I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 The Starliner astronauts may not return to Earth until 2025
They were supposed to stay eight days, but could end up staying eight months. (WP $)
+ The pair were supposed to return on Boeing’s spacecraft. (NYT $)
+ It seems there’s been a lot of disagreements behind the scenes inside NASA. (Ars Technica)
+ Meanwhile, the ISS is due to return to Earth around 2030. (New Scientist $)
2 Humane’s Ai pin customers are returning more than they’re buying
The company’s fortunes are going from bad to worse. (The Verge)
3 Google and Meta secretly collaborated on ads targeted at teenagers
The rivals put aside their differences for the project, which bent even their own rules. (FT $)
+ A loophole allowed them to intentionally target under-18s. (The Verge)
4 Crypto executives are courting Kamala Harris
They see her as a blank slate ripe for influence. (The Information $)
5 Gunshot detection tech has little effect on reducing handgun violence
Or prosecutions, for that matter. (Undark Magazine)
6 China’s ride-hailing drivers are threatened by robotaxis
The country has forged ahead with trials, much to the drivers’ despair. (Reuters)
+ How China is regulating robotaxis. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Welcome to Ozempictown, USA
Weight-loss drugs have taken over a Kentucky city—and others will follow. (Bloomberg $)
+ Weight-loss injections have taken over the internet. But what does this mean for people IRL? (MIT Technology Review)
