{"id":830075,"date":"2025-02-27T02:12:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T08:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/27\/the-download-introducing-the-relationships-issue\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T02:12:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T08:12:00","slug":"the-download-introducing-the-relationships-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/27\/the-download-introducing-the-relationships-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: Introducing the Relationships issue"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Plus: DOGE is working on software to automate firing US government workers<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n

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This is today’s edition of\u00a0The Download<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

Introducing: the Relationships issue<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Relationships are the stories of people and systems working together. Sometimes by choice. Sometimes for practicality. Sometimes by force. Too often, for purely transactional reasons.<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s why we\u2019re exploring relationships in this issue. Relationships connect us to one another, but also to the machines, platforms, technologies, and systems that mediate modern life.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re behind the partnerships that make breakthroughs possible, the networks that help ideas spread, and the bonds that build trust\u2014or at least access. In this issue<\/a>, you\u2019ll find stories about the relationships we forge with each other, with our past, with our children, and with technology itself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Here\u2019s just a taste of what you can expect:<\/strong><\/p>\n

+ People are forming relationships with AI chatbots<\/a>. Some of these are purely professional, others more complicated. This kind of relationship may be novel now, but it\u2019s something we will all take for granted in just a few years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

+ Adventures in the genetic time machine. Ancient DNA is telling us more and more about humans and environments long past. Could it also help rescue the future<\/a>?<\/p>\n

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+ Frozen embryos are filling storage banks around the world. It’s a struggle to know what to do with them. Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

+ Our relationships with our employers are often mediated through monitoring systems. And while it\u2019s increasing the power imbalance between companies and workers, protections are lagging far behind. Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

MIT Technology Review Narrated: The messy quest to replace drugs with electricity<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cElectroceuticals\u201d promised the post-pharma future for medicine. But their exclusive focus on the nervous system is seeming less and less warranted.<\/p>\n

This is our latest story<\/a> to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated <\/strong>podcast, which\u00a0
we\u2019re publishing each week on Spotify<\/strong><\/a> and Apple Podcasts<\/strong><\/a>. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated<\/strong> on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it\u2019s released.<\/p>\n

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

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

1 DOGE is working on software to automate firing workers<\/strong>
It builds on an existing program previously used by the US Department of Defense. (Wired<\/a> $)
+ DOGE workers are already resigning from the department. <\/em>(Fast Company<\/a> $)
+ Can AI help DOGE slash government budgets? It\u2019s complex. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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2 American workers are generally pessimistic about AI
<\/strong>Whereas Silicon Valley can\u2019t get enough of it.(WP<\/a> $)
+ How to fine-tune AI for prosperity. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u00a03 iPhones are autocorrecting the term \u2018racist\u2019 to \u2018Trump\u2019<\/strong>
The company is blaming what it calls a \u2018phonetic overlap.\u2019 (NYT<\/a> $)
+ It\u2019s promised to fix the bug as soon as possible. <\/em>(FT<\/a> $)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

4 Amy Gleason is the head of DOGE, apparently<\/strong>
The former Digital Service senior advisor is the acting administrator. (NY Mag<\/a> $)
+ But Elon Musk is still ultimately in charge<\/em>. (NBC News<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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5 Grok\u2019s new unhinged mode can simulate phone sex<\/strong>
If that\u2019s what you\u2019re into. (Ars Technica<\/a>)<\/p>\n

6 More data centers don\u2019t necessarily mean more jobs
<\/strong>The massive facilities don\u2019t actually need many humans to run them. (WSJ<\/a> $)
+ Not that that\u2019s putting Meta off building a gigantic data center campus. <\/em>(The Information<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

7 China is keen for tech companies to monetize their data<\/strong>
But not everyone is buying in. (Rest of World<\/a>)<\/p>\n

8 The slow death of the combustion engine
<\/strong>Pistons are out, and electrons are in. (IEEE Spectrum<\/a>)
+ Why EVs are (mostly) set for solid growth in 2025. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

9 The US is in love with cheap clothing<\/strong>
And established brands are the ones paying the price. (Insider<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

10 What frozen mummies can tell us about the ancient world<\/strong>
From wolf pups to mammoths. (New Scientist<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

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

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\u201cI felt nothing but utter disgust. I no longer enjoyed sitting in my Tesla.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014Mike Schwede, an entrepreneur living in Switzerland, tells the Guardian<\/a> he\u2019s turned his back on the electric car company after Elon Musk\u2019s Nazi-linked salutes during Trump\u2019s inauguration.<\/p>\n

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

Think that your plastic is being recycled? Think again.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

<\/a>October 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

The problem of plastic waste hides in plain sight, a ubiquitous part of our lives we rarely question. But a closer examination of the situation is shocking. To date, humans have created around 11 billion metric tons of plastic. 72% of the plastic we make ends up in landfills or the environment. Only 9% of the plastic ever produced has been recycled.<\/p>\n

To make matters worse, plastic production is growing dramatically; in fact, half of all plastics in existence have been produced in just the last two decades. Production is projected to continue growing, at about 5% annually.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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So what do we do? Sadly, solutions such as recycling and reuse aren’t equal to the scale of the task. The only answer is drastic cuts in production in the first place. Read the full story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Douglas Main<\/em><\/p>\n

We can still have nice things<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? <\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a> or <\/em>skeet ’em at me<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

+ Look up to the sky over the next few nights: seven planets will be aligned<\/a>, and won\u2019t do so again until 2040.
+ Jeremy Strong<\/a> probably won\u2019t win an Oscar next week, but he definitely deserves to.
+ Why English is such a strange language<\/a>.
+ 1985 produced some truly anthemic songs<\/a>\u2014and some absolute bilge. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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

Plus: DOGE is working on software to automate firing US government workers This is today’s edition of\u00a0The Download ,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Introducing: the Relationships issue Relationships are the stories of people and systems working together. Sometimes by choice. Sometimes for practicality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":830076,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24097,28681,46],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-830075","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-download","8":"category-introducing","9":"category-technology"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/830075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=830075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/830075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/830076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=830075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=830075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=830075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}