What’s next for fleas and the climate controversy

The unavoidable

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

1 How Ukraine tinkered with a messy, digitized army
He created a cheap version of systems that the Pentagon took decades (and billions of dollars) to develop. (WSJ$)
+ Ukraine says it has shot down nearly 500 drones since September. (The Guardian)

2 Sam Bankman-Fried Considers Pleading Not Guilty
The founder of FTX faces up to 115 years in prison if convicted of fraud and conspiracy. (Reuters)

3 China’s zero covid U-turn is worsening its social inequalities
Young people in rural areas are unlikely to recover from the disruption to their education. (FT$)
+ Other countries require Chinese visitors to produce negative covid tests. (voice)
+ China’s foreign minister praised the United States in a rare show of unity. ($Bloomberg)

4 tech startups had a terrible 2022
As it stands, 2023 isn’t looking much better. (WSJ$)
+ Workers laid off from big tech companies are looking to start their own business. (Reuters)
+ A look back at the biggest tech flops of the past 12 months. (voice)

5 Brazil’s far-right flourishes on Twitter
Just as the country’s new leftist president takes office. (Rest of the world)
+ We are witnessing the brain death of Twitter. (MIT Technology Review)

6China’s generative AI models are seriously problematic
Like their Western counterparts, the results are often inaccurate and offensive. (Tech Crunch)
+ How AI-generated text is poisoning the internet. (MIT Technology Review)

7The Earth is constantly creating its own kind of music
A small device helps seismologists tune into its rhythms. (NYT$)

8 The James Webb Space Telescope Revolutionized Astronomy
He was particularly adept at shedding light on the life cycles of stars. (The edge)
+ The US military plans to launch a constellation of satellites in March. (Atlantic $)
+ NASA searches for potentially deadly asteroids. (Reverse)
+ What’s next in space. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Your Attention Span May Not Be As Shattered As You Think
Getting distracted might actually be the productive break your brain craves. (The Guardian)
+ Why not start the new year without a smartphone? (Slate $)

10 You can blame your nose for that cold you can’t get rid of
Colder temperatures make it harder to fight the nasty insects. (Wired $)

quote of the day

“It’s mostly scams and memes when you get down to it.”