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December 2022 - Things of Interest

 


 

1.         Four ways to better use Google Maps. It’s equipped with a lot more options than just showing directions

2.         Popular Science’s list of the 100 greatest innovations of 2022

3.         The most ingenious engineering feats of 2022. Solar-powered consumer gadgets, an AI that can generate images from text, and more

4.         10 biggest scientific breakthroughs of 2022

5.         From photos of the infant universe to an energy advancement that could save the planet

6.         And Google’s top searches of 2022 and Google Trends for 2022 news topics

7.         The smartphone effect on the camera market

8.         Policy discourse on artificial intelligence (AI) in the United States is at an all-time high - the 117th Congress proposed 130 AI bills in 2021 compared with just 1 in 2015

9.         Federal Trade Commission to sue Microsoft to prevent its $69B acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard

10.       Microsoft buys 4% stake in London Stock Exchange owner in cloud data deal

11.       The FTC found Epic Games, violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal information from children under 13 in Fortnite without parental consent. Epic agreed to pay $275m. In a separate case, Epic will pay $245M in customer returns after the FTC found it had tricked consumers into making unintended purchases. Fortnite" debuted in 2017 to immense popularity among children

12.       Amazon reaches antitrust settlement with European Union, and will make changes to its European business to address allegations it was using independent data for its advantage

13.       Abuse of market power? The sneaky economics of Ticketmaster

14.       2022: A Year On YouTube explores the most popular videos and creators of 2022

15.        George Clooney, Gladys Knight, and U2 among 2022 Kennedy Centre honourees, chosen for their lifetime contributions to American culture

16.       The 100 best songs and the 50 best albums of 2022

17.       The ultimate best books of 2022 list, compiled from their mention on other lists

18.       "Wednesday" becomes Netflix’s third most viewed English language TV series ever

19.       The much-respected Sight and Sound poll of the best films ever shows that what is valued onscreen has changed over time, sometimes radically

20.       Every song with over 1 billion Spotify streams

21.       Will a great cast be able to make something of this movie? Or will it be another Batman & Robin?

22.       The most scathing book reviews of 2022

23.       ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is Paramount+’s most-watched movie in premiere weekend

24.       OECD nations sign privacy agreement to improve transparency when governments access personal data

25.       The ECB blog takes a look at where we stand with Bitcoin…essentially, Crypto peaked a year ago — investors have lost more than $2 trillion since

26.       The US states most vulnerable to identity theft and fraud

27.       Twitter in data-protection probe after '400 million' user details up for sale

28.       Meta to settle Cambridge Analytica class action lawsuit for $725M. in its defence, Meta said that that those who voluntarily signed up to the social network should have no real expectations of privacy, an assertion that the judge overseeing the case in 2019 called “so wrong”

29.       Candy maker Ferrero to buy Wells Enterprise (owner of Blue Bunny, Blue Ribbon Classics, and Halo Top), expanding North American business. Comfort food staples like ice cream and candy saw their sales soar during the pandemic as consumers looked for ways to treat themselves

30.       Boeing makes its 1,574th and last 747 plane after over 50 years of production

31.       The 100 biggest public companies in the World

32.       Amazon Prime Air wants to deliver packages within 60 minutes in California and Texas

33.       The ten most-popular ProMarket articles from 2022

34.       How experts make complex decisions

35.       The three types of economic indicators explained

36.       2022: The Year in Numbers. The 10 most important numbers in personal finance for those in the US

37.       An economist’s guide to ruining Christmas

38.       96 fascinating finds revealed in 2022 included hidden portraits by Cézanne and van Gogh, sarcophagi buried beneath Notre-Dame, and a medieval wedding ring

39.       The World Bank’s 2022 year in review is here

40.       The US Department of Defence releases a report on China’s military power and the Federation of American Scientists lists global nuclear inventory

41.       After decades of pacifism, Japan recently announced that it will double its military budget over the next five years to become the world’s third-biggest defence spender behind the US and China.

42.       On a lighter note, here’s Stephanie Honchell Smith’s TED talk on The Taj Mahal: A monument to eternal love

43.       Makes you wonder what the world’s coming to: suspected German coup plot spawns dozens of arrests

44.       Key facts about China’s declining population

45.       Greek politician Eva Kaili removed as one of 14 vice presidents of European Parliament amid Belgian corruption probe reportedly tying her, others to Qatari bribery

46.       Qatar denies wrongdoing in corruption probe linking several EU lawmakers to gulf nation

47.       Amid Qatar scandal, European Parliament pledges reform

48.       And Gallup finds government remains Americans' top problem in 2022

Exercise, Health & Nutrition

49.       Many genes linked to alcohol and tobacco use are shared among diverse ancestries. Genetic risk factor scores could someday help identify people at high risk for substance misuse

50.       Celine Dion says she was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms

51.       The science of falling in love is Shannon Odell’s TED talk that sees what happens when you fall in love and explore how the brain responds to heartbreak

52.       12 hottest food trends of 2022

53.       Your team doesn’t need you to be the hero

54.       Deloitte posts its list of most read articles, here

55.       From the Great Resignation to the rise of returnships 

56.       Doesn’t hurt to be nice: China's U.S. ambassador expected to be appointed foreign minister. The appointment was confirmed soon after

57.       McKinsey’s Year in Review 2022, the year in charts, the year in images, and the year in innovation

58.       Top 10 good news stories (yes, really) from 2022

59.       2022, in 7 minutes

60.       UNESCO adds items, including French baguette and date palms, to the intangible cultural heritage list in 2022

61.       52 things Tom Whitwell learned in 2022

62.       NPR’s list of 15 binge-worthy podcasts to check out before 2023

63.       Associated Press’ photographs of 2022 show a planet in crisis

64.       The Oxford Word of the Year 2022 is “goblin mode”

65.       The best memes of 2022. 30 of the year's funniest, weirdest, and most chaotic viral internet videos, images and jokes

66.       An incomplete guide to this very weird year, in charts. From concerts to crypto and from unions to Ukraine: 14 charts that explain this wild year

67.       And Pew Research Centre’s striking findings from 2022

68.       There is a 744% difference between the average price of LEGO in the most and least expensive markets

69.       This is the best way to apologise (according to science)

70.       Two from Brazil: (i) Brazil, the 1970 World Cup, and the mythology of a "beautiful game" and (ii) Soccer star Pele, Brazilian legend of the beautiful game, dies at 82. His final message to the world

71.       365 Best Inspirational Quotes for 2023. One quote for each day of the year. Take them together, and they're quite inspiring

72.       Pelé Was Brazil’s Ambassador to the World. In leading his national team to success on the field, a soccer star helped his country find itself. David Tryhorn, the director of the Netflix documentary 'Pele', shared some of his personal memories of the footballing legend

73.       And on the world cup 2022, highlights from the Argentina v France final. Lionel Messi World Cup Instagram post is most-liked ever, hitting the 65 m mark

74.       The Imposters podcast meets with titans of industry, sports, and entertainment to discuss the personal challenges they’ve overcome to get where they are today. It’s honest, raw, and a reminder that we’re all just doing the best we can

75.       One person's experience with upward mobility in the US

76.       Kirstie Alley, two-time Emmy-winning actress known for "Cheers" and "Look Who's Talking," dies of cancer at 71 and Bob McGrath, "Sesame Street" actor for nearly 50 years, dies at 90

77.       Zelenskyy and the spirit of Ukraine are 'Time' magazine's 2022 Person of the Year

78.       Billionaire Charlie Munger thinks we should all be a lot happier. ‘Everybody’s five times better off than they used to be’

79.       The Guardian takes us inside the palace intrigue in Saudi Arabia that ultimately led to Mohammed bin Salman supplanting his cousin as crown prince

80.       Donald Trump encouraged to move on from political life in a not-so-subtle way by Mitch McConnell

81.       The US Securities and Exchange Commission releases guidance requiring public companies to disclose any cryptocurrency risks or material exposures

82.       DOJ and SEC charge social media influencers in alleged $100 million stock pump-and-dump scheme

83.       A collection of internal email exchanges from social media giant Twitter was released over the weekend, with CEO Elon Musk implying they provided insight into the company's previous willingness to suppress content based on external requests. More analysis here

84.       Twitter disbands ‘Trust and Safety Council.’ The group was tasked with tackling harassment and child exploitation. And Twitter's paid blue tick re-launches after pause

85.       Twitter bans accounts promoting other social networks. It happened after Twitter suspended an account that encouraged users to join a rival platform

86.       Twitter users vote for Elon Musk to step down as CEO in poll he launched. He said earlier that he would "abide by the results" of the Twitter poll, following mounting backlash against his leadership of the site

87.       More tech layoffs. Digital media company BuzzFeed is letting go about 180 staffers (12%) amid "challenging macroeconomic conditions"

88.       Social media prevents profound boredom—and that's a bad thing because distraction of social media may suck up the time and energy that allow us to find new passions

 

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