Curated Commons // Edition 31
Thank you for subscribing and welcome to the Thirty-First edition of Curated Commons. Let’s dive right in.
Alexa, show me a smart use case
Really nice Amazon-produced video on how a primary school in interior Kerala uses Alexa to make learning exciting for students! Based on a story from a while ago.
How mRNA could change the world
Very good read on the potential of mRNA. Rooting for this!
Space garbage hunters is a thing now
We now have over 3,000 working satellites in orbit, and with the new-found obsession with satellite WiFi, thousands more are set to go up in the coming decade. More worryingly, it appears we have ~9,000 tonnes of discarded hardware in space. Ergo, a market for space garbage removal robots.
Want to be a private astronaut?
If you are a Gen-Xer or baby boomer, this is yet another way to mark how dramatically science and space tech has developed in the past few decades. You can now train to be a private astronaut! Not for everyone indeed, but we’ve seen a variety of cost curves past few years, and we know where they end!
Apparently, many mirror selfie videos are….’fake’
If you’ve wondered, like me and many others, how many of these influencers and social media types have perfect mirrors in well lit spaces without any smudges, that’s apparently because they likely…don’t use a mirror at all!
"So here's the secret: there's no mirror," Del Toro says on TikTok. "All you need is a second phone or spare camera." Influencers will fake the mirror selfie look, she explained, by setting up a second camera and holding up their phone as if it were pointed at a mirror.
Google’s new conservative remote work policy
In a strange twist from the company that was one of the first to transition to remote work at the start of the pandemic, Google’s new return to work policy puts some very conservative limits on remote work. This, at a time when many traditional companies from many industries are trying to create solutions where many functions can operate permanently remotely. No easy answers on the future of work!
The broken business of professional Tennis
This is a good read on the broken economics of Tennis and a glimpse into some of the fiefdoms and dysfunction of the sport’s organizers.
The transition to electric vehicles is gaining pace
Good read on EVs
Tesla has done to the auto industry what Netflix Inc. did to cable TV, speeding the shift away from internal combustion in much the same way easy access to Breaking Bad and hundreds of other shows spurred consumers to take the scissors to their Comcast contracts.
On the Pandemic
Vaccines work. Go get yours!
At a retirement home in the south of Chile where residents and personnel received a first vaccine dose in the opening week of February, a subsequent outbreak of coronavirus in the facility infected 70 people. The only death was a resident who hadn't been vaccinated.
On a related note, interesting thread from one of the original participants in the Moderna human trials.
And on the topic, this is a really good set of FAQs from a whole bunch of aerosol scientists on understanding COVID-19 aerosol transmission and protecting yourself. Fascinating how a lot about this virus is actually physics, and not just biology! https://tinyurl.com/FAQ-aerosols
Interesting experiment in Barcelona on getting back to a ‘normal’ world
Algorithmic nudges to drive carbon impact
This is an interesting move. Google Maps will apparently soon start directing drivers to routes with the lowest carbon impact.
Big threat to smart robots - cheap humans
Ocado set out to disrupt retail with its robots. It is running into an unexpected rise in competition - from competitors who are using cheap human labor!
An online art platform to reduce stigma of autism in India
This is a good initiative. An advocacy group has launched an online platform to help autistic kids and young adults showcase their art. Check it out at https://autypical.in/.
The ghosts of retail bankruptcies
Bankruptcies are messy. Legally, and physically. Fascinating story looking into one such retailer, Brooks Brothers, and what their bankruptcy has meant for their warehouse owners who are now stuck with a whole assortment of mannequins and Christmas trees!
Evolution, with a twist
Scientists are releasing cats in Australia, to assist marsupials evolve to survive cats. Make what you will! - https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210324-assisting-evolution-how-much-should-we-help-species-adapt
While on evolution, a plot twist - new research suggests humans could possibly evolve to be venomous. I guess it makes sense, since many already are venomous! - https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a35982125/humans-could-evolve-to-be-venomous/
America’s costly obsession with wipes
Apparently American municipalities spend as much as a Billion dollars annually to remove clogs caused by flushed wipes!
YouTube, but for finding mafia fugitives
The urge to be an influencer is all-encompassing! An Italian mafia fugitive was arrested in the Dominican Republic after being traced through a YouTube cooking channel
More good reads:
Saying you are green than being green is easy, and prevalent - https://www.inputmag.com/style/sustainable-fashion-greenwashing-buzzword-sustainability-influencers-instagram-social-media
Good curated list of reading resources on NFTs - https://a16z.com/2021/04/02/nfts-readings-resources/
America needs to stop flushing wipes down its sewer systems - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-26/pandemic-wipes-create-sewer-clogging-fatbergs
Scientists used ultrasound to read monkeys’ minds - https://singularityhub.com/2021/03/30/how-scientists-used-ultrasound-to-read-monkeys-minds/
Netflix’s dubbed shows are turning voice artists into stars - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-31/netflix-s-lupin-highlights-how-dubbed-shows-are-taking-off-globally
Got to catch ‘em all! A Japanese man was arrested for allegedly descending a building by rope to steal Pokémon playing cards - https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dpnzx/japanese-man-rope-descent-steal-pokemon-cards
What are the wonder materials that could potentially replace Silicon in the future - https://www.wsj.com/articles/graphene-and-beyond-the-wonder-materials-that-could-replace-silicon-in-future-tech-11616817603
And finally, this!
Stay safe, and happy reading! And if you liked the newsletter, please do share on your social networks. My DMs on Twitter are always open for any feedback.