Thinking Allowed

medical / technology / education / art / flub

showing posts for 'says'

Workplace well-being initiatives don't boost employee mental health

"The mental health of people who undertake mindfulness or meditation courses offered by their employer is generally no better than those who are not offered such programmes." "Instead of offering these initiatives, Fleming suggests that employers focus on bettering the work environment. For example,...
Source: newscientist.com

Tetris defeated?

blog post image 34 years later, a 13-year-old hits the NES Tetris “kill screen” says ArsTechnica. "BlueScuti forces the game to crash after 40 minutes and 1,511 lines." Having tried to play the game I can appreciate how difficult - and what an outstanding feat - this has been to basically break the game.
Source: arstechnica.com

Coding excursions

blog post image Anonymity with encryption At Outcomes Engine we are working on techniques to gather data from learners, analyse the data, and share the data whilst maintaining anonymity. I was involved in some work in my previous company (pharmaceutical) with the security of personal data - in our case it was data...

Lecturer detects bot use in one-fifth of assessments as concerns mount over AI in exams

Deakin University’s Sally Brandon says technology ‘not going away’ as educators strive to adapt to use of software such as ChatGPT
Source: theguardian.com

Mountain gorillas: The ripple effect of conservation

Justin Rowlatt finds out what gorilla conservation can teach us about protecting other species. 'The secret of this success? Dr Gladys Kalema Zikusoka was the Uganda Wildlife Authority's first vet in 1995, then she set up the charity Conservation Through Public Health. Perhaps surprisingly, she says,...
Source: bbc.com

Strava app flaw revealed runs of Israeli officials at secret bases

A vulnerability in the fitness app allowed Israeli officials' movements to be tracked, a group says.
Source: bbc.com

Fleeing Russian bombs while battling Facebook. A Meta problem Ukrainian journalists did not need. - Coda Story

The challenge of local journalism and of censoring during war. "Facebook says it’s fighting disinformation and blocking Russian propaganda. But independent newsrooms in eastern Ukraine say they’re being restricted under the same rules."
Source: codastory.com

International Women's Day: UTI testing '50 years out of date'

Areas of women's health have been neglected for too long, says scientist developing rapid test.
Source: bbc.com

Biopharma futures

blog post image I've been looking at a few industry reports on the future of biopharma as part of a course I'm on with INSEAD Business School on Business Strategy and Financial Performance. I thought I'd share some of my ramblings on Biopharma Futures. Expectations are high Pharmaceutical companies are operating...
Source: deanjenkins.me

6 expert essays on the future of biotech

How will biotechnology transform our approach to human health? Scientists from the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council share key insights. World Economic Forum future of biotech DNA technology - genetic screening for disease, recombinant protein production, CAR T cells, gene therapy, organoid...
Source: weforum.org

Britishvolt: Electric car battery plant gets government funding

Britishvolt says the money (£100m) unlocks huge private investment for a protect that will create thousands of jobs. See also Britishvolt.com The figure seems to be half of the proposed Government investment which was anticipated to be £200m - £250m in December.
Source: bbc.com

China has won AI battle with U.S., Pentagon's ex-software chief says

China has won the artificial intelligence battle with the United States and is heading towards global dominance because of its technological advances, the Pentagon's former software chief told the Financial Times.
Source: reuters.com

New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines aim to save millions of lives from air pollution

"Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats to human health, alongside climate change. New guidelines provide clear evidence of the damage air pollution inflicts on human health, at even lower concentrations than previously understood." "Global assessments of ambient air pollution alone...
Source: who.int

Will MIT Scientists' Powerful Magnet Lead Us to Nuclear Fusion Energy? - Slashdot

"A start-up founded by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says it is nearing a technological milestone that could take the world a step closer to fusion energy, which has eluded scientists for decades," reports the New York Times: Researchers at M.I.T.'s Plasma Science and Fus...
Source: slashdot.org

How global conferences are using tech to stay in business

"Moving events online kept the industry going during the pandemic and now they're here to stay." Notable mentions of the conferences Collision, Web Summit, and RISE, and the speed networking software Mingle. "[T]he Distance Learning Association's Thomas Capone says that the future of meetings and events...
Source: bbc.com

US companies hit by 'colossal' cyber-attack

A cyber-security firm says it believes the Russia-linked REvil ransomware gang is responsible.
Source: bbc.com

US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack

The US acts to keep fuel flowing after its largest pipeline was hit by a ransomware cyber-attack. "Cyber-security firm Digital Shadows says the Colonial attack has come about due to the pandemic - with more engineers remotely accessing control systems for the pipeline from home. James Chappell, co-founder...
Source: bbc.com

UK should set tougher air pollution limits, says Kissi-Debrah coroner

The UK government should impose tougher limits on air pollution, in line with World Health Organization recommendations, to prevent more deaths like those of 9-year old Ella Kissi-Debrah, a coroner has urged.
Source: newscientist.com

World's wealthiest (and 'business as usual') 'at heart of climate problem'

"These [polluter elite] are people who fly most, drive the biggest cars most and live in the biggest homes which they can easily afford to heat, so they tend not to worry if they’re well insulated or not. … They’re also the sort of people who could really afford good insulation and solar panels...
Source: bbc.com

AT&T lobbies against nationwide fiber, says 10Mbps uploads are good enough

AT&T admits fiber is most "future-proof" but wants US to fund slower networks.
Source: arstechnica.com