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January 21, 2022
"I'd like to film a movie out in space." "Cool, can I help you... planet?" This might seem like a third-tier dad joke (and it is), but Hollywood may soon bring it to life. A film studio is launching into space in 2024 with its first movie starring Tom Cruise. They could've tried a younger actor but better safe than starry!
Happy Friday, Roca Riders! To all new readers, send your answers to 20 Questions to Max@RocaNews.com. Today's is a very special edition. Let's ride!
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ASU Minions
Overview
- Arizona State University (ASU) announced plans to enroll 100M international students in a free online educational program by 2030
- The program will translate 5 business courses into 40 languages and use artificial intelligence to teach and grade coursework
- Students will receive academic credit and be eligible for certificates in global management and entrepreneurship
- Courses will initially target students in 9 countries, including Iran, India, Egypt, Brazil, and Vietnam, in their native languages. It will add 30+ countries and dozens more languages within 4 years
DIG DEEPER
The program is a newer form of MOOC: Massive Open Online Course. While many prior MOOCs have failed, ASU says this will better deploy technology to create value for students and boost retention. ASU says 470M people will be seeking degrees by 2030.
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Biden Predicts Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Overview
- Pres. Biden predicted a Russian assault on Ukraine, on whose border Russia has amassed 100,000 troops
- “I’m not so sure [Russian President Vladimir Putin] is certain about what he’s going to do,” Biden said. “My guess is he will move in, he has to do something"
- “Russia will be held accountable if it invades,” Biden added. “And it depends on what it does. It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and we end up having to fight about what to do and not do”
- “We want to remind the great powers that there are no minor incursions and small nations,” Ukraine's president said in response
DIG DEEPER
Biden made the comments in his Wednesday night press conference. Many are waiting to see whether Russia invades Ukraine, and if so, how – or if – Europe and the US react.
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Pig Kidney Transplant Details
Overview
- Details emerged about the first-ever successful pig-to-human kidney transplant
- The transplant took place at the University of Alabama (Birmingham) hospital in September, but details weren't available until a paper published Thursday
- The recipient was alive but had lost brain function in a motorcycle race. His body did not immediately reject the organs
- It's a breakthrough example of xenotransplantation – transplanting animal organs into humans. Typically such transplants are tested on monkeys, but improved genetic modification is allowing experiments on humans
DIG DEEPER
This comes a week after the first successful transplant of a pig heart into a human. Scientists hope xenotransplantation could save many of the 6,000+ people who die each year waiting for a transplant.
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Social Media Goes Virtual
Overview
- Plans emerged from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter about how the platforms are integrating NFTs
- NFTs prove ownership of digital goods, including art, video, video game items, property, and more
- Twitter is now letting premium users set NFT art as their profile pictures. It will give them hexagonal photos instead of circular ones, which users can click to learn more about the art
- Facebook and Instagram will similarly let users set NFTs as their profile pictures. They are also discussing the development of tech to help people trade and create their own NFTs
DIG DEEPER
NFTs are hot: The NFT market grew from ~$100M to $40B in 2021. The value of the largest NFT marketplace, OpenSea, has increased from $1.5B in July to $13B this month. Everyone wants in on the action.
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 What do you think?
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See yesterday's answers below 20Q!
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 Popcorn
Culture & Sports
- Touchdown TV ratings! An average of 30.5M watched each of the 6 NFL playoff games this weekend, up 21% from last year
- Set fire to the residency: Adele tearfully announced that her highly-anticipated Vegas residency will be postponed indefinitely due to Covid
- Robot umpires will be moving up to Triple-A for 2022, bringing the "automated strike zone" experiment one step closer to the MLB
Business
- Netflix and tank? Netflix reported earnings after the bell on Thursday and saw its share price plunge 20% to its lowest point since June 2020
- American Airlines reported a $930M loss in Q4. The airliner expects Q1 2022 revenue to be down as much as 22% compared with Q1 2019
- Brick-and-mortar Bezos: Amazon is opening its first brick-and-mortar clothing store. The 30k-square foot store is in suburban LA
Wildcard
- Inclusive candy? The makers of M&M’s announced its M&M characters will have more “nuanced personalities" and get a modern makeover
- A crow-infested California city is turning to lasers and boomboxes to clear the air of the crow population that has overtaken its downtown
- Some Instagram stars are cloning the pets that helped make them famous. Companies like Texas-based ViaGen perform the operation
- Mom and dad, it's a... planet! NASA finds that a black hole has been "giving birth to stars" in a nearby dwarf galaxy
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Missed a Wrap this week? We've got you covered! Find them here
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Riders! It has been a LONG time since we have done a 20 Qs ratings edition. Today, we're bringing it back with a special 2-part series: Half the prompts are about Big Tech, half the prompts are about (American) football.
As for why we're combining those topics, it's because football is on our minds – particularly Sunday night's Bills v. Chiefs matchup, which may be the most highly anticipated football game in Frost's 17 years of Bills fandom – but we wanted to have questions for those of you who don't spend your weekends watching 300-pound men slam each other into the ground.
For each prompt below, drop a number below 1 (hate) and 10 (love) that shows how you feel about it. We'll average the responses and include them in next week's newsletters. Send replies to Max@RocaNews.com, and live it up this weekend!
Big Tech
1. Venmo as a social media feed
2. Blocking your ex on IG/FB (or Venmo)
3. Comment sections
4. YouTube dropping the dislike counter
5. Squid Game
6. Facebook poking
7. "I'm Feeling Lucky" on Google
8. Mark Zuckerberg's 4th of July vid
9. LinkedIn inspirational posts
10. TikTok sea shanties
Football
11. Odds the Bills beat the Chiefs Sunday?
12. Odds Tom Brady wins another Super Bowl?
13. "We'll look back on football like we do the gladiators"
14. Josh Allen
15. Patrick Mahomes
16. Joe Burrow
17. Roger Goodell
18. Eagles fans
19. Tony Romo commentary
20. The Bills Mafia breaking tables
Send your answers to Max@RocaNews.com! Have a great weekend!
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 Games
Spot the odd one out! Each group includes something that simply doesn't fit.
- Diamond, Heart, Ruby, Spade
- Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, David Guetta, Eazy-E
- Olympia, Santa Fe, Miami, Richmond
- Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Ben Affleck, Tom Holland
Find out the answer(s) at the bottom of Roca Clubhouse.
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 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Better college party theme?
Pajama Party: 53.3%
Area 51: 46.7%
Yesterday's Question:
What is your road trip "cry" song?
Maggie from Los Angeles: "Careless Whispers, George Michael weird right!"
Greg from Melbourne: "Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol"
Katie from Wisconsin: "Let it Be by the Beatles"
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General Feedback:
Elena: "I love that you mentioned Billy Mays! I was really into his show Pitchmen at the time and they did a tribute to him that made me bawl. South Park did an episode about all the celeb deaths from that summer and poked fun at most of them - except Billy. Even Trey and Matt knew that would be crossing the line!"
Jake from San Francisco: "As far as Billy Mays, I worked in the infomercial industry from 2000 to 2004, and dude wasn't that great of a guy. But the infomercial industry is just a very short step above porn as far as seediness of characters you have to deal with."
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Games Answer(s):
1. Ruby (card suits) 2. David Guetta (NWA members) 3. Miami (state capitals) 4. Ben Affleck (Spiderman actors)
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― Final Thoughts
Another week in the books! We hope all of you have great weekends. Ours will be spent deep in a meditative state, trying to understand the essence of news so we can create the best possible app for you all. Until Sunday, at least, when we will down several buckets of buffalo wings and Miller Lites in anticipation of that evening's Bills/Chiefs showdown.
Thanks all! Have a great weekend, and go Buffalo!
-Max and Max
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the weekend!
As always, send thoughts and feedback to Max@Rocanews.com |
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