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The most popular blog posts about society, policy & culture on Hacker News. 326 posts.
Executive Summary: Rapid advancement in artificial intelligence (AI) has become a point of national pride in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), driven in part by a cohort of accelerationist advisors who view technology as a transformative solution to the country’s economic ills. Lauding it as a “new productive…
Dating back to at least early 2023, a bizarre and alarming technical glitch started popping up in some organizations’ online surveys and forms.
ETH Zurich researchers have developed a process that can be used on site to render environmental toxins such as DDT and lindane harmless and convert them into valuable chemicals – a breakthrough for the remediation of contaminated sites and a sustainable circular economy.
AI and Corporate Interests Gutted an Artist's Oasis
The year was 2010. “Ke$ha's Tik Tok” was topping the Billboard charts. Steve Jobs has just introduced a goofy new oversized iPhone called an “iPad”.
Moving from WhatsApp to Signal is an important action, right now. WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, has been involved in several cases of election interference: America in 2016, Trinidad and Tobago …
Combining solar power production with agriculture can significantly boost crop yields, conserve water and generate low-carbon electricity for areas particularly vulnerable to climate change, a new study has shown.
Economist Kenneth Rogoff’s new book entwines currency’s ascension, his own experiences, and looks at what looms ahead.
Today we released a new CDL report: “Legal Entanglements: Mapping Connections of Anti-Offshore Wind Groups and their Lawyers in the Eastern United States,” a deep look into litigation efforts against offshore wind in the Northeast.
To find bioactive molecules with the potential to become new drugs less prone to antibiotic resistance, the researchers sequenced bacterial DNA extracted from soils from Rockefeller’s field center in upstate New York. (Brady lab)
The Trump administration appears to be moving in a “reciprocal” policy direction despite the significant negative economic consequences for American consumers of across-the-board tariffs on goods coming into the US. However, the EU’s VAT system should not be used as a justification for retaliatory tariffs.
Use the interactive map below to explore the latest global regulations enabling 6 GHz spectrum for Wi-Fi.
A new Mississippi law requires us to block full access to Bluesky unless all users complete age checks. We have concerns about this law’s implementation.
Linux Install Fest will be held on December 9, 2025 in the JAG3 classroom of the Faculty of Mathematics, at Jagićeva 5, Belgrade . Entry to the classroom is possible from 6 pm to 9 pm.
The U.S. Department of Education recently sent MIT and eight other institutions a proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education," along with a letter asking that MIT review the document.
This page has moved to https://bonfirenetworks.org/posts/slow-software-for-a-burning-world/ .
Privacy is only dead if we let it die. Be careful about the all-or-nothing mindset in data privacy, it can do more damage than good to the cause. While striving for improvements, do not forget to cheer and celebrate each small win.
People hoping to build muscle with the support of a creatine supplement might be disappointed by new research that shows it has little to no effect when taken at the recommended level.
From the Zed Blog: Working toward genuine, quality software in an era where code production is not the constraint anymore.
Email immutability matters even more in a world of AI. Here is how we enable your use of your data, in line with our values.
Clearview AI is known for scraping billions of photos of people around the world on the internet – and selling its facial recognition system to law enforcement and state actors
Celebrate the public domain with the Internet Archive in the following ways: Register for our Public Domain Day celebrations on January 22 - both virtual and in-person. Submit a short film to our Public Domain Film Remix contest. Explore the works that have entered the public domain in 2025, below. On January 1, 2025…
The News/Media Alliance has successfully secured the takedown of notorious paywall bypass website 12ft.io.
A new Danish study finds no association between aluminum in childhood vaccines and 50 different health conditions, including autism, asthma, and autoimmune diseases. The findings reaffirm the safety of Denmark’s childhood vaccination program.
Classic game mods and resources
