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Quote of the Day
"A single iPhone at 1980 energy-efficiency would require as much power as a Manhattan office building. Similarly, a single data center at circa 1980 efficiency would require as much power as the entire U.S. grid. But because of efficiency gains, the world today has billions of smartphones and thousands of data centers."
(Mark P. Mills)
Chart of the Day
Americans say they want to live in rural areas but don’t. Why the discrepancy?
Environment
- Are real or fake Christmas trees a better choice for the planet? (theguardian.com)
- Rising coastal water levels are putting the Eastern seaboard's rail corridor at risk. (bloomberg.com)
- Only 10% of plastics get recycled. (newscientist.com)
Technology
- Your selfie looks different depending on which smartphone you use. (theatlantic.com)
- The best new apps of 2018. (fastcompany.com)
Travel
- A lot of worldwide travel destinations are overrun with tourists. Here are some alternatives. (washingtonpost.com)
- The rise of economy-plus has put the value of your frequent flier miles at-risk. (wsj.com)
- Why do hotel companies have so many brands? (nymag.com)
- People keep falling off cruise ships. (qz.com)
Archaeology
- A newly discovered 4400 year-old Egyptian tube that looks pristine. (bbc.com)
- Archaeologists have found "an enormous pyramid-like structure in Indonesia that may represent the remains of an ancient temple hid underground for thousands of years." (scientificamerican.com)
Psychology
- How the “clubhouse model” of mental illness rehabilitation works in practice. (nextavenue.org)
- Five tips to help you avoid toxic people in your life. (bakadesuyo.com)
- On the role intelligence can play in happiness. (blogs.scientificamerican.com)
- Why do we care so much about finding and having 'the best'? (vox.com)
- As these things go, baking is a pretty good anxiety reliever. (theatlantic.com)
- Is consciousness a function of the brain having to deal with errant predictions? (scientificamerican.com)
- Some of the best behavioral science pieces of 2018. (behavioralscientist.org)
Vaping
- Vaping is turning into the latest workplace annoyance. (wsj.com)
- Vaping is safer than smoking but that doesn't make it safe. (theverge.com)
- Teens are uniquely at-risk of becoming addicted to nicotine via vaping. (nytimes.com)
Health
- What to do when Dr. Google is wrong? (nytimes.com)
- How the introduction of SSRIs changed alcohol consumption patterns. (marginalrevolution.com)
- How big a deal is it that J&J baby powder had trace amounts of asbehttps://abnormalreturns.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=64878&action=edit#stos? (slate.com)
- Humans are mammals, so it shouldn't be surprising conception is seasonal. (theconversation.com)
Diet
- On the role food novelty and diversity play in the obesity epidemic. (nytimes.com)
- Is breakfast the most important meal of the day? It's complicated... (bbc.com)
- There is little evidence that high salt consumption is bad for you. (nytimes.com)
- Is iron the new cholesterol? (nautil.us)
Food
- Blue Apron ($APRN) has pretty much failed as a public company. (bloomberg.com)
- How the best fish sauce in the world is made. (bloomberg.com)
- How goldfish crackers took over the world. (fastcompany.com)
- There is a good chance your seafood is mislabeled. (modernfarmer.com)
- America is awash in cheese. (wsj.com)
- This is awesome: introducing the 'cube rule of food identification.' (cuberule.com)
Fitness
- How exercise can help lower blood pressure as effectively as medicine. (newscientist.com)
- 2019 was the year fitness equipment became 'Peloton-ized.' (businessinsider.com)
Coffee
- The robusta bean is making a tentative comeback. (wsj.com)
- Coffee as a meditation on life. (bonefidewealth.com)
Sports
- It's been a rough couple of years for Manchester United ($MANU) shareholders. (bloomberg.com)
- Price is only one reason why you should eat before you go to the stadium. (espn.com)
- We don't know how many NFL players have CTE. (fivethirtyeight.com)
- Tibet loves basketball. (theatlantic.com)
College
- There are tentative signs that elite colleges are enrolling more low-income students. (wsj.com)
- The college years are a unique time for mental health issues. (npr.org)
- Colleges are trying to teach students how to deal with adversity. (wsj.com)
Kids
- How kids can use PowerPoint to help 'manage' their parents. (nytimes.com)
- Among teens: vaping up, drug use down. (news.vice.com)
- How to help your teen quit vaping. (nytimes.com)
- RIP, snow days. (finance.yahoo.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Longform links: unanticipated effects. (abnormalreturns.com)
- What you missed in our Friday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Podcast links: granular data. (abnormalreturns.com)
