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Big Tech &
Startups
Microsoft accounts can now go fully passwordless (3 minute read)
Microsoft has rolled out passwordless authentication for all users. Users will now be able to sign in to their Microsoft accounts using the Microsoft Authenticator app, Windows Hello, a security key, or an SMS/email verification code. Microsoft has been working on passwordless authentication for years. Passwords are often reused and can be more easily compromised. Other tech companies like Google and Apple are also working towards less reliance on passwords.
How to Watch the World's First All-Civilian Spaceflight Aboard a SpaceX Ship (3 minute read)
Inspiration4 is set to launch on September 15. The all-civilian space mission will take a three-day trip through orbit onboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon Resilience. It will be the first time in history that a crew of solely private citizens has embarked on such a journey. SpaceX and Netflix will livestream the launch from their YouTube channels. The mission will be rescheduled for September 16 if there is bad weather or other factors stopping the launch.
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Science &
Futuristic Technology
MITβs robotic nose can detect first sign of disease (4 minute read)
When a healthy cell is attacked by a virus, it produces a smelly toxic byproduct. This smell could be a possible early indicator of disease. Dogs have been trained to detect diseases such as Covid-19 and cancer. Training animals to detect smells is expensive and time-consuming, so a team of scientists are creating a digital dog nose that could eventually be built into every smartphone. The Nano-Nose is powered by AI. It is currently being trained to detect prostate cancer in urine samples, but it will be completely scalable to other diseases. The team hopes that the device can be released within the next five years.
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Programming, Design & Data Science
Trident (GitHub Repo)
Trident is a multiple-pipe system that provides a way to pipe the output of one command to many targets. The targets can be other commands or files. Commands can be filtered through regular expressions.
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Miscellaneous
Microsoft remote work study: Average length of workweek has increased 10% during pandemic (3 minute read)
A Microsoft study published last week revealed a decrease in cross-company communication and an increase in the length of the average workweek after the shift to remote work. The decrease in collaboration and communication is expected to impact productivity and innovation. While the data showed an increase in the length of the average workweek, this increase doesn't necessarily mean that employees are working more hours within the longer workweek. The researchers warn that it is too early to make long-term policies on remote work.
Major NFT Marketplace Admits Employee Used Insider Knowledge to Profit (3 minute read)
An employee at OpenSea, a major digital marketplace for NFTs, used insider knowledge to buy NFTs before they were promoted on the market's homepage. Traders on social media have compared the incident to insider trading. OpenSea has acknowledged the issue and is investigating the incident. It has not clarified whether the employee is still with the company.