On Sept. 1 and 2, 1859, telegraph systems around the world failed catastrophically. The operators of the telegraphs reported receiving electrical shocks, telegraph paper catching fire, and being able to operate equipment with batteries disconnected. During the evenings, the aurora borealis, more commonly known as the northern lights, could be seen as far south as Colombia. Typically, these lights are only visible at higher latitudes, in northern Canada, Scandinavia and Siberia. What the world ex
Encouraging women in AI has never been more urgent. A study by the World Economic Forum noted a gender disparity of 78 percent male versus 22 percent female in AI and data science. This disparity isn’t just a challenge within the workforce. It reflects a highly nuanced issue that goes beyond any single workplace and if not addressed will have highly negative implications for society. We have seen a lot of work to encourage girls and women to become interested in STEMand address gaps in digital s
This article was originally published on .cult by Mikaella C. .cult is a Berlin-based community platform for developers. We write about all things career-related, make original documentaries and share heaps of other untold developer stories from around the world. Have you ever wanted more control over the direction of your company? When is it time to rethink your role? One study from Honeypot found that many developers become less satisfied with their working environment and company culture as t
This article is part of our coverage of the latest in AI research. Artificial intelligence research has made great achievements in solving specific applications, but we’re still far from the kind of general-purpose AI systems that scientists have been dreaming of for decades. Among the solutions being explored to overcome the barriers of AI is the idea of neuro-symbolic systems that bring together the best of different branches of computer science. In a talk at the IBM Neuro-Symbolic AI Workshop
This article was originally published on .cult by Piumi Gunawardhana. .cult is a Berlin-based community platform for developers. We write about all things career-related, make original documentaries and share heaps of other untold developer stories from around the world. In the beginning, there was JavaScript. The popular scripting language we all know and love. Ever since its creation, it’s been the dominating language for web development. Then two decades later, Microsoft introduced TypeScript
If you’ve been considering buying your first ebike — or perhaps your second or third — chances are you’ve come across some models equipped with a belt drive instead of a traditional chain. But what difference does a belt drive really make, and is it actually worth the usual premium over a tried and trusted chain? We’re here to help. What is a belt drive? Until ebikes started to become popular, almost every bicycle on the market used a chain. But the advent of ebikes has increasingly made belt dr
While most of our attention focuses on the body and engine of the car, the functionality and efficacy of tires are equally important. Technology, materials science, and engineering are creating longer-lasting, more resilient, more sustainable tires. Let’s take a look at some of the latest trends: Airless A prototype of the airless tire. Credit: The Tire Company The SMART Tire Company is working to create “super elastic” airless tires in partnership with NASA. SMART stands for Shape Memory Alloy
Many people have experienced chronic stress since the pandemic lockdowns. Added to this are the climate crisis, the increasing cost of living and most recently threats to European and global security due to the conflict in Ukraine. To some, it may seem that there is never any good news anymore. This is of course not true, but when we’re doomscrolling – spending an excessive amount of screen time devoted to reading negative news – we can become locked into thinking it is. Doomscrolling can promot
It may feel like a long time ago, but it’s only nine months since the UK was in the grips of the “pingdemic”. Back in the summer of 2021, lifting COVID restrictions saw the country’s contact-tracing apps – the NHS COVID-19 app in England and Wales, the StopCOVID NI app in Northern Ireland, and the Protect Scotland app – notify hundreds of thousands of people of their need to isolate, causing widespread disruption. Fast-forward to the spring of 2022, and these apps today get little attention. In
When you think of bus travel, there’s only so much you can polish a pebble. Sitting on a bus means being close to people with questionable hygiene who do things like eat sausages and watch porn without headphones (or is that just Berlin?). But startups are working hard to make buses a thing again. Let’s see how they compare: Flixbus Flixbus has cornered the long-haul travel market. Credit: Flixbus FlixMobility, which owns Flixbus, started shaking up the bus world in 2013, creating an experience