The Shift Register - Technology News for Nerds and IT Professionals

Editorial

Welcome Aboard

...This is the first issue of our newsletter. I've spent literally years collecting news, information, and research from various sources in order to help me prepare for the future working in technology fields. Here, you get the benefit of that experience to bring you impactful information about the latest emerging and future technologies that will change the pace of our businesses and perhaps even the face of our planet. I'll even offer a few of my own insights in the form of original articles and inputs on many of the linked articles.

AI

Simulated Workers: Ethical Considerations for AI

AI hype is at it’s peak. Multiple companies state they are ever so close to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) or it’s scarier cousin, Super Intelligence (SI). What about the ethical considerations of using AI in the workplace for ALL your workers, even the AI ones?

FutureHouse releases AI tools it claims can accelerate science | TechCrunch

FutureHouse, a nonprofit backed by Eric Schmidt, has released a collection of AI tools it claims can accelerate science.

My take is that the trend of throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks just got a serious upgrade in iterative speeds. Insight and discovery will be supplanted by sheer quantity of experimental designs and tests for new discoveries.

24 Best AI Tools for Boosting Your Productivity in 2025

In this article, I'm going to introduce you to the 24 best AI tools you should be using in 2025. These tools aren't just for tech gurus; they're for anyone looking to streamline their work, enhance creativity, and maybe even learn something new along the way.

My take is that these tool sets will continue to emerge and should find use in your own environments where appropriate. Have fun.

AI-Fueled Spiritual Delusions Are Destroying Human Relationships

Marriages and families are falling apart as people are sucked into fantasy worlds of spiritual prophecy by AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT.

My take is that misuse of technology will continue to create human social repercussions. Violent video games desensitizing our youth, rampant pornography creating sexual dysfunction, high screen use times creating a generation with no social skills, online criminal marketplaces, and the list goes on with AI being no different. Families need to pay close attention to what their family members are doing and help them stay inside some acceptable norms. Governments need to regulate and enforce rules about what is or isn't proper use as agreed by the voters.

Emerging Tech

For the first time ever, researchers demonstrate quantum teleportation over fiber-optic cables

Scientists are working to send quantum information through existing fiber networks. This shift could save billions in infrastructure costs.

My take is that this substantially reduces costs for future quantum networks permitting most existing infrastructure to handle quantum work loads.

The Strange Secret Behind These Semiconductors That Seemingly Defy Physics

The mechanism that stabilizes new ferroelectric semiconductors also creates a conductive pathway, which could make them suitable for use in high-power transistors.

My take is that this technology has some limited applications in high power RF gear and high frequency systems, but would make things like RADAR return analysis possible without pre-processing or conversion to intermediate power and frequency levels. I.E. fewer parts and steps in signal processing. Possibly a weight savings for complex avionics and space based electronics and possibly lower costs for control systems requiring fewer components.

Quantum 'miracle material' can store information in a single dimension thanks to newly discovered magnetic switching

Scientists have developed a method for storing quantum information in a single dimension, thereby reducing decoherence, using chromium sulfide bromide.

My take is that this could provide a very compact storage mechanism, but isn't particularly persuasive in terms of future, compact storage options. Just one to add to the list for now.

Unique molecule may lead to smaller, more efficient computers

Today, most of us carry a fairly powerful computer in our hand—a smartphone. But computers weren't always so portable. Since the 1980s, they have become smaller, lighter, and better equipped to store and process vast troves of data. Yet the silicon chips that power computers can only get so small.

My take is that we've been at a virtual stand still with Moore's law having failed over the past decade in terms of silicon computer chips. Hopefully, this or some other relevant option can make it into our hardware chains soon.

Layer-spintronics makes its debut – Physics World

A new all-electrical way of controlling spin-polarized currents has been developed by researchers at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). By using bilayers of recently-discovered materials known as altermagnets, the researchers developed a tuneable and magnetic-free alternative to current approaches – something they say could bring spintronics closer to real-world applications.

My take is that I've been HEARING about spintronics since the late 1980s with very few practical applications. This is yet another step in the right direction for making spintronics a viable alternative to electronics, but there are still a number of things left to get us there.

MIT engineers advance toward a fault-tolerant quantum computer | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT researchers demonstrated extremely strong nonlinear light-matter coupling in a quantum circuit. Stronger coupling enables faster quantum readout and operations, ultimately improving the accuracy of quantum operations.

My take is that this is very very far from the fast multi-qubit CPU we need to make quantum computing an everyday reality.

News

With 'Hey Meta,' Ray-Ban Wearers Will Unlock All-New AI Abilities — and Privacy Concerns

The Meta smart glasses from Ray-Ban will soon be able to hold conversations about exactly what you're seeing or hearing.

My take is, "Great! Now we can have our lives narrated by AI". Not sure how useful that would be, but I can see folk talking to no one far more frequently than they do with earbuds alone or those random unhoused folk that don't need any tech to talk to no one. Personally, I'd prefer a more private interaction with low observable tech in public.

New quantum theory of gravity brings long-sought 'theory of everything' a crucial step closer

At long last, a unified theory combining gravity with the other fundamental forces—electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces—is within reach. Bringing gravity into the fold has been the goal of generations of physicists, who have struggled to reconcile the incompatibility of two cornerstones of modern physics: quantum field theory and Einstein's theory of gravity.

My take is that they are still throwing models at the wall for observational confirmation and testing. We're definitely missing something and maybe this brings us closer to the truth.

Spacetop Launches Windows App to Turn Laptops into Large AR Workspaces

Late last year, Sightful announced it was cancelling its unique laptop with built-in AR glasses, instead pivoting to build a version of its AR workspace software for Windows. Now the company has released Spacetop for Windows, which lets you transform your environment into a private virtual display for productivity on the go.

My take is that this app is pretty close to what I want in a private display system, but the hardware is still too heavy. As a guy who only started wearing glasses in his late 40s, I'm not putting anything on my face that weighs more than 12 grams for any timeframe over an hour.

US DoJ wants Google to sell two of its ad products | TechCrunch

The U.S. Department of Justice is proposing that Google sell two of its advertising products to restore competition in the ad tech space.

My take is that AT&T is now more than twice the size of it's pre-1980 break up size and Microsoft is another huge monopoly. Google is just one of the giant companies that need to be broken up. I hope we get some traction in this area especially with media companies.

Robotics

Can a social robot named Ryan help older people feel less lonely?

The robot is designed to be entertaining and educational, but more importantly, it’s programmed to respond to people’s emotions.

My take is that something like these will be adopted institutionally by retirement home operators to help reduce manpower costs while helping to keep tenants engaged. A similar tool for autistic kids recently failed, so not sure this makes the cut either, but something to keep an eye on as we've way more old folks than autistic kids.

Why the humanoid workforce is running late

Humanoid hype is dividing frenzied investors from skeptical roboticists, with reporters caught in between.

My take is that there are some awesome new humanoid robots out there, but the market is unknown and as yet infirm. We're a long way from Rosey the robot of the Jetsons performing household chores unsupervised. You can buy a Figure AI robot and talk it through some tasks successfully, but only if you have a ton of money and a lot of free time. Roomba isn't being replaced just yet.

Security

Weekly Security Roundup

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 28th April, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) experienced a cyber-attack that caused disruptions to its online order system and in-store contactless payments. The company suspended online orders temporarily, refunded some customers, and reported […]

Microsoft cracks down on bulk email with strict new Outlook rules

I’ve got some bad news for you, email administrators -- your Monday may be getting a lot worse. You see, starting today, Microsoft has officially begun rejecting high-volume emails that don’t meet its new authentication rules.

My take is that it's about time. I've adopted these standards as each became available and we've a 100% DMARC reject policy for anything that fails SPF or DKIM leaving our organization. This makes spoofing one of our user addresses more than just a little difficult for the SPAMmers and hackers out there.

10 passkey survival tips: Prepare for your passwordless future now | ZDNET

Although passkeys remain an evolving ecosystem, we'd be wise to embrace tomorrow's authentication standard today. Here are ZDNET's 10 recommendations for reaching passkey paradise.

My take is that as long as you aren't using a biometric based passkey, this is a good way to lose all your passwords.