Today's Big Stories in the Tech World

Christmas Cheer: Amazon and Netflix Get in on the NFL Action

Hold onto your Santa hats! Amazon and Netflix have scored a touchdown with a new three-year deal to bring exclusive NFL Christmas games to their streaming services. Yes, you heard it right—Christmas Day will shine even brighter with football! So mark your calendars for 2025 and 2026 because at least one game will be streaming each Christmas. This deal could also spark a massive bidding war in 2029 when the NFL's TV deals become up for grabs. Let's see who gets the final touchdown!

According to a recent survey, 63% of NFL fans are excited about the prospect of watching football games on Christmas Day. With this new deal, Amazon and Netflix are poised to capture a significant portion of the holiday viewing audience. The move also highlights the growing importance of streaming services in the sports broadcasting landscape, as traditional cable networks face increasing competition.

Why Elon Musk Cleared House at Tesla's Supercharger Division

Here's a tale right out of Silicon Valley suspense novels. Elon Musk recently axed Tesla's entire Supercharger staff. Rebecca Tinucci, the big cheese of the charging division, had already axed 15-20% of her staff. When Musk asked for more layoffs, she resisted. Musk didn't appreciate the pushback, so he fired her and her entire 500-member team on the spot. Talk about a shocking development!

This drastic move by Musk has raised questions about the future of Tesla's Supercharger network, which is crucial for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Industry experts speculate that Musk may be looking to streamline the division and bring in fresh talent to accelerate the expansion of the Supercharger network. As of 2021, Tesla operates over 25,000 Superchargers worldwide, with plans to double that number in the coming years.

The Future Now: An Introduction to Cancer Vaccines

A deep dive into the futuristic world of cancer vaccines reveals the promising, but currently impractical, potential of individualized treatments. These vaccines target cancer neoantigens and must be tailored to each patient, making them super expensive. Yet, they hint at a future with significantly better cancer treatments. Let's cross our fingers and hope that future isn't too far off.

Recent studies have shown that personalized cancer vaccines can elicit a strong immune response against tumor cells, offering hope for more effective treatments. In a small clinical trial, 8 out of 13 patients with advanced melanoma remained cancer-free for up to 32 months after receiving a personalized cancer vaccine. While these results are promising, the high cost and complexity of producing individualized vaccines remain significant barriers to widespread adoption.

Shoebox Data Centers: The Compact Computing Revolution

With our planet's energy demands skyrocketing, it's time to get innovative. Enter superconducting computers! These power-efficient machines can operate at cryogenic temperatures and offer ultra-high computing density thanks to zero-resistance interconnects and 3D chip stacking. These tiny titans could be the future of our digital world.

Superconducting computers have the potential to revolutionize the way we process and store data. By operating at temperatures close to absolute zero, these machines can achieve up to 100 times the energy efficiency of traditional computers. Moreover, the use of superconducting interconnects and 3D chip stacking enables the creation of incredibly compact "shoebox" data centers, which could significantly reduce the physical footprint of computing infrastructure.

Quary: The New BI Tool on the Block

For all the data gurus out there, meet Quary. This open-source business intelligence tool helps engineers connect to databases, write and transform SQL queries, and create dazzling charts and dashboards. Quary supports multiple platforms like Amazon Redshift, Google BigQuery, PostgreSQL, and many more. Time to make data analysis as fun as building a Lego set!

Quary's user-friendly interface and extensive compatibility with popular databases make it an attractive choice for businesses looking to streamline their data analysis processes. According to a recent survey, 72% of companies plan to invest in business intelligence and analytics tools in the next year, highlighting the growing demand for efficient data management solutions. With its open-source nature and active community support, Quary is well-positioned to become a major player in the BI market.

Google Opens Smart Home Doors to Third-Party Developers

Good news for developers itching to tinker with Google Home! New APIs are rolling out that allow third-party developers to create apps for the platform. Of course, these apps will need certification and explicit user consent to access smart home devices. Brace yourself for new apps hitting the Play Store this fall.

This move by Google is expected to significantly expand the capabilities of its smart home ecosystem, which already includes popular devices like the Nest thermostat and Google Home speakers. By opening up the platform to third-party developers, Google aims to foster innovation and provide users with a wider range of smart home applications. Industry experts predict that the global smart home market will reach $135 billion by 2025, underscoring the growing importance of interoperability and developer support in this rapidly evolving sector.

Self-Driving Cars: The Free Ride Is Over

The NHTSA is now scrutinizing pretty much every major player testing autonomous vehicles or advanced driver-assist systems. Hundreds of crashes are under investigation for safety lapses. This marks a new chapter in the relationship between regulators and the self-driving car industry.

The increased regulatory scrutiny comes as a response to a series of high-profile accidents involving self-driving cars, including a fatal collision between an Uber autonomous vehicle and a pedestrian in 2018. According to NHTSA data, there were 392 reported crashes involving vehicles equipped with Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) between July 2021 and May 2022. As public concern over the safety of self-driving technology grows, companies in the industry will need to work closely with regulators to ensure the safe and responsible deployment of autonomous vehicles.

Instagram Co-Founder Joins Anthropic

Mike Krieger, the Instagram co-founder, is now Anthropic's new chief product officer. After working on an AI news-reading app (recently snapped up by Yahoo), Krieger is ready to bring his expertise in user experience to Anthropic's AI chatbot, Claude. Let's see what magic he works this time!

Krieger's move to Anthropic is a major coup for the AI startup, which has been making waves with its innovative approach to conversational AI. With his proven track record in building user-friendly, engaging products, Krieger is expected to play a key role in shaping the future of Claude and other Anthropic offerings. The company recently raised $124 million in a Series A funding round, underscoring the growing investor interest in the potential of AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants.

Quick Hits

• Got project ideas? Here's a handy Idea List.
• Eye-tracking is now available for recent iPhones and iPads with the A12 chip or later.
• React Router and Remix are merging, creating a unified project.
• Raspberry Pi is going public to expand its tiny computer offerings.
• Starship's next launch is "probably 3 to 5 weeks away," according to Elon Musk. Buckle up for max heating!

There you have it—the crème de la crème of today's tech news! Stay tuned and stay techy!