Tech News
Tech News and Analysis from around the web
Tage Kene-Okafor / TechCrunch:
Report: fintech startups across India, Africa, and Latin America raised a total of $23B since 2017; Indian companies raised $11.6B, including $4.8B just in 2019 — Tech investments in emerging markets have been in full swing over the past couple of years and their ecosystems have thrived as a result.
Robert Hart / Forbes:
Study of 430K+ adolescents from the US and UK finds that there is “little evidence” of a link between teens' technology use and mental health problems — There is “little evidence” of a link between teens' technology use and mental health problems, according …
Anna Wiener / New Yorker:
A look at the rise of “renderporn”, the aspirational, hyperrealistic interior design imagery on Instagram created using 3D modelling software like SketchUp — “Renderporn” domesticates the aspiration and surreality of the digital age. — Last spring, several months into the pandemic …
Miguel Bustillo / Wall Street Journal:
Colonial Pipeline, which carries 45% of fuel consumed on the US East Coast, says it halted operations due to a ransomware attack — Operator of the Colonial Pipeline, the leading fuel conduit to the East Coast, said it had temporarily halted operations after discovering the threat Friday
Bloomberg:
Global chip shortage is forcing automakers to leave out some high-end features like navigation systems and “intelligent” rearview mirrors from their vehicles — - Automakers cut back on functions to keep production going — Navigation systems, large displays get nixed as crisis worsens
Carnegie Mellon University:
Researchers used an ML algorithm based on neural networks to upgrade a cosmological simulation from low to super resolution, helping to accelerate their studies — - Associate Dean for Communications, MCS — A universe evolves over billions upon billions of years, but researchers …
Prim Chuwiruch / Bloomberg:
Bain & Co: social commerce accounted for ~44% of Southeast Asia's $109B e-commerce market in 2020; Vietnam leads with 65% adoption while Thailand is at ~50% — - Shopping via social media gains popularity in Southeast Asia — Hit by Covid, retailers use chat apps to speak with customers
Don Clark / New York Times:
Semiconductor firms received more than $12B from equity investors in 2020, up 8x since 2016, as the industry sees a spike in new startups and ideas — While a variety of industries struggle with supplies, semiconductor experts say there are plenty of new ideas and, most surprising, start-ups.
Zachery Eanes / Raleigh News & Observer:
Prescient, a North Carolina-based startup that makes architectural software, raises $190M from JE Dunn and Eldridge, bringing its total raised to around $295M — Prescient, a North Carolina-based startup that makes architectural software, said Monday it has raised $190 million from investors …
Brian Barrett / Wired:
Using PayPal for Twitter's Tip Jar could reveal tipper's address to the recipient and possibly recipient's email to the tipper; Twitter says it will add a label — Sending its users to PayPal has created all sorts of problems that Twitter should have caught ahead of time.
Sankalp Phartiyal / Reuters:
Sources: India has held up approvals for import of WiFi modules from China for months, causing companies like Dell and Xiaomi to delay product launches in India — A man watches a video on his mobile phone as he commutes by a suburban train in Mumbai, India. Picture taken March 31, 2016.
Anna Leask / NZ Herald:
US endorses Christchurch Call, an effort to stop the spread of extremist content online, which Big Tech signed on to in 2019 and Trump's White House rejected — Anna Leask is a senior reporter for the New Zealand Herald — The United States has joined the Christchurch Call to Action …
Ben Zimmer / Wired:
Dr. Fill, a puzzle-solving AI, won the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament last week, the first time AI managed to outscore human solvers at the national event — Dr. Fill, a puzzle-solving automaton, came out victorious at last week's national tournament—but human solvers shouldn't throw in the towel just yet.
Filipe Espósito / 9to5Mac:
Court docs detail Apple's app review process: 500+ people review ~100K apps/week, app rejection rate is less than 40%, less than 1% of rejections are appealed — As the Epic Games v. Apple court case goes forward, we have been learning more details about internal discussions within each company about their business models and more.
James Vincent / The Verge:
Sennheiser sells its consumer electronics division to Sonova, a Swiss company best known for its medical audio products like hearing aids and cochlear implants — From blasting your eardrums to assisting them in later life — Sonova, a Swiss company best known for its medical audio products …
