Curated Commons // Edition 83
Thank you for subscribing and welcome to the 83rd edition of Curated Commons. Happy reading, and do pass on the newsletter and share it on your social networks if you find it interesting! It’s free!
Let’s dive right in ($ indicates potential paywall).
Don’t trust algorithms blindly
Dutch tax authorities used a self-learning algorithm to create risk profiles to identify potential fraud in child benefits. They ended up penalizing families over suspicion of fraud, pushing tens of thousands of families, as always low income/ethnic minorities, into poverty due to the massive debts they suddenly owed to the tax agency. - Read here
How do you know if ships are carrying sanctioned cargo?
How do you spot miscreants breaking sanctions on shipping lanes? Interesting look at some approaches. - Read here ($)
Life of a…vending machine
If reading long articles on the weird wonderful world of machines around is your thing, you won’t be disappointed by this piece on vending machines - Read here
Want to ‘live forever’ in the metaverse?
There’s now a company that is developing a way for people to talk to their loved ones even after they die. In the metaverse. Reminded me of a fab show on the same premise on Amazon Prime called Upload. - Read here
There’s no such thing as a pure ‘good’ or ‘bad’ tech
One big challenge for very many pieces of tech implementations - there’s no easy answers on whether a core purpose of a tech justifies intended/unintended side-effects. Developers have come up with an AI system to try to identify cars overspeeding. Noble goal of making roads safe. But it also might end up encouraging people to report others, raising worries of a surveillance state - Read here
Remote work is a boon for many
One good long-term side-effect of the terrible pandemic has been a greater acceptance of remote work. Good read in the WSJ on how this is benefitting some neurodiverse people in cybersecurity jobs- Read here ($)
Whatsapp, but for powering South Asia’s bridal industry
Whatsapp’s role in running the informal economy across South Asia is not fully appreciated elsewhere. Good piece focusing on one industry - Read here
Viruses to kill bacteria
We don’t pay enough attention to the growing challenge of antibiotic resistant bacteria. We should. Using viruses with antibiotic-resistant bacteria appears to be showing some positive results for acne. - Read here
Be worried. There are now packaged tools to target industrial control systems
Cybersecurity is fast turning out to be a top priority for Utilities globally. And for good reason. Authorities have uncovered a new hacker toolkit capable of taking down a swathe of industrial control equipment. - Read here ($)
Vegetarianism is not enough to save the planet
“A boost in plant-based food sales would not be enough to significantly limit global warming driven by eating meat, and further innovation in cutting emissions from cattle is needed, an academic study has found.” - Read here ($)
How will an anti-Instagram app look?
Instagram is the life we desire. So people try to put their best foot forward. Now there’s a new app that wants to show people’s lives for what they mostly are - insanely boring! - Read here
On a slightly related note, fascinating thread on ‘doing nothing’.
Can we use bioluminescence to reduce our energy use?
Interesting approach - Read here
Listening to AC/DC makes surgeons faster and more accurate
Not sure how I feel about this one! - Read here
Listening to rockers AC/DC makes surgeons faster and more accurate, research reveals.
Blasting their music through speakers almost doubled surgeons’ speed at certain tasks in the operating theatre — without affecting their exactness.
In trials, those listening to Highway To Hell and T.N.T. saw the time needed to make a precision cut drop from 236 seconds to 139.
And they did around five percent better on tests of accuracy.
Doctors were almost 50 percent quicker stitching up wounds when The Beatles’ hits Hey Jude and Let It Be were played in the background — but the positive effect was lost if those tracks were played loud.
Microsoft is catching up on cloud. The way it knows best.
Microsoft sure is ratcheting up its cloud business, but with lots of noises on how it is doing so drawing from its past playbook on ‘bundling’ and more. - Read here ($)
Can carbon capture work?
Big tech companies are pouring in almost a billion dollars to try and remove carbon. Will it work? Maybe. Will it be sufficient? Definitely not. But it sure is fascinating to see companies like Stripe take a lead. - Read here ($)
More Interesting Reads:
Meet the blockchain detectives. Yep, that’s a new job category - Read here
Extracting data, from your ears (to protect you) - Read here
North Korea might be ‘isolated’, buts hackers are sure everywhere. They are now apparently to blame for the Axie Infinity hack - Read here
Amazon’s 2021 letter to shareholders is out. First one from the new CEO - Read here
Long interview with A16Z’s Chris Dixon on web3 and their $3 Bn fund - Read here
An AI system that can draw your portrait using your…voice - Read here
Companies acting as a front for the Chinese Govt are trying to buy strategic islands globally. - Read here ($)
Should we get rid of the scientific paper? - Read here
There’s now a COVID-19 breathalyzer test. Hopefully we won’t need it anymore. - Read here ($)
Want to be a cyborg and pay with your hand using an implant? It’s possible - Read here
Drone delivery is not easy - Read here ($)
A16Z’s annual listing of top marketplace startups is out. - Read here
The Vatican has an AI whisperer to the Pope. Fascinating! - Read here ($)
Leveraging Twitter search, like a pro - Read here
Robot leasing is now a formal business - Read here ($)
Internet ads work. In some markets. d revenue continues to grow strongly in markets like the US. 35% growth in 2021! - Read here($)
And finally two things on Musk & Twitter. Fab thread here. And this is Musk!
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.