Sorry, Brilliant Jerks

Plus, remember maps?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from The Futurist! This is the daily newsletter that curates the best in tech, space, and science (weird or otherwise) every morning. Not for you? No problem, feel free to unsubscribe here.

/FEATURED NATURE IN DANGER AS MOUNTAIN FOREST LOSS QUICKENS Great. Mountain forests are disappearing rapidly, with over 7% disappearing since 2000 due to logging, agriculture and wildfires, threatening wildlife habitats in biologically rich areas, warn scientists, courtesy of BBC. More than 85% of the world's birds, mammals and amphibians live in mountainous regions, making the losses critical to their survival, which accelerated by 50% from 2010-2018 compared to 2001-2009.

/LIFE DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK (OR, ACTUALLY, MAYBE DO) Vinyl. Mid-century modern. Wearing a sports coat over a T-shirt and rolling the sports coat sleeves up past your elbows. Pleats. Okay, maybe not pleats. But other than that, these are all things that were once in fashion that have now made a comeback! What else is making a big comeback? Paper maps (just ask CBS News) — the ultimate road companion and the ultimate keepsake from your next big journey. SEE FOR YOURSELF »

/STORIES WHAT HAPPENED TO SUNFLOWER SEA STAR? THIS LAB IS WORKING TO FIND OUT The sunflower sea star, a once-ubiquitous species in the Salish Sea, has been proposed for federal threatened species status by NOAA following a disease outbreak that wiped out an estimated 99% of the species in the area. A breeding program is underway at Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan island, raising hundreds of young sea stars with the ultimate aim of releasing them into the wild and rebuilding the population, reports The Seattle Times. As apex predators, the sea stars play a critical role in marine ecosystems by eating kelp-eating urchins to protect the Salish Sea’s lush kelp forests from overgrazing. MEET CUPIDBOTS, THE HORRIFYING DATING APP USING AI TO HARASS WOMEN It seems ex-Tinder employees have created an AI-powered app called CupidBots which picks out women for users based on previous swipes and deploys an AI chatbot to chat and flirt with them on their behalf, masquerading as the user, according to The Byte. It sends a notification once a date or contact information has been secured, but does not disclose its non-human nature. Advocacy groups have criticized the app for objectifying and exploiting women. WHO WOULD HAVE EVER GUESSED … These days, it seems like the only way to lose weight is via app. Or meal delivery service. Or wearing a weighted vest while walking on your treadmill desk with ankle weights. But who would have ever thought one of the most effective ways to lose weight (and keep it off) is through print? PRINT YOUR FUTURE » THE RISE OF AI AUTOMATION IN THE WORKPLACE IS BAD NEWS FOR THE 'BRILLIANT JERKS' OF TECH The rise of AI will bring changes to the workplace, with a greater emphasis on interpersonal and collaboration skills rather than just technical expertise. According to Business Insider, this will help create a more team-based culture where individuals who can work well with others are more likely to succeed. Companies may need to reassess their hiring emphasis to prioritize soft skills alongside technical abilities.

/CAPTIVATING //cosmos by @nasa Interested in having your Instagram account featured in The Futurist? SLIDE INTO OUR DMs »

/TAKE MY MONEY 💻 Have a small business but don’t want to have to deal with the insanity of hosting and security and all that? Good, Because LiquidWeb Exists » 🗺 Road trip to Disney? Finally getting out to Mount Rushmore? Create the ultimate trip companion and, after you’re back, the ultimate keepsake. Navigate Away » 🧠 Better focus, better performance, better life. This Is A No-Brainer »

/CURIOUS //QUESTION OF THE DAY POP QUIZ: WHEN IS THE NEXT Y2K-ESQUE EVENT? Don’t choose wrong or you might cause it early. WHAT IS IT? »

THE FUTURIST Advertise |  Talk to Us  |  Shop |  Unsubscribe

Powered by StackCommerce 21 Market Street | Venice, CA 90291 View this email in your browser