Required readings
I’ve combed the internet to find you the funniest/important/scary and fascinating stories about technology.
1 A suspected Chinese “spy balloon” flies over the US
Officials hesitate to take it down in case it hurts someone. (BBC)
+ The balloon poses no threat to people on the ground. (WSJ$)
+ How China Built a Cyber-Espionage Giant Unique to Last. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Things are going from bad to worse for Big Tech
Incomes are slow and jobs are still at risk. (WP$)
+ Apple, in particular, fell short of expectations. (WSJ$)
3 The Kremlin appears to be tracking Russian dissidents via Telegram
The app, which is supposed to be encrypted, has been compromised. (via cable $)
4 The motley crew behind the Tether cryptocurrency
Including a former plastic surgeon and child actor. (WSJ$)
+ We’re happy to be regulated, crypto industry tells UK officials. (FT$)
+ Exchange Binance has resumed operations in South Korea. (CoinDesk)
+ What’s next for crypto?. (MIT Technology Review)
5 ADHD patients suffer from Adderall shortage
We don’t know why the supplies are so low and the officials are not increasing the quotas. (The Guardian)
6 Native American peoples fight for visibility on Wikipedia
Editors disagree about how to cover indigenous history. (Blackboard $)
+ Pakistani authorities have ordered Wikipedia to remove content. (The Register)
7 Those Horrible Website Click Ads Won’t Go Anywhere
Unfortunately, disturbing images generate clicks. (fast company $)
8 Disadvantages of paying social media users to post
The central bank of the Philippines did not see it favorably, for example. (Rest of the World)
9 TikTok Loves Veteran Manhattan Watch Dealers
It is pure uncut gem. (NYT$)
10 Virtual reality is getting sexy
Explicit content is prohibited on the VRChat platform, but people attend virtual orgies anyway. (BuzzFeed)