What's New
2,526 episodes — Page 23 of 51
Engagement v. Reach v. Clicks on Facebook—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
A fight has broken out over whether Facebook’s news feed is spreading hyper partisan news content. If you look at he metric of engagement, it does! If you look at reach, that’s less so. So what’s the right thing to measure? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The US records over 1,000 deaths in a day, Fauci warns Covid may never be eradicated, and Pfizer gets a giant vaccine contract- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A Self-Driving Car Bound for Mars—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
We’re sending another rover up to Mars soon. It’s an immensely complicated engineering challenge: from protecting the processors from radiation to making a self-driving system that doesn’t depend on lidar. Here’s how it works. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The US charges alleged hackers, the EU delivers a novel stimulus package, and an expert calls for more transparency on vaccine side effects- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Scalefactor's AI Had People Behind It—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
Scalefactor crashes and burns after raising $100m. It turns out they didn’t have a brilliant AI system for optimizing your back office needs. They had just hired a lot of human accountants to imitate being an AI. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A vaccine trial gives hope, Florida continues to break records, and Trump's briefings return- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Will Trump Ban TikTok?—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
Will Trump van TikTok? I hope not! And when you look on national security grounds alone, it’s hard to make the case that he should. But if you think about crass political calculations, maybe he will. After all:1) being tough on China is the rare issue where he polls better than Biden2) TikTok users get some of the blame for the debacle of his rally in Tulsa3) Banning TikTok would be a huge boost to Facebook and their TikTok competitor within Instagram. And Facebook has been the platform kindest to Trump. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Introducing: Get WIRED
Get WIRED is a new podcast about how the future is realized. Each week, we burrow down new rabbit holes to investigate the ways technology is changing our lives—from culture to business, science to design. Through hard-hitting reporting, intimate storytelling, and audio you won’t hear anywhere else, Get WIRED is the must-listen-to tech podcast that sets the agenda for the week. Hosted by WIRED Senior Writer Lauren Goode. Listen and subscribe to Get WIRED at https://link.chtbl.com/gw-gl-trailer Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Twitter's Massive Hack—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
A terrible hack at Twitter exposes security weaknesses at that company. And it also reminds of one of the fundamental issue for tech: most platforms were built idealistically, with the assumption that most humans are good most of the time. And that’s partly why manipulative people can do so much harm. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Russia goes after vaccine research, CDC data disappears, and experts spot possible cases of reinfection- Tech in 2
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
America's Farming Gets A Software Update—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
How well can modern technology and AI improve America’s farming? I dug into a new partnership between Microsoft and Land O’Lakes to try to find out. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The White House bypasses the CDC, Walmart requires masks, and llamas join the fight against Covid-19- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Rocky Times for Tesla—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
What on earth is going on with Tesla? The stock skyrocketed, and then plummeted. And it still ended the day worth more than Toyota, Ford, and GM combined. This is partly because they make great cars, with great batteries, and could have a dominant position as the world transitions to electric automobiles. It’s partly because Elon Musk has been on better behavior recently---at least when not denying the effects of coronavirus. And it’s partly, well … just a crazy market with a lot of people betting in all directions. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Florida is breaking records, states are spiking faster, and mounting evidence points to the importance of masks- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The International Baccalaureate's Mysterious Algorithm—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
A story of algorithmic insanity. In lieu of in-person testing, the International Baccalaureate program used an opaque formula to determine students’ scores. Among other factors it depended on past results from students at the same school. This is not the way to run a crucial test that determines whether kids get into college. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
New case records, a step backward for Hong Kong, and a growing lawsuit- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A New Way to Unsubscribe from Spam and Get Paid—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
A new, very clever app, tries to unsubscribe you from spammy email while also getting you paid via class action lawsuits. And unlike other similar services, it isn’t based on privacy invasion. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Record death tolls, new treatment data, and a different way to understand immunity- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
How Subscribers Could Change Twitter—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
Rumor has it Twitter is launching a subscription service. This may well not be true, but if it is, it could fundamentally change how social networks operate, perhaps for the better. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Disproportionate dangers for men, a looming second shutdown, and the testing blame game- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
How Will Big Tech Handle New Laws in Hong Kong?—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
China’s new national security law in Hong Kong has put the big tech companies in a bind. Do they comply with it, and violate their principles of free speech? Do they resist, and face retaliation? Do they leave Hong Kong and lose a lot of business? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A new record for cases, evidence of airborne transmission, and a massive airline layoff on the horizon- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
VCs and Tech Media Fight on Twitter—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
There's a huge fight going on right now between VCs and tech media on Twitter. It's too complicated to go into in depth here right now. But I want to talk about one relevant and interesting sub-question: the assumption by many people in tech that editors and managers in media hire people with high Twitter follower counts. That's mostly false, in my opinion, but for complicated and interesting reasons that probably apply to other industries too. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Brazil's president tests positive, the average age of patients plummets, and contact tracing falters- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Growth of Prison TikTok—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
The growth of a subgenre known as prison TikTok, which shows life for incarcerated men and women. Phones are mostly banned in prisons! But looking at prison TikTok might make one reconsider whether that's the right policy choice. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A study dispels herd immunity hopes, an antibody cocktail enters late-stage trials, and WIRED explains the evolution of the face mask- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Tech Policy Meets Nationalism—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
Technology policy is getting ever-more-tied up in nationalistic skirmishes. It happened in India yesterday and the US today. It's not the direction I want the world to head in, but it's also not surprising. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Social Media Cracks Down on Trump—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
The social media companies continue their crackdown on Trump. Why? There are lots of factors in play! But one interesting one is his recent drop in the polls. And if the companies judge his odds of reelection as dropping, they will judge the potential effect of his retaliation as dropping too. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The US sets a new daily record, a government project runs out of face masks, and Florida's governor refuses to pause reopening- Tech in Two.
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Fauci warns of a rise in cases, a memo exposes Amazon, and schools struggle with cybersecurity- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The EU bans most American travelers, the WHO chief says the worst is yet to come, and the FBI warns of antibody test scams- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Fake mask exemptions circulate, worldwide deaths pass 500,000, and Singapore rolls out a contact-tracing device for seniors- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Credit Cards for Influencers—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
A new company called Karat is offering a high-limit credit card to social media influencers. This may sound crazy! Would you trust an Instagram star to pay you back? But I actually think it’s a good idea for someone who builds a really good model for understanding the math of how social media works. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The US sets a new record, an investigation reveals government flaws, and WIRED writers give mask recommendations- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Wrongful Arrest Via Algorithm—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
We have the first case of a man arrested because of an erroneous face recognition algorithm. And it’s a haunting, profoundly unjust story. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The governor of Texas changes course, NYC faces major layoffs, and the Trump team considers a CDC investigation- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Trump Halts H-1B Visas—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
Trump bans immigrants coming here on H-1B visas. This is a bad policy that will surely backfire. It will cost America jobs not save them. And it will make this country a less welcoming place for immigrants who have long been powerful drivers of innovation. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
President Trump suspends visas, a study reveals undetected cases, and a virus-proofing industry emerges- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Apple Will Make Its Own Chips—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
It’s WWDC and Apple has announced that it’s now going to make its own chips for its laptops. This is a big, consequential shift. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Cases grow at a record pace, protest data gives experts hope, and young people see a spike in infections- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Problem with Seasonality—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
I’ve always thought it would be an unambiguous good if it turns out Covid-19 is seasonal and declines in the summer months. That would buy us time and help us do all the things we need to do. But what if it is seasonal, we don’t keep developing the systems we need---like digital contract tracing and norms around masks? Then it’s just going to come back with a vengeance. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A seasonality warning, post-Covid world predictions, and out-of-control hotspots- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Covid trials struggle with diversity, China tries to contain a second wave, and experts ask for a pandemic response report- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Insanity at eBay—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
An absolutely bonkers, cruel, crazy story about executives at eBay who decided to go after critics by, among other things, tailing them and sending them live spiders. Oh, and they took out subscriptions to barely legal porn publications in their critics names and sent them to their neighbors. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The first drug to improve survival arrives, prison deaths skyrocket, and officials struggle to get residents on board with contact tracing- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Deepfake Detection is Still a Work in Progress—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
Facebook completes a contest to see who could write the best software for detecting deepfakes. That’s good! I just wish the winner had a higher success rate. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
US hot spots worsen, disease experts warn about herd immunity, and doctors shift to Zoom for end-of-life care- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
How to Eavesdrop With a Lightbulb—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
Researchers in Israel have figured out how to decipher what someone is saying by looking at vibrations in a lightbulb from hundreds of feet away. It seems like magic, but it’s also a little bit terrifying. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A leading vaccine enters the final testing stage, an "antibody cocktail" heads into human trials, and a model predicts more deaths in the fall- Tech in Two
Catch up on the most important news today in 2 minutes or less. Get even more news you can use with the Tech in Two newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.wired.com/tt Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
IBM Opts Out of Facial Recognition—Most Interesting Thing in Tech
IBM declares that they are opting out of developing face recognition technology. I can see why they have taken this stand! But I also see quite a few caveats, and the arguments on the other side. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices