Saturdays are the day we catch up with all the non-finance related stuff we didn’t get to during the week. You can check out last week’s edition here.
Autos
- It's not just crude oil that is sitting on ships just offshore. (bloomberg.com)
- Teslas ($TSLA) can now stop automatically at stop signs and red lights. (apnews.com)
- How to keep your car in shape if you aren't driving as much. (wsj.com)
- Don't let rats eat your idle car engine. (nytimes.com)
Environment
- Oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin, the largest oil-producing area in the United States, are spewing more than twice the amount of methane emissions into the atmosphere than previously thought. (cbsnews.com)
- The pandemic has pushed fears about single-use plastics to the wayside. (newsweek.com)
- We shouldn't have to squash economic growth to help the environment. (ft.com)
Energy
- Solar and onshore wind power are now the cheapest new sources of electricity in some 2/3 of the world. (msn.com)
- Worldwide energy use could drop 6% in 2020, the equivalent of India's annual consumption. (ft.com)
- Lower smog levels are allowing for more efficient solar energy production. (bloomberg.com)
- How Texas grew into the world's fifth largest wind power generator. (reasonstobecheerful.world)
- The coronavirus is another nail in the coffin of the coal industry. (npr.org)
- What the US should do to prepare the electrical grid for a solar storm. (spectrum.ieee.org)
Travel
- More airlines are going to require customers to wear face masks. (msn.com)
- The many ways in which flying may change going forward. (axios.com)
Behavior
- Resisting urges is one of the emotional benefits of growing older. (wsj.com)
- Social isolation is increasing 'skin hunger.' (wired.co.uk)
- How to make video-based therapy work better for everyone involved. (wsj.com)
- Why we eat when we are bored. (bigthink.com)
- Empathy starts with curiosity. (hbr.org)
Technology
- The USPTO rules that only a 'natural person' can apply for a patent. (theverge.com)
- Some steps to take to fix your balky wifi. (washingtonpost.com)
- A fun review of the new $399 iPhone SE. (youtube.com)
Covid-19 factors
- How air pollution could play a role in coronavirus infection rates. (ft.com)
- How glucose levels may play a role in the coronavirus immune response. (scientificamerican.com)
- Why are more men dying of Covid-19? (fivethirtyeight.com)
- Is nicotine actually protective in some way when it comes to Covid-19? (vice.com)
- We still don't know if the coronavirus is transmitted via aerosols. (washingtonpost.com)
Covid-19 immunity
- We don't know how long immunity to the coronavirus will last. (technologyreview.com)
- People looking to donate plasma are still testing positive for Covid-19 weeks after they feel better. (wsj.com)
- The many factors that go into when we might see a Covid-19 vaccine. (unherd.com)
- Getting a flu shot this year will be more important than ever. (axios.com)
Covid-19
- How our knowledge of other coronaviruses influences our thinking about Covid-19. (quantamagazine.org)
- Young coronavirus patients are at-risk of strokes. (washingtonpost.com)
- Doctors are treating male coronavirus patients with female sex hormones. (nytimes.com)
- CPAP machines can play a role in treating Covid-19. (statnews.com)
- Coronvirus spit tests would allow for easier and more abundant testing. (wsj.com)
- Health officials are worried that the coronavirus may keep more people inside during a heat wave (washingtonpost.com)
Medicine
- Young doctors are getting a lifetime's worth of experience in the pandemic. (wsj.com)
- Cardiac patients are staying away from the ER. (nytimes.com)
- The question about going on a ventilator is multi-faceted. (wired.com)
Food
- The Department of Agriculture was slow to react to the coronavirus crisis. (politico.com)
- Gleaners are helping farmers pick ripe fruits and vegetables. (washingtonpost.com)
- The coronavirus is another punch in the gut for Gulf Coast shrimpers. (citizen-times.com)
Restaurants
- What to do if you were scheduled to open a restaurant amidst the pandemic? (eater.com)
- Why restaurants should embrace outside dining. (slate.com)
- On the end of the all-you-can eat buffet. (brobible.com)
Drink
- In the pandemic, Americans are ordering booze online. (worth.com)
- How quarantine brought the cocktail hour back. (nytimes.com)
- Distilleries are turning stale beer into whiskey. (msn.com)
- Lonkero, the national alcoholic drink of Finland, has come to the US. (pastemagazine.com)
Sports
- This new private equity firm is looking to buy minority stakes in pro sports franchises. (axios.com)
- The NCAA has outlines plans to allow athletes to earn money from the use of their names, images and likenesses. (nbcsports.com)
- Seven ways the NBA has changed since Michael Jordan retired. (espn.com)
- The NBA has a (lack) of chemistry problem. (sbnation.com)
Entertainment
- 'Avengers: Engame' has generated some $900 million in profits for Disney ($DIS). (deadline.com)
- The pandemic has disrupted the pipeline at Disney+. (wsj.com)
- The future of movies may be the art house cinema model. (washingtonpost.com)
Children
- Some families have given up on distance learning. (wsj.com)
- The youngest among us may not remember a world before the coronavirus. (bonefidewealth.com)
- Not everyone wants to be the 'fun parent.' (nytimes.com)
College
- Canada hosts a lot of foreign college students. Will they come back this Fall? (bloomberg.com)
- Why this might be a good year to take a gap year. (forbes.com)
- Colleges have been reluctant to give back money from last semester. (tonyisola.com)
- How to ask a college for more financial aid. (nytimes.com)
- AP tests are going ahead amidst the chaos. (npr.org)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Longform links: more interesting ideas. (abnormalreturns.com)
- What you missed in our Friday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Podcast links: tempering your expectations. (abnormalreturns.com)