September 15, 2020

empowering you with insights and information from the edge of today’s headlines

Space

While it’s not quite aliens or little green men, scientists may have found signs of life on Venus. Scientists have detected phosphine, a chemical which is usually only produced by life (usually produced by microbes). Astronomers and astrobiologists have normally set their sights on the planets (and their moons) further from the sun, but the evidence on Venus is intriguing yet also controversial.  Scientists will continue to study the Venusian atmosphere to determine whether the chemical is actually being produced as a by-product from microbes or from some yet-undiscovered chemical process. Venus is considered Earth’s twin, except for the fact that it has been ravaged by extreme climate (guess our planets aren’t so different after all). Even if life can’t exist on Venus’s surface (which can heat up to 900 degrees), maybe the alien lifeforms are inhabiting the atmosphere. (Guess we know where to run.)

Technology

This afternoon, Apple will be launching its virtual “Time Flies” event to announce expected updates for its Apple Watch and iPads. Don’t expect any new iPhones until October, as the pandemic slowed down the progress in 5G upgrades. Apple may also address its bundled subscription service “Apple One,” and the potential for upgraded HomePods and AirPods.

The TikTok saga continues. Today was the Trump-imposed deadline for TikTok to sell itself to a US company or be banned. Instead, apparently, TikTok has agreed to a tech partnership with Oracle (although it is unclear what that actually means besides maybe hosting TikTok’s US data on Oracle’s servers.) Microsoft’s offer to TikTok would had actually severed the US company from its parent in China, but Bytedance rejected the offer and blocked any sale of its algorithm. Apparently, the Trump administration is set to approve the deal: China calling their bluff. TikTok also released user numbers: 100M in the US and 100M in Europe, while the Chinese equivalent Douyin has over 400M users. In India, where TikTok is already banned, YouTube is launching Shorts, its own short-form video creation tool.

Kids have been outsmarting their teachers (or at least attempting to) since the beginning of schools, but technology and Zoom school seem to have given some an edge. One student created the sound of crickets that kids could play when no one has an answer. But what happens when you are called on by the teacher, and you don’t know the answer? Play a series of TikTok videos which sound like you are answering but your connection is slow and garbled.

Facebook has apparently decided to go back to its roots (now that it has destroyed communication and democracy). Facebook unveiled a new product last week called Facebook Campus: “a college-only space designed to help students connect with fellow classmates over shared interests.” Lest we not forget from The Social Network that Facebook originally started as a social network for college students only. The only new feature we can determine is the use of live chat, but essentially the platform allows for a new version of groups. Facebook seems to be leveraging the challenge of online schooling during the pandemic in the hope of creating some new connectivity or giving its brand a facelift. Time will tell.

While we do believe in the value of accepting mental health issues, we were taken aback when Elizabeth Holmes decided to claim mental defect in her defense against criminal fraud charges. You may recall that Holmes was the CEO and founder of Theranos, a blood testing company. Theranos went bankrupt (dropping from a $9B valuation) after an investigative report discovered essentially zero efficacy in its machines. Holmes’s case is set to start in March of 2021, but you can watch all of the background on HBO, although we can’t wait for the Jennifer Lawrence version for Netflix.

Reliance Industries, one of the largest conglomerates in India, has approached Amazon to purchase a 40% stake in its retail business. The $20B purchase would give Amazon an instant foothold in India’s retail market, which has traditionally been more focused on brick-and-mortar sales. Despite the massive consumer base, e-commerce remains in its infancy in India.

We’ve heard of ghost kitchens (restaurant kitchens opened solely for the purpose of food delivery), but now we have dark stores. Whole Foods just opened a new store in Brooklyn, and it will not be hosting any customers. The store is meant for the sole purpose of being a distribution facility for its e-commerce orders. We suspect we’ll see a lot more of this, as last mile delivery becomes more important and large retail spaces (like malls) become ghost towns.

Politics

If 2020 isn’t enough of a torment for you, why not try Bloomberg’s new choose your own adventure game - modeled after the US election. It is appropriately titled: What’s the worst that could happen?

California’s Governor Newsom signed a law last week that will finally allow inmates who volunteer as firefighters to become firefighters once they are released from prison. Previously, former inmates were barred from serving as firefighters and EMTs due to their criminal records. So while they were paid minimally during their incarceration, and they learned valuable skills, they could never put them to use. We applaud Newsom’s move, but feels like a little too late, considering this year’s fire season. Currently, there are 3700 incarcerated people either in training or qualified to work in California’s inmate firefighter program. No word on how many have already been released or how many are still stuck inside due to COVID.

Several large US employers (Gap, Target, Warby Parker, Facebook, and many more) are giving their workers paid leave this November, either to vote or to work the polls. Starbucks and Patagonia have teamed up with Power the Polls, an initiative to connect people who want to volunteer during the election, and the group has already signed up over 350,000 volunteers. Patagonia has even added a special Easter Egg under its tags.

Culture

The Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Columbia University recently re-cataloged 1,257 women who were previously listed under their husband’s names (so Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt instead of Eleanor Roosevelt, for instance). The project was taken on by the staff while they were working remotely, so they also did not have the benefit of the stacks and the physical books. The archivists discovered some glitches — which women do you refer to when a man was married more than once and only the husband’s name is cited? The project is still continuing, as it was difficult to find the names of women who were not wealthy or socially prominent.

Paul Rudd shows us the art of Gen X pretending to understand Gen Z, while asking us to all wear masks.

Save the Date: October 10. Retailers are partnering up for a new holiday sales event. Since there was no back to school shopping or Prime Day this year (at least not yet), US retailers are attempting to make 10/10 a lucky shopping day (similar to Alibaba’s Single’s Day on 11/11). Expect Black Friday-like sales. No exact date planned yet for Prime Day, although we’ve seen rumors for both October 5 and October 26.

— Lauren Eve Cantor

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