Weekly Links #8

Here is a weekly selection of significant news, insightful information bits and interesting analyses from the digital and technology world. Published every Thursday.

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• The AI Revolution: The Road to Superintelligence
  
  Assuming that you do not know too much about the idea, potential and challenges of artificial intelligence and the road to get there, after this pretty extensive article you will feel much better informed. You most likely also will be kinda scared or quite excited.
• Are You Living in a Simulation
  
  I highly enjoyed reading this not so new research paper explaining the theory of us actually living in a simulation. Fits well to the article above. When we have artificial intelligence, creating a full simulation of the world and all of the humans on it should not be too difficult actually.
• Why Google Glass Broke
  
  Some background on why Google Glass in its most recent iteration failed to reach its lofty goals.
• How startup Fab died
  
  The story of another ambitious project that did not work out as planned.
• Twitter’s New Business Model Isn’t Twitter
  
  Twitter looks into revenue sources that do not have anything to do with whether people are sending tweets or not.
• Apple Grabs 93% of the Handset Industry’s Profit, Report Says
  
  Hard to say how accurate this report is. But the fact alone that it could be true and that it is written about as if it might be true is telling.
• The Sickeningly Low Vaccination Rates at Silicon Valley Day Cares
  
  Some of the smartest people on this planet do not vaccinate their kids. Very odd.
• Android Wear Watch Sales Are Running Slow
  
  Everyone who would not immediately rule out the purchase of a smartwatch waits for the Apple Watch. These are bad times for devices with Android Wear.
• What My Hearing Aid Taught Me About the Future of Wearables
  
  This is an unusual but smart angle to look from on what Wearables could do for us and how they need to be.
• Millions of Facebook users have no idea they’re using the internet
  
  This can have profound consequences in the future. Those who sympathize with the open Internet cannot be too happy about it.
• Shell UK picks PayPal for mobile payments at the pump
  
  PayPal does not want to let Apple Pay take over the whole (still rather small but growing) mobile payments cake.
• YouTube Stars’ Huge Earnings Will Make You Question All Your Life Choices
  
  The headline says it all.
• 64 Ways To Think About a News Homepage
  
  A comprehensive and very inspiring compilation. So many great ideas that should be tried.
• This Uncanny Valley of Voice Recognition
  
  True, interacting with devices through voice does not feel very satisfying yet. Until this changes, the smart home personal assistant that I described in this article won’t be able to satisfy my needs.
• What’s Next for Cuba
  
  Cuba has suffered from slow Internet for a long time. But the fact that Netflix just launched on the Island must be seen as a sign of improvement. This is an interesting article explaining the state of Internet connectivity in the country.
• Adobe Invites Others to Use Its Innovation-in-a-Box Idea
  
  Adobe is experimenting with an unconventional approach to increase employee innovation. I like it.
• Miami police take matters into their own hands, look to sabotage Waze’s crowd-sourced data
  
  The police really does not like Google’s crowdsourced navigation app Waze. In some cities officers actively try to destroy the user experience with fake contributions.
• Are media companies building another house of cards on Snapchat?
  
  Snapchat Discovery looks cool, but I have my doubts about the long-term value for media companies. I am not the only one.
• The Race to Replace Bitcoin
  
  Extremely long, extremely diligently researched, and with lots of background and some entertaining gossip about the San Francisco Bay Area’s crypto startup scene and its two prominent representatives Ripple and Stellar.