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 look at why systems are resistance to change.
Quote of the Day
"As I turn 40, I’m learning that the great paradoxes of life can’t be solved. Rather, you can only you do your best to align the opposing ends as much as possible."
(Lawrence Yeo)
Books
- Insights from "Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It" by Cory Doctorow. (prospect.org)
- A Q&A with Carl Bendikt Frey, author of "How Progress Ends: Technology, Innovation, and the Fate of Nations." (fasterplease.substack.com)
- An excerpt from "This Is for Everyone: The Unfinished Story of the World Wide Web" by Tim Berners-Lee. (theguardian.com)
Technology
- A look at the (very) addictive nature of TikTok. (washingtonpost.com)
- If AI succeeds, it will only make wealth inequality worse. (hamiltonnolan.com)
- People are increasingly using chatbots as personal assistants. (ig.ft.com)
Health
- Did you know private equity plays a big role in pharmaceutical clinical trials? (nytimes.com)
- The fight against valley fever is at-risk from funding cuts. (grist.org)
- The story of how the polio vaccine was made, and changed the world. (thebulwark.com)
Business
- Why every company wants to be an unregulated bank. (jacobin.com)
- Japan is getting more comfortable with letting 'zombie companies' die. (bloomberg.com)
- The story of Standard Oil will sound familiar to people today. (austinvernon.site)
Longreads
- Why some people are mad the stock market has gone up. (noahpinion.blog)
- Why we need more innovation in shipmaking. (freethink.com)
- It's hard to fathom how far humans have progressed. (forkingpaths.co)
- The veterans that are abusing the VA's disability program. (wapo.st)
- How the Constitution is at risk. (nytimes.com)
- The rise and fall of the American foodie. (eater.com)
- Lesson learned from a 'ridiculous' dog's life. (twopct.com)
