Elon Musk offered teen $5k to stop tracking him

Quantum computers with one million times the strength are needed to crack Bitcoin; A robot performed surgery on pigs without human help Jan 28, 2022 [View in browser]( Good morning to the STAR robot that pulled off a delicate surgical procedure on a pig without human help for the first time. For now, it'll merely continue to assist human surgeons, rather than replace them. Speaking of technological mutiny, Elon Musk is not happy about a Twitter account that's tracking his private jet, and he called it a "security risk". He's even offered the teen owner $5,000 to delete his account. Meanwhile, a new study explores whether quantum computers could crack the blockchain cryptography that underpins Bitcoin, but the answer is tenuous. This is The Blueprint. Keep reading. HEALTH [A Robot Performed Soft-Tissue Surgery on Pigs. Without Human Help?]( [Courtesy of Axel Krieger and Jin Kang.]( Would you be willing to lie under the scalpel of a robot operating without the guiding hand of a human? You should think about it, since a robot built by a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University [performed surgery on pigs without human help](. - Robot surgeon. The Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot, or STAR, is a vision-guided system built primarily for suturing soft tissue, which is particularly challenging for robots to perform due to its unpredictable nature. A tricky, delicate operation. In the breakthrough trial, STAR joined sections of intestines together inside the abdominal cavities of four live pigs after a section was removed, carrying out 86 stitches in total. And, turns out, it was "significantly better" than humans. The trial could be the first step toward [fully autonomous surgery in humans]( although this goal is likely decades away. [Read More]( CULTURE [A 19-Year-Old Is Tracking Elon Musk's Private Jet. He Offered $5,000 to Stop]( [Elon Musk at Manhattan federal court (left), and a Gulfstream G650 (right).]( Wherever billionaires go, someone is probably watching. This is why the space baron billionaire Elon Musk [messaged the 19-year-old owner of a Twitter account]( that tracks the tech CEO's private jet, offering $5,000 to remove their account. - Called the "Elon Musk's Jet" account on Twitter (@ElonJet), it monitors the movements of the billionaire's private jet via bots that are always monitoring air traffic data. In other words, this is public information, simply reposted to Twitter. A fair counter-offer? Following Musk’s $5,000 offer, the owner of the account made a $50,000 counter-offer. Musk reportedly then said he'd consider it, but as of writing, he had yet to reply either way. And, bizarrely, upon learning that this location data was publicly available, Musk reportedly said [air traffic control is “primitive”]( which could mean he'd prefer to alter the system, rather than adapt. We can only say good luck with that. [Read More]( INNOVATION [Quantum Computers With One Million Times the Strength Are Needed To Crack Bitcoin]( [Quantum computer CPU.]( A new study reveals whether quantum computers [could crack the complex blockchain cryptography]( that makes Bitcoin possible, and the answer is... complicated. - A tall order. Quantum computers could, in theory, crack Bitcoin, but probably not anytime soon, since they would have to be about a million times larger than they are today. So, in practice, cryptocurrency likely won't be at risk from quantum computer-wielding hackers for roughly a decade. For example, IBM's superconducting quantum computer has only 127 qubits, meaning it would have to be a million times larger to hack Bitcoin. However, the company aims to build [a 1,000-qubit quantum computing chip called Condor]( by 2024. The pace of innovation in quantum computing is difficult to predict, but you can bet a whole Bitcoin that hackers will be keeping an eye on the latest developments. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS 2021 was a big year for cryptocurrency, with people's interest rocketing amid Web 3.0. But no one knows what’s next. Do you think that cryptocurrency will prevail? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Yes. It’s the future.]( [No, it’ll be banned worldwide.]( [Probably not. Quantum computer technology worries me.]( [I don’t know. Let’s go back to stocks, and call it a day.]( Yesterday’s Results We asked if you're looking forward to purchasing your first flying car. It’s good to know that the majority of you aren't afraid to fly a car weighing thousands of pounds across cities with millions of people. Yes! I can’t wait to use one. 38% Not really. I prefer the old way. 27% I don’t think they’ll ever take off. 26% I have to beat my fear of heights first. 8% QUOTE OF THE DAY “ One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike — and yet it is the most precious thing we have. ” Albert Einstein, quoted in “Albert Einstein: Creator and Rebel” by Banesh Hoffmann [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Icebreakers: Some of the Toughest Ships in the World]( They can move through ice that’s up to 21 ft (6.4 m) thick. [Icebreakers: Some of the Toughest Ships in the World]( AND ANOTHER THING... - Tesla sold roughly one million cars in 2021. But will its record profits in 2021 [be enough to keep it in the lead]( - Advances in AI and other technology allow machines to be operated remotely. But [the trend could spell trouble for workers](. (WIRED) - In an effort to lift the ban on commercial supersonic flights, NASA has completed the first test of its work on [reducing the noise of the sonic boom](. - This video explores life in one of Canada’s northernmost villages, [where the land is sinking into the sea](. (Aeon) - Could VTOL cargo drones provide same-day shipping to every person on the planet? [One company thinks so]( and it’s secured $1 billion in orders. - Apple [posted record revenue of $123.9 billion]( in the fourth quarter of 2021, an 11 percent gain from a year before as chip shortages did less damage than feared. (Financial Times $) - Let’s explore [the strongest energy discharge on Earth]( Dark lightning. [Share to Win]SHARE TO WIN [All products]( Share The Blueprint! Give your friends deeper insights into engineering and tech, and win exclusive IE swag for free. [Read Details]( Share your link Copy & share your referral link with others. 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