Daily Distraction: Our greatest hits, and a tearful goodbye
More than 33% of the year is over, but there’s no sign that the coronavirus pandemic will end soon. However, countries across the world are opening up slowly with the…
Scientists found a way to plug adversarial backdoors in deep learning models
Imagine a high-security complex protected by a facial recognition system powered by deep learning. The artificial intelligence algorithm has been tuned to unlock the doors for authorized personnel only, a…
Polk’s new soundbar packs a subwoofer and the Google Assistant support for $250
Polk Audio today announced the Signa S3, an affordable soundbar that offers a compelling collection of features its $250 price tag — including Google Assistant support and a wireless subwoofer…
I Just Remembered That I Ate a Murder Hornet Once
Asian giant hornet, beautifully platedPhoto: Brooklyn Bugs When I first saw an image of the Asian giant hornet, now famously referred to as the “Murder Hornet,” my first thought was…
California Sues Uber and Lyft to Classify Drivers as Employees
The state of California and three of its biggest cities sued Uber and Lyft Tuesday for misclassifying hundreds of thousands of drivers as independent contractors, in violation of a new…
Animal Agriculture Could Cause the Next Public Health Crisis
Image: Getty Covid-19 is a zoonotic virus, meaning it spread to humans from an animals. Scientists aren’t sure which animal spread it to us, though they think snakes or bats…
Freedom of Information Is Disintegrating (Faster) Under the Coronavirus
US President Donald Trump leaves after a press conference in New York, September 25, 2019, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Photo: Saul Loeb (Getty Federal lawmakers…
Covid-19 Reached Europe in December, New Evidence Suggests
A subway station in Paris, France, May 5, 2020.Image: AP In late December 2019, a 42-year-old man with pneumonia-like symptoms was admitted to a Paris hospital. Shockingly, a test of…
Adam Neumann Is Evidently WeHurt Over Failed $3 Billion Dollar WeWork Bailout Deal
Photo: Getty Adam Neumann, the controversial co-founder and former chief executive of spectacular startup failure WeWork, is suing Softbank over that failed multibillion-dollar bailout deal and claims that the company…
Darth Names, Ranked
Someone mention some Darths?Image: Lucasfilm Star Wars, a franchise barely anyone talks about these days, is primarily known for three things: stars, the existence of wars among them, and some…