Curated Commons // Edition 80
Thank you for subscribing and welcome to the 80th edition of Curated Commons. Happy reading, and do pass on the newsletter and share it on your social networks if you find it interesting!
Let’s dive right in ($ indicates potential paywall).
The children’s entertainment juggernaut - CoComelon
If you became a parent in recent years, it’s hard to avoid CoComelon on YouTube. The show was watched for 33 billion minutes last year, more than the Squid Game and Bridgerton combined. Very good dive into the company - Read here
Automation, but for 90% of the job
Long-distance trucking’s most complicated in two places - getting to a highway and getting off it. And researchers now say that using humans for these two legs and relying on autonomous systems for the rest of the drive could replace up to 500K US jobs. - Read here ($)
The new benchmark for self-awareness
Tennis #1 Ash Barty announced her retirement. At the age of 25. And the WSJ makes a brilliant point on how self-aware she is. Take a bow, Ash! - Read here ($)
AI and drug discovery - only getting more popular
Last week we saw the perils of how AI for drug discovery can be gamed to come up with toxic molecules. However, those risks are not holding back companies and scientists. There are apparently 15 drugs designed entirely by AI systems that are now in clinical trials. Good read in the FT - Read here ($)
Are we ready for an ageing world?
Some fascinating stats in this QZ piece on an ageing world. Are we ready? - Read here
Human life expectancy has boomed since the industrial times, doubling between 1900 and 2000. Scientists predict that more than half of babies born in rich countries today will live to be 100.
However, declining birth rates around the world means that there are currently more people over the age of 60 than children under the age of 5. In fact, according to the WHO, over the next 30 years, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will nearly double from 12% to 22%.
And on the topic of aging, check this worrying read on results from a new study on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infections on the brain - significant gray matter loss, equivalent to nearly 10 years of aging! - Read here
These hacker teens!
ICYMI, Okta, the authentication services provider, was hit by a hack impacting hundreds of companies that use its services. New report says a teen might be the mastermind. - Read here ($)
The end of globalization?
Larry Fink believes so. Do read his full letter to shareholders. - Read here
While collapse of globalization is a slightly longer-term risk, there are more immediate risks. For eg, fertilizer prices - Read here ($)
Think before you leap, organic farming edition
Sri Lanka mandated organic farming including imposing a ban on import & use of fertilizers and pesticides. The results are devastating. - Read here ($)
Worm cells to help detect cancer?
Not yet. But potentially. - Read here
There’s a heat wave in Antarctica
And there are still people out there who debate climate change. Sigh! - Read here ($)
Elsewhere, climate change is leaving cities uninsurable. And a permanent evacuation might be the only option for many communities. - Read here ($)
Red Bull’s upcoming stunt is…wild…as usual
It wants two pilots to exchange airplanes in mid-air at 14,000 feet! Good luck folks! - Read here
Even birds understand consent. Unlike many tech startups!
Scientists equipped Magpies, a clever species, with trackers to study their social behavior. They didn’t last long. - Read here ($)
More Interesting Reads:
Two British publishers have censored books intended for western readers to ensure they can be printed cheaply in China - Read here ($)
Very good documentary on why global supply chains may never be the same again - Read here ($)
There’s too much dramatization and fake stuff in Netflix’s Drive to Survive. And drivers are pushing back. - Read here
For no particular reason
There’s a promising new treatment for malaria in kids that has received approval in Australia. - Read here
If you work with designing AI systems, this is a very good read from NIST report on AI and bias - Read here
Have iPhone cameras become too smart? And we don’t get what we see anymore? - Read here ($)
A profile of Heather Morgan aka Razzlekhan, the woman accused of trying to launder bitcoin worth billions - Read here
Shrinkflation jokes write themselves - "Cadbury owner Mondelez insisted that a cut to the size of Wispa chocolate bars in its multipacks was part of a “proactive strategy to help tackle obesity” - Read here ($)
A retired couple stole a $160 Mn painting. To hang it behind their bedroom door! - Read here
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.