
10 Heat is Enemy Number One for your smartphone’s battery
Something to bear in mind before sitting and scrolling in the blazing sunshine. (WSJ $)
Quote of the day
“I don’t think the U.S. Treasury or the [Biden] administration planned it this way, but this is spectacularly bad timing for China.”
—Eswar Prasad, a professor in international trade at Cornell University, tells CNBC that the latest limits on US investment in China come as the country is already grappling with low growth, deflation and other economic problems.