Hiawatha Bray
The Boston Globe
Boston, MA, United States
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Past articles by Hiawatha:
Will censors come for our e-books? There’s nothing to stop them.
The Roald Dahl e-books controversy raises a question: What gives publishers the right to alter a book that you’ve already purchased? Actually, they’ve always had that right. → Read More
Arrest warrant issued for former Cohasset employee accused of running crypto mine out of school’s crawlspace
Nadeam Nahas, 39, was due to appear in Quincy District Court to face charges of vandalizing a school and fraudulent use of electricity. A judge issued a default warrant for his arrest when he did not show up, according to David Traub, spokesperson for the Norfolk district attorney’s office. → Read More
With Mass. right to repair law stalled, Congress makes a move
A bill in Washington would give consumers and auto shops better access to car data systems, superseding legal challenges to the 2020 Mass. ballot measure. → Read More
Why Apple Watch calls the cops when skiers take a spill
A safety feature in the popular smartwatch may be too smart for the slopes, with 20 “crash-detected” 911 calls already this year at one big ski resort in Maine. → Read More
Is ChatGPT liberal or conservative? Depends who you ask.
The question has become a big deal with some conservatives, who argue that the system’s answers to political questions reflect the left-wing culture of Silicon Valley. → Read More
MIT students, faculty afraid to speak their minds on sensitive issues, report says
Earlier this month, the MIT faculty voted to adopt a statement of principles that promise broad protection for students and scholars who express controversial opinions. → Read More
After Brian Walshe, should Google warn police of an impending murder?
In theory, a search engine like Google might flag potentially scary search terms, just as social media companies like Facebook and Twitter flag threats of violence. But in practice, this just isn’t done. → Read More
We ignore Musk’s ‘Twitter Files’ at our peril
Among the least surprising tidbits was proof that Twitter routinely limits the reach of controversial messages. → Read More
What may have caused the FAA computer outage, and could it happen again?
It’s still unclear why the NOTAM system went down, or what was done to bring it back up. But there's no evidence that the problem extends to other portions of the air traffic control system. → Read More
After Dorian Abbot firestorm, MIT faculty vows to respect ‘free expression’
At an MIT faculty meeting in late December, attendees voted to adopt a statement of principles that promise broad protection for students and scholars who express controversial opinions. → Read More
As traffic deaths spike, Massachusetts eyes new safety laws
A national road safety group says Massachusetts is “lagging dangerously behind” in addressing a spike in road fatalities, even as state lawmakers complete work on a highway safety bill, → Read More
Computers have learned to write. But here’s why AI should really worry us.
Programs like ChatGPT are designed to write essays on command and generate lucid answers to complex questions. What happens when they get things wrong? → Read More
Boston startup’s search engine uses AI to make dense research more accessible
Consensus says it can distill key ideas from millions of academic papers. → Read More
GM to end OnStar service in older cars because of wireless tech
GM is notifying car and truck owners that older versions of OnStar depend on an early wireless phone technology called 2G, which will be completely phased out by US wireless carriers by year’s end. → Read More
Car repair shops often skip a vital safety step
Owners of cars equipped with high-tech, automatic safety features must look out for themselves, by asking technicians a simple question: “Do you calibrate?” → Read More
I tried AI systems that can paint and write. Here’s what I found.
Artificial intelligence has learned how to write and draw with startling sophistication, leading some to wonder whether the technology will someday put them out of a job. → Read More
No lithium? No problem, says Woburn battery startup
Alsym's founders say they’ve built a new kind of rechargeable battery that delivers the performance of lithium ion cells at half the cost. → Read More
Carmakers say they can’t obey the state’s right-to-repair law
Cybersecurity executives for General Motors and the company that owns carmaker Chrysler told the court that they’ve done nothing to prepare for complying with the law, because they can't. → Read More
Listen up: Hearing aids go over-the-counter Monday
US residents are now able to purchase high-quality hearing aids at retail stores, with no need for a prescription or costly visits to a doctor or audiologist. → Read More
Will the Supreme Court slam the brakes on social media?
The high court agreed this week to hear two cases, setting up a dramatic challenge to the most important federal law governing the Internet — Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. → Read More