Thursdays are all about longform links on Abnormal Returns. Wherever possible, free links for premium sites are used. You can check out last week’s linkfest including a recounting of a trip on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas.
Quote of the Day
"Namely that we live in an age of misinformation, despite the fact — or because of the fact — that we have never had access to so much information."
(Harry Wallop)
Books
- An excerpt from James Lawrence Powell’s book “Mysteries of the Deep: How Seafloor Drilling Expeditions Revolutionized Our Understanding of Earth History.“ (thereader.mitpress.mit.edu)
- An excerpt from "Everest, Inc.: The Renegades and Rogues Who Built an Industry at the Top of the World" by Will Cockrell . (insidehook.com)
- Lessons learned from "Wuhan: How the Covid-19 Outbreak in China Spiraled Out of Control," by Prof Dali Yang. (telegraph.co.uk)
Technology
- Inside the complex world of undersea internet cables. (theverge.com)
- eVTOLs are nearing approval, but will they become an actual business? (newyorker.com)
Shopping
- Dynamic pricing and hidden fees make shopping exhausting. (theatlantic.com)
- How credit card rewards programs work. (bitsaboutmoney.com)
California
- California is losing share of technology workers. (apricitas.io)
- Even with a new contract, the life of a Hollywood writer is increasingly tenuous. (harpers.org)
Longreads
- 15 ideas from Seth Klarman's "Margin of Safety." (investmenttalk.co)
- Some personal rememberances of Daniel Kahneman. (behavioralscientist.org)
- How China's state-guided industrial policy helped build BYD. (phenomenalworld.org)
- How the 'intellectual dark web' lost the thread. (thebulwark.com)
- A profile of Peter Attia and the quest for a healthy additional decade. (newyorker.com)
- Organic milk doesn't necessarily mean the animals are better treated. (msn.com)
- Things that don't work, including 'Expecting people to follow written instructions.' (dynomight.substack.com)
- What we choose to frame and put on our walls. (oxfordamerican.org)