{"id":19016,"date":"2026-03-04T13:40:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T13:40:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/04\/the-download-earths-rumblings-and-ai-for-strikes-on-iran\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T13:40:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T13:40:50","slug":"the-download-earths-rumblings-and-ai-for-strikes-on-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/04\/the-download-earths-rumblings-and-ai-for-strikes-on-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: Earth\u2019s rumblings, and AI for strikes on Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This is today\u2019s edition of <\/em>The Download<\/em><\/a>, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what\u2019s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen to Earth\u2019s rumbling, secret soundtrack<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The boom of a calving glacier. The crackling rumble of a wildfire. The roar of a surging storm front. They\u2019re the noises of the living Earth, but as loud as all these things are, they emit even more acoustic energy below the threshold of human hearing, at frequencies of 20 hertz or lower.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

These \u201cinfrasounds\u201d have such long wavelengths that they can travel around the globe as churning emanations of distant events. But humans have never been able to hear them. Until now.\u00a0Read our story and check the sounds out for yourself<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Monique Brouillette<\/em><\/p>\n

This story is from the latest March\/April issue of our print magazine, all about crime.\u00a0Subscribe today<\/a>\u00a0to get full access. You\u2019ll also receive an in-depth digital AI report and an exclusive e-book on how to understand AI\u2019s reckoning.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

MIT Technology Review Narrated: The curious case of the disappearing Lamborghinis\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A new wave of theft is rocking the luxury car industry\u2014mixing high tech with old-school chop-shop techniques to snag vehicles while they\u2019re in transport.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s remained under the radar, even as it\u2019s rocked the industry over the past two years. MIT Technology Review identified more than a dozen cases involving high-end vehicles, obtained court records, and spoke to law enforcement, brokers, drivers, and victims in multiple states to reveal how transport fraud is wreaking havoc across the country.<\/p>\n

This is our latest\u00a0story<\/a>\u00a0to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which we\u2019re publishing each week on\u00a0Spotify<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Apple Podcasts<\/a>. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it\u2019s released.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The must-reads<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

1 How Anthropic\u2019s AI tool Claude is being used for US strikes on Iran<\/strong>
It\u2019s helping to identify targets and prioritize them\u2014for now. (WP<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0We should all be alarmed by the White House turning on Anthropic.<\/em>\u00a0(The Atlantic<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0OpenAI is pursuing a contract with NATO.<\/em>\u00a0(Reuters<\/a>)<\/p>\n

2 Iran\u2019s Shahed drones give it a major advantage<\/strong>
They\u2019re cheap and easy to manufacture, but very expensive to intercept. (CNBC<\/a>)
+\u00a0The US is manufacturing copies of the drone to use against Iran.<\/em>\u00a0(New Scientist<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0Israel\u2019s plot to kill Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was years in the making.<\/em>\u00a0(FT<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n

3 Data center politics are getting an early test in North Carolina<\/strong>
One of the candidates is calling for a 10-year national moratorium on building them. (The Guardian<\/a>)
+\u00a0But it\u2019s not just data centers that are driving people\u2019s electricity bills up.<\/em>\u00a0(Inside Climate News<\/a>)
+\u00a0Data centers are amazing. Everyone hates them.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)
+\u00a0Never mind space\u2014why not just build them into floating offshore wind turbines?<\/em>\u00a0(IEEE Spectrum<\/a>)<\/p>\n

4 LLMs can unmask pseudonymous users\u00a0<\/strong>
At a speed and scale far beyond what even skilled human investigators can manage. (Ars Technica<\/a>)
+\u00a0It\u2019s also very easy to persuade them to fabricate scientific papers.<\/em>\u00a0(Nature<\/a>\u00a0$)<\/p>\n

5 TikTok has ruled out end-to-end encryption, citing user safety<\/strong>
It\u2019s a stance that sets it apart from almost all rival social media services. (BBC<\/a>)
+ The strategy will please parents, police\u2014and hackers.<\/em>\u00a0(Cybernews<\/a>)
+\u00a0TikTok is experiencing Oracle-related server issues, again.<\/em>\u00a0(Gizmodo<\/a>)<\/p>\n

6 Why is SpaceX going public?<\/strong>
One thing seems certain: it\u2019s not for the reasons Musk\u2019s claiming. (The Verge<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0Two companies have just unveiled plans to build lunar harvesters<\/em>. (Ars Technica<\/a>)<\/p>\n

7 NASA\u2019s scheduled its next attempt to launch the Artemis II moon rocket\u00a0<\/strong>
On April Fool\u2019s Day, of all days. Good luck! (Space<\/a>)<\/p>\n

8 What it\u2019s like to live with a brain implant for years\u00a0<\/strong>\"\ud83e\udde0\"
For 65-year-old Rodney Gorham, who can no longer walk, talk, or move his hands, it\u2019s been a real lifeline. (Wired<\/a>\u00a0$)
+\u00a0This patient\u2019s Neuralink brain implant is getting a boost from generative AI.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

9 Pok\u00e9mon Pokopia is getting rave reviews<\/strong>
It apparently mixes Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, with a hint of Minecraft-style building. (BBC<\/a>)<\/p>\n

10. Hollywood is scouring YouTube for its next horror hits\u00a0<\/strong>\"\ud83d\udd2a\"
Movie studios want to bring the threat from the platform in-house. (The New Yorker<\/a>\u00a0$)
+ One YouTuber\u2019s self-financed horror flick opened at 4,000 theatres.<\/em>\u00a0(Variety<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it just looked opportunistic and sloppy.\u201d<\/h2>\n

\u2014OpenAI CEO Sam Altman comments on\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0about his decision to rush in to work with the US Department of War after its talks with Anthropic fell apart.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One More Thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"May\/June<\/figure>\n

<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Crypto millionaires are pouring money into Central America to build their own cities<\/strong><\/p>\n

El Salvador\u2019s Conchagua Volcano, home to a lush ecotourism retreat amid its sun-dappled forest, is set to host a glittering new Bitcoin City, according to the country\u2019s president.<\/p>\n

While some politicians and residents believe in crypto\u2019s potential to jump-start the economy, others see history repeating itself. They also question who these projects are really for, and whether the countries serving as test beds will truly benefit.\u00a0Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Laurie Clarke<\/em><\/p>\n

We can still have nice things<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas?\u00a0<\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/em>skeet \u2019em at me<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

+ Art is everywhere in\u00a0Los Angeles<\/a>: you just need to know what you\u2019re looking for.
+ Survivor has been running for 50 seasons.\u00a0How is that even possible<\/a>?!
+\u00a0MP3 players<\/a>\u00a0are cool again. I don\u2019t make the rules.
+ Be careful out there\u2014you never know when you\u2019re going to come across a\u00a0Homer Simpson AI cover song<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is today\u2019s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[226],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19016\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}