The challenge is an effort by the FTC to monitor and stop scammers from exploiting voice cloning technology. https://therecord.media/ftc-contest-to-tackle-voice-cloning

"Although we fixed some bugs along the way, this was primarily an investment to make future feature development cheaper while improving the maintainability and reliability." https://blog.alexewerlof.com/p/tech-debt-day

This AI tool gives you a six-word summary of any book, movie, or concept. https://poe.com/6wordsummary

Beer drinking in the US fell to the lowest level in a generation last year, after shipments dipped below 200 million barrels for the first time since 1999. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/beer-drinking-america-falls-lowest-level-generation-rcna131478

Boo to whoever canceled the Polish route to Hel! https://news.sky.com/story/poland-highway-to-hel-journey-banned-after-religious-groups-object-to-satanic-666-bus-route-12902584

Forget about your first programming language for a minute… What was the first platform on which you played Zork? https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/11/infocoms-ingenious-code-porting-tools-for-zork-and-other-games-have-been-found/

Researchers at the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research in Japan have developed a solid electrolyte for transporting hydride ions (H−) at room temperature. This breakthrough means that the advantages of hydrogen-based solid-state batteries and fuel cells are within practical reach, without the need for constant hydration. This should reduce fuel cell cost and complexity. https://www.alphagalileo.org/en-gb/Item-Display/ItemId/241030

Computer science pioneer Niklaus Wirth dies aged 89
https://www.developer-tech.com/news/2024/jan/04/computer-science-pioneer-niklaus-wirth-dies-aged-89/

A little while back, Apple released a collection of Steve Jobs' speeches, interviews, and emails, all put into a book, which is totally free. https://stevejobsarchive.com/

A survey of the Smithsonian by the first curator of photography in the United States. The cyanotype format lends a certain luxurious allure to the almost invisible accoutrements of museological storage and display. https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/smillie-smithsonian/

“If you had to pick one person to write the history of 20th-century American culture, it would have to be Louis Armstrong.”
https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/louis-armstrong-archive/

Higher minimum wages in the US went into effect on Jan 1st — and are estimated to boost the incomes of almost 10 million workers across 22 states. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minimum-wage-increase-january-1-2024-see-the-states/

Watch the trailer for the long-lost first film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (1926) https://www.openculture.com/2023/11/watch-the-trailer-for-the-long-lost-first-film-adaptation-of-the-great-gatsby-1926.html

In 1998, Indonesia initiated a community-based, decentralized approach to protecting its oceans. Over the course of 25 years through several iterations, 20 million hectares has been protected, leading to a 60% decline in illegal fishing. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2023/06/08/a-quarter-century-legacy-of-coral-reef-conservation-and-community-impact-in-indonesia

Given Bangalore's chaotic traffic, rickshaws are sometimes the fastest way to get around. But finding one isn’t easy. (free reg required) https://www.economist.com/business/2023/07/20/a-battle-of-rickshaw-apps-shows-the-promise-of-indias-digital-stack

"While bioarchaeological data can reveal a lot about who lived in a city, sophisticated sensor data can illuminate exactly where they lived and what kind of work they did."
https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/04/28/1022982/data-archaeology-ancient-city-grid-burial-site

Somehow I missed this news story:
A new competition focused on “Psychedelic Cryptography” has awarded cash prizes to artists who made videos encoded with hidden messages that can be most easily deciphered by a person who is tripping on psychedelic substances, such as LSD, ayahuasca, or psilocybin mushrooms. https://www.vice.com/en/article/3akkd9/psychedelic-cryptography-videos-have-hidden-messages-designed-to-be-seen-while-tripping

X lost its bid to block a California content moderation law Friday, with a federal judge dismissing the company’s challenge. https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4382032-musks-x-loses-bid-block-california-content-moderation-law/

Four myths about the state of women at work https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace

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