It’s been a hot week! How has everyone been?
This week, I had a farewell party for the interns and had a chance to meet some of my coworkers in person. Most of us hadn’t seen each other in person in about two years, which made me very happy!
The situation will continue to be difficult with the COVID-19 outbreak, but I still think it’s good to see everyone in the office in person on a regular basis.
Now, as usual, I would like to introduce some news that I personally found interesting this week.
Free Riding Is Rampant on Citibike
Have you ever used a Citibike?
I used to use the subway and bus as my main means of transportation, but since the outbreak of the COVID-19, I have been using the Citibike in most cases to get around Manhattan, and it has become an indispensable part of my life.
The number of Citibike stops in Manhattan is increasing rapidly, which makes it very convenient. Citibike usage has become more convenient recently, and now you can use a special app to unlock your bike by simply reading the QR code on the bike.
However, while it has become more convenient to use Citibike, there has been an increase in the number of cases where legitimate users have been victimized by rampant free riding.
According to an article in the New York Post, the perpetrator swaps the QR codes of two bicycles at a bike station, and when a legitimate user reads the QR code with a special app, he rides off on the bike with the swapped QR code unlocked.
Citibike’s spokesperson is aware of the problem and looking into countermeasures, including changing the QR code stickers.
Approximately 0 Million Worth of Virtual Currency Was Stolen
On August 10, Poly Network, which operates a DeFi (decentralized finance) platform, announced that it had been hacked and that approximately 600 million dollars worth of virtual currency had been illegally leaked.
This is the largest fraudulent outflow of virtual currency in history, surpassing the 58 billion yen that was lost from Coincheck in Japan in 2018.
Poly Network revealed that $260 million of the stolen assets had been returned as of August 11, and the cracker who carried out the hack seems to have told Poly Network that it plans to return more money in the future after pointing out vulnerabilities in the system. The hacker seems to have told Poly Network that he has plans to return more money in the future.
Although the virtual currency market plummeted during the Coincheck incident, this incident has not had much of an impact on the virtual currency market.
Which is not surprising because virtual currency exchange companies and other organizations are working together to set up a siege network, and anyone can check the movements of the cracker on the network, making it virtually impossible for the cracker to launder stolen funds and bring him back to his own hands.
You Can Be the Star of the Movie with Deepfake!?
Warner Bros. has released a service that allows anyone to appear in the trailer of the sci-fi suspense movie “Reminiscence” starring Hugh Jackman using deep-fake technology.
All you have to do is go to the website below and follow the on-screen instructions to upload your photo.
D-ID, the company that collaborated on this deep-fake technology, has a long-term vision of using AI to create a complete movie.
Perhaps, one day in the near future, you may soon be able to enjoy your favorite movies by putting yourself in the role of your choice.
Food Report: Phayul
This week, I’d like to introduce you to Phayul, a restaurant in Jackson Heights that serves Himalayan cuisine.
We ordered Tsak Sha Momo (Beef Dumpling) and Chele Khatsa (Fried beef spicy toung).
The first dish was the beef momo! Momo is the Himalayan version of dumplings from Nepal and Tibet, and the skin is thicker and chewier than Chinese dumplings. To eat them, you first mix a chili oil sauce with another spicy sauce, and dip the momo in it.
Then, just like Chinese dumplings, the hot gravy is filled inside the skin, so you suck out the gravy, being careful not to burn yourself, and eat the skin and the meat inside. The beef was well spiced and the spiciness of the sauce and the sweetness of the skin went well together, and the texture and juices were a perfect match.
Next, we had Chele Khatsa, a dish made with beef tongue. It comes with a bun as shown in the photo. This dish was also very delicious, with a spicy and satisfying flavor.
Jackson Heights is about 30 minutes away from Manhattan by train, and it is an area full of multinational people.
I was taken there by a friend who has ties to Tibet, and all the food exceeded my expectations, so I would like to go there again soon.
However, they only accept cash payments, so be careful if you are used to living with cards.
Phayul 37-65 74th Street, Queens, NY 11372 Mon-Sun, 11:00 AM - 10:30 PM
Postscript
As I mentioned in my preface, I was very happy to have a chance to see everyone at work this week for the first time in a long time.
I also had a chance to visit breweries in Long Island City on the weekend and had a relaxing chat while looking at Manhattan from the LIC side.
Summer is almost over, but let’s enjoy the rest of it!
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