Curated Commons // Edition 105
Thank you for subscribing and welcome to the 105th edition of Curated Commons. Happy reading, and do pass on the newsletter and share it on your social networks if you find it interesting! It’s free!
Let’s dive right in ($ indicates potential paywall).
Self-driving…tractors
Why should cars have all the fun? John Deere is rolling out self-driving tractors. The company is now banking on software subscriptions and hopes to make 10% of its revenue from software by end of the decade! - Read here ($)
AI matching human radiologists
An AI system has learned to spot diseases as good as a radiologist. - Read here
In own IP we trust, and pay
Alan Kay famously said - “People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware”. More companies appear to be taking it seriously. Will they manage to is a totally different question. Latest entrant - GM’s Cruise wants to make chips for its self-driving cars. - Read here
What’s happening to globalization?
It’s evolving, from goods to some interesting services, argues this FT story - Read here ($)
TikTok, but for a throwback to early days of the Internet
Interesting read on how everything that happened early on with Internet culture is now repeating itself on TikTok. It has a great definition of Internet historians - “older TikTok users who happened to be chronically online at a young age” - Read here
The future of shopping is…wild
Invest millions…so you can avoid going to a water park with your children?
Each unto their own. I guess. - Read here ($)
Will AI eliminate humanity?
A Deepmind researcher concludes in a new paper that it will. Bow to your algorithmic and robotic bosses! - Read here
Is it quiet quitting or quiet normally working?
Strong pushback in this very good FT opinion piece - Read here ($)
Pandemic stimulus for building giant squid statue
Remember that giant squid statue that a small town Japan built using stimulus money? It’s apparently paying off pretty well - Read here
When you build for cars, not people
Some pretty wild stats in this piece on America’s fascination with cars and what that has meant for urban infrastructure. - Read here ($)
America has an average of 1,000 square feet of parking for each car, vs. 800 square feet of housing per person.
America’s 250 million cars have an estimated 2 billion parking spots and spend 95% of their time parked
Telegrams, for charming your way
Japanese love telegrams still. They sent 4 million of them in 2020 - Read here ($)
More Interesting Reads:
The ugly truth behind the business of reporting on beauty - Read here
Using AI, open-access cameras, Instagram to identify influencers in the wild when they are taking that one perfect shot! - Read here
There is a world of…MAGA rap! - Read here
Even in the dead of winter, cold drinks account for 60 percent of Starbucks beverage sales - Read here ($)
How sustainable is artificial meat? - Read here
One solid reason for remote work - the increased shift to open offices
AR is wild!
Stay safe, and happy reading! And if you liked the newsletter, thank you, and maybe consider sharing it? My DMs on Twitter are always open for any feedback.