Thursdays are all about longform links on Abnormal Returns. You can check out last week’s linkfest including a look at how it became so difficult to become a homeowner in America.
Quote of the Day
"Today, 43 percent of tech companies go public with a dual-class structure. If this smells as though the public markets are embracing autocracy and the power that comes with it, trust your instincts."
(Scott Galloway)
Books
- An excerpt from "Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America" by Maggie Haberman. (theatlantic.com)
- An excerpt from "Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America" by Joan Donovan, Emily Dreyfuss, Brian Friedberg. (wired.com)
- An excerpt from "Morgenthau: Power, Privilege, and the Rise of an American Dynasty" by Andrew Meier. (politico.com)
- An excerpt from "Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away." by Annie Duke. (msn.com)
- An excerpt from "Fen, Bog & Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis" by Annie Proulx. (wired.com)
Covid
- Ed Yong, "COVID long-haulers have proved beyond any reasonable doubt that acute viral infections can leave people chronically ill." (theatlantic.com)
- How Davis, California avoided the worst of the Covid pandemic. (politico.com)
Business
- How Gautam Adani became one of the wealthiest men in the world. (trungphan.substack.com)
- How Apple ($AAPL) turned Airpods into a huge business. (bloomberg.com)
- How Christmas movies became an industry unto itself. (variety.com)
- How America's last piano manufacturer, Mason & Hamlin, manages to stay in business. (thehustle.co)
Longreads
- After this summer, the UK is reckoning with a hotter future climate. (ft.com)
- How a $340k crypto hack went down. (efalken.substack.com)
- Why America's roads are so deadly for cyclists. (bicycling.com)
- A profile of Arthur C. Brooks and his quest to suss out the secrets of happiness. (gq.com)
- Just because you buy (and read) a book you don't have to keep it forever. (psyche.co)
- Why we undervalue the art of maintenance. (noemamag.com)
- Has the Zodiac killer been found? (lamag.com)
