Omicron By The Numbers

Image: The Cornell testing laboratory in NY state where scientists are searching out the Omicron variant; Image: Cornell University

🔢 By the numbers… The South African Medical Research Council posted a report Saturday detailing the early experiences at several hospitals in Gauteng Province, where Omicron was first spotted.

• They found of the 42 COVID patients hospitalized as of December 2, most were actually hospitalized for other medical reasons and did not have respiratory symptoms.
• Roughly 70% of the patients did not need supplemental oxygen, and the average length of a hospital stay was 2.8 days – far shorter than the average of 8.5 days over the past 18 months.

🔬 Even more data: Research from South Africa published last week indicates the Omicron variant is three times more likely than previous variants to cause reinfection, which scientists say could explain its rapid spread.

• Another preliminary study released Friday found Omicron is likely to have picked up genetic material from the common cold, suggesting it could have greater transmissibility but lower virulence than other COVID variants (a best-case scenario in many scientists’ view).

✋ Yes, but… Experts caution against reading too much into these early reports since they’re based on small numbers of patients and have yet to be peer-reviewed.

📝 Bottom line: It’ll take some more time before Omicron’s true profile comes into focus, but according to preliminary reports, it appears to present less of an overall threat than other variants.

🎁  The price of bitcoin and other crypto fell more than 20% early Saturday morning – after dropping around 10% the previous day – before bouncing back somewhat, according to data from CoinDesk. Bitcoin is still roughly 15% lower than Thursday (~$49,000 as of late Sunday).

Stylish, Sustainable, Affordable Luxury

Typically, a fashion company that checks all of these boxes is an elusive unicorn, never to be found in the wild… but what if we told you we put on our unicorn hunting hat and found one?

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Image: Certo Software

🦄 The mythical made real... The company’s Pegasus software is reportedly able to hack a target’s iPhone without having to get them to do anything – a link is sent to their phone, without notification, and the software immediately starts downloading personal data and recording from their camera and microphone.

🗓 Quick, a timeline: Much like the third season of Succession, the NSO Group has been making quite a splash these past few months.

• This summer: A group of news outlets led by Amnesty International first reported on Pegasus, which had been discovered on recent-model iPhones belonging to foreign journalists and human rights lawyers.
• Early November: It was one of four firms placed on the Commerce Department’s entity list earlier this month for acting “contrary to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States.” The entity list prohibits companies from accessing certain U.S. technologies.
• Just before Thanksgiving: Apple filed a lawsuit yesterday against the company, seeking financial damages and a permanent injunction to ban it from using Apple devices, software, or services.

👁 Looking ahead… Later this week, the U.S. will launch an initiative to limit exports of surveillance tools and other tech that authoritarian governments can use to suppress human rights.

• It’s set to be officially announced during the inaugural Summit for Democracy, a virtual gathering that will bring together more than 100 democratic governments seeking to form a bulwark against authoritarianism.

Honey, I Shrunk the Camera

Image: Princeton University

⚙️ How it works: While traditional cameras use a series of curved glass or plastic lenses to bend light rays into focus, these tiny cameras rely on a technology called a metasurface, which is roughly half a millimeter wide.

• The metasurface is studded with 1.6 million uniquely shaped cylindrical posts that function like optical antennas. With the help of machine learning algorithms, the posts interact with light to produce high-quality, full-color images.

👁️ Looking ahead… The researchers say their technology could enable future medical micro-robots that help diagnose and treat diseases within the human body.

Images: CNN

Alexander McLeish was recovering from open heart surgery when he received a “Get Well Soon” card from a close friend with three scratch-off lottery tickets inside.

☘️ More than a feeling… Alexander knew it was a lucky sign when, as he began to scratch one of the tickets, the first three letters to appear were his initials: AWM.

• His gut instinct was right – Alexander had won the second top prize of the game, equal to a cool $1 million dollars.

Choosing the cash-out option and walking away with a total of $650,000, Alexander ended the day with a repaired heart and bank balance.

Below you’ll find four different quotes from four iconic movies. Your task? Match each quote with the famous movie we took it from. (Bonus points if you can name the actor/actress delivering the line.)

A) "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."
B) "Just keep swimming!"
C) "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!"
D) “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.”

(keep scrolling for the answer)

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A) The Godfather (1972), delivered by Marlon Brando.

B) Finding Nemo (2003), delivered by Ellen DeGeneres.

C) The Wizard of Oz (1939), delivered by Margaret Hamilton.

D) Wall Street (1989), delivered by Michael Douglas.