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Showing posts from March, 2025

Am I a god?! Why "manifesting" your reality is easier than ever

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Am I a god?! Why "manifesting" your reality is easier than ever https://ift.tt/R5u2JhD America is a deeply spiritual nation. Over 70% of us say that we feel spiritual in some way. But – at the same time – we're getting less religious. So for people who are spiritual-but-not-religious – what's replacing organized religion? What do they believe – and where does that show up in their day-to-day lives? In Brittany's series called Losing My Religion, It's Been a Minute is going to find out. In her final episode of the series, Brittany is investigating so-called manifestation. It's this popular belied that if you want something badly enough, it'll come to you. You might know this idea by other names, like The Law of Attraction, or The Secret. Manifestation spiked in 2020, according to Google Trends, and it's still riding that wave online. Brittany calls on with Tara Isabella Burton , an author and journalist, and New York Magazine's Rebecca Jenni...

How is the tech industry thinking about AI's environmental impact?

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How is the tech industry thinking about AI's environmental impact? https://ift.tt/860q1VI We investigate how the tech industry is thinking about its environmental footprint as it invests in energy-consuming new AI models.

Gambling with Memes

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Gambling with Memes https://ift.tt/PxGHgud What do Moo Deng the pygmy hippo, social media sensation Hawk Tuah, and the President of the United States all have in common? They've all inspired highly valuable, highly volatile memecoins. The memecoin began as a sort of joke cryptocurrency, but it soon became very real. On today's episode of The Sunday Story, we turn to our friends at NPR's Planet Money to help us understand the phenomenon of memecoins. What are they, and how did they go from a one-off joke to a speculative frenzy worth tens of billions of dollars? Who are the winners and losers in this brazen new market?

Judge orders government to preserve Signal messages about Houthi military strike

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Judge orders government to preserve Signal messages about Houthi military strike https://ift.tt/wntSOL0 A federal judge barred administration officials from destroying messages sent over the encrypted messaging app about the sensitive details of plans for a U.S. military strike against Yemen's Houthis. (Image credit: Kiichiro Sato)

Judge allows 'New York Times' copyright case against OpenAI to go forward

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Judge allows 'New York Times' copyright case against OpenAI to go forward https://ift.tt/jX35Kl6 The legal fight could have far-reaching implications for the media and artificial intelligence industries. (Image credit: Michael Dwyer)

The Global Race for Rare Earth Minerals

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The Global Race for Rare Earth Minerals https://ift.tt/C9mT1BY The race is on for control over deposits of rare earth elements and critical minerals that are necessary in much of the technology we use today. The U.S. is lagging behind it's main rival in this global competition, China. We hear about why these resources are so sought after and the stakes in the race to control them.

Trump cuts threaten measurement lab critical for advanced chips and medical devices

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Trump cuts threaten measurement lab critical for advanced chips and medical devices https://ift.tt/43f1yDd The Atomic Spectroscopy Group provides standardized measurements used across wide swaths of science and industry. The Trump administration plans to cut it. (Image credit: N. Phillips/NIST )

Watch: U.S. intelligence leaders testify in House after Signal flap

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Watch: U.S. intelligence leaders testify in House after Signal flap https://ift.tt/6fCET8W The use of civilian software to discuss sensitive military and government matters came to light after a journalist from The Atlantic magazine said he was mistakenly added to a group chat on Signal. (Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

'Heads are exploding': How security experts see the Signal war-plan breach

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'Heads are exploding': How security experts see the Signal war-plan breach https://ift.tt/cg2t4pY The breach left military and intelligence experts asking the same questions as the public: Why would top U.S. officials use a free messaging app to discuss classified military plans? (Image credit: Anna Moneymaker)

How to delete your 23andMe data after the company filed for bankruptcy

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How to delete your 23andMe data after the company filed for bankruptcy https://ift.tt/cMxA9G3 When the California biotech firm filed for bankruptcy, there was one looming question for customers: What's going to happen to my data? (Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

23andMe is filing for bankruptcy. Here's what it means for your genetic data

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23andMe is filing for bankruptcy. Here's what it means for your genetic data https://ift.tt/z5BGhkv The California biotech firm said in a statement that it is hoping to find a buyer to address its ongoing financial struggles. (Image credit: Eric Baradat)

Why tech bros worship psychedelics (and think you should too)

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Why tech bros worship psychedelics (and think you should too) https://ift.tt/MphXKam America is a deeply spiritual nation. Over 70% of us say that we feel spiritual in some way. But – at the same time – we're getting less religious. So for people who are spiritual-but-not-religious – what's replacing organized religion? What do they believe – and where does that show up in their day-to-day lives? In our new series called Losing My Religion, It's Been a Minute is going to find out. This week, we're getting into psychedelics. That's an umbrella that includes the drugs LSD, magic mushrooms, peyote, and often ketamine and MDMA too, among others. And some of these drugs have a history of spiritual practice spanning millennia. But there's a new group that's really taking on the psychedelic mantle: tech bros and CEOS. Brittany is joined by Maxim Tvorun-Dunn, PhD candidate at the University of Tokyo, and Emma Goldberg, business reporter at the New York Times, to...

Amazon smart speakers disable a privacy setting that allowed local storage of voice recordings

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Amazon smart speakers disable a privacy setting that allowed local storage of voice recordings https://ift.tt/57vlcgM NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Jennifer Tuohy of The Verge about changes to Amazon's smart speakers. Users will no longer be able to opt not to have their voice recordings sent to the cloud.

Humming along in an old church, the Internet Archive is more relevant than ever

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Humming along in an old church, the Internet Archive is more relevant than ever https://ift.tt/Wuybmhv The Trump administration's erasure of federal data has put the Internet Archive in the spotlight. The organization, with its small but mighty team, is working to help save the world's digital history. (Image credit: Carolyn Fong for NPR)

Lonely? There's an app for that!

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Lonely? There's an app for that! https://ift.tt/gMnbdXs A number of tech companies have rolled out apps and products aimed at helping ease the loneliness epidemic, but some experts explain how technology itself is part of the issue.

Building a Tech Industry in Syria From Scratch

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Building a Tech Industry in Syria From Scratch https://ift.tt/UJ32nNO Recently a few hundred people gathered at a Damascus hotel to discuss how to jump-start Syria's tech industry. That sector was basically non-existent during Syria's long civil war. Our correspondent attended the conference and met a young man who fled Syria during the civil war and now is a graduate student at Stanford. His journey illustrates both the possibilities and challenges that lie ahead for Syria.

'AI Valley' author worries there's 'so much power in the hands of few people'

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'AI Valley' author worries there's 'so much power in the hands of few people' https://ift.tt/ZQJzgqS Author Gary Rivlin says regulation can help control how AI is used: "AI could be an amazing thing around health, medicine, scientific discoveries, education ... as long as we're deliberate about it."

Here are all the ways people are disappearing from government websites

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Here are all the ways people are disappearing from government websites https://ift.tt/6r0Eovx Executive orders from President Trump have agencies across the government scrubbing websites of photos and references to transgender people, women and people of color. (Image credit: Tara Anand for NPR)

Researchers are now putting AI into robots to to physical tasks

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Researchers are now putting AI into robots to to physical tasks https://ift.tt/dBFQ1Me Why can ChatGPT help you write an essay but can't fold your laundry? Some researchers are working on software that would allow robots to understand and execute commands.

Researchers are rushing to build AI-powered robots. But will they work?

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Researchers are rushing to build AI-powered robots. But will they work? https://ift.tt/RKtnLlE Artificial intelligence has revolutionized the virtual world. But reality bytes. (Image credit: Moo Jin Kim/Stanford University)

A Tesla protester targeted by Elon Musk speaks out: 'I have to protect myself.'

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A Tesla protester targeted by Elon Musk speaks out: 'I have to protect myself.' https://ift.tt/36v0GZz "When one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful person in the world is saying you've committed a crime, it doesn't matter what the truth is," said Valerie Costa, an anti-Tesla protester. (Image credit: Rodrique Ngowi)

Why 'Severance' is 'not that far off' from reality, according to one scientist

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Why 'Severance' is 'not that far off' from reality, according to one scientist https://ift.tt/Ux75irY What if we had the ultimate work-life balance? This fundamental question underlies the hit Apple TV+ show Severance – now in its second season. Ahead of the season 2 finale this Friday, producer Rachel Carlson sat down with the science consultant for the series, Dr. Vijay Agarwal . Vijay says the concept is "resoundingly" possible – and that scientists closer than we might think. More questions about the intersections of pop culture and science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org . Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave .

A Tesla protester targeted by Elon Musk speaks out: 'I have to protect myself.'

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A Tesla protester targeted by Elon Musk speaks out: 'I have to protect myself.' https://ift.tt/6D1sfUT Organizers say protests are planned this weekend at more than 100 Tesla stores nationwide. The demonstrations are part of a backlash to Elon Musk's role in upending the federal government. Musk has been using his social media platform, X, to individually target some of the protesters. One protest organizer in Seattle describes what it like to have your life turned upside down from attacks on X by Elon Musk.

The best and biggest games of 2025 so far

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The best and biggest games of 2025 so far https://ift.tt/SOgeiAV Game studios have cranked out surprising hits ranging from cooperative platformers to historical epics. NPR staff and contributors round up the latest from a promising 2025. (Image credit: Hazelight Studios, Capcom, Obsidian Entertainment)

(Don't) click here to pay your tolls: How you can stop spam texts

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(Don't) click here to pay your tolls: How you can stop spam texts https://ift.tt/kbKWFtR "Smishing" scams aim to compromise your data and pilfer money. And if you think the problem is getting worse, you're right. (Image credit: Sean Rayford)

He fled Syria's war as a teenager. He went back to help launch a tech industry

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He fled Syria's war as a teenager. He went back to help launch a tech industry https://ift.tt/2Ex9VjP Abdulwahab Omira escaped Syria's war with his family as a teenager. He recently returned as a Stanford graduate student and a budding entrepreneur, hoping to help jumpstart the country's tech industry.

The government already knows a lot about you. DOGE is trying to access all of it

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The government already knows a lot about you. DOGE is trying to access all of it https://ift.tt/X4w7WVA Agencies from Social Security to the IRS store sensitive data on millions of Americans. Here's what the government knows about us – and what's at risk as DOGE seeks access to the data. (Image credit: Greggory DiSalvo/iStock/Getty Images)

Media Matters sues Elon Musk's X over 'libel tourism' legal assault

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Media Matters sues Elon Musk's X over 'libel tourism' legal assault https://ift.tt/JcUQNYr A new suit in an ongoing legal battle between the billionaire and the liberal advocacy group claims Musk's legal attacks are impeding the organization's work. (Image credit: Slaven Vlasic)