The weekend is a great time to catch up on some long form items that we passed up on during the week. Thanks for checking in.
Investing
“Smart beta” is the new beta. (FT)
Want to lower the cost of investing? Ban commissions on mutual funds like the Dutch. (WSJ)
Investors in search of the holy grail will always be disappointed. (Above the Market)
Why asking someone where they think the market is going is a stupid question. (Big Picture)
Finance
Decoupling advisory from custody: a big money management trend. (A VC)
When short selling is the “right thing to do.” (Crossing Wall Street)
Can we predict the next financial crisis? (Pragmatic Capitalism)
Business
The Supreme Court is becoming increasingly business-friendly. (HBR)
How shareholders are ruining American business. (The Atlantic)
The great global cities are pricing out all but the elites. (FT)
Technology
Mobile payments are the new money laundering. (Quartz)
Silicon Valley can still innovate just not in the way you think. (GigaOM)
Big data is taking hold in nearly every field. (Bits)
The startup backlash is here. (Medium)
Science
What was Roman cement so darn good? (Businessweek via kottke)
How long can you really wait to have a baby? (The Atlantic)
Should middle age men do triathalons? (Bloomberg)
Food
Global fish prices are at an all-time high. (FT)
Grass fed beef is becoming a real business. (NYTimes)
How caffeine may inhibit creative thinking. (New Yorker)
American women are drinking more these days. (WSJ)
Entertainment
How A&E became must-watch television. (Businessweek)
Twenty notes on the future of radio. (Bob Leftsetz)
Norwegians apparently enjoy really boring TV. (WSJ)
RIP, James Gandolfini. (New Yorker, Grantland)
Books
Some summer book recommendations from an illustrious group of finance bloggers. (Abnormal Returns)
Some lessons on living culled from 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and Trued Advice from the Wisest Americans by Karl Pillemer. (Farnam Street)
Excerpts from Cal Newport’s So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why “Follow Your Passion” is Bad Advice – and the Surprising Strategies That Work Better. (Kevin Kelly)
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