Thursdays are all about longform links on Abnormal Returns. You can check out last week’s linkfest including a look at how (and why) ivermectin became the latest ‘miracle cure’ for Covid.
Quote of the Day
"For all the anxiety and uncertainty of this moment in history, we could think of it as an unprecedented opportunity to reconsider how we’re using our finite time."
(Oliver Burkeman)
Chart of the Day
In an increasingly exponential world, linear institutions can’t keep up.
Books
- An excerpt from Adam Tooze's new book “Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World’s Economy.” (nytimes.com)
- An excerpt from Stacey Vanek Smith's new book “Machiavelli For Women: Defend Your Work, Grow Your Ambition, and Win the Workplace.” (tim.blog)
- A Q&A with Steven Pinker on the eve of his new book “Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters.” (nytimes.com)
Business
- CVS ($CVS) and other retailers are under attack by organized theft rings. (wsj.com)
- A history of the Starbucks ($SBUX) Frappuccino. (investmenttalk.substack.com)
Entertainment
- How Nate Bargatze became one of the nicest and most popular standup comics today. (theatlantic.com)
- A profile of Kenny Mayne out from under the ESPN umbrella. (theringer.com)
Longreads
- Behavior geneticist Kathryn Paige Harden is trying to find some middle ground. (newyorker.com)
- China's 'ghost cities' are beginning to teem with activity. (bloomberg.com)
- 9/11 first responders seem to be experiencing early dementia at an increased rate. (washingtonpost.com)
- Two decades in we can see what 9/11 wrought on American society. (washingtonpost.com)
- Our understanding of how homo sapiens came to the Americas is still evolving. (theatlantic.com)
- An example of how a false accusation can live on indefinitely on the Internet. (npr.org)
