Thursdays are now all about longform links on Abnormal Returns. You can check out last week’s linkfest including a look at how elk were returned to Kentucky.
Quote of the Day
"The more our leaders portray others as a threat, and the more our media celebrates the need for strength to protect us from the hordes in our midst, the greater the harm to the most significant contributor to a healthy society: trust."
(Geoffrey L. Cohen)
"The Biggest Bluff"
- A talk with Maria Konnikova who is the author of the new book "The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win." (longform.org)
- An excerpt from Maria Konnikova's new book “The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win.“ (theatlantic.com)
- An excerpt from Maria Konnikova's new book “The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win.“ (nytimes.com)
Pandemic
- Public health experts are in the midst a political firestorm not of their making. (theatlantic.com)
- In a perfect world, countries would be cooperating to develop a safe, effective and affordable coronavirus vaccine. We don't live in a perfect world... (politico.com)
- In pandemic many young adults in the US have moved back in with their parents. Does this have the potential to be the new norm? (theatlantic.com)
Technology and society
- William Davies, "For all the benefits that WhatsApp offers in helping people feel close to others, its rapid ascendency is one further sign of how a common public world – based upon verified facts and recognised procedures – is disintegrating." (theguardian.com)
- The web was once distinct from the real world. Now that the two have merged different norms are required. (nytimes.com)
Longreads
- Did a Chinese hack help to kill Canadian giant Nortel? (bloomberg.com)
- The Mafia is still a part of Italian society: the case of the Italian hospital system. (ft.com)
- Why do Post Office delivery trucks keep catching on fire? (vice.com)
- Three women. Two spots. The fight to be the first to compete for the US in Olympic surfing. (marieclaire.com)
- Why job interviews don't work. (fs.blog)