The Download: heat pumps, and getting drugs to the brain
1 Microsoft briefly usurped Apple as the world’s most valuable company
The AI boom has investors laughing all the way to the bank. (FT $)
+ Microsoft is growing more quickly than its old rival. (Reuters)+ But Apple quickly regained its position—for now. (WSJ $)
2 The unlucky Peregrine moon lander is still collecting data
It didn’t make it to the moon, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t making itself useful. (The Verge)
3 US school shooter plans have been leaked online
The highly sensitive emergency documents were exposed in a database leak. (Wired $)
4 China’s cheap electric cars has the West rattled
They’re fast, they look good—and most importantly, they’re cheap. (Economist $)
+ Rental firm Hertz is selling off 20,000 EVs due to low demand. (Bloomberg $)
+ Europe’s best-selling Chinese EV maker has a surprising name. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Duolingo is firing human translators in favor of AI
A former worker says errors are creeping into language courses as a result. (WP $)
+ Chatbots, chatbots, everywhere. (Vox)
+ This company is building AI for African languages. (MIT Technology Review)
6 eBay has been fined for harassing a Massachusetts couple
The pair ran a newsletter for online merchants that rubbed eBay executives up the wrong way.(The Guardian)
7 Even the blockchain is pivoting to AI
But whether the two technologies can really solve each other’s problems remains to be seen. (WSJ $)
8 Smart locks are a technical nightmare 🚪
I just want to get into my apartment! (NY Mag $)
9 The first text messages sent via Starlink satellite have been delivered
Referencing a decade-old meme, naturally. (Ars Technica)
