Day: November 9, 2020

science and technology

Meeting the China Challenge: A New American Strategy for Technology Competition

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Is China or the U.S. ahead in artificial intelligence? What is the best way to counter security threats in 5G technology? How do we best maintain American leadership positions in fundamental research and biotechnology?

A new policy report on “Meeting the China Challenge: A New American Strategy for Technology Competition” is the culmination of over a full year’s deliberation and study by the bipartisan Working Group on Science and Technology in U.S.-China Relations. It sets forth broad policy objectives as well as specific recommendations for the new U.S. administration in four domains of science and technology: fundamental research, 5G digital communications, artificial intelligence and biotechnology.

About the Working Group:

The Working Group is organized by the Asia Society Center on U.S.-China Relations and the 21st Century China Center at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. It operates under the auspices of the Task Force on U.S.-China

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technology articles

Airbnb under scrutiny in Europe ahead of digital services act

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In this photo illustration, a man looks at the website of Airbnb on April 20, 2020 in Katwijk, Netherlands.

Yuriko Nakao | Getty Images News | Getty Images

LONDON — Airbnb could be among the targeted platforms when the European Union presents a raft of tougher regulations targeting tech companies next month.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, is expected to overhaul the management of content on platforms like Google and Facebook with its Digital Services Act — the first regulation of its kind since 2000.

Its overall aim is to ensure fair competition in the European market, but the rules are expected to require dramatic changes to the business models and practices of Big Tech.

One of the big uncertainties is which platforms will have to abide by the new rules. The Dutch government wants Airbnb to be among them.

“To tackle the side effects of

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technology

Companies in Asia-Pacific region were early to multicloud strategy

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  • Companies are increasingly pursuing the strategy of using more than one cloud provider, but it’s an area where businesses in Asia have had a head start, according to analysts and executives who participated in Business Insider’s recent roundtable.
  • Using multiple clouds can give customers access to different services and help them avoid getting locked into one cloud.
  • “In Asia, many of the best companies have a multicloud strategy, and that’s because they service different markets in Asia,” Cloudflare Chief Operating Officer and cofounder Michelle Zatlyn said.
  • While firms in Asia adopted that mode out of necessity, she said, it’s now becoming the prevailing strategy in the US and Europe as well.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Companies are increasingly pursuing the strategy of using more than one cloud provider, but it’s an area where businesses in Asia have had a head start.

Using multiple clouds can give customers

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technology current events

Apple ‘One More Thing’ Mac event: What to expect

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Apple is preparing to host its third, and likely final, hardware event of the year on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and while it won’t feature an iPhone or Apple Watch, it’s no less important to the company’s future. That’s because this event will reportedly feature Apple’s (AAPL) first MacBooks with their own custom ARM-based processors.

The move will have a massive impact on how Apple markets and sells its Mac line of products, and deals an enormous blow to Intel’s (INTC) ego, though not a huge hit to its bottom line. The two companies have worked together since 2005 when they teamed up to help Macs better take on Windows-based machines, and released the first Intel-powered system in 2006.

It’s sure to be a major moment for Apple, and one that will improve the tech giant’s ability to tailor its laptops and desktops to its liking.

Three new Macs on the

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science

Second Cable Fails at Arecibo, Causing Even More Damage to Famed SETI Dish

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Damage to the dish as a result of the August cable failure.

Damage to the dish as a result of the August cable failure.
Image: UCF Today

Another cable has fallen onto the reflector dish at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, in yet another frustrating setback for this beloved facility.

The main support cable of the Arecibo Observatory failed and fell onto the dish below at 7:30 p.m. Puerto Rico time on Friday November 6, reports UCF Today. The extent of the damage is not yet known, but the dish was damaged further, as were some nearby cables. No one was hurt, but a safety zone has been set up around the facility as a precaution. With two failed support cables in three months, it’s imperative that response teams now find a way to stabilize the structure.

File photo showing the observatory as it appeared in the spring of 2019.

File photo showing the observatory as it appeared in the spring of 2019.
Photo: UCF Today

The first incident happened on August

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new technology

New OnePlus Watch Plan Will Disrupt Google, Apple

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The rollercoaster of 2020 tech news has produced one more unexpected turn: the rumoured OnePlus Watch won’t be powered by Google’s Wear OS. 

The news comes from reliable OnePlus leaker Max Jambor, who tweeted this weekend that the new wearable won’t carry Google’s software. Jambor later confirmed to 9To5Google that it won’t even use a skinned or modified version of Wear OS. 

If accurate, OnePlus is headed in an entirely new direction for its first smartwatch. There’s good reason or this, too. Not only is there plenty of space for a competing wearable OS (in a way there isn’t for a new smartphone OS), it also means OnePlus can have the freedom to build the watch experience from the ground up, without being constrained by Google’s struggling platform. 

The features offered by Samsung’s Tizen-powered Galaxy Watch 3 and

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information technology

IRS improving e-filing and technology for tax-exempt organizations

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The Internal Revenue Service is rolling out new systems and expanding the number of forms that can be electronically filed by tax-exempt organizations, while also dealing with some technology glitches resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the first steps is a new Enterprise Case Management System that’s initially being piloted at the Tax Exempt and Governmental Entities, or TE/GE, division and its customer support operation (see story).

“We are constantly working to modernize our operations, monitor internal controls and drive efficiencies,” said Edward Killen, acting commissioner of the IRS TE/GE division, during a press conference last week. “An exciting and significant example in the new fiscal year is TE/GE’s participation in the Enterprise Case Management initiative. Enterprise Case Management is an IRS-wide initiative to modernize and consolidate our case management systems by creating a single integrated platform. At full deployment, we will have modernized a more efficient

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future technology

Metal Powder as Renewable Energy

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metals in powder form can burn well

Bart van Overbeeke/TU Eindhoven

  • After 300 years in business, a Dutch brewery is heating beer using sustainable iron combustion.
  • Replacing high heat for furnaces or boilers has been a special challenge for renewables.
  • Burnt iron is “recharged” for reuse using electrolysis that can come from clean energy sources.

    A brewery in the Netherlands is making environmental history by using a cycle of renewable iron as fuel for its furnace.

    Dive deeper. ➡ Get unlimited access to the weird world of Pop Mech, starting NOW.

    Royal Swinkels Family Brewers is working with Eindhoven University of Technology and a technology think tank called Metal Power on the circular economy of iron burning. “The iron acts as a kind of clean battery for combustion processes, charging up via one of a number of means including electrolysis, and discharging in flames and heat,” New Atlas reports.

    Here’s how it works: Iron is burned

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    science daily

    Researchers examine if online physician reviews indicate clinical outcomes — ScienceDaily

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    Online consumer reviews play an important role in almost every consumer industry — from dining and shopping to travel and technology. But what do online reviews of physicians tell consumers?

    In a new study, researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas investigated whether patient-generated online reviews of physicians accurately reflect the quality of care.

    “Many patients use online reviews of physicians for deciding which physicians to see and which to avoid,” said Dr. Atanu Lahiri, associate professor of information systems in the Naveen Jindal School of Management. “At the same time, though, some physicians have become quite wary of these websites, and they have even filed defamation lawsuits over negative patient reviews. In short, while patients seem to trust the reviews, the physicians don’t.”

    In their study, published online Sept. 23 in Information Systems Research, Lahiri and his colleagues examined the relationship between online reviews of physicians and

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    technology articles

    Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ event: rumors, news, and announcements

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    Don’t let the name fool you: Apple’s “One More Thing” hardware event on Tuesday, November 10th, is likely more than just an add-on to October’s iPhone 12 announcements. The event is set to be the launch of the first of Apple’s promised Arm-based computers, marking the start of the company’s separation from longtime partner Intel and the first time Apple-designed silicon will appear in Macs outside of T2 security chips.

    The move was announced back at WWDC, and alongside a (hopefully) smooth transition, Apple promises improvements in performance and battery life from the new, still unnamed chip. Aiding the transition is Rosetta 2, a new version of the emulator that Apple used during its last processor transition from PowerPC to Intel. Rosetta 2 should allow you to run emulated versions of your old macOS apps on the company’s new Arm-based products when it ships with macOS Big Sur.

    Big Sur

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