Curated Commons // Edition 76
Thank you for subscribing and welcome to the 76th 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).
War of atoms. And code
While the bombs go off in Ukraine, a new strain of malware has been detected spreading rapidly in Ukraine a few countries (and DDoS as well!) And like physical bombs, let’s not forget, wiped data can set an individual/business/country back by a long time! - Read here
Meanwhile, the Ukraine Govt is also leaning on its pretty big hacker community in the country - Read here
No such thing as End of Life for COBOL!
Apparently the number of lines of COBOL code, yes that COBOL, in production is on the rise. Also means there’s going to be a diminishing, but highly rewarding, market for those that know COBOL. Interesting new study! - Read here
In the metaverse, watch out for your kids
In web2, the best advice i usually gave to fellow parents was to not leave their kids in front of a service that has algorithmic recommendations. In web3, with audio and hyper-realistic virtual environments, not sure how it is going to be! And moderation is going to be exponentially difficult too given the real-time nature of the medium! A metaverse app that allows kids into virtual strip malls, reports the BBC - Read here
A deepfake is more trustworthy than us humans
An Nvidia study drawing on mechanical turkers finds deepfakes more trustworthy than human faces. Assuming of course that the turkers are humans and not bots! - Read here
Regulations make. And break.
From China, comes the stark realization that you better have the regulators on your side if you are building a large business. - Read here ($)
If it’s the Internet, nothing is off-limits
There’s a war online that you might not have heard of - a war over online obituaries. Obituary piracy where sites scrape obituaries and re-publish them with minor changes. Why? Apparently that’s a ton of traffic that can be monetized in many ways. - Read here
One way to go green - buy & shut down coal plants
One Australian billionaire, frustrated with the pace of Govt action, is trying just that. Fascinating approach for using personal wealth for long-term societal good. - Read here
Algorithmic and data-collection systems, big or small, pose risks
When decisions, big or small, are taken by algorithmic systems, one needs to be extra cautious. While there’s a fair bit of spotlight on big tech firms and their data collection practices, there’s not enough appreciation of how “small tech” as the FT covers it in this article has grown. This one more focused on workplaces. On a related note, I recently did a thread on data collection practices from one such firm in India. — Read here ($)
Understanding big pharma
How does big pharma get away with their atrocious pricing? One reason - they are in a permanent state of emergency. - Read here
How many dark stores is too many dark stores?
Instant grocery delivery apps are all the rage in several cities across the world. But what of the local community where the dark store operates? An instructive read from Amsterdam. - Read here
Cryptocurrency - should we or shouldn’t we?
Canada - Read here
Russia - Read here ($)
How can coordinated crowds affect financial markets?
Fascinating read on a “Gamma Squeeze” - Read here
Extreme wildfires are apparently set to become more frequent
:-( - Read here
This latest study says that there will be a global increase in extreme fires of up to 14% by 2030, compared to the number recorded in 2010-2020. The increase could reach 30% by 2050 and 50% by the end of the century.
AI in the browser
Lovely thread on interesting browser-based AI tools.
Facebook was unstoppable. Then Apple changed the rules
This is a story that keeps repeating. Apple is doing to facebook what Facebook did to so many businesses on Facebook. Platforms, can’t live with them, can’t live without them! - Read here ($)
Sustainable in the brochures, dirty in the documents
Sustainability is increasingly a marketing term. It used to have some meaning. - Read here ($)
In August, a report by climate think-tank InfluenceMap found that 421 out of 593 ESG equity funds it assessed had portfolios that were not aligned with the Paris climate targets. The research, which used widely accepted Pacta (Paris Agreement Capital Transition Assessment) methodology to measure alignment, further found that 72 out of 130 climate-themed funds were not in line with the Paris goals. That included three out of four funds marketed as “Paris-aligned”.
More interesting reads:
Interesting take - how do you solve a problem like Joe Rogan? - Read here
A first-hand experience of a content moderator from the early days of Pornhub. Decisions & implications then snowballed over years. - Read here
Will Netflix move away from encouraging binge consumption? It’s going slow on releasing all episodes for some series. - Read here
If oligarch yachts interest you - Read here
What does employment law have to say of the metaverse? - Read here ($)
How does an AI visualize historical figures if they were modern people. Interesting thread - Read here
Interesting read from an India context on people taking up second 'jobs' - Read here ($)
Satellite constellations are great, in theory. SpaceX lost 40 satellites due to a geomagnetic storm - Read here
And finally, never underestimate any revolution!
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.