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January 25, 2022
Roca is hiring. The only 3-word phrase in the English language that's more satisfying is "chocolate glazed donut." We need writers, graphic designers, a head of growth, and software engineers. You can find requirements here and email us at Jobs@RocaNews.com to apply, but please let us know if you found the positions through this newsletter! Help us turn the Roca wave into a tsunami. Dang, now I really want a donut.
Celebrity crypto endorsements are under the microscope. Today's Wrap looks at why Kim Kardashian is being sued for an alleged crypto scam.
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Neuralink's Mind Reading
Overview
- Elon Musk's brain-chip startup Neuralink is preparing for human trials
- The company posted on its website that it is hiring a "clinical trial director" to test the chips in humans. They have already been tested in pigs and monkeys
- If successful, people will be able to use the chips to control technology with their brains. Musk has suggested the tech may allow people who are paralyzed to walk again
- Musk has said the chip is implanted in the skull and charges wirelessly, "so you look and feel totally normal." Musk has predicted that progress will accelerate with human trials
DIG DEEPER
"Last year, Musk showed off a monkey that played the video game Pong via a brain chip. "Progress will accelerate when we have devices in humans (hard to have nuanced conversations with monkeys) next year," he tweeted in December.
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Rockets Fly at UAE
Overview
- A week after a rocket attack killed 3 people in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, the country shot down 2 more missiles aimed near the city
- The Houthis, a militant group in neighboring Yemen, fired them
- Along with Dubai, Abu Dhabi is one of the Middle East's major business centers and most prosperous places. The country, comprised of 7 "emirates," is known for its safety and stability
- Saudi Arabia and the UAE are both oil-rich Arab countries; the Houthis are linked to their rival, Iran. Since 2015, Saudi and the UAE have been at war in Yemen to stop Iran from gaining power there
DIG DEEPER
The UN says that conflict has cost 250,000 lives. Years of fighting in Yemen have split the country and generated a stalemate.
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States Sue Google
Overview
- Indiana, Texas, Washington, and Washington, DC are suing Google for privacy violations
- The lawsuits accuse Google of tracking users' locations and phone and web activity, even after opting out of data tracking
- The DC suit specifically accuses Google of tracking movement via maps, Wi-Fi connections, and Bluetooth services, even when people have blocked their location data. Tracking allegedly occurs on both iPhones and Androids
- Google said the suit is "based on inaccurate claims and outdated assertions" and will "vigorously defend" itself
DIG DEEPER
The DC suit cites an internal company document in which an employee said Google's interface “feels like it is designed to make things possible, yet difficult enough that people won’t figure it out.” Despite increasing scrutiny on how Google and other big tech companies collect data, they remain largely unregulated in the US.
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Big Day for Flying Cars
Overview
- Boeing announced it will invest an additional $450M in Wisk, a self-flying air taxi startup
- It's the latest investment in air taxis, which the EU aviation agency has said will likely begin flying in 2025
- Also Monday, the transport agency of Slovakia, an EU country, certified a flying car as "airworthy." The AirCar, which runs on regular petrol and has a BMW engine, can travel at 100mph (160kmh) and at altitudes above 8,000ft (2,500m)
- It takes 2 minutes and 15 seconds for the AirCar to transform from car to aircraft. In June, it completed a 35-min flight between 2 Slovak cities
DIG DEEPER
Investors are pouring cash into flying cars and electric taxis. Some are piloted, like the AirCar, while Whisk is planning for its first vehicle to be autonomous.
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 What do you think?
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See yesterday's results below the Wrap!
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 Popcorn
Culture & Sports
- The 1999 thriller Fight Club ends very, very differently in China. The film was censored to show law enforcement winning in the end
- California (no) love: The LA Rams are restricting NFC Championship ticket sales to the LA area to avoid a San Francisco 49ers fan takeover
- Twitter fight (Taylor's version): Taylor Swift clapped back over a claim that she doesn't write her own music. She swears she does
Business
- Lamborghini plans to electrify its entire offering by 2024. The luxury Volkswagen brand will bid farewell to its all-combustion fleet this year
- Netflix and cry? Netflix has lost about half its value since November. Shares fell to their lowest point since the early days of the pandemic
- Costco is challenging Starbucks' grip on its $5 "bacon & gouda on ciabatta" breakfast sandwich market with a new $12.50 frozen 8-pack
Wildcard
- The Webb Telescope has finally reached its orbital destination... 1 million miles from Earth! We will see its first images of the universe this summer
- Find a hobby: A British dad with a metal detection hobby discovered a rare gold coin buried in farmland that sold for ~$875k at auction
- Got milk? Amy’s Kitchen is recalling more than 15,000 cases of vegan mac & cheese due to potentially having "trace amounts of milk"
- Cardi B was awarded $1.25M in damages after a jury ruled that a YouTuber defamed the rapper with claims like "she has herpes"
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― Roca Wrap
A Newsletter Exclusive
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“Are you guys into crypto????” Kim Kardashian asked her 228M Instagram followers last June. “This is not financial advice but sharing what my friends just told me about the EthereumMax token!”
Kardashian’s post promoted EthereumMax, a cryptocurrency that launched May 2021 to much fanfare thanks to celebrity endorsements from former Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr, and others.
But it was Kardashian’s post that many believe set a record in financial promotion history with the single biggest audience reach ever, transforming the little-known token into the market’s hottest crypto. Then within a week, it lost 70% of its value.
The dramatic rise and fall raised many red flags. Despite its high-level endorsements, there was no accompanying academic paper upon launch (which many cryptos have), and it wasn’t clear who was in charge. The website and promotional material were full of errors and made misleading statements. It promised rewards without saying how. Was it a scam?
A class action lawsuit filed earlier this month says that yes, it was. The lawsuit accuses EMax, the company behind EthereumMax, and its celebrity promoters of working together to "misleadingly promote and sell" the cryptocurrency in social media posts, artificially pumping up the price to dump shares at a profit – a so-called "pump and dump." EthereumMax has lost around 97% of its value since early June.
The crypto also “has no connection” to ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency, which the lawsuit says is further evidence those behind the crypto misled investors to inflate value. A spokesperson for EthereumMax denied allegations of running a scam, stating the lawsuit was “riddled with misinformation.”
It’s not the first-time celebrities have been on the hot seat for cryptocurrency endorsements. The chair of the UKs Financial Conduct Authority warned “social media influencers are routinely paid by scammers to help them pump and dump new tokens on the back of pure speculation.”
An October 2021 survey by consumer research firm Cardify found mainstream celebrities and executives are the number one source of information for cryptocurrencies holders. The pandemic only increased their influence, as digital marketplaces and social media boomed in general.
Regulators – such as the US SEC, whose chair called crypto the “Wild West” – are rapidly tying to reign in celeb endorsements. Only time will tell if it's possible: “It’s considered easy money,” one crypto exec told the Financial Times. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
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If you have thoughts, let us know at Max@RocaNews.com!
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 Games
Name the famous family based off the first kids' first names. E.g., the answer to "Kim, Khloe, Rob, Kourtney" would be "Kardashian."
- Joseph Jr, John F, Jean, Rosemary, Patricia, Kathleen, Eunice, Robert, Ted
- Venus, Serena
- Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Randy, Rebbie, La Toya, Michael
- Mary-Kate, Ashley, Elizabeth
Find out the answer at the bottom of Roca Clubhouse.
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 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Which decade had better music: 1970s or 1990s?
1970s: 55.0%
1990s: 45.0%
Yesterday's Question:
What song has your favorite lyrics? Why?
Chad from Asheville: "Dream On By Aerosmith. It is a 100% classic by the “American Stones”"
Ana from Madrid: "Stairway to Heaven, by Led Zeppelin. It's a beautiful song with deep meaning, and the words can be interpreted in many ways, too. Basically, it's about the need for material items, power, changes in life and how they have repercussions in your attitude towards your future. It touches on many more subjects, though. I feel the different rhythms and changes in tone really emphasize the meaning behind the lyrics as well."
Brandon from Chicago: "Right now it's "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You) by UGK ft. Andre 3000". Absolutely iconic performance from everyone and will go down as one of the greatest songs of all time. Andre's verse is Top 5 of his ever, and Pimp C has arguably one of the hardest, most memorable verses of the 2000s. Unbelievable."
General Feedback:
Connor from North Dakota: "Anybody who says 90's music is better than the 70's should have their fingernails forcibly removed."
Mark: "I don’t even recall how I stumbled onto Roca news but I can’t tell you how refreshing and enjoyable it is. Keep up the good work. Don’t sell out."
Dawn from Milwaukee: "Bears fan here, Max F., but feeling your pain as my household was cheering for (sometimes in the form of four-letter epithets) the Bills last night. It was a HELL of a game, and we are very, very sorry for your loss."
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20 Questions: 6-10
Every Friday, we ask the Roca Riders 20 questions and feature a few of our favorite answers. Last Friday, however, we asked you to rate the below on a scale of 1 - 10. Here are the average ratings....
6. Facebook poking
5.8
7. "I'm Feeling Lucky" on Google
4.1
8. Mark Zuckerberg's 4th of July vid
4.5
9. LinkedIn inspirational posts
2.1
10. TikTok sea shanties
7.2
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Games Answer(s):
1) Kennedy 2) Williams 3) Jackson 4) Olsen
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― Final Thoughts
The putting green we ordered arrived in our office yesterday, which means we now spend our days not just learning about and processing the most interesting news in the world, but working on our short game. So if you needed more reason to consider working with Roca, there it is.
But seriously: We are hiring for graphic design, a head of marketing, and writers. Shoot us an email if you are serious about helping us build the future of news.
Happy Tuesday, riders.
-Max and Max
Today's Instagram Wrap is on the Father of Mindfulness. Without him, we would all be VERY stressed.
Thanks for reading! See you again tomorrow!
As always, send thoughts and feedback to Max@Rocanews.com |
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