April 3, 2025

The Download: dethroning SpaceX, and air-conditioning’s energy demands

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. Rivals are rising to challenge the dominance of SpaceX SpaceX is a space launch juggernaut. In just two decades, the company has managed to edge out former aerospace heavyweights Boeing, Lockheed, and Northrop…

The Download: music-making AI, and Kasparov’s defeat

October 7, 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. Google’s new AI can hear a snippet of song—and then keep on playing A new AI system can create natural-sounding speech and music after being prompted with a few seconds of audio. AudioLM,…

Is a covid and flu “twindemic” on the horizon?

October 7, 2022
Hello, and welcome back to The Checkup! I’m back home in London after last week’s trip to the Swiss Alps to meet millionaires who want to live forever. Alas, I brought more than suspect supplements home with me—I’ve been out of action with a virus for the last few days. I can’t really blame my…

Google’s new AI can hear a snippet of song—and then keep on playing

October 7, 2022
A new AI system can create natural-sounding speech and music after being prompted with a few seconds of audio. AudioLM, developed by Google researchers, generates audio that fits the style of the prompt, including complex sounds like piano music, or people speaking, in a way that is almost indistinguishable from the original recording. The technique…

Why the Indian Techie Is a SaaS Prodigy

October 7, 2022
The real reason Indians excel in the SaaS space is because we are, in essence, problem-solvers who understand user perspectives well to foretell the scope of potential solutions, claim entrepreneurs