this is today’s version download, Our workday newsletter provides daily coverage of what’s happening in the tech world.
What’s next for batteries
Every year, the world runs more and more on batteries. Electric vehicles will account for more than 10 percent of global car sales by 2022 and are expected to reach 30 percent by the end of the decade.
The transition from gasoline-powered cars to electric vehicles will require a lot of batteries — and better, cheaper ones at that. Most electric vehicles today are powered by lithium-ion batteries, a decades-old technology that academic labs and companies alike are seeking to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
With demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy soaring and battery development exploding, one thing is certain: batteries will play a key role in the transition to renewable energy. This is the expectation for 2023. read more.
— Kathy Cronhart
Chinese chips will continue to power your everyday life
The global semiconductor industry is in a state of constant change. The U.S. began taking steps to exclude China from the industry in 2022, pushing the industry to diversify away from Chinese supply chains and build factories elsewhere.
But while punitive restrictions from the U.S. government will come into play in the coming months, and the high end of China’s chip industry may suffer, China may play a bigger role in making older-generation chips that are still widely used in everyday life. Big role lives. read more.
——Yang Zeyi
Zeyi’s story comes from China Report, his weekly newsletter giving you all the inside scoop on China. register Get it in your inbox every Tuesday.
required reading
I combed the internet to find you the funniest/most important/scary/fascinating stories about technology today.
1 China angry at other countries’ new crown travel restrictions
Beijing claims covid testing requirements “lack scientific basis”. (protector)
+ AI is not very good at detecting covid. (new scientist $)
2 Sam Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to all charges
He will stand trial in October. (Currency Taiwan)
+ It is possible that he will try to reach a plea deal with prosecutors. (economist $)
3 Microsoft wants to integrate ChatGPT into Bing
It wants to dent Google’s dominance in search. (Information $)
+ How accurate its answer is is open to debate. (Bloomberg $)
+ A new app claims to detect if articles are written using ChatGPT. (insider $)
+ How to recognize AI-generated text.(MIT Technology Review)
4 U.S. pharmacies can sell abortion pills for the first time
While a prescription will still be required, it will significantly expand access to medical abortion. (bbc)
+ Where to get abortion pills and how to use them. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Political ads are coming back to Twitter
The U-turn came months after advertisers started leaving in droves. (politician)
+ Covid misinformation surges on Twitter after NFL player Damar Hamlin goes down.(wettable powder $)
6 Ethereum is getting greener
It won’t fully address the environmental footprint of cryptocurrencies, though. (motherboard)
+ Taiwan isn’t worried about a cryptocurrency crash. (rest of the world)
7 Instagram Is Paying Musicians A Lot Of Money For Its Reels Soundtrack
It’s low effort, high reward. (New Yorker $)
+ But things are getting tougher for online creators. (Information $)
8 Amazon Is Flooded With Scammers In Pakistan
Fraudsters are developing increasingly sophisticated schemes to defraud their victims. (rest of the world)
9 Those Cheap TVs Come at a Price
Once a staple in American homes, they’re no longer the status symbol they used to be. (Atlantic Organization $)
10 Don’t Throw a Holiday Party in a Virtual Universe 
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely your colleagues will want to join. (wired $)
daily quote
“I can smell the stench of crime.”
— An unnamed customer criticized cryptocurrency exchange FTX in a complaint filed with the FTC, Gizmo report.
big story
April 2021
The Urban Technology Project has long been working on managing cities. The latest “smart city” project has a lot in common with previous iterations. Time and time again, these initiatives promise novel “solutions” to urban “problems.”
However, after a decade of pilot projects and flashy demonstrations, it remains unclear whether smart city technology can actually solve or even alleviate the challenges facing cities. What is clear, however, is that tech companies are increasingly taking on administrative and infrastructural responsibilities that governments have long performed.
If smart cities are to avoid exacerbating urban inequality, we must take a long, hard look at how cities have performed to date. read more.
—Jennifer Clark
we can still have nice things
A place of comfort, fun and distraction in these strange times. (Any ideas?leave me a messageeithertweet me.)
+ Have you heard the story of a nun and a monk falling in love and getting married? not quite!
+ of Centenarians of Oklahoma Sounds fantastic.
+ A British seaside town canceled New Year’s fireworks – to protect visiting walrus.
+ Many of us set ourselves reading goals This year, but not all of us will stick with it.
+ Whoa.mice mocking the pleasure of watching other rodents being tickled. 
