How much is a petabyte?
More than you can read or see in a whole lifetime.
Since 1996, the Internet Archive has put together the combined output of humanity in knowledge, thought and action.
75 years of pulp fiction are part of the collections.
Just in case anyone thinks that all it has are classics of literature only a few people read.
We have this image of a library in our head.
A quiet place filled with books where we spend hours learning about things.
Or falling in love, going by the number of movies where the couple meet each other across tables and shelves.
Or we imagine the classic Library of Alexandria which held the cumulative knowledge of early civilization.
We probably create more material in a day of the internet than humanity did in all the previous thousands of years.
There's no way any library can hope to archive everything.
And they shouldn't - most of it isn't worth preserving for a couple of seconds leave alone centuries.
But take a look sometime.
It's a library open to anyone on earth with an internet connection.
Knowledge is no longer the preserve of the fortunate few.
How was the party last night?
In the age of Instagram, a reality check.
Dispo gives you the option of clicking pictures at parties through a rectangular lens.
You can't see what the photos look like.
It replicates the disposable cameras with pictures captured in the midst of the party. Fuzzy, real and without filters.
They only show up on phones the next morning. Slightly delayed gratification and building the anticipation.
It's like re-living the parts you remember - and the ones you don't.
How quickly the pendulum swings. A decade ago, Instagram got you to use filters to mask blemishes and beautify pictures.
Now, there's an app that does exactly the opposite.
And it has built up a sizeable following already.
I guess the gloss and perfect world is less than welcoming.
And that makes smudgy reality relatable and memorable
Capturing more of the character and the mood at the party rather than the highly touched up version.
What's curious is how quickly the glitter fades. The perfectly composed and curated feeds feel like an overdose of cream pastries.
There's only so much sweetness you can take at one sitting.
Are you ready for reality yet?
Then hit up Dispo for an invite.
Watch out for porch pirates
You've ordered online.
And the package arrives on your doorstep.
Only to be whisked away by the fleet-footed porch pirate!
As ecommerce has boomed, so have the opportunities for enterprising thieves.
They are even keeping a lookout for ecommerce delivery guys on their rounds.
The packages that get looted the most are mid-sized, easy to swoop in and steal in deserted neighborhoods
If there's no one at home to receive doorstep deliveries, the package left out in the open can disappear without a trace if no cameras are installed.
It's a huge problem in the US. where 1.5 million packages valued at $25 million are lost everyday.
Its easy pickings for porch pirates who operate by stealth and make a getaway with the package in less than 30 seconds
So what's the way out?
Amazon Key allows delivery guys to open homes and leave the packages inside homes or garages.
The other option is setting up secure locations in neighborhoods where the company gives a password to customers to retrieve packages delivered close by.
The thieves may not know what they will get.
But when the risks are low, and rewards high, it's a tough problem to solve.
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