Good morning readers. Move over space travel, there's a new billionaire playground in town: The Rejuvenation Olympics. Created by tech magnate Bryan Johnson, it’s a leaderboard race, not to the Moon, but against the clock—literally. Contestants vie to slow down their aging rate, testing who can be the real-life Benjamin Button. From DJ Steve Aoki to biohacker Ben Greenfield, competitors harness everything from blood transfusions to bizarre diets. Let’s be clear, they're not actually going back in time; they're just trying not to go forward too quickly. So while we ordinary folks are celebrating birthdays, Silicon Valley's elite are celebrating... not having them?

Let’s jump into today’s storylines.

In today’s digest:

• The WGA strike's ripple effect on TV talk shows

• Headline Hustle: Trudeau’s bold tiff with India, digital doppelgängers, Microsoft’s “oops” moment

• How AI is revolutionizing cancer diagnosis

• Pulse Points: What’s Trending

MEDIA

Between the lines: TV's power play amid the WGA strike

Lights, camera... wait, where’s the action? Big names in the TV world like Drew Barrymore and Bill Maher, have decided to hit the pause button on their show comebacks amidst the lingering writers’ strike. Barrymore, whose “I'm sorry” post on Instagram could've been an Emmy contender, shelved her show’s return while she waits for the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the industry to hug it out. Meanwhile, Bill Maher ditched his plans for a writer-less "Real Time," especially with a whisper of peace talks in the air as of late.

This isn’t just a backyard Hollywood affair

It's shaping the entertainment world, showing the strength of union members and their cheering crowd. Even the big shots like Netflix, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery are tuning in as the WGA plans a pow-wow to chat next steps. Shows like CBS’s “The Talk” and “The Jennifer Hudson Show” are also playing the waiting game while talks continue.

Remember Barrymore’s New York taping of her show? Yep, she got the classic picket-line welcome and a cold shoulder from the National Book Awards. But she did drop the MTV movie awards mic, supporting the strike in the end.

The bottom line. The WGA, boasting 11,500 screen writers, is holding out for better deals, seeking more dough, enhanced residuals, and some AI safeguards. Because let's face it, while AI might draft a script or two, it surely can't spin a story quite like this. As Hollywood watches the negotiations, one thing's clear: the real drama isn’t always on screen. Curtain call, anyone?

Headline Hustle

🌍 Trudeau’s bold tiff with India. Justin Trudeau's latest presser sounds like a screenplay from a spy film: a Sikh leader's murder in a temple parking lot, suspicions of foreign interference, and darkened ties between two usually buddy-buddy nations, Canada and India. Trudeau doesn't mince words, expressing major concerns about India's potential role in the crime. While the story unravels, ties have chilled, trade talks are on ice, and diplomats face expulsions.

🖥️ Digital doppelgängers. Imagine a world where hackers don't just steal data, but become you. North Korean unit APT43 did just that to Jenny Town, a leading North Korea expert. Using her digital shadow, they chatted up academics, gathered intel, and when confronted? One clone played it cool, cheekily blaming "NK hackers" and even tossing in an apology. It's the cyber-espionage equivalent of "the dog ate my homework". Welcome to spying 2.0, where hackers have both nerve and a sense of humor.

📂 Microsoft’s “oops” moment. Microsoft's AI researchers gave a bigger "open-source" surprise than intended by making a whopping 38 terabytes of 'not-so-public' data on GitHub, public. In the mix: private keys, passwords, and a peek into the digital diaries of two MS employees. Over 30k inside chats from Microsoft Teams made a cameo too. The culprits? Shared access signature tokens with "come on in, the water's fine" permissions. While Microsoft tidied up after the reveal, it reminds us of that age-old wisdom: always double-check before hitting 'share'.

TECH

When microscopes meet machine learning

In the dimly lit corners of a VA hospital in Seattle, pathologists found an unlikely ally in a dispute about a cancer diagnosis: an AI-powered microscope. Born out of a collaboration between Google and the Department of Defense, this Augmented Reality Microscope (ARM) does more than what meets the eye. Think of it as a microscope on steroids. The real game-changer is its potential to provide a digital second opinion in diagnosing critical diseases.

Despite its look—uncannily similar to what you'd see in Biology 101—this isn't your teacher's microscope. Beyond its nostalgic exterior, the ARM delineates cancers with vibrant outlines, generating heat maps that show disease boundaries. And fear not traditionalists, this tool won’t toss out time-honored techniques. Instead, it complements them, serving up vital screen grabs without the need for pricier digital storage systems.

But this isn’t just a flashy tech story. The real tale is one of potential. As pathologists face mounting pressures from aging populations and workforce shortages, ARM is being envisioned as a trusty sidekick in this medical saga—especially in remote settings. However, while early results are promising, experts caution it’s not yet ready for the primetime. For now though, the fusion of classic microscopy and AI paints a vivid picture of a promising future.

SNIPPETS

Pulse Points

You might have to pay to use Twitter. Elon Musk teases a potential pay-to-play future for the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Tesla, Saudi Arabia in early talks for EV factory. Saudi Arabia might soon be saying 'Marhaba' to Tesla for a swanky new manufacturing hub, as the oil-rich nation shifts gears towards securing EV metals and weaning off its petroleum passion.

Global leaders meet for UN summit. New York's playing host to the world's top brass this week, as leaders swap their usual offices for the UN's annual 'high-level' meeting.

Dayton's skyline set for electric air taxis by 2025. Dayton, Ohio is about to soar with Joby Aviation's electric ambitions, as they drop a cool $500 million for a futuristic factory, aiming to have us hailing air taxis by 2025.

Katy Perry sells catalog to litmus music. Katy Perry's hit parade is getting a new manager. Litmus Music, backed by big-shot investors Carlyle Group, just bagged the pop icon's entire catalog.

Was this email forwarded to you? Feel free to sign up using the following link: https://www.pulseofprogress.info/