We present the following on our vision & insights on the World during the week that was :
Markets in 2022 were characterized by a lot more pain than gain.
That said, there were winners to be found, even during a turbulent year. We look at the S&P 500's winners and losers. |
|
|
Join us as we look back at some of the most exciting, inspiring, and biggest science stories that made headlines in 2022. |
|
|
In New York City, where buildings are the largest source of carbon emissions, deadlines to comply with Local Law 97 are fast approaching. The pioneering climate mandate, passed in 2019, aims to cut emissions from its largest buildings by 40% by 2030, and 80% by 2050. Next year, the city will begin penalizing owners of properties that don’t meet the new efficiency targets. While electrifying buildings is key, the city’s multitude of building types and budgets forces some landlords to turn to unorthodox methods, like carbon capture. An array of pipes and compressors in the basement of the Grand Tier in Manhattan, for example, is designed to scrub carbon dioxide from the residential tower’s two natural gas boilers and store it in metal tanks. The company behind the system says it could help the property avoid $100,000 a year in fines, and is flexible enough to fit into just about any building, contributor Patrick Sisson reports. Today on CityLab: New York Landlords Try Carbon-Sucking Towers to Comply With Climate Law — Sri Taylor |
|
Amsterdam’s partnership with a tropical forest for everything from park benches to construction projects offers a new model for urban development. |
A proposal called Urban Sequoia envisions buildings that can capture more carbon than they emit. |
Los Angeles County is buying a prime Southern California beachfront property that had been forcibly taken from a Black couple a century ago and recently given back to its heirs. |
|
The user names and email addresses of more than 200 million Twitter users were leaked on an online hacking forum. While passwords were not posted in the leak, it will still result in "a lot of hacking, targeted phishing, and doxxing," according to Alon Gal, co-founder of the cybersecurity firm Hudson Rock. It could result in more exposure of the real-life identities of anonymous users and make it easier for cybercriminals to hack Twitter accounts. More: - According to security researchers, the data was compiled from previous Twitter hacks going as far back as 2021.
- Gal, who first discovered the leak, called it "one of the most significant" he has seen.
- In addition to user names and emails, the data includes account handles, follower numbers, and dates of when the account was created.
- Twitter has yet to comment on the leak. Users can now check if their email was included in the leak by visiting the website Have I been Pwned.
Zoom Out: - In November, the private data of 5.4 million Twitter users were exposed on an online hacker forum after the company confirmed they were stolen in an API attack.
- Twitter said it fixed the API bug in January 2022. However, hackers had already accessed the data and tried to sell it online in July for $30,000.
- Users are encouraged to turn on two-factor authentication and avoid suspicious texts or emails purporting to come from Twitter.
THE VERGE 
|
|
The share of electric vehicles sold in the U.S. last year rose to 5.8%, up from 3.2% in 2021, new Motor Intelligence data shows. Automakers plan to release a wave of new EVs in 2023 that could further take on Tesla, which still dominates the market with about 65% of total EV sales in 2022. More: - In 2022, full EV sales rose by two-thirds while the larger auto market fell by 8%, according to Motor Intelligence.
- Tesla — which reached a $1T valuation last year — saw its percentage of U.S. sales drop from 72% in 2021 to 65% in 2022.
- Ford was second with 7.6% of the market share, followed by Hyundai and affiliate Kia, which jointly account for 7.1%.
- Ford and Rivian remain the only automakers to sell a considerable number of battery-powered pickup trucks. Ford released its F-150 Lightning EV pickup truck in May.
- Rivian delivered 20,332 of its R1T pickup and other vehicles in 2022 but lost over 70% of its market value in 2022 compared to 2021.
Zoom Out: - Heading into 2023, automakers still face challenges to wider EV adoption, including rising interest rates, materials shortages for batteries, a recession that could crimp consumer spending, and a lack of charging infrastructure.
- On Thursday, Mercedes-Benz announced plans to build a 10,000 global EV network by 2030, starting with 400 fast EV charging hubs in North America.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
|
|
In its latest earnings guidance, Samsung Electronics Co. reported that its operating profit likely fell 69% last quarter, the lowest in eight years. The world's largest smartphone, memory chip, and TV maker has been crushed by declining prices and weak demand for its products during the economic slowdown. More: - According to preliminary numbers, Samsung's October-December operating profit fell to 4.3 trillion won ($3.37B) from 13.87 trillion won ($10.9B) a year earlier, its smallest quarterly profit since 2014.
- Sales for the quarter were reportedly down by 9%, reaching 70 trillion Korean won ($55.1B).
- All of Samsung's businesses have faced challenges recently, though its chips and mobile units have been especially impacted, according to Lee Min-hee, a BNK Investment & Securities analyst.
- Samsung intends to provide its full financial statement on Jan. 31.
Zoom Out: - Samsung's Q4 preliminary results appeared worse than its Q3 earnings.
- During that quarter, its operating profit fell more than 31%, its first decline in three years, amid the downturn in the chip memory market.
- In October, Samsung named its heir and de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, as its executive chairman.
BBC
|
|
Qualcomm and Iridium announced plans to offer satellite-based messaging on some Android smartphones. Starting later this year, devices using Qualcomm's second-gen Snapdragon 8 chip will be able to text and contact emergency services even without Wi-Fi or a cellular data connection. More: - The service, Snapdragon Satellite, is expected to launch in certain regions in the second half of 2023.
- It works by connecting the Snapdragon chip to Iridium’s 66-unit satellite network, enabling low-bandwidth messaging such as SMS texts when users are off the grid.
- Garmin will provide the satellite emergency response services.
- The companies also noted that Snapdragon Satellite will be able to expand to laptops, tablets, vehicles, and other devices.
Zoom Out: - T-Mobile and Apple have introduced similar satellite-based emergency messaging services.
- Apple's new emergency SOS via satellite service for iPhone 14 users is now available in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, and Ireland.
THE WASHINGTON POST
|
|
Taiwanese consumer electronics company HTC unveiled a new mixed-reality headset that could take on Meta’s new Quest Pro device. HTC's $1,099 VIVE XR Elite is a standalone device that combines virtual and augmented reality features. More: - It's HTC's first VR headset to offer full-color passthrough video, enabling users to engage in mixed-reality experiences.
- The headset is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2 chip, the same as in Meta's Quest 2. It has a 90Hz refresh rate, 2GB of memory, 128GB of storage, 15 hours of battery life, and a screen resolution of up to 4K (2K per eye).
- Like Meta's Quest line, it offers hand tracking. HTC said it plans to introduce a face and eye tracking unit for the device later this year.
- Pre-orders for the VIVE XR Elite opened this week and it's expected to ship in late February.
Zoom Out: - HTC's headset is about three times more powerful than Meta's $400 Quest 2 headset.
- It competes with Meta's more advanced Quest Pro, which retails for $1,500.
- Both of these could rival Apple's upcoming mixed-reality headset, which could be announced as early as this spring at a cost of $2,000 to $3,000
ROAD TO VR
|
|
Apple is now allowing writers and publishers on its Books platform to convert their writings into audiobooks using artificial intelligence. The first audiobooks narrated using the AI technology are now available in the Apple Books Store. More: - Apple says the narration can help independent authors who may not be able to convert to audio due to "the cost and complexity of production.”
- The digital narration combines advanced speech synthesis AI with work by audio engineers, quality control specialists, and linguists, according to the company.
- Apple is matching specific AI voices to books based on their genre. For example, fiction and romance literature is narrated by the AI voices "Madison" and "Jackson."
- Apple had originally planned to launch the feature in November but postponed it due to Meta's layoffs and Elon Musk's Twitter acquisition, according to a report by The Guardian.
|
|
QUICK HITS *This is a sponsored post. |
|
A top EU regulator has fined Meta $414M for violating local privacy laws on its Facebook and Instagram platforms. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), which issued the fines, accused Meta of forcing users to accept service terms that effectively allowed their data to be used in targeted advertising. More: - The fines stem from two complaints filed against Meta, then Facebook, in 2018.
- The complaints claimed the company violated Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules when it asked Facebook and Instagram users to accept terms of service that opened up their data to personalized ads.
- According to the DPC, the language in the terms did not sufficiently make it clear to users on how their personal data would be processed.
- The agency has fined Meta €210M ($223M) for Facebook’s rule violations and another €180M ($191M) for Instagram's.
- Meta said it disagrees and plans to appeal the ruling.
Zoom Out: - In September, Ireland's data privacy regulator fined Instagram ~$402M for allegedly failing to better protect young people's data.
- A two-year investigation found that Instagram mishandled the personal information of children aged 13-17, violating the GDPR.
- At the time, it was the second-largest penalty issued under the EU data privacy rules.
AXIOS
|
|
A group of game developers has voted to form Microsoft's first labor union in the U.S. About 300 game quality-assurance testers from Microsoft's ZeniMax studios have agreed to organize, becoming one of the few U.S.-based unions to form in the gaming industry. More: - Microsoft confirmed that it has agreed to recognize the ZeniMax Workers United union and looks forward to "good faith negotiations as we work towards a collective bargaining agreement.”
- The group encompasses employees in Maryland and Texas who test games in the Arkane, Bethesda, and id Software units.
- The union will be represented by the Communications Workers of America, which is also representing workers at Activision Blizard's Proletariat studio in Boston.
- Microsoft acquired ZeniMax, the developer of “Doom,” “The Elder Scrolls,” and “Fallout,” for $7.5B in 2021.
Zoom Out: - The software giant, which owns about two dozen gaming studios, is also seeking to buy Activision Blizzard for $68.7B.
- Last month, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit attempting to block that deal, citing concerns that it will harm competition to Microsoft's Xbox gaming console, subscription content, and cloud-gaming businesses.
CNN
|
|
|
|
Salesforce said that it will lay off 10% of its workforce, or roughly 8,000 employees, as it seeks to cut costs amid the economic slowdown. The business software company said it plans to close some of its offices but didn't specify where. More: - In a letter to employees today, CEO Marc Benioff said the current environment "remains challenging and our customers are taking a more measured approach to their purchasing decisions."
- He acknowledged that Salesforce overhired when its revenue accelerated during the pandemic, when more people shifted to remote work and relied on cloud applications and other technology to collaborate.
- In the U.S., employees who are let go will receive five months' pay minimum as well as health insurance, he noted.
- Salesforce expects the reductions to cost $1.4B to $2.1B and be completed by the end of fiscal 2024.
Zoom Out: - Buoyed by its acquisition of Slack in 2021, Salesforce's workforce grew by 30,000 employees between January 2020 and the end of October 2022.
- The CRM company has committed to a 25% operating margin by 2025, up from its goal of 20.4% in 2022.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
|
|
Apple is said to be developing lower-priced "AirPods Lite" as well as its first Apple Watch with a micro-LED display, according to tech analyst Jeff Pu. He expects the tech giant to release both products in 2024. More: - According to Pu, the high-end Apple Watch could feature a 2.1-inch micro-LED display, which is larger than current OLED models.
- The device would be an updated version of the Apple Watch Ultra that launched in September.
- Meanwhile, Pu claims that Apple is working on the lighter AirPods to compete against less expensive wireless earbuds.
- He expects demand for AirPods to drop this year. According to industry sources, Apple's AirPods shipments could fall to 63 million in 2023, down from 73 million units in 2022.
Zoom Out: - Pu also confirmed previous rumors about the iPhone 15 lineup due out in September 2023.
- He expects Apple to release a 6.1-inch iPhone 15, 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus, 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro, and 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max.
- The Pro and Pro Max could have titanium frames and solid-state buttons featuring haptic feedback, he said.
MACRUMORS
|
|
 A MESSAGE FROM BIGID You can’t protect what you don’t know. Shine a light on dark data with SmallID: designed to do cloud data security, but better. Get up and running in minutes - and automatically scan, classify, and inventory the data that matters most to you across the cloud: - Find and identify data by type, sensitivity, policy, and more
- Uncover dark data across AWS S3, Azure, Google, Salesforce, dev environments, and more
- Reduce risk and accelerate compliance
- Jumpstart DSPM and improve your security posture
- Find and lock down your sensitive data before the bad guys do
“SmallID gave us everything we needed: from out of the box classifiers to being able to build our own based on our own data. I can easily find what I need with confidence - whether that’s searching for date of birth, gender, or other personal information (PI) and personally identifiable information (PII) - and automatically maintain my data inventory to improve our security posture while flagging potential issues.” - Walter Burge, Data Engineer, Lumosity Try SmallID free for 14 days, and get the most advanced data discovery & classification on-demand. CLAIM YOUR FREE TRIAL
|
|
Roku announced plans to make its own line of smart TVs as it expands further into the hardware space. The streaming platform company has offered branded TVs through third-party manufacturers but will now design and build them on its own. More: - Roku plans to sell 11 models with HD and 4K resolutions.
- Ranging in size from 24 inches to 75 inches, the TVs will come with Roku voice remotes.
- Like the third-party TVs, the models will run on Roku’s proprietary operating system.
- They will launch in the U.S. this spring at a price point of $119 to $999.
Zoom Out: ENGADGET
|
|
OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot is able to generate phishing emails for potential cyber-attacks, new research has found. The finding means hackers and scammers could use ChatGPT to help craft email and text-based phishing attacks. More: - OpenAI, an AI research company co-founded by Elon Musk, first introduced a public demo of ChatGPT in November.
- In addition to responding to user questions, the chatbot can generate code, produce scripts, write basic academic essays, offer customer support, and solve problems.
- However, Check Point Research analysts were recently able to get ChatGPT to write a "plausible phishing email" that sounded like it came from a web-hosting service.
- ChatGPT did provide a warning that the response could violate OpenAI's content policy but still generated the text.
- Similarly, Abnormal Security researchers asked ChatGPT to craft an email with a "high likelihood of getting the recipient to click on a link.
- ChatGPT is in a research preview, and OpenAI is still improving the tool to prevent abuse, a spokesperson told Axios.
Zoom Out:
|
|
