1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to tex Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, 3 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio 4 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: and I love all things tech. And this is the 5 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: tech news for Tuesday, November twenty three, twenty twenty one. 6 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: And just as a heads up, we will not have 7 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: a news episode on Thursday because here in America that 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: is Thanksgiving, So we will be playing our history of 9 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: Cyber Monday episode on Thursday, which I feel is going 10 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: to become my own annual tradition. Anyway, let's get to 11 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 1: the news. One of the biggest stories of and mental note, 12 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,239 Speaker 1: I should probably remember that when I do an end 13 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: of the year wrap up episode has been about Facebook 14 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: internal documents that got leaked to regulators and the press, 15 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: along with whistleblower Francis Hogan's testimony to various governmental bodies 16 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 1: around the world regarding Facebook's policies and it's impact on 17 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: the world. Well, now, a collection of organizations are committed 18 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: to releasing those documents so that folks like you or 19 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 1: I will be able to see them. Note uh, this 20 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,040 Speaker 1: presumes that you aren't already a member of one of 21 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: those regulatory bodies or part of the press that received 22 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: the documents. People from the American Civil Liberties Union and 23 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: several universities, as well as the tech news outlet Gizmoto, 24 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 1: are partnering to go through the documents and make them 25 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,639 Speaker 1: available to everyone. They plan on reviewing each document first 26 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: in order to protect the privacy and security of people 27 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: who might be named in those documents. They don't want 28 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: to docks anyone. And also in the case of documents 29 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: relating to specific countries like besides the United States, they 30 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: plan on enlisting the aid of people from those countries 31 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: before they decide to release the documents. So, in other words, 32 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 1: it sounds like they are working towards establishing a responsible 33 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,919 Speaker 1: process when it comes to releasing all those internal documents, 34 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: as opposed to just you know, dumping them on a 35 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 1: cloud server somewhere. Facebook reps have repeatedly argued that these 36 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 1: documents that were cited by various media outlets have been 37 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: misleading and that they only play a small part in 38 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:29,360 Speaker 1: a much larger picture. And I'm not saying that the 39 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: thousands of documents are a definitive repository of all things Facebook, 40 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: but it might be a harder sell to defend the 41 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: company should those documents prove to be as damaging as 42 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: has been indicated over the last couple of months. One 43 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: document that wasn't in that big leak was one that 44 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 1: alleges Facebook executives chose to override researchers suggestions to tweak 45 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: the Facebook algorithm in an effort to curb the spread 46 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 1: of hate speech and racism. Business Insider reports that the 47 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: document shows researchers had identified issues with this algorithm, pointing 48 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: out how it would allow for the spread of hateful 49 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:15,359 Speaker 1: and harmful speech that predominantly targeted ethnic minorities. But because 50 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: Facebook has been the target of criticism from white conservatives 51 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,919 Speaker 1: in the past, including powerful media outlets like Fox News, 52 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,960 Speaker 1: the executives that Facebook didn't want to make any changes 53 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 1: for fear that it would seem as though the company 54 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: was actively opposing white conservatives. The name of the research 55 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 1: project was Project Wow No. Business Insider also refers to 56 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: it as quote the worst of the worst end quote 57 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: meaning the worst content and comments. The document apparently also 58 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: indicates that Facebook's content moderation algorithms are much better at 59 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: detecting and suppressing content that targets white people, but not 60 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: so great when it comes to people of color. So 61 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 1: not only did the executives nix the idea of adjusting 62 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: the algorithm to protect vulnerable populations, they were supporting an 63 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,480 Speaker 1: algorithm that protects a group that you know, arguably really 64 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: doesn't need protection to start with. The document also includes 65 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: a passage that says Facebook execs, We're worried about offending 66 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: conservatives who think quote hate targeted towards trans people is 67 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: an expression of opinion. End quote. Now, y'all, let me 68 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:33,160 Speaker 1: just say that is a wretched, horrible thing to even think, 69 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: let alone put down in an internal document. A glance 70 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: at statistics like the suicide rate among trans youth will 71 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: tell you straight away that targeted hate has a very real, 72 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: very tragic effect on those who are targeted, and to 73 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 1: dismiss it as an expression of opinion is so callous 74 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 1: as to be disgusting. Then for Facebook executives to say 75 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,840 Speaker 1: they're worried about offending people who think that way is 76 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 1: stomach churning. All right, I'm gonna hop off my soapbox. 77 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 1: I know y'all don't like it, but you know I've 78 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:12,360 Speaker 1: got this platform and I feel like i'm going to 79 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:16,839 Speaker 1: use it. Another big tech news last week, Reuters reported 80 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: that Amazon had been behind vigorous lobbying efforts to undermine 81 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 1: consumer privacy protection laws in twenty five states. That's that's 82 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: half of all the states for those of y'all not 83 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 1: in the US. Now, several members of Congress are proposing 84 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:39,239 Speaker 1: a federal level of consumer privacy legislation that would apply 85 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:43,280 Speaker 1: across all fifty states. The report showed that Amazon has 86 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:48,360 Speaker 1: been working hard to whittle away, or sometimes hack away, 87 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:52,280 Speaker 1: protections that would prevent the company from harvesting vast amounts 88 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 1: of personal data of customers and others. On top of that, 89 00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 1: Reuters has quoted a few people who say Amazon has 90 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:04,719 Speaker 1: and pretty hypocritical, paying lips service to the concept and 91 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 1: the importance of data privacy and security in public, while 92 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 1: simultaneously privately working to remove any barrier that would stand 93 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:18,679 Speaker 1: between the company and that precious, precious information. Amazon reps 94 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,600 Speaker 1: have also essentially said, Hey, we just want a nice 95 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:24,240 Speaker 1: unified privacy law so that we can have a set 96 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,840 Speaker 1: standard and operate that way across the United States. And 97 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 1: on the surface you can sort of understand that, I 98 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 1: mean each state having a different definition and standard for 99 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:40,159 Speaker 1: privacy makes operating across state borders pretty complicated. However, that 100 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 1: doesn't explain away all the actual efforts to gut the 101 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: existing state legislation. Amazon could have instead lobbied for a 102 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,919 Speaker 1: nationwide federal standard, so I would say Amazon's explanation is 103 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 1: only partly true. Anyway, We'll have to wait and see what, 104 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: if any legislation follows from this and show effort. There's 105 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:05,600 Speaker 1: no guarantee that anything will actually come about due to this. 106 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 1: Let's shift over to Apple, a company that also has 107 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: had a rough time PR wise in recent months. I 108 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 1: should add, by the way, that all of these companies, Facebook, Amazon, 109 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 1: and Apple have been raking in cash by the truckload. 110 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 1: So while it might be rough in the papers when 111 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:28,200 Speaker 1: it comes to the amount of money they're bringing in 112 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: and the amount of of hikes they're seeing in share price, 113 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: that that doesn't necessarily reflect the you know, the same 114 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: sort of PR issues in the news. So it's it's 115 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: like two different worlds. Anyway, Apple recently told the U 116 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: S Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC that Apple did 117 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 1: not use non disclosure agreements or in DA's in order 118 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: to prevent people from revealing you know, acts of quote harassment, discrimination, 119 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 1: and other unlawful acts in quote. So in other words, 120 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: Apple was saying, we don't make people sign legal agreements 121 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: to prevent the dirty laundry from getting out. But then 122 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:13,240 Speaker 1: a former Apple employee named share Scarlett filed a whistleblower 123 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,920 Speaker 1: complaint with the SEC and then subsequently she came forward. 124 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:20,640 Speaker 1: She had previously been referred to as an anonymous former employee, 125 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 1: and in her complaint Scarlett revealed that Apple does indeed 126 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 1: issue in DA's at least in some cases. Scarlett worked 127 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: as an engineered Apple, but she also was you know, 128 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 1: working behind the scenes to push for changes in policy, 129 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 1: such as a move toward pay equity among Apple employees. 130 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 1: And when she left the company, Apple lawyers urged her 131 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 1: to sign what if was effectively a gag order that 132 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: would limit her explanation of why she left as quote, 133 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 1: after eighteen months at Apple, I've decided it is time 134 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: to move on and pursue other opportunities end quote. She 135 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,319 Speaker 1: shared that in d a with a company called or 136 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:02,679 Speaker 1: an organization and called NIA Impact Capital that is an 137 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: activist investor organization. It holds share of Apple and it 138 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:11,319 Speaker 1: has currently been trying to force a vote among other 139 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 1: shareholders that would make Apple reveal its use of India's 140 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: and be more transparent in the future. Uh, something that 141 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 1: I suspect the company would not be too keen on, 142 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 1: seeing as how they just told the SEC earlier last 143 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: month that they totally didn't do that. Later today, we 144 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 1: expect to hear an announcement that Samsung will establish a 145 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:35,640 Speaker 1: new chip making plant in Taylor, Texas. That's about a 146 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:39,200 Speaker 1: stone's throw away from Austin if you can throw a stone, 147 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 1: you know, thirty miles or so. The facility would likely 148 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: build chips, not for Samsung products, but more as a 149 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:50,960 Speaker 1: business to business that has other corporations as its customers. 150 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: So you or I wouldn't go out and you know, 151 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 1: purchase a chip from this company. These chips would be 152 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:00,560 Speaker 1: going into products that other companies make. The plant is 153 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:02,800 Speaker 1: not expected to go into production for a couple of 154 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:05,280 Speaker 1: years because it's going to take time to build out 155 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:07,520 Speaker 1: the facility and attract the talent and all that kind 156 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:11,280 Speaker 1: of stuff. Apparently, the city of Taylor, Texas offered up 157 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:15,199 Speaker 1: some pretty generous tax benefits. According to the Wall Street Journal, 158 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 1: the plant will have a nine reduction in property taxes 159 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,559 Speaker 1: over its first decade. There's been a recent push to 160 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,120 Speaker 1: bring more chip manufacturing over to the United States in 161 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:28,440 Speaker 1: the wake of the worldwide shortages and supply chain issues 162 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: we've seen. Of course, the US also has these you know, 163 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: pesky laws that protect people and thus make it way 164 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 1: more expensive to build stuff over here. That's me being snarky. 165 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:41,840 Speaker 1: By the way, I am fully in favor of protecting workers, 166 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:43,920 Speaker 1: and in fact, I would actually love to see more 167 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 1: manufacturing moved places that aren't as egregious when it comes 168 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:50,199 Speaker 1: to exploiting workers. Not saying that the United States is 169 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 1: perfect on that regard, not by a long shot, but 170 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:57,199 Speaker 1: compared to some other countries, it's leagues ahead. Well, there 171 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:59,960 Speaker 1: are other efforts around the world to establish new manufact 172 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,640 Speaker 1: training facilities in order to kind of smooth things out 173 00:11:03,679 --> 00:11:06,520 Speaker 1: alleviate the supply chain issues, but obviously it's going to 174 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: take a couple of years for them to come online, 175 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 1: and there's still the question of whether or not it 176 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:14,600 Speaker 1: actually ends up solving the problem, or if it just 177 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:18,800 Speaker 1: becomes another complicated cog in a very complex machine. In 178 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: the meantime, we should expect more supply chain woes. Speaking 179 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 1: of Texas, there's a development in that state that concerns me. Actually, 180 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:29,360 Speaker 1: to be fair, there are a lot of developments in 181 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:31,440 Speaker 1: Texas that concerned me, but the one I was thinking 182 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:35,679 Speaker 1: about was how the state is courting bitcoin mining operations. 183 00:11:36,559 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 1: And this has to do with power consumption. Okay, so 184 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:41,679 Speaker 1: last year, or actually this past year, in February of 185 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:48,199 Speaker 1: Texas had some pretty massive blackouts during a particularly harsh 186 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 1: cold front that brought temperatures way way down. And yeah, 187 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 1: I know there are parts of the world that are 188 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,960 Speaker 1: way colder than what Texas got to, but you gotta 189 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:01,880 Speaker 1: remember Texas does not have the infrastructure to deal with 190 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:05,720 Speaker 1: super low temperatures. It's not common in that state. And 191 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:09,679 Speaker 1: Texas has a power grid authority called ERCOTT e R 192 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:15,640 Speaker 1: c OT. Ironically that stands for Electric Reliability Council of Texas, 193 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:19,760 Speaker 1: and it's responsible for about nine of the state's electric load. 194 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: So pretty much everything apart from say like the far 195 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: west of Texas is under ARCOT. When the cold weather hit, 196 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: demand for electricity exceeded ercott's capacity and ARCOTT began to 197 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:37,040 Speaker 1: implement blackouts. The price for electricity also skyrocketed at that time. 198 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 1: It it's hard to even express how high it went. 199 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:43,520 Speaker 1: The governor of Texas said that the you know, arcot 200 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:46,200 Speaker 1: reform would be a high priority. There would have to 201 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 1: be a full investigation, and the the agency would have 202 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:54,840 Speaker 1: to put in place preparations for uh, you know, high 203 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 1: demand winters in the future. And the reason I bring 204 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:00,560 Speaker 1: all that up is because bitcoin mining require there's a 205 00:13:00,559 --> 00:13:03,600 Speaker 1: lot of electricity. And that's because bitcoin works on a 206 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 1: proof of work concept, uh that is, one in which 207 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: computers compete against each other. They are the mining operations, 208 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:15,520 Speaker 1: and they rush to try and solve what is essentially 209 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:17,560 Speaker 1: a very hard math problem. I mean, it's kind of 210 00:13:17,559 --> 00:13:22,600 Speaker 1: similar to guessing a truly huge number. Anyway, bitcoin miners, 211 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:26,760 Speaker 1: at least the successful ones, use vast networks of powerful 212 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:29,440 Speaker 1: machines in order to get to that solution first, and 213 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:33,400 Speaker 1: those machines require a lot of electricity in order to operate. 214 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:37,120 Speaker 1: So the concern is that Texas has power grid, which 215 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:40,440 Speaker 1: is already a little bit you know weak, is not 216 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:43,880 Speaker 1: up to the task of supporting those mining operations, that 217 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: the state is actively trying to attract, and that this 218 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 1: could potentially lead to similar situations like what we saw 219 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: this past February. Now, the expectation is that Urcott will 220 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:58,280 Speaker 1: offer up some sort of incentive that would essentially pay 221 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:03,160 Speaker 1: bitcoin miners to not use electricity during times of peak demand. 222 00:14:03,559 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 1: But critics point out that most bitcoin mining operations would 223 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:09,600 Speaker 1: likely be more inclined to just keep mining because the 224 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:13,479 Speaker 1: profits for mining would be way more than any incentive 225 00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:16,440 Speaker 1: the state could offer, unless the price of electricity for 226 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 1: bitcoin miners goes way way up. Like if Urcott said, 227 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:22,120 Speaker 1: all right, but if you want to use electricity at 228 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 1: this peak time, it's going to cost you, you know, 229 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,600 Speaker 1: a thousand times more, that would pretty much drive away 230 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:30,160 Speaker 1: the very people that the state is trying to attract. 231 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:32,800 Speaker 1: So the fear is that the bitcoin miners would just 232 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:36,000 Speaker 1: keep gobbling up electricity even in high demand times and 233 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:39,360 Speaker 1: thus contribute to a situation that could result in more blackouts. 234 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 1: We've got some more news to cover, but before we 235 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:53,240 Speaker 1: get to that, let's take a quick break. We're back 236 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:57,560 Speaker 1: over in the UK. The government has created a mandate 237 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:00,960 Speaker 1: that will require all new buildings and looting homes to 238 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:05,800 Speaker 1: include electric vehicle charge points starting next year. The UK 239 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:09,400 Speaker 1: is the first country to issue such a mandate, but 240 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:13,200 Speaker 1: it really does make a lot of sense. As we 241 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: see more countries commit to switching to an electric vehicle 242 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:19,720 Speaker 1: fleet over the next decade, it becomes imperative that those 243 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:23,360 Speaker 1: countries also make sure that there's an infrastructure there to 244 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:26,200 Speaker 1: support the move. I mean, after all, like the the 245 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 1: gasoline or petrol for those in the UK, UH, that 246 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:33,400 Speaker 1: infrastructure has been around for more than a century and 247 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,400 Speaker 1: so you know, there's been plenty of time for it 248 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: to be built up. We're now talking about switching over 249 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 1: to something that has a bit of infrastructure there. You know, 250 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 1: some places are have a more dense uh population of 251 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,320 Speaker 1: of charging stations than others, but this is a real 252 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:53,920 Speaker 1: move to make sure that it becomes common throughout the 253 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 1: entire nation. There's also plans that if you're making any 254 00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: large renovations, if you have parking space is for ten 255 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:04,040 Speaker 1: or more vehicles or I guess more than ten vehicles 256 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 1: in your you know that building, you are also required 257 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 1: to install some electric vehicle charging points. The UK currently 258 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:15,960 Speaker 1: plans to end the sale of new gas powered or 259 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:19,840 Speaker 1: diesel powered vehicles by people will still be allowed to 260 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 1: buy and sell used cars that run on petrol or diesel, 261 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:30,040 Speaker 1: but all new cars starting that year will be electric vehicles. Okay, 262 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: we all know that Facebook. The company changed its name 263 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:36,560 Speaker 1: to Meta and that Meta plans to launch a Metaverse 264 00:16:36,680 --> 00:16:40,040 Speaker 1: product in the not too distant future. But it is 265 00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:44,000 Speaker 1: not the only company itchen to get meta. Another one 266 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:47,440 Speaker 1: is Niantic. That's the company that originally started as a 267 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:50,520 Speaker 1: project at Google and then spun off to be a 268 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:54,120 Speaker 1: very successful game company. It's best known as the company 269 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:57,880 Speaker 1: behind the game Pokemon Go, but it also makes or 270 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 1: made a few other games that incorporate augmented reality features. 271 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,920 Speaker 1: So at the heart of Niantics games is this kind 272 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:09,520 Speaker 1: of general philosophy that centers on getting people out into 273 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 1: the real world to interact with the game in the 274 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:17,160 Speaker 1: virtual space. So they use technology to enhance rather than replace, 275 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:21,320 Speaker 1: our physical surroundings. So, for example, in Pokemon Go, the 276 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:26,120 Speaker 1: site of various Pokemon gems tends to correspond with interesting 277 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: real world locations. So the ideas you travel to that 278 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:34,040 Speaker 1: location to play the game, and in theory, you also 279 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:36,679 Speaker 1: enjoy the physical space itself, you know, might be of 280 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:40,800 Speaker 1: some cultural significance or otherwise interesting. So the ideas you 281 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:43,000 Speaker 1: get out and about and you see stuff around that 282 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:46,359 Speaker 1: you might not otherwise ever look at. That's the idea, well, 283 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:50,360 Speaker 1: Niantics metaverse plans sound like it's an extension of that 284 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:54,080 Speaker 1: philosophy that the company will offer up an expanded a 285 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:57,920 Speaker 1: r d K that stands for Augmented Reality Developer Kit. 286 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: So this will let other company needs build a R 287 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:06,840 Speaker 1: based experiences, including games, using Niantics tools. So the Niantic 288 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:10,719 Speaker 1: metaverse is a very different take than the you know, 289 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:13,800 Speaker 1: put on VR goggles and replace the real world with 290 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 1: a digital one approach. In pursuit of that goal, Niantic 291 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 1: has raised three hundred million dollars in funding, and that 292 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:26,600 Speaker 1: brings the valuation of the company up to nine billion bucks. 293 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:31,760 Speaker 1: When it comes to existential threats, a collision between the 294 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:35,600 Speaker 1: Earth and a large asteroid or comet or some other 295 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:39,359 Speaker 1: celestial debris is a big one. I mean, it's happened before, 296 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:44,480 Speaker 1: and statistically speaking, it will happen again. The question is 297 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:48,040 Speaker 1: really just when will it happen? Well, NASA plans to 298 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:52,760 Speaker 1: test a system called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test or 299 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 1: DART with a launched this scheduled for today. The launch 300 00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: vehicle will push a spacecraft called the DART that will 301 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:04,119 Speaker 1: use what NASA describes as a kinetic impact or technique 302 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:08,719 Speaker 1: to change the path of an asteroid traveling through space. Now, first, 303 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:12,359 Speaker 1: just to calm some nerves, the target asteroid that NASA 304 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:16,080 Speaker 1: has chosen is not one that is on any sort 305 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 1: of collision course with Earth, so this is literally just 306 00:19:19,119 --> 00:19:21,760 Speaker 1: a test to see if this method is viable. The 307 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:26,360 Speaker 1: particular asteroid Dart will aim for has the name Dimorphous, 308 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 1: and it circles around another larger asteroid called Didimus. The 309 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:36,919 Speaker 1: Dart spacecraft will essentially slam into Dimorphous in an effort 310 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 1: to change its path and bring it into a tighter 311 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:42,439 Speaker 1: orbit around Didimus. And you can think of this as 312 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,640 Speaker 1: kind of like a game of galactic billiards. The cub 313 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:48,920 Speaker 1: ball hits the target ball and that moves it out 314 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:52,399 Speaker 1: the way. There are other proposed methods of diverting the 315 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,440 Speaker 1: path of asteroids. Some of them require us to identify 316 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:59,359 Speaker 1: the threat very early on and then rapidly respond to it. So, 317 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:03,159 Speaker 1: for example, there's a proposal of using a spacecraft to 318 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:09,000 Speaker 1: fly by an asteroid and alter its path through gravitational attraction. 319 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:12,200 Speaker 1: So it would be kind of like towing the asteroid 320 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:16,800 Speaker 1: out of its collision course with the Earth. The gravitational 321 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 1: attraction would be slight, but it would be enough to 322 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:23,200 Speaker 1: affect the asteroids pathway, and if you catch the asteroid 323 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:26,399 Speaker 1: far enough out from the Earth, well you only have 324 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:29,400 Speaker 1: to change its path a tiny little bit for it 325 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:33,400 Speaker 1: to completely miss the planet and you remove the threat. However, 326 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:37,440 Speaker 1: the approach that Dart takes is a more let's say, 327 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:41,360 Speaker 1: direct method to change an asteroid's path. Also, if you're 328 00:20:41,359 --> 00:20:43,920 Speaker 1: wondering about the science fiction film Armageddon, in which a 329 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 1: group of space miners and plant and explosive to destroy 330 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:51,840 Speaker 1: and incoming threat, that would not work. At best, the 331 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:54,720 Speaker 1: exploded bits would just reform in space due to that 332 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:58,440 Speaker 1: gravitational attraction I was just talking about, so they would 333 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:02,359 Speaker 1: effectively be one big thing again. But at worst you 334 00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:05,359 Speaker 1: would turn what was originally kind of a bullet into 335 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:08,760 Speaker 1: a cloud of shotgun pellets. Either way, it is not 336 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 1: a solution. Motherboard reports that NASA is looking for proposals 337 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:17,119 Speaker 1: for nuclear power plant designs. This power plant would not 338 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:20,720 Speaker 1: be located on Earth, however, but on the Moon. I 339 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,760 Speaker 1: find that really interesting because it raises some big questions. 340 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:26,000 Speaker 1: I mean, if we are to establish any sort of 341 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:30,080 Speaker 1: lunar base, clearly we're gonna need electrical power. So this 342 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,160 Speaker 1: is a problem we have to solve. But nuclear fission 343 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:36,119 Speaker 1: is a tricky solution. I mean, you do have the 344 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:38,960 Speaker 1: issue of nuclear waste and what to do with it. 345 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:42,159 Speaker 1: I assume that the Space Treaty would make it a 346 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,879 Speaker 1: bit tricky to justify storing nuclear waste on the Moon itself. 347 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:47,719 Speaker 1: That seems to kind of fly in the face of 348 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:51,400 Speaker 1: the spirit, if not the actual word of the treaty. 349 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,160 Speaker 1: But let's say that we somehow solve the waste issue. 350 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 1: Nuclear power plants don't just magically use atoms to generate electricity. 351 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:01,199 Speaker 1: The way they were work is that you have a 352 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:03,840 Speaker 1: system of water. Typically you actually have a couple of 353 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: different closed and independent systems of water. And what you 354 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:10,720 Speaker 1: do is you use the energy given off by the 355 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:15,000 Speaker 1: nuclear fission reactions to heat the water up, which then 356 00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 1: turns into steam, and that steam turns turbines that generate electricity. So, 357 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: in other words, nuclear power plants are really steam generators 358 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,199 Speaker 1: on steroids. But that would mean that we would have 359 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:30,240 Speaker 1: to transport not just the nuclear power generator to the Moon, 360 00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:33,080 Speaker 1: we also have to bring up enough water to make 361 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:36,119 Speaker 1: it work. Now there is ice on the Moon. I 362 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,359 Speaker 1: don't know of any proposal that would involve harvesting the 363 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:42,240 Speaker 1: ice from the Moon in order to serve a purpose 364 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:44,920 Speaker 1: in a nuclear power plant. And the reason why I 365 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: say this is a big deal is that water is 366 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:49,480 Speaker 1: actually pretty darn heavy stuff to send up to space, 367 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 1: and every pound or kilogram costs a lot of money. 368 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:57,119 Speaker 1: So that's one of the reasons that facilities like the 369 00:22:57,160 --> 00:23:01,200 Speaker 1: International Space Station have such extensive risk ecling and reclamation 370 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:07,000 Speaker 1: systems in place so that no drop of water is wasted. Anyway, 371 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:10,000 Speaker 1: we're just at the request for proposal stage right now, 372 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:12,760 Speaker 1: and since the entire Artemis project has been hit with 373 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:15,640 Speaker 1: some delays due to other issues, I expect it will 374 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:17,720 Speaker 1: give us some time to debate the merits of a 375 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:21,040 Speaker 1: nuclear power plant on the Moon before it becomes a reality. 376 00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:25,200 Speaker 1: Rounding out our NASA news is a somewhat discouraging story. 377 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,440 Speaker 1: The James Webb Space Telescope, which has had a long 378 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:32,159 Speaker 1: and arduous journey towards launch, has hit another delay. The 379 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:34,400 Speaker 1: original plan was to launch it as early as two 380 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:37,639 Speaker 1: thousand seven, but for many reasons that never happened. The 381 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:40,880 Speaker 1: plan was to finally launch the telescope on December eighteenth 382 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:44,160 Speaker 1: of this year, but now there's been another setback. While 383 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:49,080 Speaker 1: preparing to attach the telescope to the Ariana five launch vehicle, 384 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 1: a clamp band released unexpectedly and the telescope fortunately did 385 00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:56,439 Speaker 1: not tumble to the ground that would have been the 386 00:23:56,520 --> 00:24:00,880 Speaker 1: end of a multidecade, multibillion dollar project, but it did 387 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:04,560 Speaker 1: vibrate like there was a shutter that went through the telescope. 388 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:07,639 Speaker 1: And because this telescope has so many delicate moving parts 389 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:10,679 Speaker 1: and potential points of failure, the fear is that that 390 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,920 Speaker 1: vibration could have moved something out of alignment and put 391 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:17,359 Speaker 1: the mission in jeopardy. So NASA has formed an anomaly 392 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:20,520 Speaker 1: review Board that will investigate and test the telescope to 393 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:22,760 Speaker 1: look for any damage. That should be done by the 394 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,240 Speaker 1: end of this week, and assuming that the board finds 395 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 1: no evidence of damage, the plan is to launch the 396 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:33,200 Speaker 1: telescope no earlier than December twenty two. So hopefully, fingers crossed, 397 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:36,159 Speaker 1: this is not going to turn into another chapter in 398 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:40,360 Speaker 1: the long story of the telescope's difficult journey from idea 399 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:46,480 Speaker 1: to reality. Finally, the Rolls Royce Aviation Company unofficially broke 400 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:50,720 Speaker 1: some speed and altitude records for electric airplanes. Now I 401 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:54,560 Speaker 1: say unofficially because as of my recording. Those records have 402 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:58,160 Speaker 1: yet to be certified, but the electric airplane prototype named 403 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:00,520 Speaker 1: the Spirit of Innovation hit a top eat of three 404 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:04,119 Speaker 1: eighty seven point four miles per hour and a sustained 405 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:08,600 Speaker 1: speed of five point four miles per hour. That beats 406 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:10,960 Speaker 1: out the previous record, which was held by an aircraft 407 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 1: called the Extra three three zero l E that had 408 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:17,680 Speaker 1: a top speed of two miles per hour. And you 409 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:21,240 Speaker 1: have these planes run on electric engines. They rely upon 410 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:25,400 Speaker 1: arrays of batteries to supply the juice needed to generate 411 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:29,359 Speaker 1: the force necessary to create lift and flight. But batteries 412 00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:33,720 Speaker 1: are significantly less energy dense than say, jet fuel, so 413 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:36,439 Speaker 1: don't expect to see the world's airlines switch over to 414 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 1: e vs right away. It's far more likely that electric 415 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:42,159 Speaker 1: planes might be used for very short jumps, you know, 416 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:45,199 Speaker 1: flights that last like half an hour or so. For 417 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,560 Speaker 1: the longer stuff, we'll have to continue to rely on 418 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:52,879 Speaker 1: fuel powered aircraft. And that is the tech News for Tuesday, 419 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:56,960 Speaker 1: November twenty one. If you have suggestions for topics I 420 00:25:56,960 --> 00:25:59,600 Speaker 1: should cover in future episodes of tech Stuff, please reach 421 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:01,359 Speaker 1: out to me. The best way to do that is 422 00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:04,560 Speaker 1: on Twitter. The handle for the show is Text Stuff 423 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:08,680 Speaker 1: H s W and I'll talk to you again really soon. 424 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:16,760 Speaker 1: Y Text Stuff is an I heart Radio production. For 425 00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 1: more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i heart 426 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:23,040 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 427 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 1: favorite shows.