Tech policy editor @spectrum.ieee.org. How has tech changed your day?https://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mvihtobxa22eI approached 25 U.S. tech companies to learn how they were responding to immigration barriers including a proposed $103,625 charge on new H-1B visas and I learned...nothing. Nobody would talk.14 Sep 2026 15:54 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvihtobxa22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mufbhfl3fs2tToday Spain returns from its August vacation. In the middle of that vacation period, the government announced it would delay the shutdown of its 2 GW nuclear turbines at Almaraz by three years, a reversal of its governing pact with a minority partner.31 Aug 2026 15:57 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mufbhfl3fs2thttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mu3nar6c522pHow long can you be a manufacturing leader if you don't invest in R&D? Some folks in the U.S. semiconductor industry are asking that same question, given a recent report by a government watchdog agency on CHIPS Act manufacturing incentives and R&D funding.27 Aug 2026 20:01 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu3nar6c522phttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mt2s2qs3522uThe tech world used to talk a lot about Big Data, but soon moved on Data Science, then AI. Today I'd like to point to a story showing Big Data is still with us, and poor oversight makes it easier than ever for people we should be able to trust to instead invade people's privacy. [contains quote post or other embedded content]14 Aug 2026 18:29 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt2s2qs3522uhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3msxyxfknsc2tJudge's dockets are backed up everywhere, but Pakistan may have one of the most overloaded systems: less than a tenth the judges per capita as the EU, and only a quarter as many as Brazil.13 Aug 2026 15:55 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3msxyxfknsc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3msvx72cgf22uI spent around $1000 on my last laptop, but I sure hope the big hardware makers don't planned-obsolescence me into buying a quantum computer anytime soon, because I recently learned that quantum computers cost tens of millions of dollars PER COMPUTER.12 Aug 2026 20:18 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3msvx72cgf22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3msgej3yqjk2zI've been shocked by the number of recent e-bike/e-moto collisions, including fatalities, in Southern California. Willie Jones has a story for @spectrum.ieee.org on how U.S. states are trying to fit these emerging, powerful vehicles into their traffic regulations.06 Aug 2026 15:34 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3msgej3yqjk2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3msdtgey6sk2xThe U.S. is banning foreign technology in fits and starts on the grounds of national security. Last week the FCC targeted mobile robots and power inverters so robotics editor Evan Ackerman and I gathered reactions from companies in the robotics industry for a story for @spectrum.ieee.org.05 Aug 2026 15:22 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3msdtgey6sk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3msbdi3zaak2hEngineers with their noses to the slide rule--or AI agent interface--may not often think about how to pay for their projects, but their bosses and the people who finance major engineering projects sure do.04 Aug 2026 15:32 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3msbdi3zaak2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mrxc4gcj2c2iHere's a big feature story by my friend and colleague Rachel Berkowitz, crack reporter on physics, Canada, and more. It's about how an Indigenous, rural community built their own fiber optic network to replace the sub-standard Internet offering from Canada's telecom oligopoly.31 Jul 2026 15:41 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrxc4gcj2c2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mrsbdcgnsk2lFor most countries, AI development is not just technologically, but commercially and geopolitically outsourced and out of their control, writes @danicaradovanovic.bsky.social, for @spectrum.ieee.org.29 Jul 2026 15:43 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrsbdcgnsk2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mrg36ocxb22mThere's a lot going on with the U.S. federal government's attempted reforms of science and technology. Grant rule reform, publication fees, international collaborations, the role of universities, and more are seem up for grabs right now. Handy analysis here: [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 Jul 2026 19:21 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrg36ocxb22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mrbfkvgc3c2uBack when I got my private pilot's certificate, civil aviation still used terrestrial radio beacons called VOR and ADB, not the GPS satellite navigation system everyone now uses in your phones and aircraft.22 Jul 2026 22:44 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrbfkvgc3c2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mr3vnhydys2eWhen @andrewmoseman.bsky.social told me about balcony solar rules loosening up in the U.S. he sent me down a rabbit hole. I wanted to figure out whether it was worth getting panels for my home, in Southern California.20 Jul 2026 18:16 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mr3vnhydys2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mqrlohnwik2qSneaking a fishing vessel into the wrong waters is getting trickier thanks to a mix of satellites, required beacons, databases, and emerging analytics. Authorities have ways of remotely tracking and analyzing far more fishing vessels than ever, and can be smarter about enforcement.16 Jul 2026 15:51 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqrlohnwik2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mq343usoz22vNigeria needs more Internet bandwidth, as do many African countries. It has had fiber optic undersea cables for more than two decades, as IEEE Spectrum reported in 2004: spectrum.ieee.org/surf-africa https://spectrum.ieee.org/surf-africa07 Jul 2026 17:13 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq343usoz22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mpqzs3kdzs2lThe semiconductor industry is reaching into universities to speed up product cycles. In an industry that typically built new products on stable timetables, the astounding demand from AI is motivating a nimbler approach and building bridges from early-stage innovation to manufacturing-ready ideas.03 Jul 2026 17:05 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpqzs3kdzs2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mpoohhhrnk2rAs public pressure builds to do something about the harms of social media, regulators are scrambling to figure out what they can do. A former official at the UK's communications regulator has a thoughtful piece in Tech Policy Press this week on what's realistic and what's not. [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 Jul 2026 18:37 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpoohhhrnk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mpgu2qd3ok2t250 years after 13 British colonies declared independence, Guru Madhavan analyzes how they actually engineered their breakaway and sustained it with investments in technology, a crucial alliance, and strategic trade.29 Jun 2026 15:56 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpgu2qd3ok2thttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mp7fc63p7c2lI moved back to the U.S. recently after nearly two decades living in Spain and the U.K. The last few months have been an education in American attitudes towards technology, especially given the scale of this AI boom.26 Jun 2026 16:43 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp7fc63p7c2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mp4ucrmyps2lThe EU is trying to figure out how much independence its tech supply chains need from the U.S. Earlier this month the European Commission proposed a couple of laws and some accompanying policies to promote more tech autonomy there.25 Jun 2026 16:34 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp4ucrmyps2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mp2fsgc7jk2hData centers are queuing up around the U.S. to access the electrical grid. Yet the costs of plugging them in often fall on existing grid users. Now the federal government wants grid operators to find a way to plug in data centers faster without driving up everyone's costs. https://spectrum.ieee.org/ferc-data-center-policy24 Jun 2026 17:09 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp2fsgc7jk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3moimzh6wck2eThe business of music has changed a lot since the surge of digital formats, but one thing is constant: people will fight over royalties. Now that AI is in the mix, training on human music and generating new hybrid music, the industry has a whole new set of intellectual property problems to sort out.17 Jun 2026 15:30 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3moimzh6wck2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mog7voqc4c27Computers in space are nothing new, but data centers in space are rousing all kinds of debates. IEEE Spectrum's own Glenn Zorpette created a data page a while back asking, “How Stupid Would It Be to Put Data Centers in Space?” (https://spectrum.ieee.org/orbital-data-centers)16 Jun 2026 16:30 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mog7voqc4c27https://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3moduqhskek25We are crowdsourcing the Panopticon. Facial recognition tools are changing the longer-term effects of recording police misconduct or other misbehavior in public.15 Jun 2026 18:05 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3moduqhskek25https://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mnzqw373mc27There's a loud debate in the U.S. science world about research budget cuts, larger threatened cuts, slow-walking certain projects, legal fights, and more.11 Jun 2026 17:30 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnzqw373mc27https://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mncy45534c2dAnyone who's ever tried using a GPS in a dense city, a big building, or underground understands that we might need a more universal navigation technology. Hidonix Industries, AstraNav, and others told me all about their answers, which rely on the Earth's magnetic field instead of satellites.02 Jun 2026 16:08 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mncy45534c2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mmytymxlsk2xSouth Africa is an AI consumer for now but Nathan-Ross Adams argues it should be an AI industry shaper, given its leverage in the form of mines and continent-leading market power.29 May 2026 15:27 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmytymxlsk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mmwkrsz6cs24Not long after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission effectively banned foreign-made network routers, it gave a pass to Netgear, as I wrote for @spectrum.ieee.org last month https://spectrum.ieee.org/chinese-robots-us-ban28 May 2026 17:37 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmwkrsz6cs24https://bsky.app/profile/lucaslaursen.bsky.social/post/3mmu5bi2wns2iElectric vehicles may seem to be going mainstream, but it's been a tougher haul to get them into the enormous cargo vehicle market. Benjamin Skuse tells @spectrum.ieee.org readers how a few European companies are approaching the problem. It will definitely require connected thinking.27 May 2026 18:30 +0000at://did:plc:xamn6nlucudckhwsgdryxurs/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmu5bi2wns2i