Opening thoughts. Calling all astrology lovers. For the first time, NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) mission has identified a planet orbiting a distant star using a new method called microlensing, which identifies potential planets as their gravity distorts space-time. Unlike what NASA calls “star-hugging transit planets” that TESS regularly reports on, this new world is being called a super-Jupiter, named Gaia23bra b. And it is orbiting far away from its host star.
The super-Jupiter is 1.6 times the mass of Jupiter and has the same orbital distance, and it is said that the discovery of such a planet through the primary detection method designed by TESS would be extremely impossible. Interestingly, Gaia23bra b was first potentially alerted by ESA’s (European Space Agency) now-retired Gaia space telescope in 2023.
Ph.D. “Gaia’s observations were too sparse to take in the planet,” said Mallory Harris. candidate at the University of New Mexico, who led the study. “The TESS spacecraft was monitoring the same area of the sky during the event, and its dense time coverage showed additional features in the light curve caused by a planet.”
Fun fact: Gaia23bra b has about 80 percent the mass of the Sun, is about 40,000 light years from Earth, and far exceeds TESS’s typical search radius of about 150 light years.
editor’s margin
deep patterns
There’s something to be said about dark patterns, or confusing designs, that seem to sit at the core of almost every interface you interact with today. Streaming platforms, anything with subscriptions, e-commerce platforms, paywalls on websites, instant commerce apps, etc., each of them have carefully crafted tricks to get users to do things they otherwise wouldn’t want to do – buying more than they actually need, signing up for recurring subscriptions or auto payments of bills, hiding in hidden costs or creating a false sense of urgency (“Only 2 left!”); works beautifully with the FOMO generation. is).
There’s this interesting Big Brains podcast Marchini ChettiProfessor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chicago, she talks about these subtle but manipulative design choices from her perspective as an expert in human-computer interaction.
“I think in many cases, our research and other research has shown that companies are crossing that line. It’s outright deception or manipulation that is harmful to consumers,” she says, adding that this is what happens with our data. This is a bit of a paradox, as she says, citing human behavior that does not always reflect the need for data privacy and whether we would consent to it being shared in order for our information to remain secure. How many times have you clicked Next or OK on a consent notification or page only to proceed without reading what you were doing?
He was asked why the classification as manipulation and not persuasion, and Chetty has clear reasons.
“The reason it’s manipulation is the opposite of persuasion because it’s a kind of hidden influence. The whole idea is that you’re not consciously aware of it and you can’t easily become consciously aware of it. And some researchers in the field have tried to unpack that and say that when you’re trying to persuade someone, they’re more consciously aware of what you’re trying to do. But with manipulation and with something like a dark pattern, you don’t even know it. That you’re being led in a certain way,” she explains.
Persuasion provides reasons, data, or appeals to help you make a choice. A salesman telling you that a jacket looks great is persuasion; You still choose to walk away. A dark pattern is silently adding ‘platform fees’ or ‘open box delivery fees’ to an order, without any explicit mention or option to remove it.
For example, deal countdowns on e-commerce platforms are designed to motivate you to make a purchase now, rather than to think carefully about a purchase. The Activity Fabrication banner is similar, saying something like, “10 other people are currently viewing this item.” How many of you know that you can share your Amazon Prime subscription with your family members? Chances are you won’t do this, because that’s how the Prime subscription sharing and family management flow in the Amazon app is designed. Instead of disclosing this feature, they would like three family members to pay for their full Prime membership.
I completely agree with Chetty when she warns us that with ads in AI, there is a lot more potential for things to go wrong and be manipulated. This is because AI can infer a lot about you from even limited interactions with a chatbot. For example, on e-commerce or quick commerce apps, they have an additional context of your purchasing history, habits, and neat trends. You are being manipulated and it is time you realized it. However, this is easier said than done.
Tech Spotlight
mkate mozen air 900 and air 800
Indian tech company Amkette is in full swing. Some of you may remember that I rated them XS Flow Plus and XS Natural Plus Rats a few weeks ago, performance as well as overall refinement was impressive. The company will focus on premium power accessories along with building a brand, and it will be called Mozen.
Two Qi2 wireless charging systems for desk and bedside, Mozen Air 900 ( ₹2,799; Amkette also listed similar chargers, called the PowerPro Air 920) and the Mozen Air 800 ( ₹1,899) are ready for the Apple device ecosystem – although other phones will work as well, and some may require a magnetic ring. One could argue that Qi2.2 may become more compatible over time, but cost does play a role – one key difference is that the new standard features 25-watt wireless charging in new compatible phones, up from 15-watt in Qi2.
These are three in one docks, as these systems will charge the iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch, or compatible phones and watches as well as earbuds that are compatible with these wireless charging pads. You’ll be able to get Samsung Galaxy flagships, Google Pixel phones and some recent generations of OnePlus phones to work with it, although heavier ‘Ultra’ phones probably won’t stick effectively. There are design differences and some unique features, yet overall, Mkate has done a good job of maintaining similarity as far as key charging capabilities are concerned. The add-on elements are a nice touch.
The Mozen Air 900, arguably more exciting, offers a collective 23-watts distributed across wireless smartphone charging (15-watts), Apple Watch charging (3-watts), and AirPods charging (5-watts). The Mosen Air 800 retains this exact specific diffusion, albeit without the Air 920’s integrated ambient lighting. It’s a nice element to look at, essentially as a night light in the bedroom, with the option of warm, cool, or neutral light tones. But as far as pricing differences go, you’re paying a significant difference for the night light effect.
While the Air 900 has little adjustability as far as the phone mount is concerned, the Air 800 has a much more adjustable MagSafe charging base. If the intention is to keep it on your work desk, this may be a better option to properly adjust the screen visibility. Both charging docks allow an iPhone to be magnetically attached in either horizontal or vertical orientation. Overall, Amket has given the first generation Mozen Wireless Charging Dock the perfect material to be very useful on the work desk and at home.
second thought
end of time
Sony says that any games released after January 2028 will only be downloadable digitally, ending the era of physical discs. Eliminating the idea of physical game discs can be wrapped up as any level of consumer-focused initiative as Sony wants, but it’s a move that only benefits Sony. in me Tech Tonic Column For HT, I explained why this is bad news for gamers (lack of choice, lack of discounting in pricing), bad news for retailers, and extremely bad news for the idea of game preservation.
In parallel, what has happened should raise alarm bells. Sony has (after its previous attempt five or so years ago failed) shut down the PS Store for older consoles, including the PS3 and PS Vita. This means that a digital platform, after creating a situation in which you have no choice, decides to become the owner of access. Which he can decide to close whenever he wants.
I think game publishers will take this train overseas with enthusiasm (looking at the corporate profits) and accelerate the inevitable, and we’re seeing the first sign of that with Rockstar Games’ much-delayed Grand Theft Auto VI finally releasing in November – only as a digital download. By the time we realize these mistakes it will be too late.
