February 7, 2025

These documents are influencing the DOGE-sphere’s agenda

Reports from the US Government Accountability Office on improper federal payments in recent years are circulating on X and elsewhere online, and they seem to be a big influence on Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency and its supporters as the group pursues cost-cutting measures across the federal government.  The payment reports have been…

Technology

Microsoft’s Windows Dev Kit 2023 lets developers tap AI processors on laptops

October 24, 2022

At its Build conference in May, Microsoft debuted Project Volterra, a device powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform designed to let developers explore “AI scenarios” via Qualcomm’s Neural Processing SDK for Windows toolkit. Today, Volterra — now called Windows Dev Kit 2023 — officially goes on sale, priced at $599 and available from the Microsoft Store […]

Microsoft’s Windows Dev Kit 2023 lets developers tap AI processors on laptops by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Do AI systems need to come with safety warnings?

October 24, 2022
To receive The Algorithm in your inbox every Monday, sign up here. Welcome to The Algorithm!  Considering how powerful AI systems are, and the roles they increasingly play in helping to make high-stakes decisions about our lives, homes, and societies, they receive surprisingly little formal scrutiny.  That’s starting to change, thanks to the blossoming field of AI audits.…

Docker launches a first preview of its WebAssembly tooling

October 24, 2022

Docker is still around and likely doing better – at last in financial terms — than during its early hype cycle that kicked off the container revolution (only to then be eclipsed by Kubernetes and its ecosystem). Today, the company announced the first technical preview of its WebAssembly (Wasm) support. Browser vendors pioneered Wasm to […]

Docker launches a first preview of its WebAssembly tooling by Frederic Lardinois originally published on TechCrunch

The Download: US Navy drone swarms, and inside animals’ minds

October 24, 2022
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 US Navy wants swarms of thousands of small drones The US Navy is working on ways to build, deploy, and control thousands of small drones that are able to flock together to…

Australia to toughen privacy laws with huge hike in penalties for breaches

October 24, 2022

Australia has confirmed an incoming legislative change will significant strengthen its online privacy laws following a spate of data breaches in recent weeks — such as the Optus telco breach last month. “Unfortunately, significant privacy breaches in recent weeks have shown existing safeguards are inadequate. It’s not enough for a penalty for a major data […]

Australia to toughen privacy laws with huge hike in penalties for breaches by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch

The US Navy wants swarms of thousands of small drones

October 24, 2022
The US Navy is working on ways to build, deploy, and control thousands of small drones that are able to flock together to overwhelm anti-aircraft defenses with sheer numbers, budget documents reveal. The conflict in Ukraine has proved the worth of small drones, including consumer quadcopters, which have carried out reconnaissance, guided artillery fire, and…

Inside the enigmatic minds of animals

October 24, 2022
The emerald jewel wasp’s unusual arrival into the world—bursting from the body of a zombified cockroach it has eaten from the inside—ranks among nature’s most gruesome miracles. To give her larvae the best start in life, the mother wasp, an inch-long parasite clad in oil-slick iridescent armor, attacks her prey, spearing it once with her…

Global VC Flourish launches Madica, an Africa-focused program to back pre-seed stage startups

October 24, 2022

Access to funding and lack of support systems are some of the greatest challenges faced by startup founders in sub-Saharan Africa. And while venture capital and founder support programs within the continent are growing, a lot still remains to be done to meet the financing, technology and social capital needs of the especially marginalized groups […]

Global VC Flourish launches Madica, an Africa-focused program to back pre-seed stage startups by Annie Njanja originally published on TechCrunch