Curated Commons // Edition 75
Thank you for subscribing and welcome to the 75th edition of Curated Commons. The newsletter is free, and I don’t need no data, but do consider sharing it on your social networks if you like it! Let’s dive right in ($ indicates potential paywall).
No depths some companies won’t plumb to
Pandemic-induced remote education has been, for lack of a better word, a gigantic shitshow when it comes to students. Their learning has been impacted massively, and we invasive surveillance tools now start with the assumption that every student is a cheat! A remote test proctoring company is apparently entrapping students with a network of fake cheating sites. - Read here
When the upgrade for your retinal implant doesn’t come through!
This is dystopic. And sad. - Read here
“If fashion is art, then ‘ugly’ is also fine.”
#TIL uglycore - fashion that scorns beauty in favor of self-affirmation. A multi-billion dollar business. - Read here ($)
What is the best way to learn online? Be a lurker
Can the Internet make you immune to coherent narrative? Is active usage of Twitter driving us to learn in new ways? Definitely for me. - Read here
A 100 Billion photos in one database
Clearview, the controversial facial recognition company, is targeting to hit a 100 Bn photos in its database by the end of the year. No plans on a consumer service. For now. - Read here ($)
Ikea, forests, deforestation, and Romania
Sobering read on what’s happening in Romania, where Ikea is apparently the largest landowner, in our quest for cheap flat-pack furniture. - Read here
Hackers are stealing from kids. In Roblox.
There are some stories which would have made little sense a few years ago. And definitely not when you compare how our own childhoods have been! This is one such good story on how hackers are stealing valuables from kids playing Roblox. - Read here
On a related note, a worrying read about Roblox’s sex problem - Read here
AI for controlling nuclear fusion
Two amazing technologies coming together! DeepMind has taught a reinforcement learning algorithm to control the plasma inside a fusion reactor. - Read here
Creators from rural India are being scammed
Good read on how creators from interior India find themselves at the receiving end of scammers, imposters and a whole host of shady characters. The platforms involved can and should do more. - Read here
Nationalism can pull down big brands
China is fast going from being the next big untapped market to the the big untappable market for global brands. Some interesting data in this story. - Read here ($)
There’s always a market
In this case, there’s a community of Indian vloggers shooting content in Mandarin for a Chinese audience. Who’d have thunk! - Read here
McKinsey for kids. Err, what?
Catch ‘em young? Given all the headwinds the firm has been facing in recent years, this is a strange attempt at content marketing. Maybe we should have an Adults only tag there ;-) - Head here
What can you learn about Monopoly from an AI system?
Why not!
Five minutes of Internet access
Interesting read on “Pisonets” - Internet vending machines in the Philippines that offer 5 minutes of screen access for ~2 cents. Every country needs a disruptive telco player a la Reliance Jio in India. - Read here
Science is amazing
A woman appears to have been cured of HIV after she received a transplant of stem cells with a rare genetic mutation that blocks HIV invasion. - Read here ($)
Do you want a digital twin for your brain?
Digital twins are all the rage in manufacturing and industrial operations. But, are we about to get them soon for humans as well? Can make for a nice add-on to your health insurance package! - Read here
More interesting reads:
Can indigenous wisdom, kinship systems to environmental lore, help reprogram the cultural code of AI? - Read here
How did NSO come under the lens? Turns out a bug in the spyware deployed on a Saudi women’s right activist is the culprit. - Read here
Can you fight the gamification of everything? - Read here
Disney now has an exec dedicated to the metaverse. JP Morgan opened a ‘bank’ in the metaverse. Do you exist there?
“A pastor baptized people for decades using one wrong word. Now those are all considered invalid” - As someone said on Twitter, this is like dying and going to hell due to a clerical error! - Read here
Private equity and the rental housing crisis in the US. Sigh. - Read here
If you are a manufacturer of printers that don’t use ink (which you can charge wild amounts for), what do you do? Simple, you DRM the paper! - Read here
A boom in plastic surgery demand - thanks to remote work and social media. - Read here
This is the story of the week. A related profile of this amazing CEO.
Stay safe, and happy reading! And if you liked the newsletter, thank you, and maybe consider sharing it? My DMs on Twitter are always open for any feedback.