Hi there! It's issue #137 of DNT Weekly and as per usual the week has been eventful. Here's what we've been reading of late.
Every year the world seems to get more digital, but at least until the metaverse takes over, our lives continue to play out in physical spaces and revolve around stuff made of atoms. And just like entertainment products and viral trends, objects tell stories of a time and place. So with that spirit in mind, let's look at some physical items that defined the past year.
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Tiny Snippets of Code That Changed The World
Only a few short lines can have a massive, global impact.
Delivery apps are offering loans to workers. Experts allege they’re debt traps
Drivers and delivery workers in Mexico view the small, high-interest loans with suspicion.
The next big bet for global streaming services: live sports
Regional platforms are in a heated battle with global giants for their slice of the lucrative live sports streaming market.
There are no transcendent insights that rise above human difference. Yet wisdom exists if we look in the right places.
Billionaires Are A Security Threat
Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover is a case study in destruction. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Elon Musk isn’t serious about giving power to a new CEO
Once he finds a CEO replacement, he’ll “just run the software & servers teams,” he says.
Google’s Big AI Push To Make India’s Digitisation Journey Equitable, Inclusive & Safe
India is an important and one of the largest markets of tech giant Google. In 2020, Google announced the $10 Bn ‘Google for India Digitization Fund’ to accelerate India’s digital economy. After two years and achieving several milestones, Google will now refocus its efforts towards AI in the country to make the internet inclusive.
Microsoft-Activision deal: Gamers sue to stop merger
The lawsuit filed in a US federal court says the $69bn (£56bn) deal by the Xbox console maker to purchase its rival will "create a monopoly in the video game industry".
OpenAI releases Point-E, an AI that generates 3D models
The next breakthrough to take the AI world by storm might be 3D model generators. This week, OpenAI open sourced Point-E, a machine learning system that creates a 3D object given a text prompt. According to a paper published alongside the code base, Point-E can produce 3D models in one to two minutes on a single Nvidia V100 GPU.
Binance joins US crypto lobbying group Chamber of Digital Commerce
The move comes as U.S. lawmakers scramble to figure out how to regulate the fast-moving and complex sphere.
Honorary mentions
Forbes' list of UX trends that companies should look out for 👀
Earth was visited by a rare space traveller 👽
And that's the lot! Thanks for checking out what we had to share with you this week, we shall catch up with you next Wednesday. Incase you aren't subscribed to the newsletter, you could subscribe here.
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