• The world’s largest cryptocurrency fortune begins with a friendly game of poker Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao is approaching tech giants, including Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, with a fortune of $96 billion. (Bloomberg) see also Where will VC money go in 2021?crypto startupAccording to Galaxy Digital, new crypto and blockchain technology businesses have received $32.8 billion in venture capital funding in 2021. (corporate investor)

• Three major risks facing the market today The biggest risks are usually the ones we don’t see, but smaller risks can still cause some short-term discomfort. As we know, you can always say war or some other crazy variant or collapse of civilization, but I’m going to focus on market-related risks here. (a wealth of common sense)

• Why Tesla is soaring as other automakers struggle to build cars The wide gap between EV companies and established automakers last year reflects the technological change sweeping across the industry. (New York Times) see also ford vs Ferrari Tesla Shares of TSLA have performed well, rising 49.8% in 2021. But the rest of the automotive world is now making electric cars. Example: Ford Motor delivered a 137.5% gain in 2021—nearly triple the market performance of the leading EV company. (big picture)

• Is wood a good green fuel?maybe not This biomass energy is controversial. Depending on how wood burning is measured, it may produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than coal, but more than natural gas, some scientists say. The proponents of wood insist that calculations must include the contribution of the trees that replace it to removing carbon from the air. (Chief Investment Officer)

• Cathie Wood’s Roller Coaster Show Offers a Familiar Lesson on Volatility ARKK’s ETF flow suggests the fund’s average investor is underwater. “The ARK Innovation ETF has returned 346% since its inception, but hasn’t created any value due to poor liquidity timing.” Cathie Wood isn’t the first star manager to deliver negative returns for her investor base. problem? Investors tend to buy the fund after a hot performance and sell after a lukewarm performance. (Forbes) see also ARK’s stock pick still looks very expensive. . . . . .Even after falling nearly 50%. (ft. Alphaville)

• CD sales increase for first time in 17 years : Adele’s 30, Taylor Swift’s three albums, and more contributed to a newfound interest in physical formats (cross)

• Covid testing misinformation surges as Omicron spreads The additional demand for testing and the higher prevalence of breakthrough cases have created an “opportunity” to exploit. (New York Times) but see A Texas team proposes a potentially game-changing COVID vaccine A vaccine approved for use in India in December could help solve one of the toughest problems in global public health: how to provide low-income countries with a safe, effective and affordable COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine is called CORBEVAX. It uses ancient but proven vaccine technology and is easier to manufacture than most, if not all, COVID-19 vaccines in use today. (NPR)

• Laughing at the death of an anti-vaccine is cruel, yes — but necessary It may not be scary to celebrate or rejoice at the death of vaccine opponents. It may be appropriate to show sympathy and concern for those they leave behind. But for those who openly ridicule anti-COVID measures and encourage others to follow suit, ridicule is not necessarily the wrong response, before they perish from a disease they despise as dangerous. There is nothing wrong with denying our empathy and concern for them, or making sure people know when their death is a clear sign of their firm opposition to measures that might protect themselves and others from their succumbing to fate. (los angeles times)

• Stakes are greater in Supreme Court vaccine case than it seems Courts threaten not only public health, but democracy itself. (sound) see also One of America’s Most Partisan Judges Just Allowed SEALs to Disobey Direct OrdersExplains the disturbing impact of a Republican judge’s ruling on the military’s vaccination requirements. (sound)

• What to do when playing the word game Wordle is not enough?solve this problem. Linguists, engineers and puzzle-obsessed unite to find the perfect first word (ring)