NYTimes - China Has an Army of Robots on Its Side in the Tariff War

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China’s secret weapon in the trade war is an army of factory robots, powered by artificial intelligence, that have revolutionized manufacturing.

Factories are being automated across China at a breakneck pace. With engineers and electricians tending to fleets of robots, these operations are bringing down the cost of manufacturing while improving quality.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/business/china-tariffs-robots-automation.html

WIRED - Why It’s Impossible for Most Small Businesses to Manufacture in the US

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Dallas-based small business owner Allen Walton says he just sold out of one of his products, a surveillance camera used by law enforcement and private detectives. That would normally be great news for Walton’s electronics company, SpyGuy, which specializes in gadgets like GPS trackers and hidden camera detectors. But thanks to the Trump administration’s ever-shifting tariff policies, Walton says he doesn’t know if he should replenish his stock. His products are mostly manufactured in southern China, and the new additional 145 percent tariff on Chinese imports will completely change the economics of his business.

https://www.wired.com/story/tariffs-small-businesses-why-make-things-in-china/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_brand=wired&utm_social-type=owned&utm_content=linkedin-newsletter

Fast Company - The most innovative design companies of 2025

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Skip may very well sell you your first exoskeleton. After spinning out of Google X in 2023, the robotics company developed what it dubs an “e-bike for hiking” called Mo/Go (which is short for “mountain goat.”) It’s a pair of robotic bracers that move along with your stride, relieving half the effort of each step.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91269304/design-most-innovative-companies-2025

Undocumented commands found in Bluetooth chip used by a billion devices

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The ubiquitous ESP32 microchip made by Chinese manufacturer Espressif and used by over 1 billion units as of 2023 contains undocumented commands that could be leveraged for attacks.

The undocumented commands allow spoofing of trusted devices, unauthorized data access, pivoting to other devices on the network, and potentially establishing long-term persistence.

https://www-bleepingcomputer-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/undocumented-backdoor-found-in-bluetooth-chip-used-by-a-billion-devices/amp/

TechCrunch - Are your noise-canceling headphones messing with your head?

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We all know headphones can be bad for your hearing if you listen to sounds too loudly in close proximity to your ears. But a BBC report suggests that a new health scare could be emerging around the noise-canceling feature that’s hugely popular in modern earphones.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/17/are-your-noise-canceling-headphones-messing-with-your-head/

WSJ - How Trump’s Tariffs on China Changed U.S. Trade, in Charts

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China is no longer the main source for U.S. imports. Mexico took its place last year. 

That seismic shift started in 2018 after President Trump signed into law a round of tariffson many Chinese imports during his first term. And he has promised to impose another round of tariffs after he returns to the White House in January.

https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/how-trumps-tariffs-on-china-changed-u-s-trade-in-charts-bb5b5d53?mod=hp_listb_pos1

Linux boots in 4.76 days on the Intel 4004

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Hardware hacker Dmitry Grinberg recently achieved what might sound impossible: booting Linux on the Intel 4004, the world's first commercial microprocessor. With just 2,300 transistors and an original clock speed of 740 kHz, the 1971 CPU is incredibly primitive by modern standards. And it's slow—it takes about 4.76 days for the Linux kernel to boot.

Initially designed for a Japanese calculator called the Busicom 141-PF, the 4-bit 4004 found limited use in commercial products of the 1970s before being superseded by more powerful Intel chips, such as the 8008 and 8080 that powered early personal computers—and then the 8086 and 8088 that launched the IBM PC era.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/09/hacker-boots-linux-on-intels-first-ever-cpu/

Amp brings AI-enabled personal fitness training to Miami

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In a city where fitness and wellness are woven into daily life, Amp has officially landed in Miami, introducing its AI-powered personal training system with the launch of a new showroom. The showroom, located at Oasis Wynwood, makes an immediate statement – sleek, modern, and minimalistic – mirroring the innovation behind the product.

https://refreshmiami.com/amp-brings-ai-enabled-personal-fitness-training-to-miami/

WaPo - Be humble. It’s good for learning and your relationships.

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Research shows that intellectual humility is correlated with more general knowledge, curiosity and open-mindedness. No one knows everything. Recognizing this limitation and the potential fallibility of even our most deeply held beliefs is core to the concept of intellectual humility. “It helps you overcome this very categorical, black-and-white thinking that we are often succumbing to,” said Igor Grossmann, professor of psychology at the University of Waterloo.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/09/19/intellectual-humility-learning-interpersonal-relationships/

The Economist - Why the hype for hybrid cars will not last

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The car industry’s effort to decarbonise revolves around replacing petrol with batteries. A growing number of customers want both. Buyers who cannot afford a fully electric car, or worry about the availability of charging points, are turning to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (phevs), sales of which are rocketing. But the hype for hybrids may prove to be short-lived.

https://www.economist.com/business/2024/09/17/why-the-hype-for-hybrid-cars-will-not-last?itm_source=parsely-api

The Economist - AI has returned chipmaking to the heart of computer technology

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A century ago, 391 San Antonio Road in Mountain View, California, was the site of an apricot-packing shed. Today it is just one of the many low-rise office blocks on busy roads that house Silicon Valley’s tech startups and wannabe billionaires. In front of it, though, stand three large and peculiar sculptures, two-legged and three-legged forms that bring to mind water towers. They are giant versions of two diodes and a transistor, components of electronic circuitry. In 1956, 391 San Antonio Road became the home to the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, a startup devoted to the idea of making such components entirely out of silicon. It is the birthplace of Silicon Valley.

https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2024/09/16/ai-has-returned-chipmaking-to-the-heart-of-computer-technology