The Download: what’s next for chips, and climate-tweaking controversy

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 How Ukraine cobbled together a scrappy, digitized military
It’s created a cheap version of the systems the Pentagon has spent decades (and billions of dollars) developing. (WSJ $)
+ Ukraine says it’s shot down close to 500 drones since September. (The Guardian)

2 Sam Bankman-Fried is planning to plead not guilty
The FTX founder could face up to 115 years in prison if he’s convinced of fraud and conspiracy. (Reuters)

3 China’s zero covid U-turn is worsening its social inequality
Young people in rural areas are unlikely to recover from the disruption to their education. (FT $)
+ Other countries are requiring visitors from China to produce negative covid tests. (Vox)
+ China’s foreign minister has praised the US in a rare show of unity. (Bloomberg $)

4 Tech startups had an awful 2022
As it stands, 2023 isn’t looking much better. (WSJ $)
+ Workers laid off from Big Tech firms are looking to start their own. (Reuters)
+ A look back over the biggest tech flops of the past 12 months. (Vox)

5 Brazil’s far right is thriving on Twitter
Just as the country’s new left-wing president takes office. (Rest of World)
+ We’re witnessing the brain death of Twitter. (MIT Technology Review)

6China’s generative AI models are seriously problematic 
Like their Western counterparts, the results are often inaccurate and offensive. (TechCrunch)
+ How AI-generated text is poisoning the internet. (MIT Technology Review)

7The Earth is constantly creating its own kind of music
A tiny device is helping seismologists to tune into its rhythms. (NYT $)

8 The James Webb Space Telescope has revolutionized astronomy
It’s been particularly adept at shedding light on stars’ lifecycles. (The Verge)
+ The US military is planning to launch a constellation of satellites in March. (The Atlantic $)
+ NASA is looking out for potentially deadly asteroids. (Inverse)
+ What’s next in space. (MIT Technology Review)

9 Your attention span may not be as broken as you think it is 
Getting distracted might actually be the productive break your brain is craving. (The Guardian)
+ Why not kickstart the new year without a smartphone? (Slate $)

10 You can blame your nose for that cold you can’t shake
Colder temperatures make it harder to fight off nasty bugs. (Wired $)

Quote of the day

“It’s mostly scams and memes when you get down to it.”