Curated Commons // Edition 66
Thank you for subscribing and welcome to the 66th 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).
Weaponizing algorithms against themselves, by being human
Very interesting read on Chess champion Magnus Carlsen on how throws off powerful chess engines by not sticking to their advice. - Read here ($)
VR, but for letting prospective employees experience a job
Or should I say, do you let your prospective employees into your metaverse? Interesting thought from MGM resorts on trying to explain roles to prospective employees. - Read here
Open source maintainers of the Internet, unite!
We’ve all likely seen this brilliant xkcd cartoon. We all likely know someone in our own immediate context too who does something similar in our immediate world!
This is a very good read on how we need to start taking care of such people. - Read here
Why it is time to think of ethics in neurotech now?
Chile recently enshrined neuro-rights in its constitution. It’s time we started discussing and debating on the ethics of invasive tech. Good thoughtful read. - Read here ($)
Skip biometrics, use passwords. Here’s a good reason
Headline says it all - “Man Lifts His Sleeping Ex-Girlfriend’s Eyelids to Unlock Her Phone, Stealing $24,000”. - Read here
Replace reading glasses with eye drops
This is a fascinating development. A new once-a-day treatment helps users see up close without impacting long-range vision. It is now approved by the US FDA. - Read here ($)
2021 in tech?
New mediums, old tricks
Interesting thread on crypto ‘sniper bots’
Surveillance-for-hire industry
Very interesting report from facebook on the industry that offers surveillance of anyone for a price (including on the infamous Delhi company BellTrox) - Read here
#TIL You can buy stamps online and write the code on letters in some countries!
Takes the joy out of Philately though! - Read here
Amazon, the advertising giant
A small anecdote from what is apparently a top 5,000 seller
Deepfake nude sites are growing in disturbing ways
Payments systems, referral programs, APIs - some of these terrible websites are increasingly growing in conventional ways. Needs a concerted effort to shut them down hard. - Read here
Self-driving trucks
Good thread
Experiments in science funding
Two interesting approaches from recent days:
More interesting reads
“I have a disproportionate amount of money to share. I will keep at it until the safe is empty” - Read here
The goal of using a skip button while watching something is to get to the point, not miss it entirely - Read here
Using evolution to design robots - Read here
“Players invest $54M in Molyneux’s NFT game Legacy in hopes of earning even more. But are these games a brave new world or a FOMO-driven gold rush bubble?” - Read here
Sigh, telcos! “Verizon re-enrolled its customers, who had already opted-out, back into a surveillance program that snoops on their browsing and app-use history.” - Read here
The problem of space junk is real! “Promising-looking SETI signal turns out to be of human origin” — Read here
And finally, a tweet to make you smile!
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.