The internet runs on free open-source software. Who pays to fix it?

Zimbabwe's climate migration is a sign of what's to come 

Sponsored by Insight & VMware The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology A far-reaching danger 12.17.21 Good morning! Today: the Log4J vulnerability crisis shows the risks that come from relying on free, open-source volunteers to maintain much of the internet's core infrastructure. Also: people in Zimbabwe are already being forced to migrate due to climate change. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  The internet runs on free open-source software. Who pays to fix it?   An unfolding crisis: By now, you’ve probably heard there’s a vulnerability in Log4J, an open-source tool used widely to record activity inside various types of software. It helps run huge swaths of the internet, including applications ranging from iCloud to Twitter. This massive vulnerability has put billions of machines at risk.  But: What you might not realize is that Log4J was founded as a volunteer project and is still run largely for free. Volunteers are currently pulling 22-hour-days to try to deal with the vulnerability—and they’re not getting a single penny for their efforts. Sorry… what?! It might sound strange, but this situation is routine in the world of open-source software—programs that allow anyone to inspect, modify, and use their code. It’s a decades-old idea that has become critical to the functioning of the internet. When it goes right, open-source is a collaborative triumph. When it goes wrong, it’s a far-reaching danger. Time for a reassessment: As pressure and critics pile on the Log4J team, old questions of fairness are being asked about the open-source world. Some companies have already recognized the need to pay the people who maintain open-source projects, with Google recently pledging $100 million. But it’s not enough. Read the full story. —Patrick Howell O’Neill  Zimbabwe’s climate migration is a sign of what’s to come Julius Mutero has harvested virtually nothing in the past six years. For his entire adult life, he has farmed a three-hectare plot in Mabiya, a farming community in eastern Zimbabwe. But over a decade ago, his area started getting less rain and the rivers dried up. What was already a hot climate, with temperatures that could reach 30 °C (86 °F), began recording summer highs up to 37 °C (99 °F) on a regular basis. Now the rainy season begins in late December instead of early November, and it ends sooner too. Years of severe droughts have wiped out all Mutero’s crops. He has had no choice but to abandon his home and relocate to the country’s Eastern Highlands, which get more rain and heavier mists than the rest of the country.  Mutero is just one of the 86 million people in sub-Saharan Africa who the World Bank estimates will migrate domestically by 2050 because of climate change—the largest number predicted in any of six major regions the organization studied for a new report.  In Zimbabwe, farmers who have tried to stay put and adapt by harvesting rainwater or changing what they grow have found their efforts woefully inadequate in the face of new weather extremes. Droughts have already forced tens of thousands from the country’s lowlands to the Eastern Highlands. But their desperate moves are creating new competition for water in the region, and tensions may soon boil over. Read the full story. —Andrew Mambondiyani This story is from our upcoming water issue, due to launch next week. If you want to read it, you can subscribe for as little as $50 a year. 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.)   + Take a moment today to listen to these ethereal, ancient chants. They are called the O Antiphons and are traditionally used in Christian services in the last few days before Christmas.   + The time it takes this dog to pump himself up to evict the cats and puppy on his sofa is adorable.   + Quentin Tarantino’s response to NFTs amused me, but Keanu Reeves still wins for that laugh.   + Pantone announced its color of the year. It’s periwinkle purple and I like it.    + How The Matrix made us. Early Bird Savings are here (for a limited time).  MIT Technology Review's signature AI conference decision makers and leaders put AI to work for business. For a limited time, save 25% on your VIP hybrid or Online ticket. Register now. Sponsor Message Our digital world has never been more connected Effective security has never been more important. As business processes become increasingly digitized and workplaces expand remote work and digital experiences, securing our apps, data and devices is paramount. Discover built-in, unified, context-centric security from VMware, available through Insight. Topics include: Intrinsic security: a new approach to endpoint and workload protection Modern challenges and innovative solutions The benefits of leveraging your existing infrastructure Carbon Black® for endpoints and workloads Carbon Black Cloud for the remote workspace Learn more in the ebook The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The US is about to be hit with a huge omicron wave The best thing you can do to prepare is to get your booster shot, if you haven’t already. (NYT $)   + One of the hardest things right now is figuring out how worried you should be. (The Atlantic $)   + Which countries are best protected against omicron? (The Economist $)   + Data from South Africa strongly suggests the hospitalization rate will be lower this time. (Bloomberg $)   + What can we learn from South Africa’s experience with omicron so far? (BBC)   + Omicron is probably, eventually, coming for all of us. (The Atlantic $)   + Shortcomings in the global surveillance system make it hard to accurately track omicron. (Nature)  2  The NFT market is now worth an estimated $22 billion 💸 “Worth.” (The Guardian)   + Melania Trump has joined the NFT goldrush because, well, of course she has. (CNET)   + An early Theranos investor is selling his stock certificate as an NFT. (CNBC)   + Someone’s created a disgustingly racist set of NFTs based on George Floyd. (Input)   + People lost $7.7 billion to crypto scams this year. That’s a rise of 81% from last year. (Chainalysis)  3 Facebook says 50,000 users were targeted by cyber mercenary firms in 2021 It says its goal is to prompt further discussion about the surveillance-for-hire industry. (TR)   + Pegasus spyware was found on the phone of a jailed critic of India’s prime minister. (The Guardian)  4 TikTok says it’s tweaking its algorithm to stop negative reinforcement Sounds good in theory, but let’s see what this means in practice. (WSJ $)   + Schools in the US have been cancelling classes today over unconfirmed TikTok threats. (The Verge)  5 AWS is simply too big As recent outages have shown, risk in our internet systems is highly concentrated. (The Information $)   6 An Uber driver was murdered. His family is pleading for the company’s help. This tragic case cuts right to the core of the debate about whether drivers are contractors or employees. (TR)   7 Twitter encourages us to joke—then destroys all context It’s a sad fact that it simultaneously manages to be the perfect vehicle for shared laughs, yet also misunderstanding on an epic scale. (The Raven)   8 Human brain cells in a dish can learn to play Pong quicker than an AI 🧠 Well there you are. Humans: underrated. (New Scientist $)   + What does it mean for AI to understand? (Quanta)  9 What should we make of psychedelics?  To some, they’re just a pill that might cure an illness. To others, they could revolutionize society. (NEO.LIFE)   10 The Advent of Code brings joy to the world of programmers Learn about the puzzle challenge that’s a fun festive distraction for coders. (TR) Quote of the day "Each six months will be better than the last six months." —England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty strikes a tone of cautious optimism about where the pandemic goes from here. Top image credit: MS TECH | GETTY Please send the best jokes on Twitter 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 Advancing the promise of technology Make MIT Technology Review your go-to resource for insights, analysis, and news about the world of technology. Get unlimited access when you subscribe today. Subscribe now Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list.  Subscription Information This message was sent to  Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally    Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142