A credit card by influencers, for influencers [Wired]
Are you a mega-influencer with millions of followers making millions of dollars a year but being shunned from the traditional banking system? Financial services start-up Karat could be your solution. The Karat Black Card is specifically designed for influencers who generally operate outside of the traditional workforce that is recognised by banks. Credit lines start at $50,000 and they include customizable perks like cash-back on streaming services or product purchases. The more followers you have, the higher your card limit, while each platform has its own metrics. For example, having 1 million followers on YouTube is more valuable than 10 million on TikTok. A similar start-up, Brex, reached unicorn status within a year, so we’ll see how quickly Karat reaches such influential heights.
I’ll have my steak medium rare printed [Reuters]
Alternative sources to meat have been getting more and more popular, but what if you could 3D-print your steak at home just the way you like it? An Israeli company is developing a 3D-printing machine that can print the same texture as a steak, at a speed of 20kg per hour. They are first targeting high-end restaurants in Europe but want to roll it out to individual customers by next year. Another company also developed 3D-printed pork chops, texture and all, when the demand couldn’t be met because of COVID-19 supply issues. Who knew 3D-printing would allow you to have your very own butcher in-house?
The heat is on… camera [The New York Times]
Infrared cameras are often being cited as a potential as we move out of confinement while still living with the threat of COVID-19. The cameras can scan large crowds for anyone with a fever, targeting people with potential symptoms of the disease early on. But this comes with a couple of caveats. Firstly, fever is only one of the symptoms of COVID-19 and tends to manifest a couple of days after contagion. Secondly, the cameras are not always accurate: measuring temperature is difficult because it depends on the distance between camera and person, general temperature, environment, etc… So, it might end up creating a false sense of security. Taking your own precautions to help stop the spread of the virus is still the best way to fight COVID-19!
Even engineers can work from home [Wired]
Tiny defects on the manufacturing line can end up causing major problems when the device hits the markets. Product inspections and quality-control used to require engineers to go to their client’s factories or edit hand-coded rules, but not anymore. An AI-based camera system came to the rescue to solve one of the biggest problems in manufacturing: identify where the problem occurs throughout the production line before the product is finished. Manufacturing lines are outfitted with cameras that analyse images using AI software to detect and solve quality-control problems. The AI technology is trained on how the product should look like and detects defects and misplaced parts. Good news for all the engineers out there: you can work remotely!
In case you haven’t had enough…
Let’s stop COVID-19 from undoing diversity gains (TechCrunch)
Facebook and Instagram will remind people to wear face masks (The Verge)
Goodbye to the Wild Wild Web (The New York Times)
Automated rideables roll at Tokyo airport in social distancing play (Reuters)