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
"If you don’t like all of the climate disasters happening in 2020, I have some bad news for you about the rest of your life."
(Andrew Dessler, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A. & M. University)
Chart of the Day
Hollywood is in full retreat when it comes to the release of tentpole films.
Autos
- EVs and PHEVs really are cheaper to maintain and operate. (arstechnica.com)
- GM ($GM) and Ford ($F) are taking different paths to better batteries. (wsj.com)
- The relative rate of fatal crashes rose in pandemic. (axios.com)
Energy
- Researchers are confident that a compact version of a nuclear fusion reactor is feasible. (nytimes.com)
- The Trump administration has done little to slow the secular decline in coal. (nytimes.com)
- The oil market is struggling to replace aviation demand sidelined in pandemic. (wsj.com)
- Energy traders are trying to diversify their businesses. (msn.com)
- Many OPEC countries are already seeing peak output. (wsj.com)
Environment
- Australia's koalas are at-risk of extinction. (wired.com)
- This year's wildfires can be blamed, in part, on the work of bark beetles. (nationalgeographic.com)
Travel
- Airports and airlines are rushing to offer preflight Covid-19 testing. (wsj.com)
- The first use of Venice's experimental flood protection system worked. (cnn.com)
- How the room service club sandwich epitomizes travel for many. (eater.com)
Behavior
- Laurie Santos, "We actually get more out of being more open and more social and more other-oriented than spending money on ourselves. It’s a bigger increase to your happiness." (nytimes.com)
- Consuming political content makes you unhappy. What to do instead. (theatlantic.com)
- Where does the debate on 'power poses' stand? (forbes.com)
- Research shows that people in cities are just as likely to help as those in small towns and villages. (newscientist.com)
Telemedicine
- Mental health tele-provider Talkspace is having a hard time keeping up with demand. (cnbc.com)
- Insurers are no longer favoring telemedicine visits. (nytimes.com)
Weed
- Vermont is legalizing marijuana sales. (vox.com)
- A THC-infused PBR-branded seltzer is hitting the shelves in California. (npr.org)
Drink
- Napa Valley wineries have been devastated by the wildfires. (nytimes.com)
- This startup has created a 'Nespresso for whisky.' (pastemagazine.com)
- Why technology can't replace the experience of tasting an aged liquor. (ft.com)
Food
- The pandemic is throwing plans for Thanksgiving up in the air, creating uncertainty for the Turkey Industrial Complex. (nytimes.com)
- Why beverage giants like Pepsi ($PEP) now bet on every weird trend out there. (marker.medium.com)
- Like it or not, insect protein is coming to the food system. (fastcompany.com)
- Grapefruit is one weird (citrus) fruit. (atlasobscura.com)
Dining
- Restaurants are trying to extend their outdoor dining season with more propane-powered heaters. (wsj.com)
- Outdoor dining has been a highlight of pandemic. (ozy.com)
- In the age of Covid, restaurants want you to eat and leave. (wsj.com)
- Seven dining trends we don't miss during pandemic. (washingtonpost.com)
Sports
- Why ratings are down for sports on TV in pandemic. (nymag.com)
- The number of Argentinians playing high level soccer in Europe is in decline. (nytimes.com)
- Nike ($NKE) was built on track and field. That relationship has now become a detriment. (washingtonpost.com)
Movie theaters
- James Bond nor 'Dune' are coming to rescue movie theaters in 2020. (theatlantic.com)
- Pixar's 'Soul' will go straight to Disney Plus. (hollywoodreporter.com)
- The pandemic is the nail in the coffin of the movie theater business. (om.co)
- There's really no good news for movie theaters. (vulture.com)
Parenting
- Some evidence that parents are resorting to drugs and alcohol to take the edge off in pandemic. (nytimes.com)
- 'Acceptance parenting' means being an advocate for your grown child. (thepointmag.com)
- Throughout history parenting was a collective effort. (nytimes.com)
Children
- Public schools are seeing notable drops in enrollment this school year. (npr.org)
- Private schools are seeing a surge in demand in pandemic. (nytimes.com)
- Pre-K advantages are largely lost in Kindergarten. (sciencedaily.com)
College
- College freshmen say their first semester is lonely and weird. (nytimes.com)
- The number of open faculty jobs in the US have plummeted in pandemic. (sciencemag.org)
- Some colleges are dropping admissions tests for good. (washingtonpost.com)
- On the high social return on attending an elite university. (marginalrevolution.com)
- How to think about college admissions like a value investor. (marketwatch.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Coronavirus links: a clear signal (abnormalreturns.com)
- What you missed in our Friday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Podcast links: upside-down markets. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Incremental solutions in pursuit of a clear goal beat the pointless pursuit of perfection. (abnormalreturns.com)
- October ESG links: unhelpful buzzwords. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Every Friday I send out five links for advisers to help them think a little differently about the world. Sign up now! (newsletter.abnormalreturns.com)
