It’s only taken 15 years – but WhatsApp finally has an iPad version. CC-licensed photo by HS You on Flickr.
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A selection of 9 links for you. Taking the tablets. I’m @charlesarthur on Twitter. On Threads: charles_arthur. On Mastodon: https://newsie.social/@charlesarthur. On Bluesky: @charlesarthur.bsky.social. Observations and links welcome.
The bad science behind expensive nuclear • Works in Progress Magazine
Alex Chalmers:
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On 23 May 2025, President Trump signed four executive orders on nuclear power, intended to speed up approvals of and reduce regulatory burdens on new nuclear reactors in America. Buried in one of them was a requirement that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission reconsider its use of ‘Linear No Threshold’ (or LNT). LNT is the hypothesis that the relationship between radiation dose and cancer risk to humans is linear and that there is no truly ‘safe’ level of radiation. It underpins nuclear regulation worldwide and it may be one of the most important rules that almost no one’s ever heard of.
In 2013, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, a joint venture between General Electric and Hitachi, applied to build three advanced boiling water reactors in Wales. Fission reactions would boil water into steam, turning a turbine, powering a generator, and producing electricity. This specific design had been employed in four Japanese reactors, which had survived earthquakes of a greater magnitude than have ever hit the UK without posing any threat to workers or the public.
Even though the reactor had a flawless safety record, the UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation was not satisfied. Over the course of a four and a half year process, it demanded a series of design changes. These included the installation of expensive, bulky filters on every heating, ventilation, and air conditioning duct in the reactor and turbine building, a new floorplan for the room in the plant’s facility that housed the filtration systems, and an entirely new layout for the facility’s ventilation ducts. The purpose of these changes was to reduce radiation discharges from the filter by 0.0001 millisieverts per year. This is the amount a human ingests when they consume a banana.
A CT scan hits a patient with ten millisieverts all in one go. Natural background radiation in the UK or US typically exposes people to two or three millisieverts during the course of a year, and exceeds seven millisieverts per year in Iowa and North Dakota and South Dakota. A single flight from New York to London exposes a passenger to 0.04–0.08 millisieverts; 0.0001 millisieverts is equivalent to 1/400 of the upper range of that, or about 72 seconds in the air per year worth of radiation.
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The article is a thorough, and absorbing (oh, wrong word?) history of how we got where we are in being terrified of radiation. If you don’t know what ALARA stands for, you will; if you already do, you’ll perhaps reconsider its use. But how weird that it’s the Trump regime that should drive a reconsideration.
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Cops arrest third suspect accused of brutally torturing man for bitcoin riches • Ars Technica
Ashley Belanger:
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According to [tortured crypto holder Michael] Carturan, he met [accused kidnapper John] Woeltz through a crypto hedge fund in New York, but they quickly had a falling out over money, prompting Carturan to return home to Italy.
But Woeltz apparently convinced Carturan to come back to New York, inviting him to the townhouse, where Carturan alleged he was immediately assaulted by Woeltz and [newly arrested William] Duplessie. Stealing his electronic devices, they hoped to swipe millions in bitcoin, Carturan alleged, by torturing him and threatening to do the same to his family.
As police mount their case against Woeltz and Duplessie, several outlets report that these so-called “wrench attacks”—where bad actors physically attack cryptocurrency holders as brutally as possible to get access to their wallets—are increasingly common globally.
As cryptocurrency holders fear online hacks, a growing trend of storing wallet keys on physical devices that cannot be hacked is likely driving the assaults, experts suggest. As bitcoin’s value has recently hit record highs, it has only further incentivized the thefts. Sometimes criminals locate targets through data breaches targeting cryptocurrency exchanges, the WSJ noted.
Earlier this month, Ars noted at least five crypto-related abductions, some involving severed fingers, over a few months in France, as well as cases where family members were targeted. Some cases appear to be related, The Wall Street Journal reported, including a Florida man suspected of leading a criminal ring intent on robbing cryptocurrency riches through a string of home invasions across multiple states. Some criminals are so bold as to attempt assaults using toy guns, the WSJ noted.
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They’re being called “wrench attacks” because XKCD pointed out long ago that criminals aren’t going to take the nerd’s approach to figuring out passwords.
And when did that cartoon come out? February 2009.
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After 15 years, WhatsApp is finally ready for the iPad • The Verge
Jess Weatherbed:
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Meta now has a dedicated iPad app for WhatsApp, more than 15 years after the messaging service and the first iPad launched (2009 and 2010, respectively). Available to download today via the App Store, WhatsApp for iPad supports many of the same features as its iPhone counterpart, allowing users to join audio and video calls with up to 32 people, use both the rear and front device cameras, and share their screen with other call participants.
The WhatsApp for iPad works with iPadOS features like Stage Manager, Split View, and Slide Over, enabling it to run alongside other applications. That means users can view their messages in a split-screen view while browsing the web or watching videos, making the larger screen more practical for multitasking while using the app, compared to constantly switching away from WhatsApp on smaller mobile devices.
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I was going to say that this has to be the most “finally” of all the “finallys”, but of course – we don’t yet have Instagram on the iPad.
Well, you have to understand that Meta is a very short-staffed little startup with few programmers to spare.
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$15m reward offer for information disrupting Chinese nationals supplying technology to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps • United States Department of State
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Beginning as early as May 2007, [Emily] Liu and her [three] associates allegedly utilized an array of front companies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to send dual-use U.S.-origin electronic components to IRGC-linked companies that could be used in the production of UAVs, ballistic missile systems, and other military end uses. The IRGC and its supporters generate and move millions of dollars around the world by establishing and relying on front companies to procure cutting-edge technology to evade sanctions and trade controls.
The named individuals allegedly misrepresented the end users of dual-use U.S.-origin electronic components, leading U.S. companies to export goods to PRC-based front companies under the guise that the ultimate destination of these products was China rather than Iran. As a result, a vast amount of dual-use U.S.-origin products with military capabilities have been exported from the United States to IRGC-linked companies Shiraz Electronics Industries (SEI), Rayan Roshd Afzar, and their affiliates, in violation of U.S. sanctions and export control laws and regulations.
The IRGC and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), which supervises Iran’s development and production of military armaments, have utilized the U.S.-controlled technology to develop and manufacture arms and weapons systems, including UAVs, that are sold to governments and groups in allied countries such as Russia, Sudan, and Yemen.
In January 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Liu, Li, Yung, and Chung with various federal crimes related to their involvement in a conspiracy to unlawfully export and smuggle thousands of U.S.-origin electronic components with military applications from the United States to Iran.
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Wouldn’t it also be a good idea to be a lot more careful who you export this stuff to if it has military capabilities? Just an idea. The State Department is taking any tips via the Tor browser. Maybe it’ll all be a film some day.
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China’s Xiaomi commits $6.9bn to in-house chips • CNBC
Arjun Kharpal:
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Chinese technology giant Xiaomi will invest at least 50bn yuan ($6.9bn) over the next ten years to develop its own chips, CEO Lei Jun said in a Weibo post on Monday.
It’s the latest move by a Chinese firm to double down on home-grown technology amid the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China that has seen Washington cut off access to some semicondcutors for companies in the world’s second-largest economy.
The 50bn yuan investment starts from 2025, a Xiaomi spokesperson confirmed. Lei added the company is looking to make a splash at an event on Thursday, when it takes the wraps off the Xring O1 — a so-called system-on-chip that will power Xiaomi’s upcoming smartphone.
The Xring O1 is based on a 3 nanometre manufacturing process, one of the most advanced on the market. For comparison, Apple’s A18 Pro chips inside the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max smartphones are built on the same process.
…Until now, U.S. firm Qualcomm has been the main supplier of SoCs for Xiaomi’s flagship smartphones through its Snapdragon-branded semiconductors.
…Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told CNBC on Monday that Xiaomi’s latest step is not expected to impact his business. “We remain a strategic supplier of chips for Xiaomi, and most important, I think Qualcomm Snapdragon chips are used in the Xiaomi flagships and will continue to be used in the Xiaomi flagships,” Amon told CNBC.
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The story seems to imply that the chips are being made by TSMC. But I think Qualcomm’s CEO is whistling past the graveyard on this one.
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Inside China’s “stolen iPhone building” • Financial Times
William Langley:
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In any other neighbourhood, the Feiyang Times building, a drab grey-and-brown tower in southern China, would be most notable for the gaudy, propaganda-plastered columns that line its forecourt.
But like many of the electronics markets in the labyrinthine malls of Huaqiangbei, the fourth floor of the building has its own specialism: selling second-hand iPhones from Europe and the US.
Many of the phones sold here are legitimate trade-ins, returned by western consumers to network operators or phone shops when upgrading to the latest models.
But the tower also sits at a location that Apple community message boards, social media commenters and victims of phone theft have identified as China’s “stolen iPhone building”.
It is one of the most important nodes in a supply chain for second-hand technology that starts in the west, travels through wholesalers in Hong Kong and on to markets in mainland China and the global south.
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I went to Huaqiangbei (hu-wang-shang-bay) in 2014 when Huawei (hwaa-way) took me to its annual analyst conference. This is the photo gallery I brought back; and I wrote a piece about its fakes, while Tom Whitwell wrote about Shenzhen more generally.
Not a great deal has changed, if we’re honest.
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How AI is changing the face of dating • Dazed
Megan Wallace:
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A couple of years ago, AI-generated images on the apps were a rarity, something to screenshot as comical group chat fodder. But as this sort of tech has advanced, nobody’s laughing anymore. Generated AI is becoming more and more integrated into myriad aspects of our lives, and there is growing discussion – in the media, and via sporadic (but viral) social posts – about how AI is changing the face of dating.
In the main, discussions about AI and dating often focus on platforms like Replika and Anima, which offer humans the chance to find (train?) the AI companion of their dreams. But, it turns out, the digisexual revolution starts with us first – and AI images are only the beginning. In fact, what appears to be even more popular is the use of tools like ChatGPT in order to craft bios, replies and even streamline dating admin.
Today, there are AI apps like SwipeMagic specifically dedicated to generating images for dating apps (I presume, for men, it specialises in pictures with very big fish?). There’s also Rizz, which can generate prompts for profile bios, conversation openers and tailored replies. Iris is a dating app which uses AI to match users who are most likely to find one another mutually attractive. Not to be beaten, the more established dating apps are themselves branching into the world of artificial intelligence: Tinder and Hinge (both owned by Match Group), Grindr and Bumble have all been exploring AI features.
For users, AI’s permeation of the dating app landscape is creating a sense of ambient suspicion. “AI makes me feel distrustful of every profile I see,” explains Renee. “It’s difficult to tell whether or not a photo is real. I really have to scrutinise most of the profiles I see.”
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Only way to figure it out is do a video call, I suppose? Though filters can get in the way of that too. AI writing bios and replies feels like the modern Cyrano de Bergerac.
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I spent a year trying to figure out the weirdest mistake in recent Hollywood history – and succeeded • Slate
Forrest Wickman is what Americans call a “birder” and Britons would call a “twitcher”, ie a slightly obsessive birdwatcher, who began noticing bird errors in films:
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You’re watching Indiana Jones trudge through the jungles of South America in the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and one of the first sounds you hear is the famous “awebo” call of the tundra-loving willow ptarmigan, on the wrong end of the American continent. You’re watching Season 3 of The White Lotus, set in Thailand, and you find yourself distracted by the persistent “kon-ka-reeee” of red-winged blackbirds, on the wrong side of the Pacific Ocean. You’re lost in Dune’s sweeping vistas, watching Paul Atreides sulk about his home planet of Caladan, until there it is, on the wrong side of the galaxy: a killdeer.
Like any generous viewer—I consider myself one—you learn to suspend your disbelief. The same way you learn to accept that every phone number in every movie starts with 555, if you’re a birder, you learn to accept that every bald eagle in every movie screeches like a red-tailed hawk.
I maintained this policy throughout my early birdpilling. But then I watched the original movie adaptation of Charlie’s Angels, and I found myself staring down one of the greatest mysteries of recent cinema.
You see, there’s a scene in that movie that tormented me, that kept me up at night, and that lately has had me interrogating a wide variety of seemingly devoted, and certainly well-compensated, filmmaking professionals. That’s because the bird in Charlie’s Angels is, I believe, the wrongest bird in the history of cinema—and one of the weirdest and most inexplicable flubs in any movie I can remember. It is elaborately, even ornately wrong. It has haunted not just me but, as I’d later learn, the birding community at large for almost a quarter of a century.
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Very entertaining story which incidentally gives you a lot of insight into the Hollywood scriptwriting and filmmaking business, which is as grubby as you’d expect.
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Fake job ads on Facebook, Telegram trap Indonesian tech workers – Rest of World
Linda Yulisman:
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Rest of World interviewed seven former scammers in Indonesia to learn how they were lured into scam farms and about the technologies they used to defraud victims. The workers requested anonymity to protect their reputations in their communities, as there is stigma attached to scam work.
They recounted having their passports and cell phones confiscated at the scam centers. They said they were paid poorly and could not leave. Under the close supervision of their bosses, they were forced to lurk on social media sites and dating apps to find victims. They said they spoke to victims on Telegram and WhatsApp using AI-enabled tools that generate deepfake videos in real time. They had “investment” targets to meet, failing which, they were sold to other scam centers.
“What makes human trafficking for the purpose of online scams different from other kinds of human trafficking is the abuse of technology,” Hidayah said.
…A 26-year-old IT graduate from West Sumatra ended up in a scam compound in March 2024 after a string of bad luck. He once worked as a freelance front-end developer but found opportunities drying up in IT. Frustrated, he tried his hand at a fruit distribution business, which failed.
One day, while browsing Facebook, he saw an opening for a search engine optimization specialist at a Singapore-based stock trading company. Following a job interview with a recruiter on Telegram, he was placed at the company’s satellite office in Cambodia and promised a salary of $800 a month.
He did not realize he was trafficked until his passport was confiscated in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and he was driven to a remote compound protected by armed guards. He worked 15-hour shifts in a call center and had to defraud victims of $40,000 every month, he told Rest of World . He was paid less than half his promised salary.
One of his victims was an Indonesian woman, a fitness enthusiast, whom he groomed into a romantic relationship. He persuaded her to bet $10,000 in a casino in Macau, he recalled.
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Machines of misery.
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| • Why do social networks drive us a little mad? • Why does angry content seem to dominate what we see? • How much of a role do algorithms play in affecting what we see and do online? • What can we do about it? • Did Facebook have any inkling of what was coming in Myanmar in 2016? Read Social Warming, my latest book, and find answers – and more. |
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The Overspill: when there's more that I want to say 