Technology

The Download: Clear’s identity ambitions, and the climate blame game

November 20, 2024
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Inside Clear’s ambitions to manage your identity beyond the airport  Clear Secure is the most visible biometric identity company in the United States. Best known for its line-jumping service in airports, it’s also…

Who’s to blame for climate change? It’s surprisingly complicated.

November 20, 2024
Once again, global greenhouse-gas emissions are projected to hit a new high in 2024.  In this time of shifting political landscapes and ongoing international negotiations, many are quick to blame one country or another for an outsize role in causing climate change. But assigning responsibility is complicated. These three visualizations help explain why and provide…

Inside Clear’s ambitions to manage your identity beyond the airport

November 20, 2024
If you’ve ever been through a large US airport, you’re probably at least vaguely aware of Clear. Maybe your interest (or irritation) has been piqued by the pods before the security checkpoints, the attendants in navy blue vests who usher clients to the front of the security line (perhaps just ahead of you), and the…

Roundtables: What’s Next for Mixed Reality: Glasses, Goggles, and More

November 19, 2024
Recorded on November 19, 2024 What’s Next for Mixed Reality: Glasses, Goggles, and More. Speakers: Mat Honan, Editor in Chief, and James O’Donnell, AI hardware reporter. We are barreling toward the next big consumer device category: smart glasses. After years of trying, augmented-reality specs are at last a thing. Facebook recently showed off its Orion…

The Download: police AI, and mixed reality’s future

November 19, 2024
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. How the largest gathering of US police chiefs is talking about AI —James O’Donnell The International Association of Chiefs of Police bills itself as the largest gathering of its type in the United…

How the largest gathering of US police chiefs is talking about AI

November 19, 2024
This story is from The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get it in your inbox first, sign up here. It can be tricky for reporters to get past certain doors, and the door to the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference is one that’s almost perpetually shut to the media. Thus, I was…

The Download: Bluesky’s rapid rise, and harmful fertility stereotypes

November 18, 2024
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. The rise of Bluesky, and the splintering of social You may have read that it was a big week for Bluesky. If you’re not familiar, Bluesky is, essentially, a Twitter clone that publishes…

The rise of Bluesky, and the splintering of social

November 18, 2024
You may have read that it was a big week for Bluesky.  If you’re not familiar, Bluesky is, essentially, a Twitter clone that publishes short-form status updates. It gained more than 2 million users this week. On Wednesday, The Verge reported it had crossed 15 million users. By Thursday, it was at 16 million. By Friday? 17 million and counting.…

Why the term “women of childbearing age” is problematic

November 15, 2024
This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here. Every journalist has favorite topics. Regular Checkup readers might already know some of mine, which include the quest to delay or reverse human aging, and new technologies for…

The Download: diversifying AI voices, and a science-fiction glimpse into the future

November 15, 2024
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. How this grassroots effort could make AI voices more diverse We are on the cusp of a voice AI boom, as tech companies roll out the next generation of artificial-intelligence-powered assistants. But the…