Australian Open Extends Tournament Duration to Reduce Late Finishes
The Australian Open will be extended to a 15-day event starting in 2024 to reduce the number of late night matches. Scheduling changes include having a minimum of just 2 day matches on main courts instead of 3.
Key Facts & Points
- Tournament will now start on a Sunday and last 15 days instead of 14.
- Minimum of just 2 day matches on Rod Laver and Margaret Court arenas instead of 3.
- Night sessions still minimum 2 matches but fewer day matches should prevent late finishes.
- In 2022, Murray didn't finish a match until 4am and got only 3 hours sleep.
Zone One Becomes a Vibrant Cultural Hub as Offices Empty
As offices and stores in London's Zone One empty due to remote work and the pandemic, the area is being transformed into a vibrant cultural hub with food markets, pop-up events, and more.
Key Facts & Points
- 60 Gherkin's worth of office space lies abandoned in Zone One.
- Some offices are becoming hotels, like Premier Inn acquiring two former office blocks.
- Flagship stores like Topshop have closed, leaving prime retail spaces empty.
- Successful cultural hubs in Zone Two like Netil House could be models for Zone One.
- Food markets, cocktail bars, and mini golf venues are creeping in from surrounding areas.
The Gender Gap in AI Investment
A new report found that female-founded AI startups received only 2% of UK funding deals over the past decade, raising significantly less than all-male teams. This highlights the urgent need to improve gender balance in AI investment.
Key Facts & Points
- Female-founded AI startups got just 2% of UK deals and raised £1.3m per deal vs £8.6m for all-male teams.
- AI investment is exploding, expected to reach $200bn globally by 2025.
- Lack of diversity in VC funding shapes the biased technologies developed.
- Recommendations include improving VC recruitment, monitoring investments, and diversifying the ecosystem.
Teenage Founders Automate Browser Workflows with AI Assistant Induced
Two teenagers founded Induced AI, an AI startup that converts English instructions into code to automate complex browser-based workflows. It raised $2.3 million from investors including Sam Altman and SignalFire.
Key Facts & Points
- Induced AI spins up browser instances to interact with websites like a human to complete workflow steps.
- It eliminates manual tagging and can handle complex flows like 2FA and file downloads.
- The founders are 18 and 19 years old. Investors include Sam Altman, SignalFire, and Balaji Srinivasan.
- Induced AI has signed small and mid-sized customers for onboarding and other workflows.
Examining the Ultrafast Motion of Electrons Through Light Pulses
The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Pierre Agostini, Anne L'Huillier, and Ferenc Krausz for their work in generating and using ultrashort pulses of light to examine the motion of electrons within atoms.
Key Facts & Points
- The laureates developed techniques to produce light pulses lasting only attoseconds, allowing unprecedented views of electron dynamics.
- Attosecond pulses act like a high-speed shutter to capture electrons in motion.
- This research enables more detailed electron microscopy and electronics.
- L'Huillier is only the fifth woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.