That is at this time’s version of The Obtain, our weekday e-newsletter that gives a day by day dose of what’s happening on the planet of know-how.
What’s subsequent for batteries
Yearly the world runs an increasing number of on batteries. Electrical autos handed 10% of world automobile gross sales in 2022, they usually’re on observe to succeed in 30% by the tip of this decade.
The transition from gas-powered automobiles to EVs would require plenty of batteries—and higher and cheaper ones at that. Most EVs at this time are powered by lithium-ion batteries, a decades-old know-how that educational labs and corporations alike are looking for to make extra environment friendly and much more reasonably priced.
Within the midst of the hovering demand for EVs and renewable energy, and an explosion in battery improvement, one factor is definite: batteries will play a key function within the transition to renewable vitality. Right here’s what to anticipate in 2023. Learn the complete story.
—Casey Crownhart
Chinese language chips will preserve powering your on a regular basis life
The worldwide semiconductor business is in a state of flux. The US began to take steps to freeze China out of the business in 2022, pushing the sector to diversify from the Chinese language provide chain and construct factories elsewhere.
However whereas the US authorities’s punitive restrictions will begin to chunk over the subsequent few months, and the excessive finish of China’s chip business is more likely to endure, the nation might take an even bigger function in manufacturing older-generation chips which are nonetheless extensively utilized in on a regular basis life. Learn the complete story.
—Zeyi Yang
Zeyi’s story is from China Report, his weekly e-newsletter supplying you with the within observe on all issues about China. Join to obtain it in your inbox each Tuesday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you at this time’s most enjoyable/essential/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.
1 China is livid at different international locations’ covid journey restrictions
Beijing claims the covid testing necessities “lack scientific foundation.” (The Guardian)
+ AI isn’t excellent at detecting covid. (New Scientist $)
2 Sam Bankman-Fried has pleaded not responsible to all prices
He’ll face trial in October. (CoinDesk)
+ It’s doable he’ll attempt to strike a plea cope with prosecutors. (Economist $)
3 Microsoft desires to combine ChatGPT into Bing
It hopes to chip away at Google’s search dominance. (The Data $)
+ How correct its solutions will likely be remains to be up for debate. (Bloomberg $)
+ A brand new app claims to detect whether or not essays have been written utilizing ChatGPT. (Insider $)
+ Learn how to spot AI-generated textual content. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
4 US pharmacies can promote abortion capsules for the primary time
Whereas a prescription remains to be required, it’ll considerably broaden entry to medicated abortions. (BBC)
+ The place to get abortion capsules and the right way to use them. (MIT Expertise Evaluation)
5 Political adverts are returning to Twitter
The U-turn comes months after advertisers began leaving of their droves. (Politico)
+ Covid misinformation spiked on Twitter after NFL participant Damar Hamlin collapsed. (WP $)
6 Ethereum is getting greener
It received’t remedy crypto’s environmental footprint completely, although. (Motherboard)
+ Taiwan isn’t anxious concerning the crypto crash. (Remainder of World)
7 Instagram is paying musicians a fortune to soundtrack its Reels
It’s low-effort, high-reward. (New Yorker $)
+ However it’s principally getting harder on the market for on-line creators. (The Data $)
8 Amazon in Pakistan is overrun with scammers
The fraudsters are concocting more and more elaborate schemes to trick victims. (Remainder of World)
9 These low-cost TVs come at a value 
As soon as a staple of the American residence, they’re not the standing image they was once. (The Atlantic $)
10 Don’t maintain a vacation occasion within the metaverse 
Your colleagues are unlikely to wish to be a part of, sadly. (Wired $)
Quote of the day
“I can odor the stench of crime.”
—An unnamed buyer criticizes crypto alternate FTX in a criticism filed with the FTC, Gizmodo reviews.
The large story
April 2021
City know-how initiatives have lengthy sought to handle town. The most recent, “sensible metropolis” initiatives, have a lot in widespread with earlier iterations. Time and again, these initiatives promise novel “options” to city “issues.”
After a decade of pilot initiatives and flashy demonstrations, although, it’s nonetheless not clear whether or not sensible metropolis applied sciences can really remedy and even mitigate the challenges cities face. What is evident, nevertheless, is that know-how corporations are more and more taking up administrative and infrastructure obligations that governments have lengthy fulfilled.
If sensible cities are to keep away from exacerbating city inequalities, we’ve got to take an extended, arduous have a look at how cities have fared to this point. Learn the complete story.
—Jennifer Clark
We will nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction in these bizarre instances. (Obtained any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ Did you hear the one concerning the nun and the monk who fell in love and obtained married? No, actually!
+ The Centenarians of Oklahoma sound completely fabulous.
+ An English seaside city canceled its New Yr fireworks—to guard a visiting walrus.
+ A great deal of us will set ourselves studying objectives this yr, however not all of us will follow them.
+ Aww. Rats deride pleasure from watching fellow rodents getting tickled. 
