#98 Crowdtangled Interwebs, Antimony Antagonism

+ Pixel Perfect Pics, Droning On And On, Epic Victory Lap, Mpox Cure Be Upon Ye

The Week that Was:

A look back at the tech world of the past week.

Crowdtangled Interwebs:

Sooooo, that self-regulation’s been going great for the platform owners, hasn’t it? We’ve got Meta killing its popular analytics platform CrowdTangle. Mostly used to track misinformation and hate speech, it was airing too much of Meta’s own dirty laundry to be allowed to live. Or so critics of this move claim. We’ve also got Google milking its monopoly for all its worth before the antitrust guillotine comes down .

Google is not only pulling a Reddit on popular adblocker Ublock Origin, but also threatened to exclude websites from its search results if they didn’t consent to having their data used for AI training.

Obviously, that second one got walked back almost immediately with assurances given by Google executives that this wasn’t what they meant at all, and that they’d never do that. Only a ruthless monopolist would…ah…right. So you can probably guess why no one bought that excuse/apology, can’t you?

Speaking of potentially hoisting oneself by the exclusively owned and operated petard, let’s look at US Internet Service Providers again! They were very smug and satisfied at once again preventing the return of net neutrality regulation at the federal level. And now they get to deal with individual states seeking to fill the power vacuum left behind.

It’s not even limited to the US either. US tech giants are also still engaged in mortal legal combat against Indian telecom providers over Indian internet regulation, and who ought to be allowed to unfairly benefit from it. to avert disadvantageous (for the tech giants) internet regulation over there. Reap what you sow, ye avaricious telco. LINK

Antimony Antagonism:

The financial markets have recovered somewhat since our last look at them. A combination of dip-buying (low prices attract many buyers), increased confidence that the US economy won’t shit itself again after all, and some strong performances by key industry leaders have (at the time of writing) mostly leveled out the markets again.

That’s all mostly in line with expectations, but what caught my interest was that the commodities market, metals to be precise, has actually gotten more volatile. On the one hand, this makes sense. Metals, especially rare-earth metals, are key resources for tech.

As companies, consumers, and investors alike try to find a new supply/demand equilibrium together, it stands to reason that the metal market would be hit as a natural consequence.

However, what I’m a little less certain of is how geopolitical tensions may further muddy these waters. One example of that is the weird state of Antimony exports from China. China’s ongoing struggles to stabilize its own economy would, under normal circumstances, discourage tough export controls on such a hot commodity.

This particular metalloid is used everywhere from flame retardants to bullet-hardening agents . That later part does offer some hints though, as the military applications will likely be what China wishes to restrict access to for its geopolitical adversaries.

If that is the case, it does explain the hesitancy of US democrats in California being afraid of a local tech firm death spiral. If the US continues to escalate its own sanctions against China, and China responds in kind, we’ll likely end up seeing more shockwaves like the one that so recently rocked the financial markets.

And so, like an embittered yet pragmatic married couple, both sides are increasingly apprehensive about whether or not a total ‘divorce’ would do more harm than good. LINK

Go, Go Gadget:

Technologies and gadgetry that are worth keeping an eye on.

Pixel Perfect Pics:

I know we (rightly) talk a lot of shit about Google in this newsletter, but let it never be said that I do not give credit where credit is due. Previously, we looked at the positive reception to the Chrome browser’s upcoming lens integration. Those who got to test it considered it useful and intuitive.

Well, this time we’re talking about praise for Google’s recently released Gemini feature: Windows Recall ... Eh? Wait, is literally everyone just going to eat Microsoft’s lunch right in front of it? This is so sad.

To elaborate a bit, Google’s new phones are all about the optics! Better pictures, photobomb defusal tools , and upgraded image search! By all accounts, the new Pixels are pretty awesome with how ‘intelligently’ they leverage AI features to enhance core functions. on its newly released line of Pixel phones. Sounds great right?

Unfortunately, over the past week it came to light that influencers had been forced by Google to be disingenuously ecstatic about the new devices. The reason this is so damaging is because it pulls into doubt all of the genuine praise from reviewers as well.

What’s more, if the good stuff is ‘fake’ then an extra bright spotlight suddenly gets shone on the negatives again. What negatives might there be you ask? Oh, you know, not much. Just some niggling issues like each Pixel phone shipping with a gaping security hole.

How do you manage to make a release all about your amazing pictures into a case of bad optics? Oh well, baby steps. The larger the company, the longer it takes to course-correct and/or change things. LINK

Droning On And On:

Drones, drones everywhere! Underwater, on the roads, choking the skies! Well, perhaps not that last part if recent research into drone traffic is anything to go by. ‘The drone traffic problem’ isn’t really a problem yet, but it’s better to prevent than to treat, to coarsely translate a Dutch proverb.

And if the promised drone traffic control solution does prove valid, it’d not be a moment too soon either. These past few months, we’ve periodically seen news coverage of the gradually increasing volume of test flights for drone deliveries. Now, it appears several major retailers feel ready to scale up their operations.

We’ve covered Amazon in the past, but other examples are Walmart and Ikea . Did you ever expect flatpack strafing runs? If you did, you’re probably an arms dealer or Russian soldier on the receiving end of Ukraine’s drone fleet. Indeed, drones are already such a mainstay on the battlefield that they’ve even changed how soldiers surrender .

Those hoping to avoid a Skynet-flavoured drone, I regret to inform you that the terminators are already here.

Militaries around the world and the arms traders supplying them are only getting more excited as ever more advanced drones roll off of the production lines. So it goes that drone swarms and cold iron canines might soon prowl the battlefields without the need for supervision.

I don’t like it, gang. I’m hopeful we’ll see more interest in life-saving use cases like drones delivering vital medicine to disaster areas cut off from conventional travel. But I’m worried about how more and more focus seems to still be shifting towards payloads of an altogether different kind. LINK

Rules of Engagement:

Ethics and legal matters regarding tech engagement

Epic Victory Lap:

Ok, fair disclosure. This one is mostly for my amusement. But I swear it’s also very pertinent to the present state of platform politics. AltStore PAL, the most prominent up-and-coming alternative to Apple’s app store in Europe, is now free for everyone. Why is it free for everyone? Because of a grant by Epic Games .

As you might recall, Epic engaged in a long, bitter legal war against Apple over the latter’s 30% cut of every transaction on Apple devices. The so-called Apple Tax. It wouldn’t be unfair to say that Epic’s bottomless wellspring of spite -and sugar daddy Tencent’s equally deep pockets- proved pivotal in making the EU’s efforts to peel away at Apple actually succeed.

Epic didn’t need to give a grant to the AltStore, in fact, the Epic Games store will be present on iOS alongside Epic’s big money maker Fortnite. This is, in other words, an act of pure spite.

Tencent is a 40% (roughly) stakeholder in Epic Games and a major power player in the global entertainment space. It has always been my belief that Tencent used Epic as a trojan horse in the wider Western entertainment market.

Nothing illegal that we currently know of, mind you. Though the record-breaking success of the newly released, Tencent-backed game Black Myth: Wukong would not have been possible otherwise. It would have lacked the market intelligence necessary to hit the right notes. It would have lacked sufficient soft-power behind it.

Soft-power is the socio-cultural and economic counterpart to military ‘hard-power.’ Gaming is the main vector through which soft-power is currently projected, hence why this ‘epic victory lap’ is worth being mindful of.

That’s why, even though Wukong isn’t even technically related to the Epic vs Apple saga at all, it nonetheless benefited from the dynamics behind that clash. Tit for tat though. Apple has picked an ‘interesting’ time to have words with Tencent about its heretofore untaxed WeChat minigames. LINK

Mpox Cure Be Upon Ye:

‘Bacterial bird bombing runs ’ is not a phrase that I expected to be writing anytime soon but write it I must. Urban birds have been found to harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria. That’s less than ideal, I’m sure you’ll agree.

It’s not all bad microbe news though. Those that have played the mass effect games will know that the healing item there was called ‘Medigel.’ Hardly the kind of name that would make Shakespeare weep tears of joy, but quite to the point. Medigel could heal all variants of futuristic gunshot wounds in the blink of an eye.

A new algae-based gel…is literally Medigel. It heals gunshot wounds in seconds. I’m slightly apprehensive about how the inventors tested this fact, but if it works, it works! Gels such as this are applied to the skin. I wonder if perhaps further research into the field would widen the applicable effects of such gels.

Take Mpox, for example. This has recently been declared a global health emergency… again . Because heaven forbid we all band together to help Africa properly so outbreaks like this can stop happening already.

What I’m hopeful for is the following. Combining ongoing research into tackling antibiotic-resistant bacteria with this new research into Medigel and alternatives to injections for life-saving medicines.

?I think that would massively ease the logistics difficulties during outbreaks and also mean I don’t have to suffer from my crippling needle phobia anymore. A win/win for everyone, I’m sure you’ll agree.

As with all medical technology, timelines are extremely difficult to pin down. However, I’m still very excited and eager to see more developments in the space, since things are actually pretty damn exciting and promising right now. LINK

A Nice Cup of Serendipity:

Cool bits and bobs from around the web.

Air Powered Computer LINK

Focus Music LINK

Omni-mill LINK

Stillness LINK

Sci-Fi Design LINK

Original Computation LINK

The Reality Issue LINK

Don’t Shoot LINK

Art’s Good For You LINK

Hardcore Ants LINK

Sing for Me LINK

Crypto Clamouring LINK

Byron Fanclub LINK

Plato’s Perspective LINK

Big Brain Map LINK

Bangalore Art LINK

Et Tu Xi? LINK

Pimp Yo Probes LINK

Betting Minutia LINK

Mars’ Sea Level LINK

The ManhattAnt LINK

APT41 Spinoff LINK

Anti-Allergy Spray LINK

Phone The Referee LINK

Sonos Struggles LINK

National Public Panic LINK

A Tiny Lego Cam LINK

The Deep End:

A weekly batch of long-form content recommendations.

Clobbered:

A compelling argument against opening app stores up too much. LINK

Eclipse History:

Solar eclipse history is really interesting. LINK

Food Out Of Thin Air

Making food out of bacteria. LINK

Stealth In Gaming:

Go loud or go home. LINK

Extreme Island Getaways:

Some people pay to get stranded. LINK

One More Thing…

I hate mosquitoes. I hate them more than anyone. Or so I thought. You see, there are people out there who hate mosquitoes so much that they literally invent a full-fledged firearm just to pelt these particularly pesky pests with.

This past week I learned from a colleague of mine that indeed, there is a mosquito gun. I’d heard of elephant guns before, but never of a mosquito gun. Rather than normal shells, this gun uses salt.

A fan of tiny grains, like buckshot, does to the buzzing buggers what normal buckshot would do to you. We know this courtesy of my colleague. He doubted that this thing was worth its salt at first. The bloodstain left in his wake put those doubts to rest along with his first kill.

So who is this mysterious colleague? We call him the Table Salt Terminator.