Deliveroo is using an algorithm called 'Frank' to cut food delivery times by 20%

To optimize delivery routes, Deliveroo developed an algorithm that monitors its 10,000 restaurants and 15,000 delivery people in the UK and suggests ways to allocate them more efficiently without any human input. For unspecified reasons, the program that oversees all these humans is named Frank.

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There’s now an app that lets you pick stocks based on your astrological sign

Art collective MSCHF, which aims to shock consumers by making fun of both products and customers, has launched Bull and Moon, a mobile app that applies the aesthetics of astrology to stock market investing. "We used the stars to outperform the market!" claims the astrological investment app.

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Dammit Gwyneth! (HR software that screens applicants)

A Twitter thread all about a recruitment process based on a personality test. The mandatory test rejected canddiates according to opaque criteria. The department head who was looking to hire a new employee took the test himself and got the lowest possible score. The HR department failed to see the problem.

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Nothing Lasts Forever. Not even on the internet

A Letter to the Editor that contemplates the future of the Internet. The author's main concern is the privitization of open public spaces and the design of these spaces, which fosters aggressive behavior and identity theft.

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The biggest lie tech people tell themselves — and the rest of us

A critique of the tech industry's claim that the evolution of technology is inevitable, even when it doesn't serve the public good.

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This charity wants to turn homeless people into WiFi hotspots

Prague-based charity WiFi 4 Life attempted to equip the city's homeless with portable WiFi routers to turn them into hotspots for passers-by and tourists. The charity indicated that homeless people would be compensated for their participation. WiFi 4 Life tried to get the necessary funding for the project via crowdfunding website Indiegogo, but it only received 37 euros. "The worst option would be not to try it," explained chairman Luboš Boleček.

Note from the archivist: They gave up on the project. Luboš Boleček has since gone on to found the conservative Czech political party known as the Tea Party.

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L'expérience inattendue "Ganesh Yourself" ou comment simuler un Dieu

This blog post by anthropologist Emmanuel Grimaud tells the story of the "Ganesh Yourself" experiment. In India, a robot (named Bappa) which looks like the Hindu god Ganesh, answers questions from the faithful. Thanks to a dedicated interface, anyone can control Bappa, who takes on the features of his operator. The experiment explores concepts of belief and divinity.

Note from the archivist: Though Emmanuel Grimaud doesn't say as much here, he was behind the "Ganesh Yourself" experiment, which he turned into a 2016 documentary film.

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How ICE uses social media to surveil and arrest immigrants

E-mails sent by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) made public during a trial reveal how the agency hunts migrants by using social networks and buying personal information from private data brokers. They consider all public information to be fair game.

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San Diego’s massive, 7-year experiment with facial recognition technology appears to be a flop

Over seven years, San Diego fed a facial recognition tool 65,000 images. Unfortunately, the "crime-fighting" system the city imposed on residents has yet to lead to a single arrest.

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An AI Epidemiologist Sent the First Warnings of the Wuhan Virus

An epidemiologist AI named BlueDot developed by a Canadian start-up predicted the emergence of Covid-19 10 days before the World Health Organization began talking about the disease.

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