{"id":866795,"date":"2025-08-21T21:11:58","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T02:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/21\/the-download-ukraines-starlink-repair-shop-and-predicting-solar-storms\/"},"modified":"2025-08-21T21:11:58","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T02:11:58","slug":"the-download-ukraines-starlink-repair-shop-and-predicting-solar-storms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/21\/the-download-ukraines-starlink-repair-shop-and-predicting-solar-storms\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: Ukraine\u2019s Starlink repair shop, and predicting solar storms"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Plus: Google’s new phones are AI-first<\/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

On the ground in Ukraine\u2019s largest Starlink repair shop<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Starlink is absolutely critical to Ukraine\u2019s ability to continue in the fight against Russia. It\u2019s how troops in battle zones stay connected with faraway HQs; it\u2019s how many of the drones essential to Ukraine\u2019s survival hit their targets; it\u2019s even how soldiers stay in touch with spouses and children back home.<\/p>\n

However, Donald Trump\u2019s fickle foreign policy and reports suggesting Elon Musk might remove Ukraine\u2019s access to the services have cast the technology\u2019s future in the country into doubt.<\/p>\n

For now Starlink access largely comes down to the unofficial community of users and engineers, including the expert \u201cDr. Starlink\u201d\u2014famous for his creative ways of customizing the systems\u2014who have kept Ukraine in the fight, both on and off the front line. Together, they have repaired and customized more than 15,000 terminals since the war began.<\/p>\n

Despite the pressure, the chance that they may lose access to Starlink was not worrying volunteers at the time of my visit; in our conversations, it was clear they had more pressing concerns than the whims of a foreign tech mogul. Russia continues to launch frequent aerial bombardments of Ukrainian cities, sometimes sending more than 500 drones in a single night.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The threat of involuntary mobilization to the front line looms on every street corner. How can one plan for a hypothetical future crisis when crisis defines every minute of one\u2019s day? Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Charlie Metcalfe<\/em><\/p>\n

This story is from our forthcoming print issue, which is all about security. If you haven\u2019t already, <\/strong>subscribe now<\/strong><\/a> to receive future issues once they land.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This article is also part of the Big Story series: MIT Technology Review\u2019s most important, ambitious reporting. The stories in the series take a deep look at the technologies that are coming next and what they will mean for us and the world we live in. <\/strong>Check out the rest of them here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s new AI model can predict when a solar storm may strike<\/strong><\/p>\n

NASA and IBM have released a new open-source machine learning model to help scientists better understand and predict the physics and weather patterns of the sun. Surya, trained on over a decade\u2019s worth of NASA solar data, should help give scientists an early warning when a dangerous solar flare is likely to hit Earth.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Solar storms occur when the sun erupts energy and particles into space. They can produce solar flares and slower-moving coronal mass ejections that can disrupt radio signals, flip computer bits onboard satellites, and endanger astronauts with bursts of radiation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While there\u2019s no way to prevent these sorts of effects, being able to predict when a large solar flare will occur could let people work around them. Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Peter Hall<\/em><\/p>\n

Why recycling isn\u2019t enough to address the plastic problem<\/strong><\/p>\n

I remember using a princess toothbrush when I was little. The handle was purple, teal, and sparkly. Like most of the other pieces of plastic that have ever been made, it\u2019s probably still out there somewhere, languishing in a landfill. (I just hope it\u2019s not in the ocean.)<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been thinking about that toothbrush again this week after UN talks about a plastic treaty broke down on Friday. Nations had gotten together to try and write a binding treaty to address plastic waste, but negotiators left without a deal.<\/p>\n

Plastic is widely recognized as a huge source of environmental pollution<\/a>\u2014again, I\u2019m wondering where that toothbrush is\u2014but the material is also a contributor to climate change. Let\u2019s dig into why talks fell apart and how we might address emissions from plastic<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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

This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review\u2019s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, <\/strong>sign up here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/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 Google is betting that AI can help you take better photos<\/strong><\/p>\n

So long as you don\u2019t try zooming in on someone\u2019s face, that is. (WP<\/a> $)
+ Gemini is getting a new audio model capable of detecting tone. <\/em>(TechCrunch<\/a>)
+ Google\u2019s AI efforts are certainly outpacing those of its hardware rival Apple. <\/em>(Bloomberg<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

2<\/strong> Meta\u2019s AI hiring spree is on pause
<\/strong>Investors are increasingly concerned by the mad sums being bandied about. (WSJ<\/a> $)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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3 China is preparing to show off its hypersonic missiles<\/strong>
The world will be watching its military parade closely next month. (FT<\/a> $)
+ Meanwhile, India has tested a missile that could hit deep into China. <\/em>(The Guardian<\/a>)
+ Taiwan\u2019s \u201csilicon shield\u201d could be weakening. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

4 RFK Jr. wants to send you MAHA food boxes<\/strong>
But concrete details are light on the ground. (The Atlantic<\/a> $)
+ How MAHA is shaking up packaged goods\u2019 supply chains. <\/em>(Fortune<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

5 Extreme heat is driving cases of Legionnaire\u2019s disease in NYC
<\/strong>Older air conditioning infrastructure is helping to spread dangerous bacteria. (Vox<\/a>)
+ A fifth person has died in connection with the current outbreak. <\/em>(ABC News<\/a>)<\/p>\n

6 What it\u2019s like to vibecode for a massive startup<\/strong>
Managing AI coding apps is a whole lot like herding interns, supposedly. (Wired<\/a> $)
+ What is vibe coding, exactly? <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

7 Starship\u2019s rocket launch could delay flights in Florida
<\/strong>Even after the launch is completed. (TechCrunch<\/a>)<\/p>\n

8 This app will help you find the sunniest spots in Paris \u2600\ufe0f<\/strong>
The community-driven Jveuxdusoleil is updated in real time. (The Guardian<\/a>)<\/p>\n

9 The world\u2019s only public diamond mine is in Arkansas ????<\/strong>
Visitors have unearthed more than 35,000 precious gems since it opened. (Ars Technica<\/a>)<\/p>\n

10 It turns out Uranus had a hidden moon all along<\/strong>
And many more may be discovered in the future. (NYT<\/a> $)
+ It\u2019s the 29th known satellite to orbit the planet. <\/em>(Scientific American<\/a> $)
+ The moon is just the beginning for this waterless concrete. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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

\u201cIt jumbles my freaking nugget that people can look at a squat and not understand how it\u2019s supposed to look. You don\u2019t need AI to do that.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014Andrew Hiller, a CrossFit coach and critic of poorly-executed squats, tells the New York Times<\/a> why doing away with vigilant human judges for the popular fitness race Hyrox would be a mistake.<\/p>\n

One more thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Are friends electric?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thankfully, the difference between humans and machines in the real world is easy to discern, at least for now. While machines tend to excel at things adults find difficult\u2014playing world-champion-level chess, say, or multiplying really big numbers\u2014they find it hard to accomplish stuff a five-year-old can do with ease, such as catching a ball or walking around a room without bumping into things.<\/p>\n

This fundamental tension\u2014what is hard for humans is easy for machines, and what\u2019s hard for machines is easy for humans\u2014is at the heart of three new books delving into our complex and often fraught relationship with robots, AI, and automation. They force us to reimagine the nature of everything from friendship and love to work, health care, and home life. Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2014Bryan Gardiner<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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

Plus: Google’s new phones are AI-first 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. On the ground in Ukraine\u2019s largest Starlink repair shop Starlink is absolutely critical to Ukraine\u2019s ability to continue in the fight against Russia. It\u2019s how troops<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":866796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24097,46,24659],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-866795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-download","category-technology","category-ukraines"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866795","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=866795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866795\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/866796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=866795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=866795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=866795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}