Image by brenkee, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.
Happy Saturday y'all! Below, I have rounded up some things for you to think about this weekend:
1. If you've ever gotten stuck on a train or bus after your intended stop, you may find Google Map's new feature that will tell you when it's time to get off to be helpful. Essentially, the app will be able to guide you through every step of your ride, including alerting you when you need to get off at your stop. It's unlikely that you would need this level of detail in your daily commute, but it may be helpful when you are traveling to new places.
2. Net Neutrality has been a huge topic for the past several months (and years), at least in the technological and political circles that I run around in. An article describing the FCC's decision in the Carterfone case from more than 50 years ago makes for an interesting read. I also learned that the word "modem" comes from the words "modulate" and "demodulate", something I didn't know prior to reading the article. Although the current heads of the FCC voted to repeal Net Neutrality this week, it's still nice to take a look back on our history and see how the FCC sided with the American people instead of the corporations—at least back in the day.
3. And finally, some more cryptocurrency news—an armed robber allegedly stole $1.8 million of ether. Ether is the name of the cryptocurrency of the ethereum network. It turns out that the suspect knew the victim and also knew that he owned a lot of this cryptocurrency. Apparently he was held up at gunpoint and told to turn over his cell phone, wallet, and keys. The suspect then allegedly went to the victim's apartment where he stole the ethers. Although this is certainly a tragedy for the victim, it is a good time to remind owners of cryptocurrency that it is imperative to keep private keys securely locked away and to never tell others how much money you are holding onto.
That's all for this week's edition of Weekend Thoughts. Until next week, keep thinking wilder.