The download: direct-air capture plants and body fat measurement
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
These are the best ways to measure your body fat
–Jessica Hamzelou
We all know that being overweight is not great for your health–it’s linked to metabolic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular problems. Weighing yourself will not tell you everything you need to about your disease risks. She is all muscle. According to her BMI, which is a measurement of weight in relation to height (weight per centile), she’s overweight. Which is frankly ridiculous.
I, on the other hand, have never been all that muscular. I consider myself to be a healthy-weight, but nurses have in the past told me to eat butter and doughnuts more based on my body mass index. It’s not the advice I expected to hear from a professional. (I would like to add that both my friend and myself are about the same height, and we wear clothes of the same size. The BMI is flawed. There are many high-tech options, but you can also use a simple measurement that requires lying on your stomach. This will tell you how your body weight may affect your health. This story comes from The Checkup. Our weekly newsletter that gives you the inside scoop on biotech and healthcare. Sign up to receive the Checkup every Thursday. Industry observers worry that the market is not growing fast enough to support the industry.
Some have called for the Department of Energy redirect a part of the money earmarked for direct-air capture (DAC) plants to purchases of greenhouse gas removal. Read more about what they have to say.
–James Temple
The must-readsI’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. Read more about what they have to say.–James Temple
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Tesla has unveiled its Cybercab robotaxi
Elon Musk optimistically anticipates they’ll be available “before 2027.” (Tech Crunch)
+ He has a long history of overpromising and undelivering. Musk did not provide any details but said that the cost would be less than $30,000. (FT $)
2 Hurricane Milton has left millions of Florida residents without power
Thousands of people have been rescued from flooded areas. (WSJ $
)+ Satellite-connected smartphones keep people connected. (WP $
+) Meteorologists receive death threats due to misinformation about storms. (Rolling Stone $).
3 US and UK to work together to protect online children
The US and UK are forming a group to combat sexual abuse and harassment. BBC)
+ A report says that Roblox, the popular gaming platform, fails to protect its young users. How to protect the photos of your child online. Critics say that child online safety laws are harmful to children. (MIT Technology Review).
4 China spreads antisemitic allegations ahead of the US elections.
Fake account are spreading dangerous conspiracies about politicians. (WP $ )
+ US officials fear that Russia, China and Iran will cast doubt on the election results. (Reuters)
5 Big Pharma is fighting back against compounded weight loss drugs
Unbranded versions proliferated during a shortage of big-name drugs. The largest companies now want them to be gone. (Wired $)
6 Uber and Lyft exploited a legal loophole to avoid paying NY drivers
Drivers have reported being locked out of the app almost every hour. Uber’s facial-recognition technology is locking out Indian drivers. Online, viral debate videos can’t be avoided. (Vox)
8 How Wikipedia editors are tackling the influx of AI trash content
They’re trying to defend the site from misleading, garbled AI articles. (404 Media)
+ AI that is trained on AI trash spits AI garbage. (MIT Technology Review)
9 How to make the ocean quieter
Thanks to flexible propellers and noise-dampening metamaterials. (Economist $ )
10 A social media app lets Gen Z filter out red Solo cups to maintain a clean online image.
To keep a squeaky-clean online appearance. (TechCrunch)
Quote of the day
“As usual, Elon Musk is trying to compete in the Tour de France on a tricycle.”
–Dan O’Dowd, billionaire co-founder of Green Hills Software and founder of the software safety Dawn Project group, was left unimpressed by Tesla’s cybercab event, he tells Rolling Stone. The big story
People worry that AI will eliminate all jobs. We’ve been here before
.
January 2024
It was 1938, and the pain of the Great Depression was still very real. The unemployment rate in the US hovered around 20%. The impressive technological advances that made life easier for so many were also creating jobs and wrecking the economy. To make sense of it all, Karl T. Compton, the president of MIT from 1930 to 1948 and one of the leading scientists of the day, wrote in the December 1938 issue of this publication about the “Bogey of Technological Unemployment.”
His essay concisely framed the debate over jobs and technical progress in a way that remains relevant, especially given today’s fears over the impact of artificial intelligence. This is a good reminder that concerns about the future of employment are not new, and can be addressed using economics rather than by conjuring up monsters and genies. Read the full story.
–David Rotman
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. You can still have nice things. Send me an email or tweet me your ideas. )
+ Marty the robot is a Boston icon, rolling up and down Stop & Shop’s aisles without complaining.
+ Punctuation really matters–a simple comma cost these companies millions!
+ Cool: these pumpkins are thriving in Bangladesh sandbars.
+ For all our Warhammer heads out there: there’s only one shade of green that matters.
