Thursdays are all about longform links on Abnormal Returns. You can check out last week’s linkfest including a look at the ‘time tax’ that government requires of its citizens.
Quote of the Day
"Right-leaning parties don’t need to have a policy agenda. They just need to stoke and harvest the resentment toward the creative class."
(David Brooks)
Book excerpts
- An excerpt from Peter Bergen's new book “The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden.” (wsj.com)
- An excerpt from Joe Keohane’s book "The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World." (theatlantic.com)
- An excerpt from "The Quiet Zone: Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence" by Stephen Kurczy. (wired.com)
- An excerpt from Dave Seminara’s "Mad Travelers: A Tale of Wanderlust, Greed and the Quest to Reach the Ends of the Earth." (atlasobscura.com)
Technology
- Dell Technologies ($DELL) is now worth more than four times what it was before it went private. (forbes.com)
- The story of how the Segway went viral and eventually flopped. (slate.com)
- Why innovation in construction is so difficult. (constructionphysics.substack.com)
Mental health
- Why athletes are leading the way in talking about mental health. (vox.com)
- Why mental health can be a huge issue for retired athletes. (davidepstein.com)
- How 'Ted Lasso' and other media are normalizing the discussion around mental health. (wired.com)
Longreads
- Service workers had it rough before the pandemic, and things have only gotten worse. (theatlantic.com)
- How gambling took over the sports media business. (cjr.org)
- Who owns Amanda Knox's story? Right now, it is definitely not her. (theatlantic.com)
- A profile of George Gankas, golf's 'radical new guru.' (gq.com)
- Why is English spelling so weird? (aeon.co)
