Tag Archives: Technology

Commentary Magazine – October 2024 Preview

Commentary Magazine – A Jewish magazine of politics, high culture, cultural  and literary criticism, American and Israeli campaigns and elections, and  world affairs.

Commentary Magazine (March 15, 2024) The latest issue features “Israel And Ukraine” – Why won’t we let them win?

Why Won’t We Let Ukraine Win?

by Abe Greenwald

…the U.S. has been too slow in arming its ally, too restrictive in setting conditions on the use of weapons, and generally too fearful of Vladimir Putin’s threats. The result is that Ukraine, for all its unfathomable courage and boundless ingenuity, has been permitted to fight, but not win, the war. If this keeps up, Ukraine could actually lose. 

Mark Zuckerberg Is Just So Very Sorry, You Guys

by James B. Meigs

When I step back a bit, I can see that Zuckerberg isn’t just haplessly begging our forgiveness. He’s trying to save his business. Meta Platforms, the company he controls, contains some of the world’s most widely used and profitable digital brands, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta appears to be thriving, with its stock price more than quadrupling since a rocky 2022. But Zuckerberg knows that his company’s brands are built on foundations of sand. Just as a sandbar will move with tides, the user base of any social platform can drift away in a surprisingly short time.

The Harris Shuffle

by Matthew Continetti

This is Harris’s challenge: She’s the incumbent vice president running for higher office in a change election. She’s an undefined candidate whose positions and job performance are vulnerable to attack. She wants to be seen as a disruptor while remaining loyal to President Biden. And she wants to move away from the far-left views she held as a senator while she continues to proclaim that her values have stayed the same.

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – Sept. 13, 2024

The Guardian Weekly (September 12, 2024) – The new issue features ‘Two Faces’ – Why the historical divide between Germany’s east and west could halt the rise of the AFD (Alternative for Germany)…

1
Spotlight | After the Grenfell Tower inquiry
Seven years after 72 people died in a tower block fire in west London, Robert Booth and Emine Sinmaz report on the damning public investigation into a wholly preventable tragedy.

2
Environment | The deep secrets of a Greenland glacier
Damian Carrington reports from Kangerlussuup glacier, where scientists are discovering new things about sediment banks that could slow the rate of rising seas.

3
Feature | The big click-off: how to win at Fantasy Premier League
With 10 million players, the virtual football game has become a global phenomenon. Tom Lamont gets the lowdown from the world’s best armchair managers.

4
Opinion | Why I’d pay to see Ticketmaster getting rinsed
After the Oasis ticket debacle, this much is clear, writes Marina Hyde: the “fan experience” is an excuse to be exploited while having to look grateful.

5
Culture | James McAvoy on class, comfort and carnage
The Scottish actor talks to Zoe Williams about marriage, therapy – and why Ken Loach would never cast him.

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – September 6, 2024

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The Guardian Weekly (September 5, 2024) – The new issue features Telegram’s collision course – The legal showdown between social networks and nation states. Plus: Tony Blair’s top leadership tips

1
Spotlight | Ukraine’s troops on their audacious incursion into Russia
Soldiers say they had no warning of what they were undertaking before the morale-boosting attack began, finds Shaun Walker in Sumy.

2
Science | The flying scientists showing migrating birds the way home
Extinct in central Europe for 300 years, a flock of northern bald ibis is following a light aircraft on a migration route from Austria to Spain, reports Phoebe Weston.

3
Feature | Tony Blair on the art of leadership
The former UK prime minister speaks to Andrew Rawnsley about relinquishing power, why he wouldn’t be fazed by a second Trump term – and why he’s an AI evangelist.

4
Opinion | Why does Macron insist on playing king?
The French president’s refusal to appoint a new PM from the left displays breathtaking arrogance – and undermines democracy, argues Rokhaya Diallo.

5
Culture | Look who’s back in anger
Will an Oasis reunion be a success? Definitely. Will it be worth it? Maybe, say Guardian arts writers.


Politics: The Guardian Weekly – August 30, 2024

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The Guardian Weekly (August 29, 2024) – The new issue features ‘Game Changers’ – Will the Paralympics make a difference for disabled people?

1
Spotlight | Families on the frontline of the mpox outbreak
Carlos Mureithi and Ruth Alonga report from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where 96% of Africa’s 17,000 reported cases of the viral disease this year have occurred.

2
Health | The quest to end the menopause
Women’s ovaries affect everything from metabolism to mood – so some scientists are trying to slow the way they age. But is it a good idea? Amy Fleming investigates.

3
Feature | The evolution of Kamala Harris
After Kamala Harris’s triumphant speech at last week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Janell Ross’s profile tells the story of the vice-president’s rapid rise to become a US presidential contender.

4
Opinion | Escaping Russia’s legacy
Ukraine marked its independence day last weekend with the country still facing an uncertain future. Olga Rudenko’s eloquent piece explains why it was a bittersweet celebration of a defiant nation that refuses to bow to a tyrant and his armies.

5
Culture | The podcast that made true crime truly popular
On the 10th anniversary of the streaming hit Serial, the show’s founder Sarah Koenig talks to Fiona Sturges about how it tapped into the amateur sleuth in us all.

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – August 23, 2024

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The Guardian Weekly (August 21, 2024) – The new issue features ‘Counter Punch’ – Can Ukraine’s big gamble in Kursk pay off?; Is Threads the new social media safe haven?; The festivals that went disastrously wrong…

1
Spotlight | 40,000 deaths: another grim milestone for Gaza
As faltering ceasefire talks continued this week, Malak A Tantesh and Emma Graham-Harrison report on how the death toll given by Gaza’s health officials fails to tell the full story of Palestinian grief.

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Technology | Is Threads a new safe haven for those leaving X?
Elon Musk’s frequently inflammatory online remarks have left many seeking a less toxic alternative. James Ball explores whether Meta’s Instagram spin-off provides it.

3
Feature | Audrey Tang, the good hacker
The activist turned hacker is used to breaking boundaries as the world’s first minister for digital affairs. Now, she tells Simon Hattenstone, she wants the world to learn how to detoxify the internet.

4
Opinion | Caution needed over Kamala Harris’s flying start
The Democratic vice-president has enjoyed a spectacular launch to her presidential campaign. But, warns Jonathan Freedland, it is far too early to write off her rival Donald Trump.

5
Culture | Snogs away! The crazy world of UK dating shows
There’s much to be gleaned about British culture from analysing its TV dating shows, finds Daisy Jones – and, it stands to reason, about other countries’ via theirs.

SCIENCE & TECH: DISCOVER MAGAZINE – SEPTEMBER 2024

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Discover Magazine (August 18, 2024): The latest issue features

The Problem with Parasites

Climate change is putting parasites — the unseen pests running our planet — in peril, but a small band of scientists is fighting to save them from extinction. By Kate Golembiewski

What Goes On Inside the Mind of a Dog?

Help researchers understand the underpinnings of dog personality and behavior with these Citizen Science projects.

Preview: MIT Technology Review – September 2024

MIT Technology Review (August 17, 2024): The 125th Anniversary issue features ‘Greetings from the Future’ – Personalized AI, Genetically-Engineered Immunity and Digital Immortaility. We’ll see it all in the next century.

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – August 16, 2024

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The Guardian Weekly (August 15, 2024) – The new issue features Has mass tourism gone too far? – Why holiday hotspots have had enough. Plus: America’s Kamala and Tim show

1
Spotlight | On the road: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz re-energise Democrats
The US vice-president and her running mate have hit the ground running in their campaign for the White House. Can they keep the momentum going, asks Lauren Gambino.

2
Technology | The fragile world of underwater internet cables
Deep-sea wires are the veins of the modern world. What if something were to happen to them? Jonathan Yerushalmy investigates.

3
Feature | Beautiful, bruising and complex female friendships
Ahead of her new book examining women’s friendships, the Observer’s Rachel Cooke reflects on two pivotal ones of her own, as well as some notable literary attachments.

4
Opinion | The Olympics showed France’s far right what true patriotism is all about
Despite a febrile political backdrop, the Paris Games reminded a nation of what it means to be proud of one’s country, says French sports writer Philippe Auclair.

5
Culture | The second act of Sam Neill
He is one of the world’s most famous actors, but the New Zealander – whose cancer is thankfully in remission – can still go to Starbucks without anyone recognising him, finds Zoe Williams.

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – July 19, 2024

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The Guardian Weekly (July 17, 2024) – The new issue features ‘Reset?’ – America reckons with the attempted assassination of Donald Trump…

The image of Donald Trump, his face smeared with blood after a bullet grazed his ear, marked a watershed moment in the already high-stakes 2024 US presidential election campaign. Opening our special report on the Pennsylvania rally shooting, Washington bureau chief David Smith examines how it could fuel Trump’s base and stoke further division in American politics.

Five essential reads in this week’s edition

1
Spotlight | On paw patrol in Sumatra
National Geographic explorer and photographer Danielle Khan Da Silva joins an all-female group of Indigenous rangers who protect a rare Indonesian rainforest ecosystem.

2
Spotlight | Evasive action
The doctors who treat cancer share their expert advice on what simple things we can all do to lessen the risk of getting the disease with Sarah Phillips.

3
Feature | Too hot to handle
As heatwaves become a common occurrence, outdoor workers are particularly vulnerable, explains Samira Shackle, as she documents the death from heat of one French labourer.

4
Opinion Simon Tisdall on the Nato summit
The 75-year-old alliance was created to counteract Moscow’s power and needs to keep its focus on containing Russian ambition.

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Untitled #96, 1981. Photograph: Cindy Sherman/Hauser & Wirth

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Culture | Selfies with Cindy Sherman
The US artist whose work changed the way we see women talks image, AI and Instagram to Nadia Khomami.

Fast Food & Grocery: An AI And Automation Takeover

CNBC (July 15, 2024): Fully autonomous fast-food chains to smart carts lining grocery store parking lots, the way the food industry looks is changing due to massive investment in AI technology.

Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:34 CH 1. Digitizing food retail 5:35 CH 2. The risk and reward from robots 8:30 CH 3. What’s next?

The American consumer is starting to pull back on spending and rising food and labor costs are causing the food industry to invest more into automation to lower labor costs and improve sales, in order to stay competitive and take advantage of shifting consumer taste.