Curated Commons // Edition 110
Thank you for subscribing (if you have already, and if you haven’t, subscribe now!). Welcome to the 110th 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! Both dollar-free and ad-free.
Let’s dive right in ($ indicates potential paywall).
A story of the times we live in
A bunch of retail crypto investors lost a whole ton of money when TerraUSD/Luna coins lost value dramatically a few months ago. Now they’ve grouped together to try and find the fugitive founder against whom there’s an Interpol red notice. - Read here ($)
Are you surveilled? Or do you willingly buy into it?
Is there such a thing as ‘luxury surveillance’? This article argues. - Read here
Algorithmic gouging as a feature
When you take the human out of the equation, and create an algorithmic equation that’s hyper-optimized for making more money, the results are not hard to predict. Worrying case of a rent-setting software and its impact on tenants. - Read here
Is that a human connection or a GAN output?
Fake people are now easy to create with Generative Adversarial Networks. And that makes creating entirely fake narratives that much more easier. Mantra for 2022 & beyond - trust nothing. - Read here
Are paid newsletters from big media passé?
The last couple of years have been the golden age of the newsletter for big media personalities. Journalist after journalist went solo and tried to Substack their way out of big media. They are now slowing down - Read here ($)
Targeted ads Vs targeted surveillance
Worrying info coming out in Forbes on how TikTok might have used location information from the app to surveil specific individuals. Weaponizing apps is a question of intent, not capability anymore. And yes, this news also likely means TikTok might not come back to India anytime soon.
Maths, cards, shuffling, and randomness
Good read on a magician-mathematician who helped casinos get to the perfect shuffle - Read here
Is ‘reverse catfishing’ a thing?
On the interwebs, you learn something every day! Apparently, dating app users are trying out a new tactic to get matches - ugly photos. - Read here
Shoe-box apartments are apparently the thing in Japan now
Apartments, all of 95 square foot big. For a country where people work among the longest hours. File that in stuff I’ll never get! - Read here ($)
Connecting with celebs…by snagging their username on social media
We live an age where your handle can be a status symbol. Or a reason for pain. And Gen Z apparently is trying to get closer to their favorite celebs by snagging usernames, or variants, of celebs. - Read here ($)
One super app to take your life down
What happens when you are too reliant on one ‘super app’? Super convenience till it works, massive pain when it doesn’t. - Read here
Can you cure HIV using CRISPR?
A fascinating experiment is underway to see if the gene-editing technology can stop the virus from replicating. Godspeed! - Read here
It is you. You might be a mosquito magnet, says science
Mosquitos are not equal opportunity offenders - they don’t attack everyone equally. And a new paper says it might be due to your body odour. - Read here
More interesting reads:
Are supply chains back to normal? Were they ever broken? - Read here
Binance, compliance woes and how not to respond to journalist inquiries - Read here
“An attempt to make a right-wing superhero movie has ended in disaster, with $1 million missing in China and a participant facing a federal indictment.” - Read here
A website to search thro’ some 100 million vintage files from the CD/DVD/Floppy era - Head here
Two cops from Pune made profiles on a dating app to track a woman who had been robbing men - Read here
Meta’s Metaverse is a bit lonely, and crappy - Read here ($)
And finally…
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.