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 the ‘low fertility trap.’
Quote of the Day
"We have fallen into habits that are steadily deskilling the human body, eroding capacities honed by evolution to support our wellbeing as we move through the world."
(Melanie Challenger)
Books
- David Epstein talks with Adam Grant, author of "Vibe: The Secret of Strong Connections in a Lonely World." (davidepstein.substack.com)
- Michael Easter talks with Lindsay Crouse author of "The Case for Quitting: The Surprising Benefits of Opting Out – Revolutionary Strategies for Personal Growth and Shifting Your Mindset." (twopct.com)
- An excerpt from "The New Dark Ages: The Death of Reading and the Dawn of the Post-Literate Society,” by James Marriott. (wapo.st)
- An excerpt from "Rules to Live By: How Extraordinary Lives Define What Really Matters" by Jimmy Chin. (outsideonline.com)
Technology
- Big chunks of the Internet rely on a few key people. (sheets.works)
- On the rise and fall of the plasma screen. (construction-physics.com)
Food
- What do farmed fish typically eat? (nytimes.com)
- How disruptions are affecting the global banana trade. (nytimes.com)
Longreads
- How hacked video cameras have become a tool of war. (wsj.com)
- Elected officials are increasingly coming under the threat of violence. (nytimes.com)
- How AI creates more work, not less. (youngmoney.co)
- Evidence that humans have been transforming the natural world for a long time. (newyorker.com)
- Dementia is not just one thing. (nytimes.com)
- Why Americans are coupling less. (derekthompson.org)
- We are de-skilling our bodies. (aeon.co)
