Nov 14 2023
Broadcast Story Script
Welcome back to this week’s edition of “Worldside: The Radio Broadcast for Morningside.” Let’s get into today’s topics:
Humane, a San Francisco start-up, is set to unveil the Ai Pin, an artificially intelligent device aimed at combatting smartphone addiction. The founders, former Apple employees, envision a screen-less future, utilizing AI to enable voice and gesture controls for tasks like messaging, music, and translation. The device is priced at $699 with a $24 monthly subscription. However, the success of this ambitious project remains uncertain, with challenges including a new operating system, potential user reluctance, and technical glitches during demos. Freshman Eein McKinley offers his thoughts on the product: ”Depending on how people receive it, I can see it being a good replacement. But if not a bunch of people buy into it, I can easily see this falling to the wayside.”
On the opposite end of the tech world, Nepal has banned TikTok, citing the platform’s failure to control hate content. The move follows India’s ban on numerous Chinese apps in 2020 amid a Himalayan military standoff. While TikTok’s global user base exceeds a billion, Nepal’s ban signals a broader trend of governments restricting its use due to data privacy concerns and content issues. TikTok, facing increased scrutiny worldwide, has not responded to Nepal’s ban. Sophomore Parker Halder agrees with the ban, citing his own belief that: “It’s [TikTok] taking away from children’s learning.”
Shifting gears a bit, a recent study in the Royal Society Open Science journal uncovers interesting tactics employed by female frogs to avoid male advances during mating. The research by Carolin Dittrich at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology in Vienna shows that these resourceful amphibians employ a range of strategies, including feigning death, rolling in water to shake off suitors, and mimicking male calls. “It was definitely something I could relate to,” says Senior Emily Chicoine.