{"id":811054,"date":"2024-12-09T20:51:59","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T02:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/09\/the-download-satellites-climate-impact-and-openais-frantic-release-schedule\/"},"modified":"2024-12-09T20:51:59","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T02:51:59","slug":"the-download-satellites-climate-impact-and-openais-frantic-release-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/09\/the-download-satellites-climate-impact-and-openais-frantic-release-schedule\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: satellites\u2019 climate impact, and OpenAI\u2019s frantic release schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The world\u2019s next big environmental problem could come from space<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In September, a unique chase took place in the skies above Easter Island. From a rented jet, a team of researchers captured a satellite\u2019s last moments as it fell out of space and blazed into ash across the sky, using cameras and scientific equipment. Their hope was to gather priceless insights into the physical and chemical processes that occur when satellites burn up as they fall to Earth at the end of their missions.<\/p>\n

This kind of study is growing more urgent. The number of satellites in the sky is rapidly rising\u2014with a tenfold increase forecast by the end of the decade. Letting these satellites burn up in the atmosphere at the end of their lives helps keep the quantity of space junk to a minimum. But doing so deposits satellite ash in the Earth\u2019s atmosphere. This metallic ash could potentially alter the climate, and we don\u2019t yet know how serious the problem is likely to be.\u00a0Read the full story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Tereza Pultarova<\/em><\/p>\n

OpenAI\u2019s \u201c12 days of shipmas\u201d tell us a lot about the AI arms race<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Last week, OpenAI announced what it calls the 12 days of OpenAI, or 12 days of shipmas. On December 4, CEO Sam Altman took to X to announce that the company would be \u201cdoing 12 days of openai. each weekday, we will have a livestream with a launch or demo, some big ones and some stocking stuffers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company will livestream about new products every morning for 12 business days in a row during December. It\u2019s an impressive-sounding (and media-savvy) schedule, to be sure. But it also speaks to how tight the race between the AI bigs has become, and also how much OpenAI is scrambling to build more revenue.\u00a0Read the full story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Mat Honan<\/em><\/p>\n

This story originally appeared in The Debrief with Mat Honan, our weekly take on what\u2019s really going on behind the biggest tech headlines. The story is subscriber-only so\u00a0nab a subscription<\/a>\u00a0too, if you haven\u2019t already! Or you can\u00a0sign up<\/a>\u00a0to the newsletter for free to get the next edition in your inbox on Friday.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The must-reads<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

1 The USDA is launching a national program to test milk for bird flu\u00a0<\/strong>
A full nine months after the current outbreak was first detected in dairy cows. (STAT<\/a>)
+\u00a0The risk of a bird flu pandemic is rising.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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2 Here\u2019s what sets OpenAI\u2019s new models apart\u00a0<\/strong>
They\u2019re shifting from predicting to reasoning, which could be a huge deal. (The Atlantic<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0Regardless of whether capabilities are slowing, AI\u2019s impact is only poised to grow.\u00a0<\/em>(Vox<\/a>)
+\u00a0It may be comforting to dismiss AI as hype\u2014but it misses the point.<\/em>\u00a0(Platformer<\/a>)<\/p>\n

3 A federal appeals court has upheld the US TikTok ban<\/strong>
But what happens next is anyone\u2019s guess. (WSJ<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0Whether TikTok is banned or not, the actions against it have had a big impact.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

4 Top internet sleuths are sitting out the hunt for the UnitedHealthcare CEO killer\u00a0<\/strong>
In fact, some are even criticizing people who are trying to help. (NBC<\/a>)
+\u00a0Why so many Americans are at best indifferent to this particular murder.<\/em>\u00a0(New Yorker<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n

5 Schools are attempting to stop teens self-harming before they even try<\/strong>
The AI tools they\u2019re adopting could be doing far more damage than help, though. (NYT<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n

6 China is building its own Starlink system<\/strong>
The Qianfan constellation could eventually grow to nearly 14,000 satellites. (The Economist<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0The end of the ISS will usher in a more commercialized future in space<\/em>. (The Verge<\/a>)<\/p>\n

7 This was an exciting year for superconductors<\/strong>
Superconductivity\u2014the flow of electric current with no resistance\u2014was discovered in three new materials. (Quanta<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n

8 Meet the world\u2019s least productive programmers\u00a0<\/strong>
It seems a small minority of disillusioned \u2018ghost engineers\u2019 do pretty much no work at all. (WP<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n

9 Why people are turning their backs on dating apps<\/strong>
There\u2019s a large degree of fatigue, and a feeling that they\u2019re somehow detached from reality. (The Guardian<\/a>)<\/p>\n

10 Fake snacks are racking up millions of views on Instagram\u00a0<\/strong>????<\/strong>
There\u2019s even a word for this trend: snackfishing. (Wired<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think Twitter and now X is like a crack addiction for him, though. He is clearly chasing a particular hit all the time and he has ended up self-radicalising himself with the platform he has purchased.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014A former Twitter employee in London tells\u00a0The Guardian<\/a>\u00a0how Elon Musk has changed since he purchased the platform.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0The big story<\/strong><\/p>\n

How electricity could help tackle a surprising climate villain<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Sublime Systems<\/figcaption>

BOB O’CONNOR<\/p>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

January 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cement is used to build everything from roads and buildings to dams and basement floors. But it\u2019s also a climate threat. Cement production accounts for more than 7% of global carbon dioxide emissions\u2014more than sectors like aviation, shipping, or landfills.<\/p>\n

One solution to this climate catastrophe might be coursing through the pipes at Sublime Systems. The startup is developing an entirely new way to make cement. Instead of heating crushed-up rocks in lava-hot kilns, Sublime\u2019s technology zaps them in water with electricity, kicking off chemical reactions that form the main ingredients in its cement.<\/p>\n

But it faces huge challenges: competing with established industry players, and persuading builders to use its materials in the first place.\u00a0Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Casey Crownhart<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Charlotte Jee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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