Wednesday 6th November 2024

Life-seeking, ice-melting robots could punch through Europa’s icy shell - MIT Technology Review (No paywall)

Researchers are working on technology that could follow NASA’s Europa Clipper mission and hunt for life in the ocean of Jupiter’s moon.

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U.S. Stocks and Dollar Boosted By Trump's Showing - Foreign Policy (No paywall)

Global markets responded to the apparent victory of former President Donald Trump early Wednesday with a mix of fear and anticipation, as the presumptive winner’s proposed economic policies promise smooth sailing for U.S. equities and a rough ride for emerging economies, as well as an intensified trade war with China.

The biggest U.S. index was up in pre-market trading, a sign that Trump’s plans to slash regulation and cut taxes are seen as good for business in the short run at least, and the dollar gained strength against most major currencies. Asian stock markets reacted in disparate ways, with Japan’s blue-chip Nikkei index up more than 2 percent, mirrored to a lesser extent by India’s main board, while Shanghai’s composite index slipped a bit, much as the renminbi did against the dollar, a slide mirrored by most smaller economies that stand to bear the brunt of a renewed push for U.S. tariffs and further hurdles to global trade. Iran’s currency, meanwhile, nosedived at the prospect of Trump 2.0.

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The Low Fertility Fallacy - Foreign Affairs (No paywall)

Many politicians and pundits around the world have raised the alarm in recent years about declining fertility rates. They evoke the ominous specters of imploding populations, a “gray tsunami” of older people, the demise of the family, and even the very extinction of mankind. They can marshal a good deal of data in issuing these warnings. The world’s total fertility rate has plunged over the past 70 years from around five children per woman in 1950 to 2.25 children in 2023. In 2023, more than 100 countries had a total fertility rate below the level needed to maintain their population sizes over the long term, the so-called replacement rate, often pegged to about 2.1 children per woman.

It is true that total fertility rates in many countries have dropped to historically low levels, but those figures are, on their own, no reason for panic. Some of the decline in the total fertility rate has more to do with changes in when people have children than it does with how many children people have in their lifetimes. Fertility decline is also the product of many positive developments, including better contraception, a reduction in teenage pregnancy, and higher levels of female education. The consequences of low fertility can also be easily exaggerated. With astute planning and policies, countries can survive and even thrive as their societies grow older.

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Ensure High-Quality Data Powers Your AI

AI does not need to fail on a global scale to cause enormous damage — to individuals, companies, and societies. Models frequently get things wrong, hallucinate, drift, and can collapse. Good AI comes from good data, but data quality is an enormous organization-wide issue (and opportunity), yet most companies have neglected it. Companies need to understand the nuances of the problem they’re trying to solve, get the data right (both by having the right data for that problem and by ensuring that the data is error-free), assign responsibility for data quality in the short term, and then push quality efforts upstream in the longer-term.

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20 Ways to Strengthen Your Friendships, According to Psychology

Americans face many challenges, from social division to the climate crisis to tech disruption—but one challenge is probably making dealing with all the others just a little more difficult. America is in a friendship drought.

According to the May 2021 American Perspectives Survey of more than 2,000 adults, "12% of Americans report having no friends, up from under 3% in the 1990s," reports Big Think. The American Time Use Survey shows that before 2013, we spent an average of 15 hours a week with friends and family. By 2021, that amount had halved.


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My Intern Keeps Pushing For a Full-Time Role

I recently took on my first intern. I let them know from the get-go that I didn't know if it could evolve into permanent work given the current work pipeline. They are ambitious, smart, and eager to learn, and I have done my best to give them "real world" learning experiences so they make their resume look great.

All of that is good except a few weeks in, I am getting constant questions from them about potential employment. I have told them that if all goes well and I have the means, I'd love to hire them but I don't have the ability to answer that right now. I understand why someone interning would want to know their chances for a job, but I have been totally transparent and the constant questions are starting to test my patience.


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CEOs: Here Are 3 Reminders Before You Promote Your Tech Geniuses to Management

After global leadership company DDI's 2023 Global Leadership Forecast revealed that only 30% of current leaders feel confident in managing workplace conflict, the company decided to cross-reference this score with internal assessment data to pinpoint the exact areas holding them back.

This analysis found that nearly half (49%) of manager candidates- defined as emerging managers or those likely to be considered for manager-level roles-lack effective conflict management skills. Conversely, only 12% of manager candidates demonstrated proficiency in this area. Several factors may prevent managers from effectively addressing conflict within their teams. These factors include, among others not listed here:


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Republicans Take the Senate With 100 House Races Yet to Be Called

Republicans have won control of the U.S. Senate, retaking the chamber for the first time in four years. It gives the GOP a major power center in Washington and a lead role in confirming the next president's Cabinet, as well as any Supreme Court justice if there is a vacancy.

Early in the night, Republicans flipped one seat in West Virginia, with the election of Jim Justice, the state's governor, who replaced retiring Sen. Joe Manchin, and then another in Ohio when Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown lost to wealthy newcomer Bernie Moreno.


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Why Security Companies Are Seeing an Uptick in Protection Requests

Election Day is finally over, following an especially contentious campaign season. In Washington, D.C., tourists have been met with the uncomfortable presence of a 10-foot security fence, installed around the White House, harkening back to the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol Building. Nationwide, physical security companies are seeing a spike in business from enterprise clients enlisting their help to protect their executives, employees, and facilities.

Canton, Georgia-based National Glazing Solutions installs window films for branding, energy conservation, and security. Its security offerings protect glass from shattering in the event of storms, acts of civil unrest, terrorism, active shooters, and other events. The firm (No. 3540 on the Inc. 5000) offers several categories of protection to guard against physical entry, ballistics, and more.


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The Inflation Factor: It Wasn't Just the Economy

And for American voters who cared more about the economy than other issues – and the nearly half who said they are worse off financially than four years ago – their choice for the next president appeared resoundingly clear: Republican Donald Trump.

Trump claimed victory in the 2024 presidential contest after Fox News projected that he had defeated Democrat Kamala Harris after he won in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.


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