The FBI is investigating a multiple-state hospital ransomware attack
Illustration: Beatrice Sala The FBI is investigating a ransomware attack that shut down emergency rooms in several states (via The Guardian). Ambulances were diverted while California-based Prospect Medical Holdings, which has hospitals in several states, “took our systems offline to protect them” and launched an investigation in partnership with “third
Read moreThis week in AI: Experiments, retirements, and extinction events
Keeping up with an industry as fast-moving as AI is a tall order. So until an AI can do it for you, here’s a handy roundup of the last week’s stories in the world of machine learning, along with notable research and experiments we didn’t cover on their own. YouTube has begun
Read moreCode to convert words to Major system numbers
A few days ago I wrote about using the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary to search for words that decode to certain numbers in the Major mnemonic system. You can find a brief description of the Major system in that post. As large as the CMU dictionary is, it did not contain
Read moreSpyware maker LetMeSpy shuts down after hacker deletes server data
Poland-based spyware LetMeSpy is no longer operational and said it will shut down after a June data breach wiped out its servers, including its huge trove of data stolen from thousands of victims’ phones. In a notice on its website in both English and Polish, LetMeSpy confirmed the “permanent shutdown”
Read moreHere’s what the Fearless Fund lawsuit could mean for venture
The first official piece of policy around diversity efforts in venture capital may soon see the light of day, but not because of any action by the government. In a complaint filed this week, the American Alliance for Equal Rights — founded by conservative activist Edward Blum, the man driving
Read moreDan Gwak of Point72 Ventures on why defense tech is becoming the next big thing for investors
Dan Gwak has had a more varied life than many investors. He grew up in Jakarta, the son of Korean parents who ran a shipping business. After high school, he headed to Cornell in the U.S., and became an associate at The Carlyle Group. Everything was moving up and to
Read moreElon Musk’s X can’t send Blue subscribers their ad revenue-sharing payouts on time
Image: The Verge In news that isn’t very surprising given the recent history of Twitter, which Elon Musk is currently rebranding to X, the company won’t be able to make some promised payments on time. The X Support account says that because its “Ads Revenue Sharing” program is so popular,
Read moreAstra lays off 25% of workforce, reallocates engineers, in an effort to fight dwindling cash reserves
Astra has laid off 25% of its workforce since the beginning of the quarter and is reallocating at least 50 engineers and manufacturing staff away from its launch business to focus on spacecraft production, the company said Friday. The reallocation and layoffs are expected to delay testing of the under-development
Read moreTwitch streamer’s PS5 giveaway sparks riot in Union Square
Twitch streamers Kai Cenat and Fanum invited fans to Union Square on Friday for a real-life stream and giveaway. They promised to hand out gift cards, gaming PC equipment and PlayStation 5s. But the IRL stream descended into chaos as frenzied fans rioted over the giveaway, shutting down lower Manhattan
Read morePony, investor Toyota partner to ‘mass produce’ robotaxis in China
Autonomous-driving company Pony.ai and Toyota say they’re teaming up with the goal of one day cranking out a bunch of “fully driverless robotaxis.” The two companies intend to kick off their partnership sometime this year with around $139 million in capital from GAC Toyota Motor Co. — a joint venture
Read more