In a time of plenty it is worth considering the downside of scarcity. Farnam Street looks at Mullainathan and Shafir’s Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much.

Investing

A dozen things learned from Jason Zweig on investing.  (25iq)

Some notes from a Warren Buffett talk with Univ. of Maryland MBA students.  (David Kass)

A history of John Burbank’s Passport Capital.  (Institutional Investor)

How online investment managers add value.  (Felix Salmon)

Dividends as a value-centric approach.  (Morningstar)

Personal finance

Five years in for Madoff victims.  (WSJ)

Are we overestimating spending in retirement?  (Morningstar via Total Return)

Economics

On the economics of selling out.  (Priceonomics Blog)

Some favorite charts from 2013.  (Quartz)

The best economic stories of 2013, told in graphic form.  (The Atlantic)

Startups

The case for Uber to become even bigger than Facebook ($FB).  (Kevin Roose)

Fred Wilson talks about the future on LeWeb.  (A VC)

How to think about AngelList syndicates.  (Pando Daily)

Why maps are so important for mobile.  (NYTimes)

MOOCs are in need of a pivot.  (NYTimes)

Health

Tropical diseases have come to America.  (New Scientist)

Do not hit that snooze button!  (New Yorker)

Sponges have a bacteria problem.  (WSJ)

Why cul-de-sacs are bad for your health.  (Slate)

Food

Diet soda consumption is in decline.  (WSJ)

Eat more fat.  (The Daily Beast)

In food cravings sugar trumps fat.  (Well)

Sriracha is not all that.  (Pando Daily)

The UK is following in the footsteps of the US when it comes to craft brewing.  (Telegraph)

Sports

Why are ACL tears on the rise?  (Grantland)

D-I men’s track and cross country teams are getting whacked: the counterreaction.   (Runner’s World)

Books

On the economics of publishing a book from an author’s perspective.  (Priceonomics Blog)

Adults are increasingly reading kid’s books.  (WSJ)

How to make better decisions. A talk with Noreena Hertz author of Eyes Wide Open: How to Make Smart Decisions in a Confusing World.  (Daily Ticker)

Earlier on Abnormal Returns

What you may have missed in our Friday linkfest.  (Abnormal Returns)

Productivity

How technology can make business meetings (slightly) more productive.  (Farhad Manjoo)

Busy colleagues spread their anxiety to others.  (WSJ)

How to stay awake at work without caffeine.  (Quartz)

An introvert’s guide to giving better presentations.  (Medium)

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