Category Archives: Technology and innovation

Can Plastic Waste Be Transformed Into Food for Humans?

Using bacteria to take a bite out of plastic pollution is not new. But can the same microbes be used as a food source?

Robots and Wage Polarisation

Quelle surprise! Introducing robots into workplaces slows wage growth, particularly among factory labor.

The Effect of AI Adoption on Jobs: Evidence from US Commuting Zones

Using data across US commuting zones over the period 2000-2020, this column presents evidence that AI adoption has reduced employment, except in high-paying occupations and those requiring a degree in STEM disciplines

Lina Khan’s FTC Gears Up to Go After Algorithmic Black Boxes Governing Workers’ Lives, but It Might Be Running Out of Time

A closer look at “algorithmic wage discrimination” used at gig companies (and increasingly across all industries), one potential tool to stop it, and how the FTC is zeroing in on the practice.

Forty Percent of Biden IRA Manufacturing Projects Behind Schedule or Paused

A new study by the Financial Times on the early results from Biden Administration IRA spending raises as many questions as it answers.

‘Corporate Greed Is Out of Control’: Warren Slams Kroger’s AI Pricing Scheme

If you have shopped at Kroger, please consider boycotting them over them over their surge pricing grifting plans.

Electric Vehicle Revolution Stalls, Leaving Metal Markets in Limbo

Another sober take on near and perhaps intermediate-term electric vehicle prospects.

“How Does OpenAI Survive?”

Ed Zitron explains in gory detail why OpenAI looks like the mother of all bezzles.

Hoisted from Comments: Is Intel Going Down the Boeing Path?

Why Intel’s prospects are even worse than its stock price plunge and worried press accounts suggest.

CrowdStrike Lessons: Liability Shields Fuel Risky Practices, Expert Warns

A discussion of the regulatory and behavioral issues that helped produce the Crowdstrike 404.

U.S. is Facing a Major Energy Crunch Due to AI’s Insatiable Demand

A proposed Department of Energy initiative show the US is unserious about either curbing AI energy demand or managing the impact on the grid

AI Financial Crises

Yes, Virginia, AI, like older forms of automated trading, has a nasty propensity to cause crises.

The Global Semiconductor Talent Crunch: How Protectionism Backfired

Oopsie! US semiconductor protectionism looks to have reduced the size of the pool of needed workers and experts.

Crying Wolf: Why Negotiating Lower Drug Prices Will Not Harm Pharmaceutical Innovation

More evidence that US drug price curbs are unlikely to be harming pharmaceutical innovation