Good2Know is your daily dose of the stories impacting your life
SEAWEED BELT HEADED TO FLORIDA
A seaweed belt that is 5,000 miles long is making its way to the shores of south Florida. The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has been gradually traveling from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. Sargassum is a type of seaweed that's brown and leafy and has what looks like little berries dangling from it. It only becomes a problem when it starts decomposing, because it releases ammonia and hydrogen sulfide that creates a smell similar to rotten eggs.
GRINDR FIGHTS HIV
Grindr is taking more steps to slow the spread of HIV. The popular LGBTQ-plus dating app is distributing free at-home HIV tests to users in the U.S. The app is partnering with the CDC as a part of a new public health initiative called the "together take me home" campaign. To order your test, all you have to do is go to the app's main menu; look for the "free HIV home test" button; put in your info and wait for the test kit to arrive in the mail. The kit itself works by swabbing the gums and takes about 20 minutes to get results.
ADDERALL SHORTAGE
A new report says that the ongoing nationwide shortage of ADHD medication Adderall could pose a national security risk. The report from Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee states that new drug shortages increased 30 percent in 2022 from 2021. The shortages are a result of economic factors such as supply chain troubles and over reliance on foreign sources, according to the report. The report highlighted how many drug manufacturers moved overseas in the last several decades because foreign governments offer tax incentives and have lighter regulations.
An internet outage on Monday morning highlights the reliance on Amazon's cloud services. This incident reveals vulnerabilities in the concentrated system. Cloud computing allows companies to rent Amazon's infrastructure instead of building their own. Amazon leads the market, followed by Google and Microsoft. The outage originated in Northern Virginia, the biggest and oldest cloud hub in the U.S. This region handles significantly more data than other hubs. Despite the idea of spreading workloads, many rely on this single hub. The demand for computing power, especially for AI, is driving a construction boom for data centers.
Ashley Fieglein Johnson, CFO & President at Planet, joins us to share the story behind the Owl launch—and how strategy, tech, and vision are fueling liftoff.
OpenAI has announced that ChatGPT will soon engage in "erotica for verified adults." CEO Sam Altman says the company aims to allow more user freedom for adults while setting limits for teens. OpenAI isn't the first to explore sexualized AI, but previous attempts have faced legal and societal challenges. Altman believes OpenAI isn't the "moral police" and wants to differentiate content similar to how Hollywood differentiates R-rated movies. This move could help OpenAI, which is losing money, turn a profit. However, experts express concerns about the impact on real-world relationships and the potential for misuse.
Ten philanthropic foundations are committing $500 million across the next five years to place human interests at the forefront of artificial intelligence's rapid integration into daily life.
