Saturdays are the day we catch up with all the non-finance related items that we didn’t get to during the week. You can check out last week’s edition here. Have a great weekend!
Quote of the Day
"Languishing is the neglected middle child of mental health. It’s the void between depression and flourishing — the absence of well-being."
(Adam Grant)
EVs
- Toyota ($TM) has (finally) announced an EV plan. (theverge.com)
- Honda ($HMC) has announced a phase out of gas-powered vehicles by 2040. (theverge.com)
Driving
- Cities and states are struggling to deal with a surge in speeding. (wsj.com)
- Younger generations are decidedly less interested in driving. (ft.com)
Autos
- The global auto industry is stalling out as the chip shortage continues. (nytimes.com)
- Good luck trying to buy a new SUV these days. (nytimes.com)
- Tesla's ($TSLA) Autopilot can be tricked into working without anyone in the driver's seat. (theverge.com)
- Is there a better way to build vehicles than the traditional assembly line? (nytimes.com)
- A startup wants to electrify the ambulance. (electrek.co)
- Minivans are better for a family than SUVs. Period. (arstechnica.com)
Energy
- BP ($BP) is looking to phase out the flaring of natural gas. (wsj.com)
- The oil sands are hampering Canada's ability to meet greenhouse gas goals. (nytimes.com)
- Big Oil wants to get into the business of carbon storage. (wsj.com)
- Why wind turbines keep getting bigger. (cnbc.com)
- There is no easy fix for the Texas electricity market. (wsj.com)
Water
- More groundwater wells are at-risk of running dry due to climate change. (bloomberg.com)
- Watch Lake Mead shrink over time. (vox.com)
- On the margin, switching from beef to chicken would reduce water consumption. (newscientist.com)
Environment
- How baseline weather has changed in the U.S. over the past century. (climate.gov)
- Carbon emissions are set to soar in 2021 as the economy re-starts. (theguardian.com)
- The loss of biodiversity is choice, not an inevitability. (newscientist.com)
- Discarded PPE is ending up in the environment. (wired.com)
- A new paint reflects 98% of sunlight. (bbc.com)
Travel
- Good lucking trying to rent a car this Summer. (bloomberg.com)
- Airlines are bringing back furloughed pilots. (axios.com)
- Hawaii is easing restriction for those people who are fully vaccinated. (axios.com)
- How air (and Covid) circulates in an airplane. (nytimes.com)
The octopus
- The octopus is both really smart and weird. This may due to how their neurons are distributed. (wsj.com)
- What we can learn about human sleep from observing octopuses dreaming. (wired.com)
Apple
- Apple ($AAPL) AirTags just work. (engadget.com)
- Why Apple ($AAPL) is doubling down on the ad business. (ft.com)
- Has Apple ($AAPL) actually fixed it's TV remote? (vulture.com)
Vaccines
- The pandemic has shown that mRNA is the future. (newatlas.com)
- An effective malaria vaccine would be a game-changer. (theguardian.com)
Behavior
- The U-shaped happiness curve may be a myth. (psyarxiv.com)
- Less sleep is associated with a higher risk of dementia. (wsj.com)
- Can you get the benefits of psychedelics without the trip? (bigthink.com)
- Everyone expected a surge in suicide in lockdown. What happened? (theatlantic.com)
- Want to get people to donate to charity? Appeal to their self-interest. (bigthink.com)
Weed
- On the state of the marijuana market in 2021. (ozy.com)
- The hot cannabinoid of the moment is Delta-8 THC. (gq.com)
- There is a big difference between the national decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. (slate.com)
- Why hasn't marijuana been legalized already? (fivethirtyeight.com)
Food
- Restaurants are all trying to hire workers at the same time. (axios.com)
- QSRs are using the pandemic as an opportunity to get rid of in-store dining. (bloomberg.com)
- Everybody is drinking oat milk, but is it actually good for you? (gq.com)
Drink
- How the pandemic (and wild fires) affected the wine business in the U.S. (nytimes.com)
- Some wine tasters who had Covid-19 are struggling to do their jobs. (reuters.com)
Sports
- How the European Super League fell apart. (nytimes.com)
- College football is adjusting its practice regime to reduce concussions. (si.com)
- How to save money if you are getting started with golf. (impersonalfinances.com)
- Would you pay money for a virtual racehorse? (sportico.com)
Streaming
- Live sports is the next big battlefield for streaming services. (theringer.com)
- Netflix ($NFLX) is going to spend over $17 billion on content this year. (variety.com)
- Exclusive movies are helping HBO Max gain subscribers. (nytimes.com)
- The streaming battle increasingly occurs overseas. (wsj.com)
- Why scale is going to be crucial for streaming going forward. (variety.com)
- Why old TV shows don't sound the same - blame music rights (nytimes.com)
College
- There is no meaningful difference among most of the applicants to elite institutions. (chronicle.com)
- Fraternities and sororities are losing members. (vox.com)
Children
- American parents are sacrificing other aspects of their lives in service of 'intensive parenting.' (theatlantic.com)
- Virtual learning is going to stick around post-pandemic. (nytimes.com)
- How learning chess teaches kids to be less risk-averse. (phys.org)
- Want to get your kids to try new things? Do it with them. (nytimes.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Coronavirus links: the influencer era. (abnormalreturns.com)
- What you missed in our Friday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Podcast links: inconsistent risk-taking. (abnormalreturns.com)
- A second chance to re-finance your mortgage at a lower rate. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Here's hoping this 'entertaining anomaly' persists. (abnormalreturns.com)
- New wealth comes along with new found emotions. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Are you a financial adviser looking for some out-of-the-box thinking? Then check out our weekly e-mail newsletter. (newsletter.abnormalreturns.com)
Mixed media
- Hybrid work isn't just splitting the difference between office and home. (axios.com)
- Asynchronous communication as the default is a new way of working for most businesses. (bbc.com)
- If at all possible, don't schedule meeting back-to-back. (fastcompany.com)
- How to think about productivity as a funnel. (calnewport.com)
- Having an unproductive day: five things to get on track. (fastcompany.com)
