China Outspends the US on Fusion in the Race for Energy’s Holy Grail

A high-tech race is under way between the U.S. and China as both countries chase an elusive energy source: fusion. From a report: China is outspending the U.S., completing a massive fusion technology campus and launching a national fusion consortium that includes some of its largest industrial companies. Crews in China work in three shifts, essentially around the clock, to complete fusion projects. And the Asian superpower has 10 times as many Ph.D.s in fusion science and engineering as the U.S. The result is an increasing worry among American officials and scientists that an early U.S. lead is slipping away.

JP Allain, who heads the Energy Department’s Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, said China is spending around $1.5 billion a year on fusion, nearly twice the U.S. government’s fusion budget. What’s more, China appears to be following a program similar to the road map that hundreds of U.S. fusion scientists and engineers first published in 2020 in hopes of making commercial fusion energy. Scientists familiar with China’s fusion facilities said that if the country continues its current pace of spending and development, it will surpass the U.S. and Europe’s magnetic fusion capabilities in three or four years.

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Tokyo Residents Seek To Block Building of Massive Data Centre

A group of residents in Tokyo said on Wednesday they were aiming to block construction of a massive logistics and data centre planned by Singaporean developer GLP, in a worrying sign for businesses looking to Japan to meet growing demand. From a report: The petition by more than 220 residents of Akishima city in western Tokyo follows a successful bid in December in Nagareyama city to quash a similar data-centre plan. The Akishima residents were concerned the centre would threaten wildlife, cause pollution and a spike in electricity usage, and drain its water supply which comes solely from groundwater. They filed a petition to audit the urban planning procedure that approved GLP’s 3.63-million-megawatt data centre, which GLP estimated would likely emit about 1.8 million tons of carbon dioxide a year. “One company will be responsible for ruining Akishima. That’s what this development is,” Yuji Ohtake, a representative of the residents’ group, told a press conference. Global tech firms such as Microsoft, Amazon and Oracle also have plans to build data centres in Japan. The residents estimated that 3,000 of 4,800 trees on the site would have to be cut down, threatening the area’s Eurasian goshawk birds and badgers.

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British Boarding School Bans Smartphones, Hands Out Nokia Phones Instead

Eton College, Britain’s elite boarding school with alumni that includes Princes William and Harry, as well as George Orwell and a long list of others, is banning incoming students from having smartphones. Instead, the school will provide students with a Nokia “brick” phone, which will only be capable of making calls and sending text messages. CBS News reports: Parents of first-year students at Eton — where tuition exceeds $60,000 per year — were informed of the changes in a letter, which said that incoming 13-year-old boarders should have their smart devices taken home after their SIM cards are transferred to offline Nokia phones provided by the school, which can only make calls and send simple text messages. Eton’s previous rules on smartphones required first-year students to hand over their devices overnight.

“Eton routinely reviews our mobile phone and devices policy to balance the benefits and challenges that technology brings to schools,” a spokesperson for the school told CBS News on Tuesday, adding that those joining in Year 9, essentially the equivalent of freshman year in high school for American students, “will receive a ‘brick’ phone for use outside the school day, as well as a school-issued iPad to support academic study.” The spokesperson added that “age-appropriate controls remain in place for other year groups.” The ban follows a recent guidance issued by the UK government backing school principals who decide to ban smartphones during the school day. The goal is to help minimize disruption and improve classroom behavior.

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Etsy Loses Its ‘Handmade’ and ‘Vintage’ Labels As It Takes On Temu and Amazon

Instead of “handmade” and “vintage,” Etsy created four new classifications for sellers on the site: “made by,” “designed by,” “handpicked by,” and “sourced by.” In order for products to be sold on Etsy, they’ll now need to fall into one of these four categories. The Verge reports: Vintage items — a backbone of Etsy’s offerings — will fall under “handpicked by,” though these items will also have “vintage” labels on product listings. Craft supplies like beads or clay are considered “sourced by.” A vase handmade by a ceramics artist would be in the “made by” category, whereas a digital illustration would be considered “designed by” the seller. These categories will be visible on Etsy product listings. The company says that this won’t change anything in practice — things that were previously prohibited, like the reselling of items made by someone else, still won’t be allowed under the new policy.

“The consistent theme here is that items are infused with a human touch, because that’s what makes Etsy, well, Etsy,” CEO Josh Silverman said in a video message. The goal for the new categories, the company says, is to provide more details to shoppers about how an item is made and how a seller was involved in the process. Etsy has differentiated itself from other marketplaces like Amazon or Temu, emphasizing itself as a place to find unique items made by an artisan or selected by a curator. But over the years, the company has loosened its rules around what exactly counts as “handmade.”

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Nike Is Killing the App for Its $350 Self-Tying Sneakers

Scharon Harding reports via Wired: In 2019, Nike got closer than ever to its dreams of popularizing self-tying sneakers by releasing the Adapt BB. Using Bluetooth, the sneakers paired to the Adapt app that let users do things like tighten or loosen the shoes’ laces and control its LED lights. However, Nike has announced that it’s “retiring” the app on August 6 (Warning: source may be paywalled; alternative source), when it will no longer be downloadable from Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store; nor will it be updated.

In an announcement recently spotted by The Verge, Nike’s brief explanation for discontinuing the app is that Nike “is no longer creating new versions of Adapt shoes.” The company started informing owners about the app’s retirement about four months ago. Those who already bought the shoes can still use the app after August 6, but it’s expected that iOS or Android updates will eventually make the app unusable. Also, those who get a new device won’t be able to download Adapt after August 6.

Without the app, wearers are unable to change the color of the sneaker’s LED lights. The lights will either maintain the last color scheme selected via the app or, per Nike, “if you didn’t install the app, light will be the default color.” While owners will still be able to use on-shoe buttons to turn the shoes on or off, check its battery, adjust the lace’s tightness, and save fit settings, the ability to change lighting and control the shoes via mobile phone were big selling points of the $350 kicks.

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Affinity Tempts Adobe Users with 6-Month Free Trial of Creative Suite

Serif, the design software developer behind Affinity, has introduced a six-month free trial for its creative suite, offering Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher on Mac, Windows PC, and iPad. This move, along with a 50% discount on perpetual licenses, aims to attract Adobe users and reassure them of Affinity’s commitment to its one-time purchase pricing model despite its recent acquisition by Canva. The Verge reports: Affinity uses a one-time purchase pricing model that has earned it a loyal fanbase among creatives who are sick of paying for recurring subscriptions. Prices start at $69.99 for Affinity’s individual desktop apps or $164.99 for the entire suite, with a separate deal currently offering customers 50 percent off all perpetual licenses.

This discount, alongside the six-month free trial, is potentially geared at soothing concerns that Affinity would change its pricing model after being acquired by Canva earlier this year. “We’re saying ‘try everything and pay nothing’ because we understand making a change can be a big step, particularly for busy professionals,” said Affinity CEO Ashley Hewson. “Anyone who takes the trial is under absolutely no obligation to buy.”

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