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This is at this time’s version of The Download, our weekday publication that gives a each day dose of what’s happening on the earth of know-how.
What’s subsequent for batteries
Every yr the world runs increasingly on batteries. Electric automobiles handed 10% of world automobile gross sales in 2022, they usually’re on observe to achieve 30% by the tip of this decade.
The transition from gas-powered vehicles to EVs would require plenty of batteries—and higher and cheaper ones at that. Most EVs at this time are powered by lithium-ion batteries, a decades-old know-how that tutorial labs and corporations alike are looking for to make extra environment friendly and much more inexpensive.
In the midst of the hovering demand for EVs and renewable energy, and an explosion in battery growth, one factor is definite: batteries will play a key position within the transition to renewable vitality. Here’s what to anticipate in 2023. Read the total story.
—Casey Crownhart
Chinese chips will hold powering your on a regular basis life
The international semiconductor business is in a state of flux. The US began to take steps to freeze China out of the business in 2022, pushing the sector to diversify from the Chinese provide chain and construct factories elsewhere.
But whereas the US authorities’s punitive restrictions will begin to chunk over the following few months, and the excessive finish of China’s chip business is more likely to endure, the nation might take an even bigger position in manufacturing older-generation chips which might be nonetheless broadly utilized in on a regular basis life. Read the total story.
—Zeyi Yang
Zeyi’s story is from China Report, his weekly publication providing you with the within observe on all issues about China. Sign up to obtain it in your inbox each Tuesday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you at this time’s most enjoyable/necessary/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 China is livid at different nations’ covid journey restrictions
Beijing claims the covid testing necessities “lack scientific basis.” (The Guardian)
+ AI isn’t excellent at detecting covid. (New Scientist $)
2 Sam Bankman-Fried has pleaded not responsible to all expenses
He’ll face trial in October. (CoinDesk)
+ It’s attainable he’ll attempt to strike a plea take care of prosecutors. (Economist $)
3 Microsoft desires to combine ChatGPT into Bing
It hopes to chip away at Google’s search dominance. (The Information $)
+ How correct its solutions can be continues to be up for debate. (Bloomberg $)
+ A brand new app claims to detect whether or not essays have been written utilizing ChatGPT. (Insider $)
+ How to identify AI-generated textual content. (MIT Technology Review)
4 US pharmacies can promote abortion capsules for the primary time
While a prescription continues to be required, it’ll considerably broaden entry to medicated abortions. (BBC)
+ Where to get abortion capsules and the best way to use them. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Political adverts are returning to Twitter
The U-turn comes months after advertisers began leaving of their droves. (Politico)
+ Covid misinformation spiked on Twitter after NFL participant Damar Hamlin collapsed. (WP $)
6 Ethereum is getting greener
It gained’t clear up crypto’s environmental footprint completely, although. (Motherboard)
+ Taiwan isn’t nervous concerning the crypto crash. (Rest of World)
7 Instagram is paying musicians a fortune to soundtrack its Reels
It’s low-effort, high-reward. (New Yorker $)
+ But it’s principally getting more durable on the market for on-line creators. (The Information $)
8 Amazon in Pakistan is overrun with scammers
The fraudsters are concocting more and more elaborate schemes to trick victims. (Rest of World)
9 Those low cost TVs come at a worth 
Once a staple of the American dwelling, they’re not the standing image they was. (The Atlantic $)
10 Don’t maintain a vacation celebration within the metaverse 
Your colleagues are unlikely to need to be a part of, sadly. (Wired $)
Quote of the day
“I can smell the stench of crime.”
—An unnamed buyer criticizes crypto change FTX in a criticism filed with the FTC, Gizmodo experiences.
The massive story
April 2021
Urban know-how initiatives have lengthy sought to handle town. The newest, “smart city” initiatives, have a lot in frequent with earlier iterations. Again and once more, these initiatives promise novel “solutions” to city “problems.”
After a decade of pilot initiatives and flashy demonstrations, although, it’s nonetheless not clear whether or not good metropolis applied sciences can truly clear up and even mitigate the challenges cities face. What is obvious, nonetheless, is that know-how corporations are more and more taking over administrative and infrastructure duties that governments have lengthy fulfilled.
If good cities are to keep away from exacerbating city inequalities, we have now to take an extended, laborious have a look at how cities have fared to date. Read the total story.
—Jennifer Clark
We can nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction in these bizarre instances. (Got any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ Did you hear the one concerning the nun and the monk who fell in love and received married? No, actually!
+ The Centenarians of Oklahoma sound completely fabulous.
+ An English seaside city canceled its New Year fireworks—to guard a visiting walrus.
+ Loads of us will set ourselves studying targets this yr, however not all of us will persist with them.
+ Aww. Rats deride pleasure from watching fellow rodents getting tickled. 