Intel is releasing fixes for a processor vulnerability that affects many models of its chips going back to 2015, including some that are currently sold, the company revealed today. The flaw does not impact Intel’s latest processor generations. The vulnerability could be exploited to circumvent barriers meant to keep data isolated, and therefore private, on… Continue reading New ‘Downfall’ Flaw Exposes Valuable Data in Generations of Intel Chips
Author: Wired Magazine
The Mystery of Chernobyl’s Post-Invasion Radiation Spikes
When Russian troops seized control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant last year, following the invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky called it “a declaration of war” against Europe. Others warned that Russia’s reckless seizure of the plant could trigger a nuclear disaster to rival Chernobyl’s 1986 radiological accident. Their fears seemed well-founded when, on… Continue reading The Mystery of Chernobyl’s Post-Invasion Radiation Spikes
Google Makes It Easier to Delete Your Personal Deets
It’s getting easier to remove your personal details from Google’s search results. Last year, Google rolled out its Results About You tool that lets users monitor what personal details about them pop up in a Google search. The tool makes it easy to request that certain “personal information”—your email address, home address, or phone number—and… Continue reading Google Makes It Easier to Delete Your Personal Deets
The Senate’s AI Future Is Haunted by the Ghost of Privacy Past
In short, the tentacles of US tech firms are everywhere—vaccines, food, cancer research, psilocybin centers, criminal justice reform, homelessness—the list could reach the moon. (Speaking of the moon, how could we forget commercial spaceflight?) And the AI boom is likely to further expand tech firms’ power and riches. Yet on Capitol Hill, some powerful Republicans… Continue reading The Senate’s AI Future Is Haunted by the Ghost of Privacy Past
Fisker Alaska Pickup, Fisker Ronin Convertible: Specs, Price, Release Date
Fresh from letting us take a first drive in its Ocean midsize electric SUV as well as making its first customer deliveries of the car, Fisker has unveiled its EV lineup for the next few years. At an event in Huntington Beach, California, on yesterday night, the company revealed four new models that will be… Continue reading Fisker Alaska Pickup, Fisker Ronin Convertible: Specs, Price, Release Date
Meeting Sinéad O’Connor in a Cracker Barrel Parking Lot, 1998
Sinéad O’Connor was seated amongst the Amish folks. Whoever gave her that table most likely knew what they were doing. It was 1998, the suburbs of Indianapolis, and O’Connor was in town to perform at Lilith Fair music festival that night; many of the other patrons were in town to go to Lilith Fair. Everyone… Continue reading Meeting Sinéad O’Connor in a Cracker Barrel Parking Lot, 1998
Free Airline Miles, Hotel Points, and User Data Put at Risk by Flaws in Points Platform
Travel rewards programs like those offered by airlines and hotels tout the specific perks of joining their club over others. Under the hood, though, the digital infrastructure for many of these programs—including Delta SkyMiles, United MileagePlus, Hilton Honors, and Marriott Bonvoy—is built on the same platform. The backend comes from the loyalty commerce company Points… Continue reading Free Airline Miles, Hotel Points, and User Data Put at Risk by Flaws in Points Platform
LK-99 Is Fueling a DIY Superconductivity Race
All that Andrew McCalip wanted for his 34th birthday was a shipment of red phosphorus. It was a tough request—the substance happens to be an ingredient for cooking meth and is controlled by the US Drug Enforcement Agency—but also an essential one, if McCalip was going to realize his dream of making a room-temperature superconductor,… Continue reading LK-99 Is Fueling a DIY Superconductivity Race
8 Best Language Learning Apps (2023): Online Courses and a Pocket Translator
Here are a few more services and apps that can work well as supplemental tools to your language learning efforts, though some I don’t like as much as the options above. Lingvist ($10 per month): With a heavy focus on flashcards, Lingvist can help you build your vocabulary quickly, and the makers claim it will… Continue reading 8 Best Language Learning Apps (2023): Online Courses and a Pocket Translator
The First Pill for Postpartum Depression Is Almost Here
About one in eight women in the United States experiences postpartum depression after giving birth. Soon, there may finally be a convenient, fast-acting medication to treat it—if the Food and Drug Administration gives it the green light. The pill, called zuranolone, is taken over the course of 14 days and works to relieve depressive symptoms… Continue reading The First Pill for Postpartum Depression Is Almost Here