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 names you know and love have been slapped on because the marques have weighed and measured Americans — especially boomers who hold more than half of the wealth in the U.S. — and found that they’ll pay extra for the nostalgic nomenclature."
(Alex Lauer)
Transport
- EV companies don't need to sell cars these days to raise a lot of capital. (axios.com)
- Automakers are struggling to keep production lines staffed. (wsj.com)
- Why Tesla ($TSLA) Is years ahead of its competition. (mondaynote.com)
- Million-mile batteries would have a big effect on EVs and other uses like solar storage. (grist.org)
Environment
- The pandemic is putting a crimp in bottled water sales as people stay home. (ft.com)
- Atmospheric methane levels are at record highs. (scientificamerican.com)
- Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier is melting at an alarming rate. (ft.com)
- Dried lemongrass leaves can reduce bovine methane missions by a third. (newatlas.com)
- How adding rock dust to farmland could both pull carbon from the air and help fertilize the soil. (washingtonpost.com)
- Interest in 'direct air capture' of CO2 is increasing. (ft.com)
Houses
- The NOAA reports that the increase in high-tide flooding along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts since 2000 has been “extraordinary.” (nytimes.com)
- An increasing number of American homes are at-risk of wildfires. (privpapers.ssrn.com)
- Californians are installing battery backup systems at a rapid clip. (scientificamerican.com)
- Builders are now focusing on how to deal with rainwater. (nytimes.com)
- Your thermostat may be set too low in the Summer. (wsj.com)
Air travel
- Airlines are facing one of two choices: neither of which is great. (wsj.com)
- Why the FAA should mandate mask use on commercial flights. (axios.com)
- Airbnb has attracted niche competitors: here are four of them. (nytimes.com)
- These are the greatest risks of coronavirus when flying. (wsj.com)
Technology
- Apple's ($AAPL) decision to make its own Mac chips is going to cause a reckoning in the Windows world, as well. (mondaynote.com)
- Why you should quit using Google Chrome. (wsj.com)
- Why you should add two-factor authentication to your online accounts. (wired.com)
- A new device that could help reduce outside noise pollution. (nytimes.com)
Fitness
- Twin studies show there is no one-size-fits-all fitness regime. (nytimes.com)
- Why you need more exposure to sunlight. (artofmanliness.com)
- How exercise generates a little-studied protein known as GPLD1 which could help keep our brains young. (nytimes.com)
Food
- Farmers are struggling to keep up with the changes happening at restaurants. (cnn.com)
- The food industry is still adjusting to supply/demand shifts in pandemic. (wsj.com)
- Is the fast food business model broken if worker pay were to increase meaningfully? (ftalphaville.ft.com)
- Fake meat is getting a boost in pandemic. (axios.com)
- Americans are eating a lot of canned tuna in pandemic. (wsj.com)
- The US is facing a glut of tree nuts. (bnnbloomberg.ca)
- This is a model program for keeping farmworkers healthy. (reasonstobecheerful.world)
Cannabis
- Edibles have been a big winner in pandemic. (nytimes.com)
- Cannabis was categorized as an 'essential business' in some states even though companies still can't bank. (worth.com)
Coffee
- The world is drinking less coffee as we stay away from our offices. (bloomberg.com)
- Don't drink your coffee first thing in the morning to maximize its benefits. (bigthink.com)
Entertainment
- NBCUniversal's new streaming service, Peacock, has launched with an ad-supported tier. (barrons.com)
- Quibi's model was broken from the get-go. (media.thinknum.com)
- Data analytics are becoming even more integral into the creative process at the major streaming services. (wsj.com)
- When households cut the cord they often upgrade their Internet. (barrons.com)
- Why more companies should take Netflix's ($NFLX) lead on auto-billing. (om.co)
Sports
- Track and field events this Summer have gone virtual (globally). (nytimes.com)
- How do pro golfers get used to taking putts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars? (nytimes.com)
College
- What college students should do this fall including 'taking a gap year.' (awealthofcommonsense.com)
- College used to be a haven in recession, not this year. (wsj.com)
- Small businesses are struggling everywhere, especially in college towns. (vox.com)
- Colleges are gearing up to change how they serve food to students. (nytimes.com)
- Fraternity houses are likely coronavirus vectors this Fall. (axios.com)
School
- Teachers feel like they are being sacrificed in order to reopen schools this Fall. (nytimes.com)
- What health experts are saying about reopening schools safely. (wsj.com)
- How to help children deal with the stress of pandemic. (npr.org)
- Distance learning is widening the achievement gap. (wsj.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Coronavirus links: walking weapons. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Podcast links: a new value investing. (abnormalreturns.com)
- What you misesd in our Thursday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Finding better ways to care for your clients and yourself: why you should sign up for our new weekly adviser-focused e-mail newsletter. (abnormalreturns.com)