As inexpensive as wind and solar are, they can still represent a significant financial investment. That’s why the new report emphasizes that improved access to financing, especially for developing nations, would help speed climate action. “Money cannot solve everything, but it is critical to narrowing the gap between those who are most vulnerable and those […]

Over the course of the last year, so-called “miracle” weight-loss drugs have blown up across the internet. Although celebrity users have boosted their standing, they owe much of their fame to social media and discussion boards, where they are promoted by influencers and everyday people alike. Yet not everyone who wants them goes to a […]

Texas is trying to limit access to abortion pills by cracking down on internet service providers and credit card processing companies. These tactics reflect the reality that, post-Roe, the internet is a critical channel for people seeking information about abortion or trying to buy pills to terminate a pregnancy—especially in states where they can no […]

Good side effects, bad side effects In the beginning, weight loss was just a side effect. GLP-1 RAs were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes; their hormone-mimicking action provokes insulin production. In 2005, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug of this kind, Exenatide, for diabetics. Throughout the 2000s, more and […]

Regeneron isn’t the only company eager to derive more value from its data. Despite the enormous amounts of data they collect and the amount of capital they invest in data management solutions, business leaders are still not benefitting from their data. According to IDC research, 83% of CEOs want their organizations to be more data […]

Tech that aims to read your mind and probe your memories is already here In recent years, we’ve seen neurotechnologies move from research labs to real-world use. Schools have used some devices to monitor the brain activity of children to tell when they are paying attention. Police forces are using others to work out whether […]

The US military has been working to develop mind-reading devices for years. The aim is to create technologies that allow us to help people with brain or nervous system damage, but also enable soldiers to direct drones and other devices by thought alone, as Paul Tullis reported in 2019. Several multi-millionaires who made their fortune […]

和金一家人一样，湾区的许多亚裔居民们都积极接受监控，因为他们觉得长期以来都被忽视了。AAPI社群的居民已经在旧金山和奥克兰的华埠组织了各种自发的巡逻活动（尽管金氏夫妇还没有参与其中）。这对夫妇支持一项有争议的法案，该法案允许警方在业主允许的情况下，在24小时内调取私人监控录像。肖恩和爱丽丝还和其他小企业主谈到了安装私人监控设备的问题，附近奥克兰的华埠企业主们也采取了这一措施。对他们来说，Citizen只不过是另一个密切关注他们周围发生的事情的工具。 钱德勒认为，围绕Citizen的许多负面言论都忽略了这一观点，而且像金氏夫妇这样的一些核心用户，之所以依赖这一工具，是因为他们生活的家门口就面临着犯罪。 “Citizen和它的付费版本并不是一款万灵药，它不会解决世界上所有的问题，也不会阻止世界各地的犯罪的发生。它不是为了这些，”钱德勒说，“但这款应用程序成为了让边缘化社群表达他们的声音的一种非常强大的方式。” “可惜的是，他们的助手里没有人会说中文”  “虽然Citizen的想法很棒。但因为我们社群的独特性，我确实带着一种善意的怀疑态度来看待这个问题，”OCA的小佐井说。“我一直在想的一件事是，它对最脆弱的成员的可及性到底是怎样的？” 他指出，美国的亚裔社群包括“50个不同的种族和100种不同的语言”，而且“不同的社区围绕这些公共安全问题，与当地执法部门进行着不同的互动。” 目前，Citizen只支持英语操作界面。奥克兰华埠商会的执行主任陈巧伦（Jessica Chen）说，要想真正有效，它必须使用中文或其他亚洲语言提供服务。（Citizen的斯通在一封电子邮件中表示，它正在“积极投资”自然语言处理技术，“将使我们能够实时地将应用程序翻译成不同的语言”，但他没有提供这些举措的细节或时间表。） 在实践层面上，当一个群体的成员对使用科技和获取信息有不同程度的熟悉度时，很难帮助他们采用同一种技术，当英语还不是他们的第一语言时就更难了。特别是对于英语非母语的老年人，从注册这个平台、到理解平台所发布的消息都是非常困难的。 “我有时间教他们吗？以及我是合适的教他们的人吗？”陈问。 Source: MIT Technology Review