1) A Santa Monica Tech Startup Has “Hacked” Meditation
Extraordinary
experiences are the norm at Upgrade Labs in Santa Monica, a gymlike facility
devoted to biohacking—“the art and science of becoming superhuman". The
propagation of Upgrade Labs is part of a mission, according to CEO Martin
Tobias, to bring the wellness-boosting fringe technology employed by pro
athletes and the ultrarich to the (relatively affluent) masses. At $50 a pop
for an individual hack or five grand for a curated “stack” of therapies,
options include atmospheric cell training, pulsed electromagnetic field
pick-me-ups, cryotherapy, and vitamin cocktails designed for injection straight
into your veins.
Of all the
treatments, though, the lab’s waterless virtual float tank is perhaps the most
intriguing. The contraption stimulates relaxation and creative drive by,
essentially, syncing your brain waves. The eyeshade is fitted with pulsing LEDs
that blast white light through your closed eyelids. The headphones pump out
binaural beats. The whole experience begins as sensory overload, but, for some
at least, it eases into a profoundly relaxing, mentally rejuvenating
experience. All this occurs because, purportedly, the rhythms of light and
sound bombarding your sensory organs are specifically attuned to encourage one
elusive thing: the production of theta waves in your brain.
2) An interview with Alibaba Group chairman and CEO
Daniel Zhang
The other important
thing is that they tend to spend more. China is famous for being a
high-savings-rate society, but the younger generation are more willing to
improve their lifestyle through spending, and that presents huge opportunities.
In this digital era, when we talk about Alibaba’s future, we focus on helping
our business partners win through successful digital transformation, rather
than about how we can make ourselves even stronger. When small businesses can
grow faster and grow healthier, it will benefit the whole society. As the
Chinese economy transforms into a consumption-driven economy, Alibaba has a
huge opportunity to understand consumers’ changing needs. We help connect the
whole world with China to facilitate easy trading and access to the world’s
largest consumer market.
3) Mixed reports on the efficacy of diet soda
A new study that
found prodigious consumers of artificially sweetened drinks were 26 percent
more likely to die prematurely than those who rarely drank sugar-free
beverages.
Chemical sweeteners
like aspartame and sucralose have also been extensively studied, with little
evidence that they negatively impact human health, according to the F.D.A.
Still, many
scientists say more research is needed to determine the long-term effects of
consuming artificial sweeteners.
4) Data analytics is now big in sports
Days before the 2019
ICC Cricket World Cup began in May, media reports said the Indian cricket team
had signed a deal with StatSports, a Northern Ireland-based performance
tracking and analysis company. It produces a small device that sits between the
shoulder blades on an athlete’s back, worn in a vest under the jersey. The
device measures metrics such as distance covered, speed, acceleration,
deceleration, and dynamic stress load. It allows the coach and support staff to
analyse and record data about the players’ movements and manage their workload.
5) Is SoftBank a Ponzi scheme?
Using the valuations
which are largely concocted by SoftBank themselves (since they’ve often been
leading the financings of these “unicorns” and it is the last round of
investment capital which is often the metric used for valuing these things),
they’re looking to front-run IPOs and get out.
The entire “growth”
story, which is to say companies that can continuously grow market share
(preferably at a loss) looks to be rolling over.
It’s the classic
Ponzi scheme. You always need fresh new capital to pay off the old capital in
order for the scheme to continue. When there is no fresh new money, everything
reverses and folks quickly realise the value of positive cash flow.
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