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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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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Comment Facebook utilise son datacenter pour chauffer la ville danoise d'Odense

Meta manages two data centers covering 50,000 square meters in Odense in the Netherlands. The heat they generate is supplied to a local urban heating network, which distributes it to heat homes in town.

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Watch Robots Make Pizzas From Start to Finish at an Automated Pizzeria

Pazzi is a fully automated pizzeria in Paris where the pizzaiolo has been replaced by articulated robot arms. The pizzas are ready in a flash and are only available for takeout, since the company aims to save on rent in addition to salaries. They do have a few employees, though, to ensure the robot and order terminals are in good working order.

Note from the archivist: I had to try it. I'll stick with my traditional pizzeria.

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French startup promises cruelty-free foie gras, grown in a lab

French start-up Gourmey aims to deliver "the foie gras of the future"--grown in a laboratory. At the time the article was written, man-made meat was mostly used for burgers, but Gourmey wants to prove that it can also be used in gastronomical cuisine. One major advantage of this method is that tit circumvents the forced feeding of geese and ducks required for the production of traditional foie gras, which means it could be produced in countries where foie gras has traditionally been outlawed for animal curelty. In France, however, foie gras bears a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label, and synthetic meat does not qualify.

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The UAE is Using Drones to Control Dubai's Weather

To modify Dubai's arid climate, the UAE has financed several projects to enhance rainfall. One of them is cloud seeding: specially designed drones shock rain clouds with electrical charges to create larger drops of water, which are more likely to resist evaporation and reach the ground in liquid state.

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Molecular Farming Means the Next Vaccine Could Be Edible and Grown in a Plant

North American researchers believe that molecular agriculture is the next step in producing pharmaceuticals. A Canadian lab used the technique to produce a Covid-19 vaccine, but the article outlines broader potential uses with medicines grown inside plants, which could be stored as seeds or dried leaves and treatments that could be taken by simply eating a vegetable. It also suggests production would be easier to roll out than setting up a lab.

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Can artificially altered clouds save the Great Barrier Reef?

Australian scientists are developing technological solutions to save the Great Barrier Reef located just off the country's coast. One such solution involves using "cloud-brightening" machines, which release seawater mist into the air, to enhance cloud cover and cool the area by blocking sunlight. Forty-two other ideas are also being tested. A few other notable ideas from among the 160 original suggestions include cryopreserving coral or growing new varieties of coral in a lab to make them more resistant to rising temperatures.

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I went to Amazon's high-tech hair salon and virtually dyed my hair pink — then got the best haircut I've ever had

In the spring of 2021, Amazon opened a hair salon in a trendy London neighborhood. The Amazon Salon is equipped with several screens that provide information about different shampoos and other hair products on display at the site. But they also (more importantly) allow customers to use an augmented reality app to test different hair colors and styles in real time. The Business Insider journalist chose to keep her natural color. She was pleased with her cut, performed by a regular hairdresser.

Note from the archivist: "So very Flat Eye," says an anonymous developer on the Monkey Moon forum.

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