Curated Commons // Edition 63
Thank you for subscribing and welcome to the 63rd edition of Curated Commons. Let’s dive right in ($ indicates potential paywall).
Can we inject synthetic memories into the brain?
Fascinating read into how emerging brain-computer interfaces can potentially make uploading synthetic experiences to the brain a reality in the future. - Read here
Is seaweed the future of flying?
How will airline companies achieve net zero? - Read here
Hacking your dreams…to show you ads
This is no more a thing of science fiction. Advertisers are now trying actively to hack dreams. This is a brilliant piece that gives you a view into the possibilities of TDI - Targeted Dream Incubation. - Read here
Dollar Tree no more a dollar tree
Inflation bites all. - Read here ($)
Dollar Tree will raise the prices of most items in all of its stores to $1.25 from $1 by the end of April, the company said on Tuesday, after a successful test of the new pricing strategy.
“For 35 years, Dollar Tree has managed through inflationary periods to maintain the everything-for-one-dollar philosophy,” the company said in a statement accompanying its quarterly financial statement, but it felt that now was the time to raise prices. “This decision is permanent and is not a reaction to short-term or transitory market conditions,” it added.
Chip manufacturing, hard and expensive
Very good read on ASML, the little-known Dutch firm that’s the only one in the world capable of making machines that are required for making chips. - Read here
Wall Street has a $22 Trillion carbon time bomb
The biggest driver for a net zero future might just as well be the financial imperative. - Read here ($)
According to Moody’s Investors Service, financial institutions in the Group of 20 leading industrial and developing nations have $22 trillion of exposure to carbon-intensive industries. That’s equal to about 20% of their total loans and investments. So unless these firms make a swift shift to climate-friendly financing, they risk reporting losses, Moody’s said.
Is nuclear fusion finally here?
Will we have fusion energy by the 2030s? Lots of money now pouring in and it’s looking promising. - Read here
The metaverse land grab is here
A patch of virtual real estate in the online world Decentraland sold for a record $2.4 million worth of cryptocurrency…Decentraland is an online environment - also called a "metaverse" - where users can buy land, visit buildings, walk around and meet people as avatars.
The Tesla financial complex
This is a very good read on how Tesla, for good or for bad, now is unrivaled in its impact on the broader financial markets. - Read here ($)
The nominal trading value of Tesla options has averaged $241bn a day in recent weeks, according to Goldman Sachs. That compares with $138bn a day for Amazon, the second most active single-stock option market, and $112bn a day for the rest of the S&P 500 index combined. This makes Tesla’s stock more prone to whipsaw movements, because of the “leverage” inherent in using options to trade.
Sci-fi is now science fact
NASA just launched the world’s first full-scale mission to test tech for defending the earth against a potential asteroid collision. - Read here
Premium D2C brands in India have a new target market - small town India
Very interesting development that highlights both the potential of direct to consumer brands, and rise of small town India in terms of comfort with ecommerce and buying potential. - Read here ($)
Small towns now account for 40-50% of sales of several premium direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands across grooming and beauty, wellness foods, wearables, cookware and appliances with heightened digital adoption and online shopping amid the pandemic.
India, by amount of mobile data you have on your plan
Very interesting read on life of the average Indian with 1.5GB/day mobile data access and how they have to ration it. - Read here
When social welfare goes digital
Very good thread on resources that offer a good insight into the challenges that arise from digitization, automation, and algorithmic transformation of social welfare programs.
Smartphones are hugely underrated
…As this New Yorker cartoon aptly shows! ;-)
More Interesting reads:
Meet the world’s most ‘innovative’ drug lord - Read here
How Tiger tore up the rules of venture capitalism - Read here ($)
Apple sues NSO. A fit organization to be sued out of existence - Read here
Emerging tech to watch out for in 2022 - Read here ($)
Japan to launch bank-deposit-backed digital currency in 2022 - Read here
Good list of resources on understanding DAOs - Read here
Look forward to seeing where this ends. GM is getting into designing its own chips - Read here
Good read on how Reliance’s Jio Mart is changing the contours of retail distribution in India - Read here
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.