Mexico's president signed a decree ordering tech platforms to protect minors, NASA explained its battery tech, and the Apple I 'Hatfield' computer sold at auction

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Mexico's president signed a decree ordering tech platforms to protect miners from adult content. NASA explained how it makes batteries for the moon's extreme temperatures.

And the Apple I Hatfield computer signed by Was himself just sold at auction. It's Thursday, October 15th. And here's a quick look at some of the news happening in the sphere of tech this morning from Engadget.

Mexico's president, Claudia Scheinbaum, has signed a decree ordering digital platforms to protect children from accessing adult and other types of content. Sites have 30 calendar days to implement the mandatory measures, though they will not initially face any punishment if they don't. Mexico is not the first country to introduce digital child protection measures, but it is unique in issuing the new rules via a presidential decree rather than new legislation. The rules apply to social media or other platforms that let users create, distribute or share content. It outlaws access by minors to hate speech, violent extremism, sexual abuse or exploitation, suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, school violence, harassment, cyberbullying, unlawful contact and explicit sexual material. Platforms must identify and remove accounts or content that promote violence, provide age classifications for content along with parental supervision and reporting tools, while applying stronger privacy and safety settings for younger users. It must also maintain a 24-7 available point of contact with investigating authorities, preserve evidence and alert authorities when any life-threatening contents are identified. While the decree is obligatory, it will be non-punitive to start with. But the government said it will pursue further legislation if companies do not follow the rules. Compliance will come from Mexico's Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications. Mexico previously considered applying an 8% tax on violent video games, though Shinebomb later dropped that idea. Mexico now joins multiple countries and territories, implementing digital child protection laws of different kinds, including Australia, Europe and China, along with US states Florida, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. Australia's pioneering under-16 social media ban saw early teething problems as miners did find ways around platforms' age verification tools.

NASA often has fascinating science happening behind the scenes of its astronomical endeavors. The space agency shared some details about a project to create batteries capable of withstanding extreme cold. The eventual goal is to use them for campaigns on the moon, such as the future Artemis missions. The lithium ion batteries that power most electronics here on Earth are based on liquid electrolytes which can freeze at low temperatures, damaging the battery. And as you may have learned firsthand when your phone powers itself off in an overheated car, these types of batteries also don't work at very high temperatures. The moon can hit daytime highs of 212 degrees Fahrenheit, while the nighttime lows at its southern pole plummet to as low as minus 328 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning current battery tech just won't cut it. Solid power for extreme environment adaptability and resilience in space, or SPIRS has been a project for developing a battery with a solid ceramic or polymer material instead of the liquid. Now these alternative batteries still need to be warmed up to function, but so far they have not been damaged by extreme cold, and they require less energy intensive thermal management systems than their lithium ion counterparts. The whole NASA blog post is well worth a read for any space or science nerd. While the team is developing the batteries for the dramatic climates of Mars, it is possible the same technology could one day power gadgets here on Earth as well.

The famous Apple I Hatfield computer signed by Steve Wozniak just sold to an unknown buyer for a record $1,148,200.

The Auction House Bonhams announced, the machine built in 1976 and originally sold for $666.60 to a certain Fred Hatfield is one of only 74 verified Apple I models left. And this one is number 48 on the registry. And one of the very few still in working condition. Along with Wozniak's signature, it comes with a letter from Steve Jobs, encouraging Hatfield to send in his motherboard for an upgrade to the Apple II model. The buyer also received the original Apple I operation manual, a cassette operating manual, an invitation to join the Apple I Owners Club, and a custom power supply, along with a period monitor and keyboards. The last time this particular machine went up for auction was back in 2013, and it sold for $671,400.