Good morning and Merry Christmas Eve. It’s often said that a tiger never changes its stripes - except when said “tiger” is actually a dog. An Indian man has started a trend of farmers painting their dogs in tiger stripes to deal with intense monkey infestations in their farms.
As the year comes to a close, we’ll be taking a look at the DONUT’s most popular stories since our launch in June. Today’s email will feature the top Biz, Tech, & the Economy stories - stay tuned for tomorrow’s Dose of Positive recap.
Daily Sprinkle
“Life is short, and it is here to be lived.”
—Kate Winslet
Texas Ransomware Massacre (Aug. 20)
23 Texas towns have been hit by a coordinated ransomware attack that began on Friday morning. Though the offender hasn’t been identified, the attacks are similar to recent ones targeting NY, LA, FL, and MD, and the state ordered a “Level 2 Escalated Response” as a result (the second-highest threat response of a four-step process).
Editor’s Note: On Dec. 15, New Orleans declared astate of emergency after discovering evidence of phishing attacks and malware on the city’s computers.
Forbes released the ‘Fab 40’ - its list of the top 40 most valuable sports brands in the world. The brands are split into four different categories (business, event, athlete, and team): Nike stays atop the business ranks, the Super Bowl claims the event title, Roger Federer takes home the athlete crown, and the Dallas Cowboys remain the most valuable team brand in the world.
Australian airline Qantas completed the world’s longest commercial flight ever this weekend, a more than 19-hour journey from New York to Sydney. The flight was the first of three tests for Project Sunrise, Qantas’ attempt to regularly operate non-stop flights from Australia to London and New York, and carried ~50 people who underwent various procedures to determine the biological impact of the record-breaking flight (read a first-hand account of the flight at the link below).
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the company’s first all-electric pickup truck at the Los Angeles Auto Show last night. Known as the Cybertruck, the electric vehicle will enter production in late 2021/2022 and hopes to compete with similar offerings from General Motors and Ford-and-Amazon-backed EV startup Rivian.
Three men - Matthew Goettsche, Jobadiah Weeks, and Joseph Abel - were arrested and charged with conspiracy in helping run a $722 million cryptocurrency fraud. Two more defendants, who remain at large, were charged in what prosecutors said amounted to a “high-tech Ponzi scheme.”
Since its inception in 1989, The Simpsons has aired a record 673 episodes (and counting) over 31 seasons, beating out Gunsmoke (635 episodes) and Lassie (591 episodes) for the top spot.
