🛡️ Ad-Blockers: Game Over?

��️ A New API to End Ad-Blocking on the Web

Google is trying to make ad-blocking near impossible.

Google has put forth a proposal known as the "Web Environment Integrity Explainer" to boost trust and security on the web.

The proposal aims to make ad-blocking a thing of the past by introducing a new API that allows websites to request a token, providing evidence about the client code's environment.

Google engineers argue that websites funded by ads require proof that their users are human and not bots, social websites need to differentiate between real user engagement and fake engagement, and users playing online games want assurance that other players are adhering to the game's rules.

While it sounds clever, critics argue that the pursuit of trust may cost us our privacy. The new API could also be used to manipulate user behavior on the web, sparking worries about net neutrality and the web’s openness.

📦 Amazon Aims to Double Same-Day Facilities

Amazon is on a mission to deliver your stuff in a flash.

Amazon is planning to double its number of same-day delivery facilities in the coming years.

The company has already dropped off more than 1.8 billion packages in the same or next day to US Amazon Prime members this year, almost four times the amount of same or next-day deliveries it made over the same time period in 2019.

Amazon has also shrunk the distance between its delivery sites and customers by 15%, making deliveries faster and cheaper.

But more same-day delivery sites could also mean more work and stress for drivers, who already have a tough job. Amazon says that it won’t sacrifice the safety of its workers for speed.

So buckle up for even quicker deliveries from Amazon, but let’s hope they don’t burn out their drivers!

🏭 The First US Nuclear Reactor Built from Scratch in Decades

Plant Vogtle Unit 3, a nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Georgia, has finally started powering up the Southeast US.

The project took over a decade to finish and faced many hurdles.

When construction began in 2009, the project was intended to be completed by 2016, but the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima plant in Japan in 2011 derailed America’s own nuclear future.

Of the 12 reactors that were planned, only four remained in development, with Plant Vogtle Unit 3 being the first to cross the finish line. The original $14 billion budget for the reactors has also blown up to over $30 billion.

Over half of Georgia’s energy will now be carbon-free, with nuclear taking the lion’s share. So Georgia is rocking the carbon-free energy game!

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