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.
Quote of the Day
"The college-for-all fever that has overtaken so much of our culture is a crass and classist mistake, because it ignores the gifts that people like my son have to develop and share."
(Arthur C. Brooks)
Autos
- The pandemic has killed the auto show. (businessinsider.com)
- Cities got used to having little traffic and gridlock in lockdown. They now don't want to go back to normal. (nytimes.com)
- There is a good chance your next car will be electric. (mondaynote.com)
- Two routes to drive across the country in an EV. (insidehook.com)
Energy
- Renewable energy isn't immune to the pandemic but is much better situated that standard energy sources. (nytimes.com)
- Energy generation is becoming much smaller and more nimble. (bloomberg.com)
Science
- Saharan dust is a vital ingredient in ecosystems in the Western Hemisphere (vox.com)
- How can a massive star just disappear? (gizmodo.com)
Air travel
- Cash-strapped airlines are giving up on the whole 'social distancing' thing. (pastemagazine.com)
- Airports are getting their own coronavirus testing sites. (fastcompany.com)
- The airport of the future involves more cleaning robots and health checks. (popularmechanics.com)
Tourism
- Venice had been overrun with tourists pre-pandemic. Now it has a chance to reset expectations. (nytimes.com)
- Brian Chesky of Airbnb on how travel might change in the future. (axios.com)
- Caribbean nations are slowly starting to welcome tourists back. (nytimes.com)
Technology
- Why Apple ($AAPL) shouldn't include a charger with every new iPhone. (theverge.com)
- How to make your technology last longer. (nytimes.com)
Medicine
- How gene editing could permanently reduce the risk of heart disease. (nytimes.com)
- fMRI studies may be too inaccurate to tell us anything of note. (fastcompany.com)
- Australia has a flesh eating, i.e. mycobacteria, problem. (theatlantic.com)
- Why does the US have so many nurses from the Philippines? (vox.com)
- What to do if you have a dental issue. (scientificamerican.com)
Fitness
- Community spread makes going to the gym in the US a risky proposition. (slate.com)
- Chinwe Onyeagoro and Revell Horsey, "COVID-19 accelerated the pace of disruption in fitness, and studios and clubs both small and large are increasingly vulnerable." (venturebeat.com)
- E-cycling, not just Peloton ($PTON), has taken off in quarantine. (fastcompany.com)
Dogs
- Humans and sled dogs have been co-evolving for millennia. (nationalgeographic.com)
- What colors can a dog actually see? (theconversation.com)
- Why your dog follows you everywhere. (mentalfloss.com)
Food
- No tourists is going to put a big dent in the Maine lobster business. (nytimes.com)
- The pandemic has been a boon to the struggling meal kit business. (axios.com)
- The pandemic is making the future of good look like 'ghost kitchens.' (newyorker.com)
- It's really hard to make the case for in-person dining. (ny.eater.com)
- How to test your steak for doneness. (artofmanliness.com)
- Why nutrition labels don't work. (thewaiterspad.com)
Sports
- The major sports have plans to comeback. However the virus may have something to say about things. (wsj.com)
- A 60 game MLB season could have some weird, random results. (theringer.com)
- The future of refereeing does not involve the use of a whistle. (nytimes.com)
- What it's like to attend an EPL game without fans. (ft.com)
- It's hard to make the argument for the return of professional sports. (slate.com)
Entertainment
- The best TV shows of 2020, so far. (theringer.com)
- The best movies of 2020, so far. (theringer.com)
- The best albums of 2020, so far. (theringer.com)
- The best songs of 2020, so far. (theringer.com)
Children
- The American Academy of Pediatricians strongly urges a return to in-person school this Fall. (npr.org)
- The child care crisis is on tap for this Fall. (axios.com)
- Hybrid schedules will dominate schools this Fall. (nytimes.com)
College
- Need a break on tuition? Now is a great time to ask. (wsj.com)
- Colleges are going to need to focus on mental health needs this Fall. (wsj.com)
- Could having an in-class semester this Fall actually result in lower infection rates? (marginalrevolution.com)
MBA
- Another full-time MBA program is putting its program on 'pause.' (forbes.com)
- Elite MBA programs are seeing more interest in programs this Fall as people look to sidestep the pandemic economy. (ft.com)
- E&Y has created its own part-time MBA program with Hult International Business School. (wsj.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Coronavirus links: a talent for forgetting. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Podcast links: the gaming opportunity. (abnormalreturns.com)
- July ESG links: a stamp of approval. (abnormalreturns.com)
- What you missed in our Thursday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Sign up for our weekly adviser-focused e-mail that goes on Fridays. Five links to make you think headed into the weekend. (newsletter.abnormalreturns.com)
Mixed media
- Seth Godin, "Without trust and connection, access to data is worthless." (seths.blog)
- Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be: success equals autonomy. (ryanholiday.net)
- Three ways to attract more luck into your life. (theprofile.substack.com)
- Why we should celebrate when people change their minds, not criticize. (ft.com)
- The story of traveling overseas to find 'enoughness.' (msn.com)