Thursdays are now all about longform links on Abnormal Returns. You can check out last week’s linkfest including a look at how we are now in the world’s largest psychological experiment in history.
Quote of the Day
"There is very little room for humanness in transactions facilitated by the network. I wonder if the real cost of convenience is sacrificing the humaneness."
(Om Malik)
Pandemic
- There are some 183 Covid-19 vaccines in some stage of development worldwide. However, there is no guarantee one of them will work. (ft.com)
- A viral pandemic was on a lot of people's radar screens but very few people actually insured against it. (wired.com)
- Like it or not, your phone has become an important tool to track the pandemic. (wsj.com)
Profiles
- A profile of Boaz Weinstein of Saba Capital who profited from another big market downturn. (institutionalinvestor.com)
- A big Q&A with Marc Andreessen about how he spends his time, what he reads and hopes for the future. (theobservereffect.org)
History
- A short history of the modern miracle that is the US supermarket. (theatlantic.com)
- The US newspaper industry has been losing relative ad share since the 1950s. (ben-evans.com)
- The life of New York City planner Robert Moses was 'a tragedy of epic proportions.' (rationalwalk.com)
- Before the car, it was the bicycle that transformed cities and societies. (nationalgeographic.com)
Longreads
- Four big things that haven't changed in pandemic including our penchant to disagree about basic facts. (collaborativefund.com)
- What it was like on the cruise ship the MS Zaandam as the coronavirus hit crew and passengers. (bloomberg.com)
- 33 life lessons Ryan Holiday has learned from other people. (ryanholiday.net)
- Why walking is making a comeback in pandemic. (outsideonline.com)