The Download: The Potential of Hydrogen and Twitter’s Terrorism Accusations

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s happening in the tech world.

When hydrogen will contribute to climate change and when it won’t.

Hydrogen is often touted as a climate hero because when used as a fuel in things like buses or steel production, there are no direct carbon emissions to worry about. As the world tries to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels, there could be many new demands for this carbon-free source of energy.

But how hydrogen is made could determine how useful it is. Last week, the European Commission published rules that define what it means for hydrogen to be green. But what does that mean, exactly, and how could we produce it? Read the full story.

—Casey Crownhart

Casey’s story is from The Spark, his weekly climate newsletter that gives you information on all things energy. Register to receive it in your mailbox every Wednesday.

New Report: Generative AI in Industrial Design and Engineering

Generative AI has the potential to transform industrial design and engineering, making it more important than ever for leaders in these industries to stay ahead of the game. The MIT Technology Review has therefore created a new research report that highlights the potential benefits – and pitfalls – of this new technology.

The report includes two case studies of leading industrial and engineering companies that are already applying generative AI to their work, plus a ton of takeaways and best practices from industry leaders. It is now available for download for $195.

The unavoidable

I’ve scoured the internet to find you today’s funniest/important/scariest/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Supreme Court examines whether Twitter aided terrorists
The judges are expected to rule by June. (voice)
+ The case is the second this week to probe the legal liability of internet platforms. (NYT$)
+ The court seems reluctant to make sweeping legal changes. ($Bloomberg)

2 Bing doesn’t want to talk about your feelings
And it will close any prompt that mentions “feelings”, so don’t even try. ($Bloomberg)
+ The battle fueled by ChatGPT for search is bigger than Microsoft or Google. (MIT Technology Review)
+ European AI startups are overshadowed by their American rivals. (Sieve)
+ Why Microsoft’s Clippy mascot is ChatGPT’s spiritual predecessor. (Fast Company $)

3 Google claims to have reached a quantum milestone
He says he found a way to correct the errors present in today’s quantum machines. (FT$)
+ What’s next for quantum computing. (MIT Technology Review)

4 Russian propagandists buy Twitter blue checks
Allowing them to spread disinformation under a veil of legitimacy. (WP$)
+ The Russian-controlled RT publication is still on YouTube, despite supposedly being banned. (The Guardian)

5 A major ransomware attack attempted to extort bitcoins from victims
It’s apparently one of the most widespread ransomware attacks on record. (FT$)
+ The US government is investigating how the military emails were leaked. ($Bloomberg)
+ Why the ransomware crisis suddenly seems so relentless. (MIT Technology Review)

6 Arizona is preparing to become a major chip center in the United States
Just in time for the US government to provide federal funding. (NYT$)
+ These simple design rules could shake up the chip industry. (MIT Technology Review)

7 Your smartwatch could be interfering with your pacemaker
Portable devices can generate electrical interference that prevents cardiac devices from working properly. (The Guardian)

8 Get A Rare Peek At The Demilitarized Zone On The Korean Peninsula
Courtesy of Google Street View. (WSJ$)

9 How to create an AI clone of yourself
Although it looks the part, the voice tends to be a dead giveaway. (Motherboard)

10 Your headphones could one day be made from mushrooms
This particular fungus is becoming a viable substitute for plastic. (The edge)
+ Shrimp shells are also the new leather. (Wired $)

+ In defense of plastic (sort of) (MIT Technology Review)

quote of the day

“Comment to reach” turns us all into dribble robots at the feet of the algorithm. »

—Olivia Nelson, who works at an education technology company, is fed up with LinkedIn users writing “reach comments” on posts in a blatant effort to make them go viral, she told the Wall Street Journal.

The big story

The cognitive dissonance of watching Roe’s ending unfold online

August 2022

When the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on the morning of June 24, 2022, thousands of people first heard the decision by reading the SCOTUSblog news site. Katie Barlow, the blog’s media editor, was one of the few correspondents on camera at the time the notice was posted, reading it to her audience on TikTok.

These days the phone might still be how you learned about the decision made by six judges, but now this device might allow us to help someone we’ve never met before going to a state where abortion is still legal. Read the full story.

—Melissa Gira Grant

We can still have beautiful things

A place of comfort, pleasure and distraction in these strange times. (You have any ideas ? Write to me Or tweet them to me.)

+ I really enjoyed the unexpected wonders of Google Reviews (thanks Charlotte!)
+ What do you mean, a bar of soap doesn’t actually prevent restless leg syndrome! ?
+ It’s fair to say that this wacky horror movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was not so badly received as it was critically devastated.
+ This bewitching timelapse of a nesting blue tit is really very sweet.
+ If I lived in 17th century Germany, I would definitely be forced to wear one of those gossipy punishment masks.

Tech