Curated Commons // Edition 51
Thank you for subscribing and welcome to the 51st edition of Curated Commons. Let’s dive right in ($ indicates potential paywall).
Amazon, but for goods pilfered from retail stores
Fascinating read on the organised crime racket around retail pilferage in the US. An entire parallel supply chain. - Read here ($)
“Amazon may be the largest unregulated pawnshop on the face of the planet. It is super hard to deal with them.”
Diversity in Robotics teams
If robotics is the future, then the present be filled with diverse teams that are representative of the world we live in. Good post from Google X’s robotics lead where they are working on one of the hottest areas - exoskeletons. - Read here
I’m not imagining it, only 9% of Robotics Engineers are female, worse even than other STEM fields, e.g. 25% of Software and 17% of Civil Engineers and 38% of Scientists. There’s been a lot of excellent research and commentary on why there are fewer women or other minorities in STEM in general (e.g. see this summary or this article), but I’ve not seen the same level of attention on robotics. This is a shame because robotics will be such a huge part of our future, and it would be better if that future was created by a representative group of engineers.
How stuff ships
WSJ journalist Christopher Mims has a book coming out on how global supply chains conspire to get the stuff you order off your favorite ecommerce site. I look forward to reading it when it’s out, but there’s a podcast on it in the interim. - Listen here.
One reason I look forward to reading - threads like these (the linked FT story is a great read too!
PSA: Don’t take USB drives or cables from strangers
Shouldn’t have to be said in 2021, but yes, do not take any USB drives, or cables from strangers. This one - a $100 USB cable that has a built-in WiFi enabled keylogger and the ability to run custom payloads. - Read here.
China bans something else…
In this case…”effeminate men” on TV. Make what you will! - Read here
Twitter, but for soliciting recommendations
Twitter is a brilliant medium when people who draw high engagement levels use it smartly. Book and movie recommendations are one area. Check this tweet and the 1,000+ responses! (Totally different matter that Twitter makes it so hard to navigate when there are a large number of responses!)
Hey Alexa, define late stage capitalism
A startup in the US is now turning houses into…corporations! Fractional ownership is not welcome for neighbors there - Read here
The Sacklers, they of oxycontin infamy, apparently might get away as part of a settlement announced this week. - Read here
Gun company Remington has subpoenaed the report cards, attendance records, and disciplinary records of five kindergarten and first grade students murdered in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting . Read here
Can plants talk?
Fascinating piece on whether plants ‘talk’ and scientific research into it. - Read here
Like what you see? Share and spread the word!
Your growth hack is my pain in the a$$
Fascinating video. Do watch in entirety!
How to identify a slippery slope when you see one?
Interesting take on Apple’s recent decisions on CSAM and whether it constitutes a slippery slope or not. - Read here ($)
Twitter doing twitter things
A new study suggests ‘Likes’ and ‘shares’ teach people to express more outrage online. If you are even a semi-active Twitter user, it’s just duh! - Read here
Reminded me of this classic New Yorker cartoon.
Overnight successes take decades
Very good chart from a Nature paper on how it has taken decades for mRNA to come to where it is now. - Read here
Backdoors suck
Brilliant story and thread that highlights with a real-world case of why backdoors in tech just don’t make sense. They will eventually come back to bite, at a huge cost as this old NYT pic shows.
More good reads:
Yet another hard read on how Indian edtech giant Byju’s does aggressive sales and in the process pushing some families into a debt spiral. - Read here
“OK Google” may soon be a thing of the past. Just say what you want done, and the all-listening Google bot will do it! - Read more
Good list of links to recreational maths videos - Read here
Why William Gibson is a literary genius - Read here
Social media stars who move markets - Read here ($)
The crypto dons of Beirut - Read here.
And finally, if in case you are confused like me…
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.