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The Solid-Science Edition Thursday, January 16, 2020

Worried About 5G And Cancer? Here’s Why Wireless Networks Pose No Known Health Risk, by Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS

With no evidence of sensitivity, no increase in cancers, irreproducible studies that have led to dead ends, and no epidemic of conditions among the large, long-term population of cell-phone and Wi-Fi users, we’re led to one conclusion: There is no health risk associated with everyday exposure to common EMFs. That’s the case even if, intuitively, it feels like there must be a link. We may never get over that feeling, but we should base our behavior and policy on solid science, not feelings.

Stuff

Apple Ads Reveal How Artists Create Apple TV+ Show Posters On iPad Pro, by AppleInsider

Two videos were posted to Apple's official YouTube channel on Wednesday, each offering viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the genesis of posters made for Apple TV+ series "Dickinson" and "For All Mankind."

Review: SecureDrive BT, The Encrypted External SSD You Can Unlock With Face ID, by Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac

The app lets you set a password in the 7- to 15-character range, and you can then choose to toggle on Face ID, Apple Watch unlock, or both. The drive offers remote-wipe capabilities, and can be set to automatically wipe if 10 incorrect passwords are entered.

Notes

Apple Buys Edge-based AI Startup Xnor.ai For A Reported $200M, by Devin Coldewey, TechCrunch

Xnor.ai began as a process for making machine learning algorithms highly efficient — so efficient that they could run on even the lowest tier of hardware out there, things like embedded electronics in security cameras that use only a modicum of power. Yet using Xnor’s algorithms they could accomplish tasks like object recognition, which in other circumstances might require a powerful processor or connection to the cloud.

Apple Taps Drone Specialist To Lobby Washington On Aviation, by Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

Apple has a team exploring satellites, a type of unmanned aircraft, and Ellman could assist in regulatory efforts that would need to be conducted to launch such an effort. Apple rivals, including Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc., have developed drones in recent years.

Silicon Valley Abandons The Culture That Made It The Envy Of The World, by Alexis C. Madrigal, The Atlantic

This sort of talk prompts one obvious, knee-jerk response: It’s simply hypocrisy. When Google and Facebook were start-ups, their executives said start-ups were good. Now that Google and Facebook are huge, their executives say huge companies are good. It’s cynical, if not unexpected.

But there’s a more troubling possibility. Maybe something has changed about the nature of innovation, at least in software.