Book review: Pandemic: Tracking Contagions, From Cholera to Ebola and Beyond by Sonia Shah does a nice job of looking at how we deal with pandemics. (Scientific American)
Quote of the Day
"We don’t slow down long enough to think. We’re so focused on what’s next that we rarely take the time to ask ourselves whether we’re living the life we want or if we’re even really present in the one we have."
(Shane Parrish)
Environment
- Some cities are banning the use single-use coffee pods. (qz.com)
- Rural electric co-cops are embracing solar power. (vox.com)
Travel
- How to stay healthy why traveling the globe. (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
- It takes some work to keep your elite flyer status on an airline. (newyorker.com)
- How to compare different flights. (wsj.com)
- On the scourge that is bedbugs. (bloombergview.com)
Science
Offers
- The gadget reviewers are crazy for the new Eero home wi-fi solution. Buy it here: (amzn.to)
- MODERN TRADER Magazine—the essential journal for professional traders and active investors. This special subscription offer includes free classic investment book! (moderntrader.com)
- Try Audible.com and Get Two Free Audiobooks including "When Breath Becomes Air." (amazon.com)
- Join Amazon Prime Music - The Only Music Streaming Service with Free 2-day Shipping - 30-day Free Trial. (amazon.com)
Technology
- Ten breakthrough technologies for 2016. (technologyreview.com)
- The Internet of Things is making easy surveillance almost trivial. Is this what we want? (nytimes.com)
- Robots are getting better, fast. (washingtonpost.com)
- 8 trends to keep an eye on. (medium.com)
The brain
- How meditation changes the brain. (businessinsider.com)
- Why boredom may be good for a relationship. (wsj.com)
- The scary relationship between concussions and suicide. (washingtonpost.com)
- Bilingualism seems to be good for speaking two languages. (theatlantic.com)
- How our brains treat foreign accents. (qz.com)
Fitness
- Exercise combats stress. (qz.com)
- Sworkit is the best fitness app. (businessinsider.com)
- Your fitness tracker sucks. (wthr.com)
Health
- Vaccinations have dramatically reduced the HPV infection rate. (newscientist.com)
- Good studies on the effectiveness of drug/alcohol rehab are rare. (slate.com)
- The new pertussis vaccine simply isn't as good. (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
- Even losing a little bit of weight can help your health. (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
- Should you start drinking coffee? (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
Restaurants
- Danny Meyer on why tipping doesn't work. (nytimes.com)
- McDonald's ($MCD) all-day breakfast is shaking up the fast-food industry. (businessinsider.com)
- Starbucks ($SBUX) is updating its loyal program to reward dollars spent not visits. (bloomberg.com)
Food
- The cost of breakfast is at a 6-year low. (next.ft.com)
- Why do we still eat three meals a day? (next.ft.com)
- The ultimate guide to cooking eggs. (cooking.nytimes.com)
- The secret to good toast: frozen bread. (nytimes.com)
- Why chefs love cereal. (nytimes.com)
Drink
- Craft distillers are the new craft brewers. (qz.com)
- The best pale ales in America. (pastemagazine.com)
Entertainment
- Adam McKay's "The Big Short" is his second-best movie. What's #1? (slate.com)
- How heavy metal went global. (wsj.com)
- Why it's so easy to call yourself a "best-selling author" these days. (observer.com)
- Even on streaming-only shows the "attractiveness gap" continues on. (vulture.com)
- Netflix ($NFLX) wants to get a little more family friendly. (nytimes.com)
Sports
- The ball really does look bigger to better hitters. (scientificamerican.com)
- Scott Boras' plan to remake the MLB draft. (washingtonpost.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- What you may have missed in our Friday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Podcast links: paying your taxes. (abnormalreturns.com)
- The case for "blind auditions" in money management. (abnormalreturns.com)
Education
- Some states are providing incentives to pursue STEM-type degrees. (nytimes.com)
- Getting kids to graduate college is as important than getting there in the first place. (nytimes.com)
- Chicago schools are now requiring computer science to graduate. (techcrunch.com)
- Should professors should be fired for embarrassing the university? (theatlantic.com)