Tech News Summary - 05/21

• Reddit and human verification: The platform may soon require users to verify they are human to curb bots and declining content quality, following a University of Zurich study that exposed its manipulation risks.
• Diverse origins of happiness: Research shows happiness can stem from internal (optimism), external (health, income), or mixed factors, suggesting personalized approaches work better than one-size-fits-all policies.
• TSMC, Taiwan, and the “Silicon Shield”: Taiwan’s new policy bars TSMC from exporting its most advanced chips, mandating that overseas fabs stay one generation behind to safeguard national security.
• Tesla and Elon Musk: Tesla faces falling sales, shrinking profits, fierce competition, and brand damage, while Musk doubles down on robotaxis and humanoid robots despite current headwinds and other ventures.
• Anxiety: A natural danger response that can become pathological, causing distress and impairment; it can be managed through lifestyle changes, exercise, and therapy.
• Laptop batteries: Modern lithium-ion notebooks aren’t harmed by staying plugged in; to prolong lifespan, avoid extreme heat and use battery-protection features such as charge limits.
• Elon Musk vs. Bill Gates over DOGE: Musk criticized Gates for blaming him for U.S. foreign-aid cuts via DOGE, denying the claim and calling Gates’s death projections false.
• Tesla robotaxis in Austin: Musk plans to launch a robotaxi service in Austin by late June with about ten vehicles, aiming for rapid expansion if initial deployment is incident-free.
• Smartphone brand loyalty: iPhone loyalty remains dominant despite a slight dip; Samsung thrives with mid-range models, but its user loyalty is less defined compared to Apple’s.
• Ozempic side effect (“Ozempic mouth”): Dermatologists report facial volume loss, wrinkles, sagging, and a double chin due to rapid subcutaneous fat loss from the drug.
• Mac mini powered via USB-C PD: A YouTuber modified an M4 Mac mini to run on USB-C Power Delivery; full performance requires higher-wattage cables.
• AI startup work weeks: Some AI startups demand six- or seven-day weeks, claiming intense effort is vital to innovate quickly and outpace larger rivals in the AI boom.
• Light emitted by living beings: A University of Calgary study confirms all organisms emit ultra-weak photons from metabolism, which cease after death—potentially useful for health monitoring.
• OpenAI and Microsoft tensions: Once close partners, the firms now face distrust, power struggles, and divergent AI visions, with reduced communication between their CEOs.
• Battery aging insights: Researchers tracked lithium coin-cell aging in real time, finding manganese dissolution and migration are key drivers of capacity loss.
• Spain’s crackdown on spam calls: Government plans to ban unsolicited calls and require companies to use a specific numerical code, with carriers blocking non-compliant numbers.