[ad_1]
This is today’s edition download, Our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the tech world.
How mobile money strengthened Kenya’s addiction to sports betting
Mobile money has been very beneficial for Kenyans for the most part. But it has also turbocharged the country’s sports betting industry.
Since the middle of the last decade, experts and public figures on the African continent have been sounding the alarm about the growing popularity of sports betting. The practice produced stories of wealth, but it also broke families apart, drained college tuition, and even drove some to suicide.
However, nowhere is the frenzy as raging as in Kenya, the country often referred to as the “Silicon Savanna” of Africa for its status as a regional tech powerhouse. But while Kenya’s mobile currency revolution has played a well-documented role in encouraging savings and democratizing access to finance, it’s easier than ever for those in fragile economic conditions to waste everything today. Read the full story.
—Jonathan W. Rosen
Deep learning algorithm can detect earthquakes by filtering out city noise
Cities are noisy places. Traffic, trains and machinery produce a lot of noise. While often just an inconvenience, it can become a deadly problem when it comes to detecting earthquakes. This is because it is difficult to distinguish an approaching earthquake among all the usual vibrations in bustling cities.
Researchers from Stanford have found a way to get a clearer signal. They created an algorithm trained on tens of thousands of seismic noise samples in cities. They claim that earthquake monitoring networks in cities can increase their detection capacity. Places such as South America, Mexico, the Mediterranean, Indonesia, and Japan may particularly benefit. Read the full story.
—Rhiannon Williams
must read
I scoured the internet for today’s most entertaining/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 TikTok creates a pro-war echo chamber in Russia
Anti-war hashtags and content disappeared. (WSJ $)
+ Ukrainian intelligence services doxing Russian soldiers. (wired $)
+ The Russians are hiding bombs and mines throughout Ukraine. (NYT $)
+ The state of Russia’s trucks shows that its troops are struggling. (CNN)
2 million people mourn their relatives who succumbed to covid
The people’s desire to “go back to normal” also makes their grief even more intense. (Atlantic Ocean $)
+ Two-ohmron sub-variants expand in New York state. (NYT $)
+ Pfizer’s booster vaccine is effective in children aged 5-11 years. (NYT $)
+ Robot dogs patrol Shanghai to ensure residents comply with the curfew. (FT $)
3 Plastic batteries are cheaper and last longer than lithium-ion
So it makes sense that they could store renewable energy on the grid. (EN)
4 Elon Musk offers to buy 100% of Twitter
He says he will reconsider his position as a shareholder if his offer is turned down. (FT $)
+ It’s been a rollercoaster week for both Musk and the platform. (Anger)
+ However, he is still being sued over allegations that he was too slow to disclose his posts on Twitter. (Weather forecast $)
5 Joke conspiracy theory How did the Birds Fly Not Real? 
Real conspiracy theorists seem to have a really hard time spotting satire. (Guard)
+ A Capitol Hill rebel blamed Trump for ordering Congress to attack. (NYT $)
6 Mark Zuckerberg wants you to see the metaverse with AR glasses
He thinks they’ll go on sale in 2024, but even that sounds wildly optimistic. (Anger)
7 A travel phenomenon mistakenly claimed to be the first woman to visit every country
HE IS it happenedhowever, he is the first to brag about it on social media. (WP $)
8 endangered animals are still traded on Facebook
This is despite Meta’s promise to crash the app years ago. (Guard)
9 At what age should we talk to kids about crypto?
What question. What a beautiful time to live. (vox)
+ The man who bought the NFT of Jack Dorsey’s first tweet for $2.9 million is having a hard time selling it for anything but a huge loss. (Coindesk)
+ Wikipedia voted against receiving cryptocurrency donations. (Ars Teknik)
+ Football clubs and crypto are not a good mix. (FT $)
10 Automata may exist until the end of time
They are often disliked, but trusted by millions of us every day around the world. (Guard)
+ No, please, it’s not an NFT automaton. (axioms)
Word of the Day
“If I can’t live with myself didn’t come. I had to do it. I could not sleep.”
—An American man tells Guard About his decision to travel to Ukraine to fight against the Russian occupation.
We can still have beautiful things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these strange times. (Any ideas? Write me or tweet me.)
+ A fascinating look at what could be world’s oldest dessert although not to everyone’s taste.
+ Whatever you do, pay attention to them feisty geese.
+ This Smiths x Flo Rida mix living in my head is rent free.
+ If you hate jeans shopping as much as I do, this is the guide must read.
+ Wait, what-mushrooms talk to each other!?
+ this marine mammal live stream it heals my soul.+ May your weekend be this cold capybara living its best life with a few duck friends.
[ad_2]
Source link