January 2022

Big News
Tonga Volcano Eruption. On 14 January, Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai, an uninhabited island in the South pacific Tongan archipelago, began experiencing a volcanic eruption. On the following day a cataclysmic eruption occurred; sending tsunami waves cascading over Tongatapu, the Kingdom of Tonga’s main island. Ash continued to blanket the Tongan islands, bringing a halt to local agriculture, disrupting infrastructure and contaminating water. Research is underway to understand the sheer scale of the eruption and what other devastating effects could come next.  The following Tsuanami has caused immense damage and if you’d like to show your support by donating click here to find out more.

Microsoft acquisition of Activision. In gaming news Microsoft is buying Acitvision, well, assuming the deal is allowed to go ahead and doesn’t get put on hold by regulators. Microsoft is hoping that the £50.6 billion deal, Microsoft’s biggest to date, will allow them to venture into the Metaverse. The Metaverse is represents the clash of physical and digital worlds; similar to augmented and virtual reality but it isn’t just about gaming. The idea is still in its infancy so the tech industry is struggling to define what the Metaverse actually is, but Microsoft acquisition of the Activision shows their willingness to try and become pioneers in the field.

Little News:
Netflix stock takes a hit. This isn’t exactly little news, but it’s that you might have missed. Like everyone I spent a lot of time watching Netflix during the pandemic, a fact that led to a huge rise in subscribes and revenue for the streaming giant. But as this month Netflix predicted that they were expecting a growth of 2.5 million subscribers for the current quarter. That might seem like a lot, but it was significantly lower than the 5.9 million that was being forecast; this difference led to 20-24% decrease in their stock value. While their growth might slow down, they have me as a customer as long as they keep producing The Witcher. But who knows how this news will impact the projects they choose the fund over the next few years.

What I’ve been enjoying this month
Jack Box party pack 8: I’m a big board game fan, but I also love a good party game. Jack Box games provide games for large groups that are easy to play and in my experience always crowd pleasers. This month I purchased the most recent pack which included Animated Drawful (imagine pictionary but animated), Job Job a word play game in the style of a job interview, and Poll Mine a quiz show with a caving twist.  If you want to a host friends or need some entertainment at a family gathering I suggesting picking up any of the Jack Box games.

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