Intro

Happy Monday!

Source: Giphy

Good morning. 👋

‘Shoto’ is Japanese for knife. And like any knife, our update needs to be sharpened once in a while.

So far, our daily update has focused on a few noteworthy news snippets and one cool startup every day. However, this week, we would like to try a different format with various snippets in different categories to give you more of a market overview.

Why? Shoto is evolving, and at some point, your update will have only content you burn for. It will learn what you like and will become your personal content discovery assistant. Sounds complex, right? Yes, but we like complicated stuff.

Please let us know what you think and which format you prefer. We constantly try to improve our content because we would hate to waste your time.

Babak & Simon

Cyber

👀 Massive Cyberattack: Japan has suffered from a huge data breach after its tech giant Fujitsu became the victim of a cyberattack. At least 76,000 staff and business partner email addresses, as well as internal emails, were apparently leaked from the land, infrastructure, and transport ministry. Dive Deeper →

📲 Bluetooth Pairing Pwned: Security researchers have discovered a fresh wave of impersonation attack flaws in wireless tech. Hackers can mimic devices during pairing by exploiting weaknesses in the Bluetooth Core and Mesh standards, allowing for man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. Dive Deeper →

📵 SIM Swap Attack: It’s worryingly easy for cybercriminals to hack all your data with just your real name and phone number. But, there are ways to protect yourself. Dive Deeper →

Tech

🧬 Protein Detector: A high-tech computer tool is being created to help pharmaceutical companies forecast protein stability, an essential stage in developing novel medications. The market for therapeutic antibodies is estimated to be valued at more than £70 billion. Dive Deeper →

🧠 Scared, Human? The combination of two technologies will help machines decode your emotional state with startling accuracy. Dive Deeper →

🏠 High-Tech Homes: Experts estimate that within 20 years, homes will be ultra-high-tech, with features such as home-assistance drones and mood-altering exteriors. Check out the full list of predictions. Dive Deeper →

Social Media

👑 King of Disinformation: Facebook has published a list of the top disinformation sources. You might be surprised by a few names on it. Dive Deeper →

🙄 Maybe, Maybe Not: WhatsApp has changed its mind and will no longer restrict your ability to use the app if you refuse to accept its new privacy policy. Dive Deeper →

🐦 Twitter Blue Tick: Most of you would struggle to meet the criteria to get that ‘verified’ tick on your profile. Now, Twitter is launching another way to highlight Twitter supremacy. Dive Deeper →

🇨🇳 Fake Fans? Allegedly, an army of ‘fake fans’ boosts China’s state messages on Twitter. It might be true, but it is probably hard to prove and suppress. Dive Deeper →

Crypto

🏴 Catch them if you can: This article explains how criminals cash out of bitcoin using specialized crypto laundries. And how specialized forensic companies try to track them down. Dive Deeper →

🗳️ Crypto Regulations: Described as a ‘$2T monster’, it is hard for regulators to keep up with the pace of crypto innovation. Find out what regulators have said at the CoinDesk’ Consensus 2021. Dive Deeper →

☄️ Netscape Moment: In 2021, we take the internet for granted, yet it took us decades to get there. The soaring value of Bitcoin, Coinbase’s spectacular initial public offering, and MIT blockchain scholar Gary Gensler’s appointment as chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission are all clear evidence that another technology, cryptocurrency, will be disruptive on a similar scale. Dive Deeper →

Startups

🌟 Grief Care: This unusual startup assists mourning families with the bureaucracy created by a death, from funeral preparation to selling the deceased’s home. Dive Deeper →

🌾 Farmers Going Green: Monarch is helping farmers to achieve greener and more profitable fields with autonomous and fully electric tractors. According to the startup, the tiny tractor can be programmed to execute chores like plowing, harvesting and mowing, and can run for more than 10 hours on a four to five-hour charge. Dive Deeper →

🖼️ NFT Frames: Infinite Objects, an art hardware business, sees a significant opportunity in manufacturing tangible replicas of NFTs, as it tries to change digital art and collectibles. The company creates screens that only show one video from a single artist and do nothing else. Dive Deeper →

Inspiration

🌱 Way to a better life: Have you ever set out with the goal of adopting and sticking to a new behavior, only to find that, just a week later, it is already history? Here’s how to successfully establish an enduring habit. Dive Deeper →

🦾 Robo-Colleague: As the pandemic continues, brace yourself for the autonomous robots showing up for duty at the office. Dive Deeper →

👍 Books on Self-Improvement: Have you ever wondered what the best self-help books for self-improvement and personal development are? Here are 13 choices →