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11.21.25
BUSINESS
4 People Indicted in Alleged Conspiracy to Smuggle Supercomputers and Nvidia Chips to China
BY PARESH DAVE | 3-MINUTE READ
A federal prosecutor alleged that one defendant boasted that his father “had engaged in similar business for the Chinese Communist Party.”
GEAR
A Viral Chinese Wristband Claims to Zap You Awake. The Public Says ‘No Thanks’
BY ZEYI YANG | 6-MINUTE READ
The maker of the eCoffee Energyband says it electrically stimulates your nerves to keep you alert. Researchers are skeptical, and critics see it as a way for China’s bosses to keep workers productive.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Instead of an AI Health Coach, You Could Just Have Friends
BY ADRIENNE SO | 5-MINUTE READ
I used the public preview of Fitbit’s new AI Health Coach and became both faster and noticeably weirder.
SCIENCE
Paradromics Gets FDA Approval to Trial Its Brain Implant in People
BY EMILY MULLIN | 3-MINUTE READ
The Austin-based startup will test its high-bandwidth device to help restore speech in people with extremely limited movement.
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A $100 Million AI Super PAC Targeted New York Democrat Alex Bores. He Thinks It Backfired
BY MAXWELL ZEFF | 4-MINUTE READ
Leading the Future said it will spend millions to keep Alex Bores out of Congress. It might be helping him instead.
SECURITY
This Hacker Conference Installed a Literal Anti-Virus Monitoring System
BY VIOLET BLUE | 4-MINUTE READ
At New Zealand's Kawaiican cybersecurity convention, organizers hacked together a way for attendees to track CO2 levels throughout the venue—even before they arrived.
CULTURE
A Computer Science Professor Invented the Emoticon After a Joke Went Wrong
BY BENJ EDWARDS, ARS TECHNICA | 4-MINUTE READ
In 1982, Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott Fahlman suggested using :-) for humorous comments after his colleagues took a joke about mercury seriously.
Apple’s Most Overlooked App Just Got a Lot Better
BY JUSTIN POT | 2-MINUTE READ
Apple Shortcuts, which lets users write custom automations, recently earned some new capabilities thanks to Apple Intelligence. Here’s how to make the most of this upgrade.
DEALS
Black Friday Is Coming, but These Deals Will Give You a Head Start
