Thursday Thoughts, April 29, 2021

So much has happened this week, but obviously the biggest news story is the terrible covid wave confronting India. If you can help out, or are interested in learning how you can, please click here for some ideas.

Besides the crisis in India, the tech world had a tremendous week, there are lots of privacy issues arising with Apple tech and in the online advertising space, significant new developments and ideas may help with climate change, and there are some really fascinating developments relating to endurance sports.

Tech:

• Big data is going to upend the way in which insurance works, for better or worse.
• Congress is still digging into tech, focusing on algorithms this time. Meanwhile, Facebook has yet another ad out claiming that the company is clamoring for updated Internet regulations. As Washington dithers, the world is moving ahead on an array of regulations aimed at the tech world.
• A very scary (but very predictable) development: European MPs have been recently deep-faked by individuals imitating Russian opposition leaders. Deepfake technology may eventually create crises and wars and deserves far more attention and regulation.
• Kate Crawford argues that the term "AI" is misunderstood and applied incorrectly (and that AI itself probably needs more regulation).
• Apple is betting big on North Carolina's Research Triangle area (and on the U.S. in general).
• Toyota bought Lyft's self-driving vehicle unit for $550 million. Speaking of 'self-driving,' Consumer Reports is reporting that Teslas can be tricked to run without drivers.
• Fascinating: Stripe and Lyft are expediting their equity vesting schedules.
• The Economist has a take on the EU's efforts to regulate AI.
• Cool? Creepy? Delicious! Alphabet-backed Wing is partnering with a Girl Scout troop in Virginia to deliver Girl Scout cookies via drone.
• Pretty cool: Snap is trying to make our cameras more inclusive.
• Ouch. Internal memos seem to suggest that Facebook internally acknowledges that the company's platform played a significant role in efforts to organize the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol.
• Goodbye Calibri? It's a shame - I've come to like Calibri as the default. But it's time for a new Microsoft default font.
• Working from home has resulted in Google saving north of $1 billion.
• The NYT has an interesting write-up on the inter-personal relationship between Zuckerberg and Cook (hint: they don't get on well).
• Good move by Google: the tech giant is tying exec pay to meeting diversity, environmental, and other goals.
• The NYT digs into the nasty world of online slander websites (and their affiliates that will 'take down' the garbage).
• When you 'buy' things in an App Store, do you own them? Apple and other platforms say no, but courts are digging into the question.
• There is a ton of copy-and-pasting from Stack Overflow.

Privacy:

• TikTok is taking heat (again) for processing children's data.
• Kudos to AdAge for enabling industry participants to advocate for a more nuanced view of data protection in the online behavioral advertising space. Meanwhile, Quartz dives into the minor--but impactful--privacy changes in Apple's latest iOS.
• The CNIL is going to start auditing websites for cookie compliance. I guess that's an easy way to find quick 'wins' for the regulators--low cost, potentially outsized impact--but I'd rather see the regulators spend the time/money to dive deep into harder issues that may have more meaningful results.
• Rules for you, not for us: the FISA court continued to approve warrantless surveillance by the FBI despite finding that the FBI was repeatedly violating privacy rules.
• If Google offers a FLoC and nobody joins, does it fly? Meanwhile, Adobe sees an opportunity in the cookie-less environment.
• Apple AirDrop may have a privacy problem. Meanwhile, the company has engineered its AirTags in a privacy/security-friendly manner.

Sports/Outdoors:

• There are two really, really interesting new articles out that have bearing for runners, cyclists, and other endurance athletes. Keep in mind that both have small sample sizes, but the take-aways could have significant impact on performance. In one study, researchers found that taking antihistamines (e.g., allergy meds) significantly impeded development of athletic improvement metrics in athletes. In the second, a study found that there is a high correlation between general fatigue resistance (something that can be trained) and performance outcomes for cyclists.
• The Olympics are giving e-sports a try. It'll be very interesting to see how this goes and whether it leads to greater cross-pollination between sports and gaming fans (I suspect that many sports fans are already acquainted with the video game versions of their sports but I'm curious whether they'll watch other people play the video games, or if the audience will be mostly people who are already watching gaming streams (and, if so, whether that will lead them to take more interest in the underlying sports)).
• Apparently, Kenya is making arrests in a conspiracy intended to tarnish their athlete's reputations by accusing them of using PEDs.
• MadBum threw a no-hitter for seven innings over the weekend but, owing to the new double-header rules, the game was cut short and so he won't get a no-hitter in the record books.
• Soccer is the world's sport, and the winner on Instagram.
• The Canyons 100K happened this past weekend, and it was one heck of a good, stacked race.
• Insane: Lithuania’s Aleksandr Sorokin set new world records in the 100 mile run and the 12-hour run at the Centurion Hundred in the UK.
• There's a new record set by a runner running laps around the Central Park Loop in NYC. I think that'd be kind of boring, but it's still a cool story.

Covid:

• India is in the throes of a terrible surge in covid cases. Vidya Krishnan, an Indian journalist/writer focused on medical topics, has a heartbreaking (and somewhat political) analysis of how this ended up happening, with parallels to what we've seen in the U.S. and what India went through with the Bhopal disaster in 1984. Regardless of what led to this crisis, here's what you can do to help.
• Long haul covid is no joke: it causes symptoms that last for months post-exposure and can kill long after the immediate acute phase. And for many, it might result in a lifetime of autoimmune-related challenges.
• New mask guidelines came out this week. I'm going to maximize mask-wearing when out and about, but understand why some others might not.
• There is a new French vaccine that may come out soon, and it may be more effective against the variants.
• The Silicon Valley model of moving fast and exploring options, and not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, has value in our fight against covid.
• Air travel during covid is still risky.
• Many people are skipping their second vaccine dose. It's a bad idea, both for the skippers and for society.
• The thing that's interesting about the breakthrough infections post-vaccine isn't that they're happening, but how few of them have been reported.
• Not entirely surprising, but good to see the research: regular exercise is linked to better health outcomes for covid patients.
• Pro-tip: Don't listen to Joe Rogan for health advice.
• Anti-vaxxers are causing reduced vaccination rates. Nature just published an article calling for strong resistance to (or a 'counteroffensive' against) anti-vax propaganda. More on how to approach the divide on vaccination.
• The U.S. is shipping out its AstraZeneca shots. Let's hope we can get them to India and other nations quickly, as holding onto the shots will end up creating bad results for everyone. More here.
• The SF Chronicle has a good rundown on the different approaches California and Texas took in responding to covid, and how they've played out. One thing that's showing up: covid infections across the state are slowing sharply.
• Going back to the office? Ensure good HVAC, not surface cleaning.

Climate Change:

• Giant sails could again sail the seas if shipping companies want to quickly reduce emissions.
• California is stepping up its climate goals, with a ban on fracking by 2024 and reductions in fossil fuel usage on the way as well. In other good news involving California and climate change, the EPA is going to again allow California to set fuel emissions standards.
• Some banks--like Citi--are showing that they're putting their money where their mouth is on climate change.
• The Washington Post has a good argument that biodiversity is the key to combatting mankind's ill effects on the planet.
• Organic is great, but regenerative organic food is not only organic but also better for the planet.
• Researchers are warning that misinformation on Facebook (again) may undermine the Biden administration's climate change agenda.
• Europe has developed a hydrogen-based, zero-carbon passenger train.
• Warning sign: up to 20% of wells are at risk of running dry.
• Good news! The cost of renewable energy is plummeting.
• Can bitcoin go green? Dorsey, Musk, and others are thinking 'yes' but the answer isn't so straightforward.
• Sad for anyone who has spent time gazing up at Sequoia sempervirens or giganteum: how climate change is impacting redwood forests.
• Due to climate change impacts associated with cattle, Epicurious is no longer going to allow new beef recipes.

California:

• The U.S. population growth rate slowed to the lowest level in decades. And California's growth rate was below average. The reduction in immigration and people leaving (or staying away from) California due to high housing costs ended up costing California a House seat. A covid-related baby bust in the state isn't going to help for the 2030 census, either.
• Speaking of high housing costs, Prop 19 led to a wave of family-to-family property transfers in the Bay Area.
• A sad (and cautionary) tale of how difficult SF makes life for small scale entrepreneurs.
• Looks like the plan to dump poison on the Farallon islands is going forward.
• The SF Chronicle has a great story about Kiri, a Japanese fire truck that helps out in the Bay Area.
• Love Stinson Beach? Climate change is going to affect it significantly, and the residents there aren't happy about the idea of a managed retreat.
• Smart: California is moving to bar Nestle from removing more water from the San Bernardino Mountains.
• Interesting: French vintners are starting to buy up Californian (and other American) vineyards as the older U.S. wineries are looking to cash in.

Everything else:

• Neuroscience shows that breaks between meetings are really important.
• Latino lawmakers are pushing for a Marshall Plan equivalent for Central America. It might be a good idea.
• Huge news, if true: there's a promising Malaria vaccine coming out of trials in Burkina Faso. It would save millions of lives.
• Scientists are trying to figure out what to call a group of black holes. Great question.
• The Washington Post has the fascinating (and sad) backstory behind the famous photo following the National Guard shooting at Kent State University.
• Just an idea: if people aren't going to the movies, they probably aren't going to be interested in the Oscars (viewership < 10 million). Relatedly, it's not likely that the Academy's approach this year increased interest in any of the films that were up for awards, and an approach of "standing in the middle" is unlikely to change that.
• Fortune outlines how new emojis are selected each year.
• Super-cool: Netflix will tell the story of Yasuke, Japan's first black samurai.
• It's time to end gender reveal parties: they've already caused forest fires, now earthquake-level shaking.
• What does "trust" in the news mean? The Reuters Institute dug into the question in the U.S., UK, India, and Brazil.
• Get your daily uranium? If not, try some honey: it turns out American honey is radioactive from decades of U.S. nuke tests.
• Taking LSD on the job may not be the best idea for a CEO.