Curated Commons // Edition 65
Thank you for subscribing and welcome to the 65th edition of Curated Commons.
If you are new, or if you received this newsletter as a forward, I send this once a week and each edition focuses on tech/business/science/algorithmic future/Internet weirdness/anything-else-that-catches-my-eye. Let’s dive right in ($ indicates potential paywall).
Big get bigger in online advertising
Alphabet, Meta (Facebook), and Amazon control more than half the global advertising market outside China. - Read here ($)
15-minute grocery is headed everywhere
In India Twitter there was a fair bit of discussion when several delivery startups started pushing 10-15 minute deliveries. The concerns were around safety of the delivery executive given the traffic and some questioning whether there was a case for such services when urban India is dotted with kirana stores. Now it appears similar services are popping up in the US and the UK and one key concern - how they are taking up storefronts and it might erode community life. - Read here ($)
Vinyl is seeing a resurgence
Nothing sells like nostalgia. Vinyl sales surpassed CD sales in 2020. And they continue to grow. - Read here
Tech to track ancient sites and impact of climate change
Pompei was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Now new tech to guard against the challenges of climate change. - Read here
By 2028, 30% of Ireland’s electricity is expected to be used by data centers
It is expensive, and painful for the environment, to serve those YouTube videos! - Read here ($)
Wall Street being wall street
Goldman Sachs bankers getting $20Mn+ feel they are underpaid. - Read here ($)
Truth, consequences, life
Beautiful long piece. - Read here
In the Amazon universe, the Wild West is a click away
Amazon is terrific in so many areas. But for many sellers, in some parts, it can be terrible. - Read here ($)
The higher the wall, the more ingenious the way around it
Fascinating example into how Chinese youth have worked around Chinese sensors through…subtitles. - Read here ($)
The one comic you need to see on bluetooth!
From, who else, xkcd!
Incentives matter. Perverse incentives, all the more so
Examples all around - Read here
How will we replicate the quirks of physical shopping online?
Interesting piece on Aldi’s “Aisle of Shame” and the community that got built around it - Read here
Data lockdown in China
Not surprising, but hey, don’t trust economic numbers coming out of China - Read here ($)
Living bridges of India
Some lovely pics of bridges made out of trees in India and how they are now inspiring European cities - Read here
More interesting reads
Where there’s a ‘community’ there’s a problem of moderation waiting to be addressed. Virtual reality now. - Read here
Iodine, but for spacecraft propulsion! - Read here
Rohingya refugees sue Facebook for $150 billion over Myanmar violence - Read here
What it takes to conduct “The Amazing Race” during a pandemic - Read here
What does getting married in the Metaverse look like? - Read here ($)
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.