Technology

Computing, software, the internet

From Medusa to Nvidia: On the Algorithm’s Primal Scene

Tracing the “godly, biological, and machinic” origins of contemporary computation

Samuel WilkenAug 5, 2026

SpaceX aims to use rockets to quickly transport cargo across the Earth and into orbit – moves that would expand the global cargo system

Point-to-point rocket delivery could cut down on transportation times. But engineers will need to figure out how to integrate rockets into current transportation systems.

Koki Ho, Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAug 5, 2026

The Conversation

How grief became a subscription service

Two researchers navigate the mind-boggling and often sinister, parallel universe that is known as the digital afterlife industry and chatbots specifically designed to help people grieve.

Russell Belk, Professor, York University, CanadaAug 4, 2026

Harper's Magazine

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Weekly Review

At the 2026 AIDS conference, in Rio de Janeiro, U.S. State Department officials mislabeled every country on a map of Africa in a presentation likely generated with artificial intelligence; a Pennsylvania private school where two male students used AI to generate sexually explicit deepfakes of more than 50 female classmates asked a court to dismiss the resulting lawsuit; an OnlyFans model who has been accused of using dating apps to steal from wealthy men was arrested for her connection to the theft of luxury goods at a music festival. The post Weekly Review appeared first on Harper's Magazine.

Harper’s MagazineAug 4, 2026

Canary Media

Data centers take center stage in Wisconsin governor’s race

As the AI buildout spikes energy demand, Democrats and one Republican offer solutions ranging from ramping up clean energy to instituting ratepayer…

1 min read

Hyperallergic

AI Companies Are Pulping Our Humanity

The recent revelation about Anthropic’s systematic digitization and destruction of out-of-print books portends a rapacious future, one where soulless LLMs swell while the shelves starve.

Ed SimonAug 3, 2026

The Conversation

Clinicians are using AI scribes, but what happens to your medical data?

There’s little transparency about who has access to deeply personal medical data or how companies handle it.

Andrew Cullen, Senior Research Fellow, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of MelbourneAug 3, 2026

The Point

The Fifth Syllable

Q. Great—I’d love to help. Do you have a particular story in mind? Q. Fascinating premise—there’s a long tradition of stories about artificial intelligence becoming […] The post The Fifth Syllable appeared first on The Point Magazine.

Greg JacksonAug 2, 2026

Hyperallergic

15 Outdoor Art Shows to See in NYC This Summer

Slide through a teddy bear, get weird with a neural network’s hallucinations, play ping-pong on an artist-made table, and so much more.

HyperallergicJul 31, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Is AI Reasoning Right for the Wrong Reasons?

The idea that artificial intelligence can “reason” is more intuitive than ever. But intuitions can be wrong, and the science is far from settled. The post Is AI Reasoning Right for the Wrong Reasons? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

John PavlusJul 31, 2026

Wired

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The New Defcon Badges Pack a Unique Open Source Chip That Doubles as a Security Key

Created by legendary hardware hacker Andrew “bunnie” Huang, the badges for this year’s famed security conference aim to push the boundaries of security and transparency.

Kim ZetterJul 31, 20267 min read

The Conversation

Data centres are power hungry – but they don’t have to be a burden on NZ’s grid

AI data centres are contentious for consuming large resources. But with the right incentives and regulation, can they make for more flexible electricity systems?

Andrew Crossland, Professor in Practice, Department of Engineering, Durham UniversityJul 31, 2026

The Conversation

Forbidden Planet hit cinemas in 1956. Its warnings about AI should terrify us

Technology may give us extraordinary new power. But it may also give our deepest, least understood desires a power of their own.

Cameron Shackell, Adjunct Fellow, Centre for Policy Futures, The University of QueenslandJul 31, 2026

Palladium Magazine

Frontier Panic

As artificial intelligence has advanced, it has taken the place of climate change as the main perceived threat to our planet. The post Frontier Panic appeared first on Palladium.

Stephanie WakefieldJul 30, 2026

Outside Magazine

The Feds Just Opened Public Lands to AI Data Centers—Starting Near Lake Mead

The BLM approved an 86-acre AI data center near Lake Mead, triggering fears over water depletion and public land privatization. The post The Feds Just Opened Public Lands to AI Data Centers—Starting Near Lake Mead appeared first on Outside Online.

Maddy DapcevichJul 30, 2026

Wired

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Nvidia’s Open Source Alliance Is Missing Some Key Names: OpenAI and Anthropic

This week on “Uncanny Valley,” we discuss the open- vs. closed-source debate in AI, key players in White House AI policy, and how to stop your chatbot logs from showing up in search-engine results.

Brian BarrettJul 30, 202621 min read

Artforum

Shanghai Institutions Launch Arts-Based Initiative to Provide Mental Health Support

A coalition of institutions in Shanghai have launched a “Museum Healing Alliance”, focus on exploring museum-based mental health support and therapeutic programming for those in need of aid. The multi-pronged initiative would hinge on the creation of a hospital referral program that would connect medical institutions with museums. Through this referral program, patients would be […]

Theo BelciJul 30, 2026

Wired

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AI Scammers Are Better at Building Trust Than Humans

Researchers pitted a person against a Claude agent and found that, after a week of texting, the AI chatbot was more effective at creating “exploitable trust” with others.

Andy GreenbergJul 30, 20269 min read

The Conversation

What is a side-channel attack? A cybersecurity researcher explains how computers can leak secrets without being hacked

Hackers have easier ways of getting information out of a computer, but side-channel vulnerabilities show that technology developers need to take a broad view of security.

Chetan Jaiswal, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Quinnipiac UniversityJul 30, 2026

Canary Media

‘It’ll take more’: CFS nets another $1B to chase nuclear fusion dream

Commonwealth Fusion Systems has now raised a total of $4B to commercialize its nuclear fusion technology. It aims to bring its pilot reactor online next…

1 min read

The Conversation

‘Vibe coding’ is fun and easy, but there’s a major catch

Anyone can now build an app by describing an idea to AI. But software that appears to work isn’t always secure, reliable or ready for real-world use.

Ritesh Chugh, Professor, Information and Communications Technology, CQUniversity AustraliaJul 29, 2026

Canary Media

Biggest battery east of the Mississippi will help power AI complex

The 1-GWh battery project in Ohio will help suppress power prices and reduce grid strain from a nearby data center hub. The region could use a lot more…

1 min read

The Public Domain Review

Artificial Intelligence: Ars Notoria and the Promise of Instant Knowledge

Centuries before Neo instantly mastered Kung Fu in *The Matrix*, medieval scholars found a shortcut to years of difficult study: a magical manuscript that promised to fast-track advanced learning. Anne Lawrence-Mathers investigates the *Ars notoria*, its supposed powers, and the demonic influence it had upon some users.

Jul 29, 2026

The Conversation

Got money questions? How to get chatbots to give you accurate answers

The gap between AI and a human adviser is narrowest for commonsense guidance.

Pawan Jain, Associate Professor of Finance, University of Michigan FlintJul 29, 2026