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Do developers still need to learn programming languages in the age of AI?
If, as a software developer, you want to know what the most popular or best-paid programming languages are in the industry right now, there’s always a constant stream of surveys and reports to let you know. And career advice for developers will typically recommend that constant learning on the job is essential. But if AI can produce code from a few plain-speaking prompts, has learning programming languages become redundant? Certainly, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang believes that future generations won’t need to learn programming languages at all. “It is our job to create computing technology such that nobody has to program…This story continues at The Next Web
If, as a software developer, you want to know what the most popular or best-paid programming languages are in the industry right now, there’s always a constant stream of surveys and reports to let you know. And career advice for developers will typically recommend that constant learning on the job is essential. But if AI can produce code from a few plain-speaking prompts, has learning programming languages become redundant? Certainly, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang believes that future generations won’t need to learn programming languages at all. “It is our job to create computing technology such that nobody has to program…
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US-China chip war further entangles Dutch semiconductor giant ASML
US pressure to block ASML from servicing the chip-making machines it has sold to China is increasing the Netherlands’ entanglement into an escalating geopolitical race for tech supremacy. Implementing a clear technological and economic decoupling strategy from China, the Biden Administration has introduced a series of thorough export rules aiming to restrict Beijing from obtaining key chip technology. But as the world’s only manufacturer of equipment for advanced chips, ASLM has also been at the epicenter of US efforts to constrain China’s semiconductor industry. Existing restrictions for ASML Restrictions on the Veldhoven-based company from selling its most sophisticated machines to China…This story continues at The Next Web
US pressure to block ASML from servicing the chip-making machines it has sold to China is increasing the Netherlands’ entanglement into an escalating geopolitical race for tech supremacy. Implementing a clear technological and economic decoupling strategy from China, the Biden Administration has introduced a series of thorough export rules aiming to restrict Beijing from obtaining key chip technology. But as the world’s only manufacturer of equipment for advanced chips, ASLM has also been at the epicenter of US efforts to constrain China’s semiconductor industry. Existing restrictions for ASML Restrictions on the Veldhoven-based company from selling its most sophisticated machines to China…
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Spotify’s new AI tool creates playlists for any setting or feeling you ask for
Spotify is further tapping AI to boost its services with a new feature that enables users to create playlists using text prompts. Dubbed AI Playlist, the feature is currently in beta and available on Android and iOS devices for premium subscribers in Australia and the UK. Interestingly, the new tool goes beyond standard playlist creation requests based on genre or artists. Instead, prompts can include activities, colours, places, and emojis. At the same time, users can get as creative as asking for personalised suggestions that “give their brains a big warm hug” or make them feel like a movie’s main…This story continues at The Next WebOr just read more coverage about: Spotify
Spotify is further tapping AI to boost its services with a new feature that enables users to create playlists using text prompts. Dubbed AI Playlist, the feature is currently in beta and available on Android and iOS devices for premium subscribers in Australia and the UK. Interestingly, the new tool goes beyond standard playlist creation requests based on genre or artists. Instead, prompts can include activities, colours, places, and emojis. At the same time, users can get as creative as asking for personalised suggestions that “give their brains a big warm hug” or make them feel like a movie’s main…
This story continues at The Next Web
Or just read more coverage about: Spotify
UK startup achieves major breakthrough in quest for space-based solar power
A UK startup has claimed a major breakthrough in its plans to beam solar energy from space to Earth. At a lab in Belfast, Oxford-based Space Solar managed to light up an LED sign by wirelessly beaming energy through the air, from all angles. This marks the world’s first 360-degree wireless power transmission, said the startup. “This steerable power beaming capability is the heart of our solar power satellite design,” Martin Soltau, founder at Space Solar, told TNW. Space-based solar power involves capturing the Sun’s energy in space, using satellites equipped with solar panels. The power is then transmitted wirelessly…This story continues at The Next Web
A UK startup has claimed a major breakthrough in its plans to beam solar energy from space to Earth. At a lab in Belfast, Oxford-based Space Solar managed to light up an LED sign by wirelessly beaming energy through the air, from all angles. This marks the world’s first 360-degree wireless power transmission, said the startup. “This steerable power beaming capability is the heart of our solar power satellite design,” Martin Soltau, founder at Space Solar, told TNW. Space-based solar power involves capturing the Sun’s energy in space, using satellites equipped with solar panels. The power is then transmitted wirelessly…
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This ‘literacy pen’ instantly teaches you to read and write
The World Literacy Foundation and Dutch marketing firm Media.Monks have teamed up to create a pen designed to help millions of people around the world grappling with illiteracy. The device, dubbed Literacy Pen, is compatible with any standard pen or pencil. Users slip the device onto the pen and then speak their desired words into the built-in microphone. Voice dictation technology then transcribes these words, letter by letter, onto a digital screen built-in to the device. The user can then copy the words they see onto paper all using the one pen. “The device ensures an effective learning experience by…This story continues at The Next Web
The World Literacy Foundation and Dutch marketing firm Media.Monks have teamed up to create a pen designed to help millions of people around the world grappling with illiteracy. The device, dubbed Literacy Pen, is compatible with any standard pen or pencil. Users slip the device onto the pen and then speak their desired words into the built-in microphone. Voice dictation technology then transcribes these words, letter by letter, onto a digital screen built-in to the device. The user can then copy the words they see onto paper all using the one pen. “The device ensures an effective learning experience by…
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The race to commercialise fusion energy is on. Europe could lead the charge
The unimaginably complex task of creating, containing, and commercialising fusion energy is undoubtedly one of the greatest scientific endeavours of our time. Since the 1950s, hoards of the world’s top scientists and engineers have toiled away trying to turn the process that powers the Sun into a clean, safe, and virtually limitless energy source for humanity. Despite huge progress, fusion energy has always seemed to be that “20-years-away” technology. But the tides are changing. “We now have all the materials, magnets, and lasers we need to make fusion viable today,” Peter Roos, CEO at Novatron Fusion, told TNW. “Now we…This story continues at The Next Web
The unimaginably complex task of creating, containing, and commercialising fusion energy is undoubtedly one of the greatest scientific endeavours of our time. Since the 1950s, hoards of the world’s top scientists and engineers have toiled away trying to turn the process that powers the Sun into a clean, safe, and virtually limitless energy source for humanity. Despite huge progress, fusion energy has always seemed to be that “20-years-away” technology. But the tides are changing. “We now have all the materials, magnets, and lasers we need to make fusion viable today,” Peter Roos, CEO at Novatron Fusion, told TNW. “Now we…
This story continues at The Next Web
FabricNano’s cell-free biotech could make microplastics a thing of the past
When researchers revealed the results of a study on the prevalence of microplastics in human placentas earlier this year, the findings were profoundly disturbing. Researchers analysed 62 placental tissue samples — and found microplastics in all of them. In the words of the lead author of the study, “If we are seeing effects on placentas, then all mammalian life on this planet could be impacted.” The world desperately needs to quit its addiction to fossil-based fuels and other fossil-based chemicals, for the sake of both planetary and human health (which are inextricably linked). This is where synthetic biology, or synbio,…This story continues at The Next Web
When researchers revealed the results of a study on the prevalence of microplastics in human placentas earlier this year, the findings were profoundly disturbing. Researchers analysed 62 placental tissue samples — and found microplastics in all of them. In the words of the lead author of the study, “If we are seeing effects on placentas, then all mammalian life on this planet could be impacted.” The world desperately needs to quit its addiction to fossil-based fuels and other fossil-based chemicals, for the sake of both planetary and human health (which are inextricably linked). This is where synthetic biology, or synbio,…
This story continues at The Next Web
Opinion: Tech can’t cure the loneliness that it’s creates
Technology is often accused of causing loneliness. The US Surgeon General recently warned that tech can deepen isolation, increase fear of missing out, and reduce social interaction. Surveys frequently show that isolation among young people surges when their social media use grows. But what could possibly solve these problems caused by tech? Why, more tech of course! It’s a common response from (who else?) technologists, who have a remarkable variety of marketable solutions. From interactive streaming and online gaming to AI lovers and virtual friends, our generous tech lords offer countless alternatives to in-person interaction. Unfortunately, the cure is often…This story continues at The Next Web
Technology is often accused of causing loneliness. The US Surgeon General recently warned that tech can deepen isolation, increase fear of missing out, and reduce social interaction. Surveys frequently show that isolation among young people surges when their social media use grows. But what could possibly solve these problems caused by tech? Why, more tech of course! It’s a common response from (who else?) technologists, who have a remarkable variety of marketable solutions. From interactive streaming and online gaming to AI lovers and virtual friends, our generous tech lords offer countless alternatives to in-person interaction. Unfortunately, the cure is often…
This story continues at The Next Web
Startup secures €7.6M for sand battery that can heat a small town
Last month, Finnish startup Polar Night Energy announced that it is building a giant sand battery capable of heating a town of 5,000 people for up to a month. That’s on a single charge. Polar Night is constructing the sand battery for the town of Pornainen in southern Finland. The system is expected to enable the town cut all oil use in its district heating network — slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 70%. Now, Polar Night Energy has secured a sizable €7.6mn to scale its thermal energy storage tech. The startup’s co-founder Markku Ylönen said he was “thrilled” with the…This story continues at The Next Web
Last month, Finnish startup Polar Night Energy announced that it is building a giant sand battery capable of heating a town of 5,000 people for up to a month. That’s on a single charge. Polar Night is constructing the sand battery for the town of Pornainen in southern Finland. The system is expected to enable the town cut all oil use in its district heating network — slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 70%. Now, Polar Night Energy has secured a sizable €7.6mn to scale its thermal energy storage tech. The startup’s co-founder Markku Ylönen said he was “thrilled” with the…
This story continues at The Next Web
Why workers are leaving fossil fuel jobs — and what to do if you feel like ‘climate quitting’
Are you frustrated with your employer’s lack of commitment to sustainability? Maybe “climate quitting” is for you. Climate quitting means leaving your job due to concerns about your employer’s impact on the climate or because you want to work directly on addressing climate issues. If you’re contemplating leaving your job over climate concerns, you’re not alone. Half of Gen Z employees (people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s) in the UK have already resigned from a job due to a conflict in values. And 48% of people aged 18–41 say they are willing to take a pay cut…This story continues at The Next Web
Are you frustrated with your employer’s lack of commitment to sustainability? Maybe “climate quitting” is for you. Climate quitting means leaving your job due to concerns about your employer’s impact on the climate or because you want to work directly on addressing climate issues. If you’re contemplating leaving your job over climate concerns, you’re not alone. Half of Gen Z employees (people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s) in the UK have already resigned from a job due to a conflict in values. And 48% of people aged 18–41 say they are willing to take a pay cut…
This story continues at The Next Web