“Rather than relying on a few giant platforms to police speech online, there could be widespread competition, in which anyone could design their own interfaces, filters, and additional services, allowing whichever ones work best to succeed, without having to resort to outright censorship for certain voices,” Masnick wrote. “It would allow end users to determine… Continue reading Jack Dorsey Wants to Help You Create Your Own Twitter
Author: Wired Magazine
Why Volcanologists Didn’t Predict New Zealand’s Deadly Eruption
On Monday, at 2:11 pm local time, New Zealand’s White Island volcano unexpectedly erupted, blasting a superheated plume of ash, sulfur gas, and steam 12,000 feet in the air and blanketing the crater’s floor in powdered rock and debris. At the time, dozens of people were visiting the popular tourist destination, also known by its… Continue reading Why Volcanologists Didn’t Predict New Zealand’s Deadly Eruption
A DNA Firm That Caters to Police Just Bought a Genealogy Site
Just two years ago, GEDmatch was still an obscure genealogy website, known only to a million or so hobbyist DNA sleuths looking to fill in their family trees. The site was free, public, and run by two guys with a knack for writing algorithms that helped relatives find each other. All in all, it was… Continue reading A DNA Firm That Caters to Police Just Bought a Genealogy Site
Disparity in Tech Jobs, Green Monday Deals, and More News
Disparity in tech jobs is still a thing, and holiday deals are in full swing, but first: a cartoon about how video conferences spiral out of control. Here’s the news you need to know, in two minutes or less. Want to receive this two-minute roundup as an email every weekday? Sign up here! Today’s News… Continue reading Disparity in Tech Jobs, Green Monday Deals, and More News
3D Printing Can Keep Aging Air Force Aircraft Flying
Glenn House and his colleagues spent more than four years making a new toilet for the B-1 Lancer. The challenge wasn’t fitting the john into the cockpit (it went behind the front left seat), but ensuring that every part could handle life aboard a plane that can pull 5 Gs, break the sound barrier, and… Continue reading 3D Printing Can Keep Aging Air Force Aircraft Flying
Elon Musk Wins in Defamation Suit by British Diver
After less than an hour of deliberation, a Los Angeles jury Friday found that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk did not defame a British diver by calling him a “pedo guy” and “sus,” or suspicious, in a series of July 2018 tweets. In court on Friday, the lawyer for the diver, Vernon Unsworth, had… Continue reading Elon Musk Wins in Defamation Suit by British Diver
Bernie Sanders Says Internet Service Should be a Human Right
In August, presidential candidate and senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) proposed spending $85 billion to expand high-speed internet access in rural America and other underserved communities. Senator and rival presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) thinks that’s not enough. Friday, he offered his own $150 billion broadband plan that goes far beyond connecting rural communities to the… Continue reading Bernie Sanders Says Internet Service Should be a Human Right
Larry, Sergey, and the Mixed Legacy of Google-Turned-Alphabet
On August 10, 2015, Google CEO Larry Page shocked the business world by announcing he was restructuring the company he cofounded into a holding company called Alphabet. Page would head the new entity, and Google itself would be one of a number of companies under Alphabet’s control—like Google X, Google Fiber, Google Ventures, and Nest—each… Continue reading Larry, Sergey, and the Mixed Legacy of Google-Turned-Alphabet
A SpaceX Beer Supply Run, Sketchy Baby Yoda Merch, and More News
Sellers are faking and rocket boosters are shaking, but first: a cartoon about when keto goes wrong. Here’s the news you need to know, in two minutes or less. Want to receive this two-minute roundup as an email every weekday? Sign up here! Today’s News SpaceX will bring the science of fire, mice, and beer… Continue reading A SpaceX Beer Supply Run, Sketchy Baby Yoda Merch, and More News
The RCS Texting Protocol Is Way Too Easy to Hack
Ask practically any phone carrier, and they’ll tell you that the future of smartphone features from texting to video calls is a protocol called Rich Communication Services. Think of RCS as the successor to SMS, an answer to iMessage that can also handle phone and video calls. Last month, Google announced it would begin rolling… Continue reading The RCS Texting Protocol Is Way Too Easy to Hack