Economic Indicators5 hours ago (Mar 09, 2020 06:36PM ET) By Elizabeth Howcroft LONDON (Reuters) – The coronavirus outbreak has reversed a recent upturn in British business leaders’ optimism, with confidence now at a six-month low, a survey by the Institute of Directors showed on Monday. The business outlook turned positive […]
Amid Coronavirus Fears, Startups Rethink the Virtual Conference
Hopin, another startup that came out of stealth a few weeks ago, takes a similar approach to virtual conferencing. The platform combines livestreamed presentations with virtual networking, including a ChatRoulette-style feature for meeting other attendees. Most of the networking at conferences happens during unscheduled time, when people are milling about […]
When Fintech App Robinhood Goes Offline Amid a Market Plunge
It was lights out again at Robinhood on Monday. For the second Monday in a row, and the third time in a week, the millennial-friendly stock trading app went down as the markets swooned over coronavirus fears. Robinhood hasn’t yet said what the exact issue is this time around. But […]
Pelosi is Losing It
Nancy Pelosi is going to be 80 years old in two weeks. Many of us don’t let our parents and grandparents drive a car at that age, let alone drive the direction of the US House of Representatives. During a press conference on Thursday, Nancy Pelosi was asked why Democrats […]
Two Physicists Bet Over a Quantum Computing Moon Shot
In February, two physicists made a bet on Twitter. Jonathan Dowling, a professor at Louisiana State University, and John Preskill of Caltech wagered a pizza and a beer over whether 10 years from now, someone will have finally invented a machine of longtime physics fantasy: the so-called topological quantum computer. […]
Worried About Covid-19? Hospitals Have a Request: Stay Home
Albert Chan, Sutter Health’s Chief of Digital Patient Experience, which runs 24 hospitals across Northern California, says that he “cannot imagine scaling a response to an epidemic like Covid-19” without technology. Sutter Health uses video visits as well as an app called Ada, whose AI chatbot asks users a string […]
Buy One of These Fonts–Then Decide If It’s Your Type
Digestive is a peculiar font. Its ornate, wiggly letters make it look a bit like calligraphy by aliens from outer space. But Digestive isn’t just unusual in how it looks. It’s also unusual in how it was sold. Thanks to Future Fonts, a platform for selling fonts that are still […]
The 2020 Election Shows the Techlash Has Only Gone So Far
Since starting as a reporter on the tech-and-politics beat in November, I’ve observed a similar ritual for each of the Democratic primary debates: My editor informs me one is happening, I cancel my plans, and I watch in bemused horror, paying just enough attention to notice in case I need […]
If AI’s So Smart, Why Can’t It Grasp Cause and Effect?
Here’s a troubling fact. A self-driving car hurtling along the highway and weaving through traffic has less understanding of what might cause an accident than a child who’s just learning to walk. A new experiment shows how difficult it is for even the best artificial intelligence systems to grasp rudimentary […]
Ultra-Fast Genome Sequencing Could Save the Lives of Newborns
Maverick Coltin seemed like any other newborn when he first came home from the hospital, wearing his beanie cap with bear ears and blue-and-gray onesie and following the typical around-the-clock cycle of sleeping and breastfeeding. But within a couple of days, his parents noticed something was off. At 6 days […]