Introducing: The Computing Issue

The world is on course to warm by 2.7°C

Sponsored by Amazon Web Services The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Unravelling computing's mysteries 10.27.21 Good morning! I'm thrilled to announce the launch of the latest issue of MIT Technology Review, all about computing—a topic that's become central to all our lives. It's packed full of fascinating stories explaining how we got here, and where we're going next. You might subscribe already—in which case, enjoy the full magazine at your leisure. If you don't subscribe, a new magazine drop is the perfect time to sign up! Subscriptions start at just $50 a year. And as always, get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. Introducing: The Computing Issue   Computers are, obviously, everywhere—in every pocket and automobile, even on the walls of our homes. And although computers, and computing, have become far more ubiquitous and accessible in recent decades, their roles are often even more mysterious. Virtually all aspects of modern life are now modulated by systems beyond our control. The aim of the latest issue of MIT Technology Review is to help demystify things a bit. Let’s get straight to it. Here’s a full list of everything that’s in the magazine. Pick the story that appeals most to you, and dive in! And don’t worry about missing anything—we’ll be showcasing a different Computing Issue story in The Download every day for the next four weeks.   + Where computing might go next The future of computing depends in part on how we reckon with its past.   + How AI is reinventing what computers are Three key ways artificial intelligence is changing what it means to compute.  + The 50-year-old problem that eludes theoretical computer science A solution to P vs NP could unlock countless computational problems—or keep them forever out of reach.  + We are awash in digital light In a book by Pixar co-founder Alvy Ray Smith, the humble pixel gets the attention it deserves.   + Laptops alone can’t bridge the digital divide The failures of One Laptop per Child have much to teach us about fixing educational inequities.   + What’s missing from the push to diversify tech Focusing on hiring pipelines or career pathways alone won’t solve tech’s diversity and inclusion problems. Here’s what will.   + Inside the machine that saved Moore’s Law The Dutch firm ASML spent $9 billion and 17 years developing a way to keep making denser computer chips.   + Whatever happened to DNA computing? Many alternatives to silicon have been proposed over the years. Some are finding their way into computing.   + Brain implants could be the next computer mouse What the world’s fastest brain-typist is telling us about the future of computer interfaces.   + This chemist is reimagining the discovery of materials using AI and automation Alán Aspuru-Guzik is using AI, robots, and even quantum computing to create the new materials that we will need to fight climate change.   + The metaverse could actually help people It sounds like—and often is—a dumb catchphrase used by the tech elite. But the metaverse has real potential to change how we think about pain management, grieving, and systemic prejudice.   + An uber-optimistic view of the future Azeem Azhar’s new book “Exponential Age” predicts stupendous technology growth will lead to an age of abundance. The reality is more complicated.   + How computing has transformed Jeanette Wing believes trustworthy AI and causal reasoning can help society solve real-world problems. But it won’t be easy.   + FICTION: Be a good example "It was in the newspaper, but the towers fell the next day, and what I’d done was quickly lost."   + How we covered the evolution of computing To flip through the archives of MIT Technology Review is to see the development of the computer unfold as it happened.   + These impossible instruments could change the future of music A research project to make digital instruments sound more realistic takes a hard left turn.   + How to fight hate online Data scientist Jennifer Chayes thinks we can use computational tools to root out bad behavior online.   + How tackling tech’s diversity challenges can spur innovation Computer scientist Nicki Washington spends much of her time talking with white and Asian men about how their identities influence their work.   + How two new supercomputers will improve weather forecasts Each of the upgrades by the US National Weather Service is the size of 10 refrigerators, has the capacity of 12.1 petaflops, and will help predict storms made worse by climate change. + How Alibaba tracks China’s delivery drivers The food delivery service Eleme, owned by Alibaba, built a Bluetooth tracking system to make “instant delivery” a reality.   + 3 space science questions that computing is helping to answer Astronomers are using AI, supercomputing, and the cloud to tackle the universe’s biggest mysteries. We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + Check out the winners of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2021.   + Artist KangHee Kim creates dreamy collages from everyday photography combined with mirrors, clouds, and sunsets.   + Tired: seeing Jesus in a piece of toast. Wired: seeing devil horns in an eclipse.   + If Wes Anderson made the X-Men....   + Actors have to do their homework too, y'know.   + The next best thing you can do with Monster Munch, after eating it.   + Recipes for fall feasting.    + Tattoos are an ancient form of spiritual art in Thailand (and many other countries.) Take a look back at our annual lists of breakthrough technologies.  For the past 20 years, MIT Technology Review has published an annual list of 10 technological breakthroughs that we think will change the world. Subscribe today for unlimited access to our journalism and see how some technologies fulfilled the dream we had for then two decades ago. Sponsor Message Machine learning in the cloud is helping businesses accelerate innovation The explosive growth of compute power in the cloud is facilitating new applications of machine learning to help companies better leverage their data. Listen here. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The world is on course to warm by 2.7°C To keep the Paris Agreement alive, we'd need a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. (BBC)   + Could concrete eat, rather than emit, CO2? (Wired UK)   + Meat and dairy giants need to step up. (The Guardian)  2 The US version of Facebook is the best version of Facebook If you think the platform is terrible in America, wait until you see what it's like for the rest of the world. (The Atlantic $)   + How Facebook's emoji reactions ended up optimized for anger. (WP $)   + How Frances Haugen did it. (WP $)   + The climate denial is coming from inside Facebook's house. (Earther)   + Former Zuckerberg staff members are suing the companies that run his office, alleging harassment and discrimination. (NBC)  3 The FDA has recommended the Pfizer covid vaccine for kids aged 5-11  It's a critical step towards protecting millions of children as the delta variant spreads. (CNBC)   + Why the trial data supports covid-19 vaccines for children. (TR)   + Yes, you should get your kids vaccinated, for the same reason you use seatbelts. (NYT $)   + Is your child scared of needles? Here's how you can help to prepare them. (NYT $)  4 A cyberattack disrupted gas stations across Iran So far, no country or group has claimed responsibility. (NBC)   5 Inflation is worse than the government thinks Meet "skimpflation." Rather than increasing prices, companies are skimping on the goods and services they provide. (NPR)   6 How researchers mapped a fly brain 🧠 They're tiny yet tremendously complex, containing some 100,000 neurons with tens of millions of connections between them. (NYT $)   7 We need to watch out for home surveillance  It's one thing to choose to give up some of your own privacy. It's quite another to opt your friends and neighbors in too. (FT $)   8 How China policies speech beyond its borders This is deeply chilling stuff. (The Guardian)   + The latest target for censure in China? Internet fandoms. (Wired $)   + China’s Tiananmen anniversary crackdowns reach far beyond the firewall. (TR)   9 Take a peek inside the world of aesthetic vlogging 🤳 It's all about the romanticization of everyday life. Oh, and making money. (TechCrunch)   10 Astronomers found signs of an exoplanet beyond our galaxy 🪐 It's around the size of Saturn, in the Whirlpool Galaxy, some 28 million light-years away. (WP $) Quote of the day “The world has to wake up to the imminent peril we face as a species.” —Inger Andersen, the executive director of the UN Environment Program, warns that countries' carbon-cutting pledges still fall far short of what's needed to avert catastrophic climate change. Top image credit: MIT Technology Review Please send invitations to fall feasts to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up today Shape the future of tech Take part in original research and gain valuable business insights into today's most important technology trends. Join today Want to change how you receive these emails? 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