Hacking can mean “the creative reuse of tools for new and unexpected purposes”, which places it on the opposite end of marketing. Marketing, as Tom MacWright has observed, is the pigeonholing of general purpose products into specific niches to cater to specific people because people are more likely to buy it. For example, he could tweak a regular calendar app to add some yachting-specific words and profit off of yacht owners paying a premium for an “exclusive” service.
Read full article here
Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
