Curated Commons // Edition 60
Thank you for subscribing and welcome to the 60th edition of Curated Commons. Let’s dive right in ($ indicates potential paywall).
Peak (Tech + Weird) story
Fascinating story on the “Book of Veles” - a photobook on a small Macedonian town which turned out to be a bunch of synthetic images created using 3D software with text written entirely by AI. - Read here
(do read the final paragraph for a surprise desi twist!)
Why do so many people undercharge for their work?
One area where most humans are terrible - pricing themselves. And in our gig/freelance economy, this is a growing problem. - Read here
Pizzas, for solving all tech industry fights
For years, Instagram and Twitter made it a terrible experience for users who wanted to share Instagram links. Till, a backyard pizza helped resolve it. - Read here
The crane that fell in love with a human
Twitter is amazing at surfacing stories. This viral tweet led me down a rabbit hole ending with this amazing story. Read on for why humans are a special species, and some humans are fabulous! - Read here ($)
Retirement from a life of Yakuza
What does it mean to leave the life of Yakuza, and try to assimilate in broader society? Interesting read, although I’d be keen to understand how the Japanese Govt accurately identified them and, apparently, successfully isolated them from the society. - Read here ($)
Metaverse, coz Metaverse
This Wired story argues it is just a rebrand of everything that already exists. - Read here
Are we already living in Facebook’s Metaverse? - Read here ($)
Meta is just catching up to Roblox, Steam and others - Read here ($)
Is there such a thing as a browser-based metaverse? - Read here
How does sci-fi shape our attitude to the future? - Read here ($)
Will a 3D avatar for your Teams meeting be the immediate corporate version of the metaverse? - Read here
What can you learn from a 500-year-old shipwreck
Fascinating read on a 500-year-old shipwreck that is now rewriting how we look at the middle ages. - Read here
The latest global tax haven
Not in some remote island. But in the USA - South Dakota. - Read here
Brain implants are coming, first for the paralyzed, then for everyone
Fascinating progress into brain computer implants and the possibilities of an augmented future, be it for those with medical issues, or for everyone else. And with it come a whole host of ethical questions. - Read here
If you are a CEO, be weird. It might decrease your cost of financing!
Can’t stay away from not quoting Matt Levine - “If you are the CEO of a public company, I want you to consider very seriously going to an investment conference with no pants on. Your stock will go up, your shareholders will be happy and your cost of financing will go down.” - Read here ($)
Carbon Capture - next big thing. For whom?
Interesting startup in Switzerland that believes its CO2 mix will turn to rock in just 2 to 3 years instead of the centuries it might take naturally. - Read here ($)
Who is backing big direct air capture companies? It appears, big oil. - Read here
Financial Twitter, beware, regulators have their eye on you
A growing challenge across countries - social media influencers pumping stocks. US regulators are now cracking down. - Read here ($)
South Koreans are posing in their underwear on Instagram
Instagram represents the life we aspire for. But that aspiration is steadily fed through new trends. Like in this case, a trend for full-body portraits showcasing their fitness. - Read here ($)
There is a booming market for bots that target two factor authentication codes
Enabled 2FA like a good netizen? Get ready for automated calls from bots that are the best friends for bad actors with poor social engineering skills. Worrying read. - Read here
More Interesting Reads:
Who can cause global existential risk? Bunch of entities; amusing to see artificial general intelligence also listed. - Read here
Boomerang employees are in focus, thanks to the great resignation - Read here
Millenials meet Gen-Z in the work place. - Read here ($)
Will the drug wars in Trinidad give an opening for the rise of a “cocaine caliphate”? - Read here
Abba is making a comeback after 40 years, replete with digital avatars - Read here
Pretty spot on - “Sideloading is a cyber criminal’s best friend” - Read here
Good hands-on way of teaching kids about algorithmic bias - Read here
And finally, this was touching!
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.