The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Sam Bankman-Fried has been released on $250 million bail
He’s facing home detention while he awaits trial. (BBC)
+ It’s one of the largest bails in US history. (Bloomberg $)
+ Crypto Twitter is not impressed by his cushy conditions. (CoinTelegraph)
2 A severe storm is forcing US airlines to cancel flights
+ Disrupting Christmas travel left, right, and center. (WSJ $)
+ It’s due to sweep across most of the US and into Canada. (Wired $)
3 We don’t know how effective nasal covid vaccines are
And because we’re not collecting the right kind of data, we may never know. (The Atlantic $)
+ Two inhaled covid vaccines have been approved—but we don’t know yet how good they are. (MIT Technology Review)
+ Life expectancy in the US has fallen again. (Axios)
4 Twitter is starting to show how many people have seen your tweets
It’s yet another of Elon Musk’s wheezes. (TechCrunch)
+ Twitter looks like it’s crumbling right now. (The Atlantic $)
+ We’re witnessing the brain death of Twitter. (MIT Technology Review)
5 ByteDance has been tracking journalists
Its staff improperly gained access to their IP addresses to try and work out if they’d crossed paths with ByteDance workers. (Forbes)
+ After all that, the company failed to find any leaks. (FT $)
+ TikTok is desperately trying to curry favor in the US. (Reuters)
6 NFTs are at a crossroads
Their value has plummeted, but evangelists are refusing to give up. (Wired $)
+ Some of the crypto faithful are trying to take their losses on the chin. (Vice)
7 Immigrant tech workers who’ve been laid off are caught in limbo
Losing their jobs means their families are also unable to work, leaving many with no choice but to leave the US. (The Guardian)
+ For this startup founder, his business going bust came as a bit of a relief. (The Information $)
8 This has been a landmark year for EVs
They’re not just synonymous with Tesla any more. (Vox)
+ Why EVs won’t replace hybrid cars anytime soon. (MIT Technology Review)
9 Japan’s space agency is sending a toy-like rover to the moon
The cute ball is designed by popular toymaker Tomy. (New Yorker $)
+ The Perseverance rover has dropped off its first sample tube. (The Register)
10 We’re living through the first ever BeReal Christmas ⚠️
Unfortunately, originality is vanishingly rare. (Vice)
Quote of the day
“Against all odds, and doom and gloom scenarios, Ukraine didn’t fall. Ukraine is alive and kicking.”
