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The Biggest Discoveries in Computer Science in 2022

As computer scientists tackle a greater range of problems, their work has grown increasingly interdisciplinary. This year, many of the most significant computer science results also involved other scientists and mathematicians. Perhaps the most practical involved the cryptographic questions underlying the security of the internet, which tend to be complicated mathematical problems. One such problem — the product of two elliptic curves and their relation to an abelian surface — ended up bringing down a promising new cryptography scheme that was thought to be strong enough to withstand an attack from a quantum computer. And a different set of mathematical relationships, in the form of one-way functions, will tell cryptographers if truly secure codes are even possible.

Computer science, and quantum computing in particular, also heavily overlaps with physics. In one of the biggest developments in theoretical computer science this year, researchers posted a proof of the NLTS conjecture, which (among other things) states that a ghostly connection between particles known as quantum entanglement is not as delicate as physicists once imagined. This has implications not just for our understanding of the physical world, but also for the myriad cryptographic possibilities that entanglement makes possible.

Quora launches Poe, a way to talk to AI chatbots like ChatGPT

Signaling its interest in text-generating AI systems like ChatGPT, Quora this week launched a platform called Poe that lets people ask questions, get instant answers and have a back-and-forth dialogue with AI chatbots.

Short for “Platform for Open Exploration,” Poe — which is invite-only and currently only available on iOS — is “designed to be a place where people can easily interact with a number of different AI agents,” a Quora spokesperson told TechCrunch via text message.

“We have learned a lot about building consumer internet products over the last 12 years building and operating Quora. And we are specifically experienced in serving people who are looking for knowledge,” the spokesperson said. “We believe much of what we’ve learned can be applied to this new domain where people are interfacing with large language models.”

Elon Musk’s Starlink has 1M active subscribers globally amid expansion

An interesting thing is happening at SpaceX. Last year they did $2 billion in revenue and Elon had mentioned that at most they could do $3 billion/year in revenue launching stuff for others.

But SpaceX has now exceeded one million subscribers for Starlink which equals to about $2 billion/year in additional revenue. So it is likely that next year that the majority of SpaceX’s revenue will be coming from Starlink even though SpaceX is launching more stuff for customers than ever before.

Starlink’s revenue should also skyrocket once Starship is able to launch Starlink 2.0 satellites which will happen at some point next year.


Elon Musk’s SpaceX announced that its Starlink satellite internet service provider has over a million active subscribers.

‘Starlink now has more than 1,000,000 active subscribers — thank you to all customers and members of the Starlink team who contributed to this milestone,’ the official SpaceX Twitter account wrote on Monday.

The news comes at the end of a year in which the service, which provides low-latency, high-speed internet at an affordable cost — often to remote areas without existing WiFi-has expanded to yachts, cruise ships and RVs.

Virtual reality can work for those with one functional eye

Modern-day headsets and apps could be the key.

Virtual reality (VR) may soon be the way we use the internet. There are misconceptions about who can and cannot use the technology. Trying out headsets and apps is a great way to know if the technology suits your needs.

If you or someone you know only has one functional eye, and this has been keeping you away from exploring the world of virtual reality, then here’s a little surprise for you. VR experiences are not majorly affected if you do not use both of your eyes.


Thinkhubstudio/iStock.

We know this because users with two functional eyes have experimented with using VR with one eye and have found little that is different in their experience. There are many VR enthusiasts who vouch for this, and you can rest assured that you or a dear one can enjoy the experience too.

SpaceX may launch Gen 2 Starlink satellites by the end of the month

According to an FCC filing earlier this month, SpaceX are looking to get permission to launch the next generation of its Starlink satellites very soon.

A filing with the FCC suggests that SpaceX hopes to launch a new Starlink broadband satellite system soon. This could help the company keep up with the increase in demand.

The company wants to connect current user terminals to upcoming satellites in geosynchronous orbit (NGSO) and needs a special temporary authorization (STA) from the FCC for 60 days. If granted, SpaceX could begin providing Gen 2 services while the FCC investigates its request for longer-term authority.

ChatGPT: AI at its Best…!!

Created by OpenAI, ChatGPT is the latest artificial intelligence technology to hit the market, and it’s making waves in the tech community. This new software is designed to help you communicate with others using natural language processing. In other words, ChatGPT can understand the human conversation and respond accordingly.

ChatGPT is a very advanced chatbot that has the potential to make people’s lives easier and to assist with everyday tedious tasks, such as writing an email or having to navigate the web for answers.

This makes it perfect for customer service, sales, or any other profession that requires human interaction. If you’re looking for a way to improve your communication skills, ChatGPT is definitely worth checking out. In this blog post, we’ll explore how ChatGPT works and some of the benefits of using this AI technology.

Signal processing algorithms improve turbulence in free-space optic tests

New signal-processing algorithms have been shown to mitigate the impact of turbulence in free-space optical experiments, potentially bringing “free space” internet a step closer to reality.

The team of researchers, from Aston University’s Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies and Glasgow University, used commercially available photonic lanterns, a commercial transponder, and a to emulate turbulence. By applying a successive interference cancelation algorithm, they achieved record results.

The findings are published in the Journal of Lightwave Technology.

The text-to-image revolution, explained

How programmers turned the internet into a paintbrush. DALL-E 2, Midjourney, Imagen, explained.

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Beginning in January 2021, advances in AI research have produced a plethora of deep-learning models capable of generating original images from simple text prompts, effectively extending the human imagination. Researchers at OpenAI, Google, Facebook, and others have developed text-to-image tools that they have not yet released to the public, and similar models have proliferated online in the open-source arena and at smaller companies like Midjourney.

These tools represent a massive cultural shift because they remove the requirement for technical labor from the process of image-making. Instead, they select for creative ideation, skillful use of language, and curatorial taste. The ultimate consequences are difficult to predict, but — like the invention of the camera, and the digital camera thereafter — these algorithms herald a new, democratized form of expression that will commence another explosion in the volume of imagery produced by humans. But, like other automated systems trained on historical data and internet images, they also come with risks that have not been resolved.

The video above is a primer on how we got here, how this technology works, and some of the implications. And for an extended discussion about what this means for human artists, designers, and illustrators, check out this bonus video: https://youtu.be/sFBfrZ-N3G4

Midjourney: www.midjourney.com.

Microsoft and Viasat partner to expand global connectivity access

TAMPA, Fla. — Microsoft said Dec. 14 it is partnering with satellite operator Viasat to find solutions for bringing internet access to 10 million unserved or underserved people within three years.

Viasat is the first satellite operator to join Microsoft’s Airband initiative, which aims to deliver connectivity to a quarter of a billion people by the end of 2025 through a mix of technologies.

Microsoft set up Airband in 2017 and said the initiative had enabled high-speed internet access for more than 51 million people globally — about 20% of its goal.