The FBI Wants to Buy Nationwide Access to License Plate Readers
Only a couple vendors could likely fulfill what the FBI is after, namely Flock and Motorola.
Podcast: The Physical Politics of the Internet with Britt Paris
Britt Paris's new book 'Radical Infrastructure: Imagining the Internet from the Ground Up' tells the story of the physical internet, and how it can benefit people, not corporations.
Researchers Wanted Preschool Teachers to Wear Cameras to Train AI
“With your permission, your child’s lead teacher may wear a small teacher-worn camera that captures the teacher's approximate first-person perspective, and/or we may place a fixed video camera in the classroom,” a document given to parents and later shared with 404 Media reads.
Scientists Discover Strange New Crystal Formed by Nuclear Blast
A type of crystal lattice called a clathrate structure has been found for the first time in the fallout of a nuclear detonation.
Tech Companies to Discuss Iran's Future During 'Private Conference' at Uber HQ
The former Crown Prince of Iran is meeting with Iranian diaspora tech and business leaders on Saturday to discuss the future of the country. Attendees include the CEO of Uber.
ArXiv to Ban Researchers for a Year if They Submit AI Slop
The change comes as arXiv and others struggle to manage an influx of AI-generated materials masquerading as rigorous science.
Behind the Blog: New Music and a Crash Out
This week, we discuss developers' AI woes, how the magic happens, and the Beach Boys.
Mayo Clinic is Using AI to Listen to Emergency Room Visits
Mayo Clinic's "Ambient Listening" has been around for a couple of years, but clearly not all patients know their interactions with nurses are being passively recorded and processed by AI.
DOGE Cuts Unleashed a Deadly Wave of Violence Across Africa, Study Finds
The dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is associated with measurable increases in Africa, especially in areas most dependent on the agency’s support.
Internet of Shit: AI Poop Analysis App Offered to Sell Me Database of Its Users' Poops
"I hoarded a large database of something valuable, just not what you expect… 150k stools images."
At Least We Know the Washington Post Isn't Buying Views
Jeff Bezos learns being good at YouTube is not so easy.
War and Data Centers Are Driving Up the Cost of Fiber-Optic Cable
Spools of cable are critical for internet infrastructure and jam-proof drones but skyrocketing costs are making it hard to field them.
Podcast: The Chinese Deepfake Software Powering Scams
We got Haotian AI, the Chinese-language deepfake software powering scams. We also talk about a man finding $1 million of Yu-Gi-Oh cards, and how the AI hard drive shortage is impacting internet archiving.
Software Developers Say AI Is Rotting Their Brains
“It's making me dumber for sure.”
ICE Agents Have List of 20 Million People on Their iPhones Thanks to Palantir
The comments made by a senior ICE official at a trade show highlight how Palantir is increasing the speed at which ICE operates. Most people detained by ICE have no criminal conviction.
