OpenSea product chief accused of flipping NFTs using insider information
OpenSea, the biggest NFT trading marketplace, said today that one of its employees used internal information to buy NFTs that were about to be featured on its homepage — and likely spike in value. Accusations were made against OpenSea’s head of product, Nate Chastain, last night after a community member publicized suspicious transactions from his wallet. According to another user, ricefarmer.eth, the account purchased four NFTs by artist Dailydust, one titled “Spectrum Of A Ramenfication Theory,” which OpenSea directly featured soon afterward. OpenSea has not confirmed which NFTs were traded on using internal information. As the NFT community picked up on ZuwuTV’s investigation last night, he posted more transactions suggesting that the front running behavior could have begun as early as last month.
Source:The Nation
September 15, 2021 19:07 UTC
Not the time for a slap on the wrist
Ratwatte remains the State Minister of Gem and Jewellery-Related Industries, even though he decided to give up his former portfolio, i.e. Even if Ratwatte gave up all his positions, it would be against the rule of law to consider such resignation a punishment. What’s more, the allegations against Ratwatte did not tarnish just his own image as an elected public representative. We may not see it as such, but that is what several foreign news outlets that had reported the incident had highlighted. After all, if a resignation or an admission of guilt can exonerate a person from a deliberate violation of the law, what is the point of having laws?
Source:The Nation
September 15, 2021 18:56 UTC
The scandal of vaccine inequity
Short-sightednessAs the pandemic persists, the epidemiological short-sightedness of vaccine inequity is becoming increasingly obvious. In short, vaccine inequity will prolong the pandemic, even in rich countries. What is certain, though, is that booster doses in rich countries will exacerbate vaccine inequity by further reducing the supply to the developing world. There is a developing countries vaccine manufacturing network that has been around for more than 20 years. Vaccine inequity, which is at the core of the problem, is more than just a folly.
Source:The Nation
September 15, 2021 18:56 UTC
Vaccines and foreign travel
Addressing questions raised about vaccine distribution, Dr. Guruge shared that different areas in Sri Lanka received different vaccines based solely on the availability of vaccines at the time of distribution. Commenting on the reason for such countries to continue refusing to accept vaccines like Sinopharm as valid, Wijayasinghe shared her personal view that she feels this might have more to do with geopolitics than scientific fact. Dr. Gamage, commenting scientifically, shared that though people think some vaccines have better immunogenicity (immune response development) than others, this is not the case, and all vaccines have good immunogenicity. Another common trope associated with foreign travel is the need to get a third vaccine dose or booster shot in order to travel. Dr. Gamage explained that booster shots are not related to foreign travel but have been considered by some as an added measure for those with suppressed immunity.
Source:The Nation
September 15, 2021 18:56 UTC
Is Delta-8 THC Safe?
Somewhere along the line, some genius figured out that you could process hemp plants to create delta-8 THC. There’s more info on this in our guide to enjoying delta-8 responsibly, but basically, in most states you can easily buy delta-8 products over the counter or order them online. What’s important to know first is that delta-8 is still THC, and it seems to have similar risks and benefits as normal (delta-9) THC. Delta-8 products could be contaminated with other chemicalsIf delta-8 products only contained delta-8, that would be the end of it. But hemp plants don’t contain much delta-8 normally; that’s why we’re talking about delta-8 products (like gummies and vapes) rather than just smoking hemp flowers.
Source:The Nation
September 15, 2021 17:37 UTC
Congress will investigate claims that Instagram harms teens
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced their investigation into Facebook in a statement released Tuesday. “It is clear that Facebook is incapable of holding itself accountable. The Wall Street Journal’s reporting reveals Facebook’s leadership to be focused on a growth-at-all-costs mindset that valued profits over the health and lives of children and teens,” the lawmakers said. “Children and teens are uniquely vulnerable populations online, and these findings paint a clear and devastating picture of Instagram as an app that poses significant threats to young people’s wellbeing,” the lawmakers wrote. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Verge.
Source:The Nation
September 15, 2021 17:03 UTC
China opposes external interference in Sri Lanka s internal affairs
China told the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday (Sep. 14) that it opposes the interference of powerful nations in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka. Delivering a statement at the UNHRC General Debate of the 48th session, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Ambassador Chen Xu also voiced deep concerns about the human rights issues in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. “These states interfere with the internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of human rights and implement unilateral coercive measures and military interference against sovereign states which gravely violate the human rights of the people of other countries.”The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) should give sufficient attention to the above-mentioned issues, the Chinese ambassador stressed. He further stated that China appreciates the Sri Lankan government for actively promoting and protecting the human rights, advancing national reconciliation and combating terrorism.
Source:The Nation
September 15, 2021 16:30 UTC
Here’s the tech behind the Carolina Panthers’ giant AR cat
A big virtual cat jumps into the stadium, paces around the field, shreds a New York Jets flag (the Panthers’ Sunday opponents), and hops away with a menacing roar. In short, what’s going on is that an animation of the virtual panther, which was made in Unreal Engine, is being rendered within a live feed of the real world. To give the panther virtual objects to climb on and interact with, the stadium is also modeled virtually but is invisible. (One cool tidbit: in the video, you can see that the stadium screens have black screens with cat eyes. But the giant virtual panther is a fun look at one possible use of AR to add to the experience of watching a big sports event.
Source:The Nation
September 15, 2021 16:18 UTC
How to move all your data to your new iPhone
But first, you need to get all of the apps and data from your old iPhone onto your new one. You can move your apps, data, and ID over to the new phone directly with what Apple calls iPhone migration. If it’s been a while and you want to make sure backup is switched on in your phone’s iCloud settings:Tap on “Settings” > [your name] top button > “iCloud” > “iCloud Backup.” If “iCloud Backup” is switched off, toggle it on. If it’s already toggled on, and you’re preparing to wipe your old iPhone, you may want to tap “Back Up Now” just in case. If you’ve backed up your iPhone to a Mac, you can download your data from there to the new phone.
Source:The Nation
September 15, 2021 14:37 UTC
Can Aluminum Foil Really Protect Your Home in a Fire?
Last week, as the Caldor Fire swept through the area around Lake Tahoe, one viral story emerged as a beacon of hope: A cabin that appeared to be wrapped in aluminum foil withstood the blaze. Anyway, Hirning told the paper, “It’s not tin foil.”So, to repeat: It’s actually not aluminum foil. Are you sure aluminum foil won’t help in a house fire? Here’s where the aluminum foil compulsion would come in. The bottom line is there are many ways to prevent and deal with fires, but aluminum foil is not one of them, no matter what some guy said on Twitter.
Source:The Nation
September 15, 2021 14:37 UTC
Goodbye and good riddance to Apple’s 64GB iPhones
(For those who require more space, the iPhone 13 Pro models offer up to 1TB.) While 64GB capacities will still stick around on the legacy iPhone 12, iPhone 11, and iPhone SE models, Apple’s newest hardware will come with a minimum of 128GB now. To which I say, goodbye and good riddance. As SensorTower reported earlier this year, the top iPhone apps are nearly four times as big as they were five years ago — continuing a long-running trend of bigger apps. Because Apple’s doubling your storage while keeping the starting prices the same ($829 for the iPhone 13 and $729 for the 13 Mini) those entry-priced phones are also a better deal than before.
Source:The Nation
September 15, 2021 14:26 UTC
ENIGMATIC YORKER KING LEAVES WORLD STAGE
He led Sri Lanka in the 2014 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup final in Bangladesh after the regular Lankan Skipper of the tournament, Dinesh Chandimal, got a ban. Sri Lanka beat India in that final to win their only T20 World Cup. Meanwhile his hairstyle, tattoos, and eyebrow piercings sparked criticism from the old-school cricket observers, including World Cup winning legend Arjuna Ranatunga, but his ‘goldilocked-hairstyle’ had become an overwhelming craze right round the cricket world as fans used to wear wigs that emulated Malinga’s hair in almost all cricket venues in the world. He won four IPL trophies, in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and two Champions League T20 titles, in 2011 and 2013 for MI, giving the cricket-crazy nation long-lasting memories. As he announces his retirement from T20 cricket, we just have three words to say – Thank.
Source:The Nation
September 14, 2021 18:00 UTC
Apple Watch Series 7 announced: Apple’s smartwatch just gets better
The Apple Watch Series 7 also adds green to its color wheel in addition to the colors we’ve seen in the past. For its most popular band styles, Apple is introducing even more colors, and also announced that all bands will still be compatible with the new case design. More real estate for more facesTo put that increased screen space to use, Apple also announced Series 7 users can look forward to some new faces. See also: How to change your Apple Watch faceImproved ChargingWe didn’t see the increased battery life that some rumors suggested however, improved charging technology will allow the Series 7 to charge from zero to 80% in just 45 minutes. When and how to get the Apple Watch Series 7
Source:The Nation
September 14, 2021 18:00 UTC
Q+ Payment App upgraded with ‘Online Pay’ feature
Commercial Bank has announced that it has enabled an innovative payment experience for the Bank’s Q+ customers called ‘Q+ online Pay’ in the Q+ Payment App, the fastest-growing payment app in Sri Lanka. This feature enables Q+ customers to pay for online purchases by entering their mobile numbers in merchant websites and apps that have ‘ComBank Q+’ as a payment option. ComBank Q+ Payment App users are required only to enter a mobile number at the point of purchase. Parallel to the launch of ‘Q+ Online Pay,’ Commercial Bank has added the ‘Q+ Online Pay’ payment option to its credit card settlement webpage enabling customers to seamlessly settle their credit card outstanding by typing only their mobile numbers. This credit card payment facility can be accessed through https://www.combankapps.lk/mpgs-client/The ComBank Q+ Payment App can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store.
Source:The Nation
September 14, 2021 18:00 UTC