Episode 51: Untitled Episode

The latest news, analysis, and opinions from Dan Benjamin.

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• Mark Cuban is co-founding a podcast app where hosts can talk to fans live and monetize their conversations - The Verge
• Trump impeachment news: Senate and former President prepare for trial
• It will take SEVEN YEARS to end the coronavirus pandemic, vaccination calculator suggests | Daily Mail Online
• Polar vortex bringing 'bitterly cold temperatures,' wind chills to much of US | Fox News
• Why Super Bowl 2021 is LV in Roman Numerals—The NFL Tradition Explained
• Super Bowl performer The Weeknd reveals why his dancers wore face bandages | Fox News
• Hyundai and Kia Now Say They Aren't in Discussions to Develop Apple Car - MacRumors
• Open Source Package Management Software Homebrew Gains Native Apple Silicon Support - MacRumors
• Elon Musk’s Dogecoin Tweeting Has Believers Barking for More - WSJ — The reckless abandon of the investing world has a new fixation: a cryptocurrency that began in 2013 as a joke, was mostly forgotten, and thanks to a flurry of tweets from Tesla Inc. TSLA +1.84% Chief Executive Elon Musk, is suddenly worth a total of more than $6 billion.

  It is called dogecoin, a homage to bitcoin that was designed to serve no real purpose. Dogecoin holders can’t buy much with it and can’t easily convert it to cash. For most of its life, the virtual currency has traded for no reason other than to generate online laughs.

  Dogecoin is named after an internet meme that surfaced nearly a decade ago. The meme centered around an image of a Shiba Inu dog with bad spelling habits (thus doge instead of dog). Users Photoshopped the dog’s furry face onto everything from astronauts to Twinkies.

• Police arrest Sword and Shield hacker for selling shiny Pokémon - Polygon
• Scores Feared Dead In India Dam Break Near Himalayan Glacier : NPR
• Tesla buys $1.5 billion in bitcoin, plans to accept it as payment — In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said it bought the bitcoin for “more flexibility to further diversify and maximize returns on our cash.” Tesla also said it will start accepting payments in bitcoin in exchange for its products “subject to applicable laws and initially on a limited basis.” That would make Tesla the first major automaker to accept do so. (The $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin will give Tesla liquidity in the cryptocurrency once it starts accepting it for payments.)

  Tesla’s move into bitcoin represents an investment of a significant percentage of its cash in the investment. The company had more than $19 billion in cash and cash equivalents on hand at the end of 2020, according to its most recent filing.

• Marijuana Legalization Bills: Virginia Passes New Cannabis Laws - Rolling Stone
• Clubhouse is now blocked in China after a brief uncensored period | TechCrunch — Thousands of Chinese users suddenly found themselves unable to access Clubhouse on early Monday evening as the country prepared to start the week-long Lunar New Year holiday. Inside WeChat groups, Clubhouse users rushed to report the situation and help each other with ways to get back onto the red hot live audio app.
• Michigan man killed after cannon explodes at baby shower | Fox News
• (1) Siri asking which music service to use. Afterwards, it used my selection by default, without specifying “on Deezer” each time, despite it being a 3rd party app and me having Apple Music. [iOS 14.5 PB1] : iOSBeta
• Water speed is set to 24.3 and everyone gets a chance to get after it.: Damnthatsinteresting
• (4) iPhone sound effect (acapella) - YouTube