On Saturdays we catch up with the non-finance related items that we didn’t get to earlier in the week. You can check out last week’s edition here. Have a great weekend!
Quote of the Day
"There is a tradeoff between efficiency and capacity and that tradeoff depends on time and consequences."
(Mike Dariano)
Chart of the Day

Omicron is once again putting the travel industry in the spotlight. (chart via @ycharts)
Autos
- Nissan is investing big to make the switch to EVs. (bloomberg.com)
- How magnetic roads could be used to charge EVs in transit. (nytimes.com)
Environment
- The U.S. is the world's biggest contributor to plastic waste. (washingtonpost.com)
- Why Arctic precipitation will switch from snow to rain over time. (newscientist.com)
- State transportation departments are slowly coming to terms with the effects of climate change on infrastructure. (washingtonpost.com)
- Wildfire policy doesn't work any more in the U.S. (slate.com)
- The Bradford pear tree is just awful. (nytimes.com)
Science
- Researchers are planning to drill into Antarctic ice to obtain a record of Earth's climate stretching back 1.5 million years. (bbc.com)
- Paleontologists have found a 'dog-sized dinosaur species that had a unique slashing tail weapon.' (apnews.com)
- What barnacles know about whales. (hakaimagazine.com)
Archaeology
- Researchers have found a piece of jewelry from 41,500 years ago. (nature.com)
- A 13-year-old in England just found a bronze age axe. (nytimes.com)
Behavior
- Brett and Kate McKay, "Challenging cognitive distortions is a skill that takes practice to develop." (artofmanliness.com)
- Why people gravitate toward puzzles when we are depressed. (wired.com)
- On the difference between detachment and non-attachment. (dariusforoux.com)
- Two tricks to help tamp down on imposter syndrome. (hunterwalk.com)
- Why we fall for scams. (daily.jstor.org)
Animals
- Pangolins are the new pandas. (wsj.com)
- Why it might be better for older dogs to eat just once a day. (newscientist.com)
Cannabis
- More Americans are smoking pot. What are the health effects? (fivethirtyeight.com)
- On the use of hemp to create sustainable building materials. (modernfarmer.com)
Food
- How Vermont became a hub for saffron. (modernfarmer.com)
- Lessons learned from eating in nearly 8000 Chinese restaurants. (bbc.com)
Sports
- Why younger Americans are less interested in sports that previous generations. (insidehook.com)
- Attendance at sporting events is not back to pre-pandemic levels. (sportico.com)
- When football coaches start making $10 million a year it may be time to rethink the college athletics model. (nymag.com)
- Participation in amateur boxing is associated with a greater risk of dementia later in life. (newatlas.com)
Music
- The 100 best songs of 2021 including "Be Sweet" by Japanese Breakfast. (npr.org)
- The 50 best albums of 2021 including 'Dark in Here' by The Mountain Goats. (pastemagazine.com)
TV shows
- The best TV shows of 2021 including 'White Lotus.' (nytimes.com)
- Variety critics' best shows of 2021 including 'Succession.' (variety.com)
- The 30 best shows of 2021 including 'Only Murders in the Building.' (pastemagazine.com)
- The 14 best shows of 2021 including 'Hacks.' (vanityfair.com)
Movies
- The 10 best movies of 2021 including 'The Power of the Dog.' (vanityfair.com)
- Tyler Cowen's favorite movies of 2021 including 'The Dig.' (marginalrevolution.com)
- The 25 best movies of 2021 including 'CODA.' (indiewire.com)
- The 21 most underrated movies of 2021 including 'Test Pattern.' (vanityfair.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Coronavirus links: the case for boosters. (abnormalreturns.com)
- What you missed in our Friday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Podcast links: the new world of work. (abnormalreturns.com)
- December ESG links: emissions incentives. (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)