Curated Commons // Edition 52
Thank you for subscribing and welcome to the 52nd edition of Curated Commons. What started a small experiment is now an year old. A sincere thank you, and if you find the newsletter interesting, do share it on your social feeds. Let’s dive right in ($ indicates potential paywall).
E-Books are good for business, bad for libraries
Today in stuff you can’t make up - Copyright laws make it such that e-books and audiobooks end up costing more for public libraries than print books. And rights holders, rich! And with the pandemic in place, you can imagine who’s laughing their way to the bank! - Read here ($)
Bored apes are definitely not boring
A set of 107 non-fungile tokens of bored apes sold for ~$24 Mn in an online auction by Sotheby’s. Imagine how much of that sentence made sense a couple decades ago. - Read here
While at it, good reading resource on NFTs. - Read here
When/will machines breed?
This is a fascinating short-read from Nobel-winning physicist Frank Wilczek on how self-reproducing machines may soon blur the boundaries between us and machines. - Read here ($)
Pixar, Psychedelics, and Pixel
Very interesting read on a co-founder of Pixar who played a key role in invention of computer graphics as we know today, and how he fell out with Steve Jobs. - Read here.
Also, reading on Pixar reminded me of this lovely graphic from Vox a few years ago.
Biometrics, creepy commode version
Internet of Shit was created for this. A commode with cameras and a machine learning algorithm to diagnose potential health issues. If this becomes normalized in a few years, can potentially significantly help public health. But that’s a pretty big IF. - Read here ($)
Your car’s cockpit is getting crowded
Coming soon to a car near you, more touch screens and arm waving gestures as car makers try to differentiate their in-car experience. What does it mean for driver attention and safety? - Read here.
Feeling ‘better’ during a global pandemic
This is worth a read. Hundreds of psychologists looked for ways to make people feel better during the pandemic — and they found one. - Read here
Cognitive reappraisal — sometimes called cognitive reframing — is most commonly encountered in therapy, where it’s used to regulate emotions. It’s a component of cognitive behavioral therapy, a whole suite of strategies that can encourage positive patterns of thinking and behavior…Recently, hundreds of researchers in 87 countries published the results of the largest cognitive reappraisal study to date in Nature Human Behavior. They were asking a simple question: Could they make people feel better about the pandemic, if only for one moment in time, by teaching reappraisals? The study, which amassed data on more than 20,000 participants, came back with a resounding answer: yes.
Why are hyperlinks blue?
Fascinating journey down a geeky rabbit hole on a question not many think of - why are hyperlinks blue. - Read here
Upside down rhinos win Ig Nobel Prize
An experiment involved hanging 12 rhinos upside down for 10 minutes. Had to win the prize post that, I guess… - Read here
Why you should be optimistic
If you’ve been feeling low about the state of the world, you should read this piece by Kevin Kelly, the founder of Wired magazine. He makes a great case for why one should be optimistic. - Read here
Algorithmic recommendations are not for kids
More evidence, this time from TikTok, that algorithmic recommendation engines optimize just for engagement, no matter the cost. - Read here ($)
Chinese govt now has a problem with…Internet slang
I guess when you are in the habit of outraging over everything, you can always find new things to try and regulate. - Read here.
The Internet is built for outing illegal onion futures
Can’t make this one up! America apparently banks future contracts on onions. And one concerned citizen is worried if their neighborhood grocer is violating that law. - Read here
No such thing as a tech that’s purpose-built
The next time someone says a particular piece of tech is built just for one purpose, show them this article. Two decades after 9/11, NYPD is using counterterrorism tools & tech to combat street crime. - Read here ($)
We need to focus more on ventilation
Interesting stat in here. - Read more ($)
“To understand why pathogens can spread through the air, it helps to understand just how much of it we breathe. About eight to 10 liters a minute”
The hot market for Amazon marketplace sellers
There’s a parallel economy within Amazon. One for hot sellers.
More interesting reads:
The controversial cells that saved 10 million lives - Read here
The case for developer experience - Read here
Airbnb wants its employees to come back to office…in September 2022
The big debate over whether working remotely requires big-city salaries begins. - Read here ($)
Can your smartphone listen to your cough to better diagnose asthma, COVID 19 and other respiratory illnesses? - Read here ($)
Check your Twitter circles - https://chirpty.com
And finally, the cartoon of the week!
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.