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Quote of the day
“The McRib was the first viral fast food phenomenon, a self-replenishing reservoir of hype—the Popeyes fried chicken sandwich’s great-grandfather.” – Danny Chau
Autos
- Despite all the hype, "personal car ownership in the US has actually increased in the past 10 years." (wired.com)
- Children are still dying in hot cars at a record rate. (wsj.com)
- How Dyson's bet on a new EV went wrong. (bloomberg.com)
Traffic
- City planners are increasingly using traffic simulations to reduced congested streets. (axios.com)
- How a few simple tweaks helped Pontevedra, Spain reduce auto traffic in its city core by 90%. (reasonstobecheerful.world)
Energy
- In Q3 the UK generated more power from renewables than fossil fuels since the late 1800s. (axios.com)
- Grid shutdowns are forcing California companies to look for alternatives. (washingtonpost.com)
Environment
- The residents of Pecan Acres, Louisiana, are some of America’s first climate refugees. They will not be the last. (cnbc.com)
- Australia has its own issues with land clearing for agricultural purposes. (theguardian.com)
- What Baltimore gets right about trees. (reasonstobecheerful.world)
- Patagonia's Yvon Chouinard "The monies that are going to space exploration should be used to save our own planet right now." (fastcompany.com)
Travel
- How to keep your airline miles from expiring. (washingtonpost.com)
- Comparing the many services you can use to get through airport security lines faster. (nytimes.com)
- Airline food is getting simpler and more sustainable. (washingtonpost.com)
Technology
- How Lidar technology has completely changed how archaeology is done. (nytimes.com)
- Biometric phone security isn't perfect. (axios.com)
- Satellite broadband will require thousands of craft. (scientificamerican.com)
- 5G could be a boon for hackers. (ft.com)
Happiness
- Want to be happier? Why the frequency, not the intensity, of moments of joy matter. (fastcompany.com)
- "Latitudinal psychology seeks to explain why societies differ so much and why location on the north-south axis of the earth is so critical." (scientificamerican.com)
- Why that new gadget isn't going to make you happier. (radreads.co)
- Should you do what makes you happy or what make you better? (thesimpledollar.com)
The brain
- For US youths aged 15-24 deaths from suicide now exceed homicide. (wsj.com)
- Depression may reduce the amount of white matter in the brain. (newscientist.com)
- Does fish oil do anything for depression? (elemental.medium.com)
- People confuses habits and self-control. (behavioralscientist.org)
Influenza
- Doctors: get a flu shot! (wsj.com)
- When should you get your flu shot? (statnews.com)
- How flu vaccines are made. (kottke.org)
Children's health
- "Nearly half of all children who develop Type 1 diabetes don't know they have the disease until they end up in a coma in the hospital." (npr.org)
- Childhood obesity is on the rise around the world. (npr.org)
- The US is not well-served by loose vaccine exemptions. (scientificamerican.com)
Medicine
- How persistent stress can lead to disease. (nytimes.com)
- Five reasons why STDs are making a big comeback in the US. (vox.com)
- The neural system apparently affects longevity. (washingtonpost.com)
- Probiotics may not be increasing your gut's diversity. (wsj.com)
- Why conservative therapies for lower back pain should come first. (theincidentaleconomist.com)
- How technology has already transformed dentistry. (nytimes.com)
Food
- Five reasons why diet soda is an easy target. (theincidentaleconomist.com)
- How should you think about shrimp. (nytimes.com)
- Your kitchen is filthy. (cnn.com)
Vegetarianism
- If you give people more vegetarian options, they will eat them. (modernfarmer.com)
- How much of our meat consumption is simply habit? (bigthink.com)
- Taste testing four vegan burgers - the winner is clear. (washingtonpost.com)
Drink
- How climate change is already affecting wine production. (nytimes.com)
- The Anheuser Busch-MillerCoors spat is getting nastier. (wsj.com)
- Why outdoorsy-types were the first craft beer influencers. (outsideonline.com)
Weed
- Where cannabis legal (and not) in the US. (politico.com)
- A commonly used drug test doesn't distinguish between THC and CBD. (nytimes.com)
- A cannabis glossary. (politico.com)
Music
- How the term 'dad-rock' came into being. (esquire.com)
- "Damn the Torpedoes" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is 40 years old. (theringer.com)
Sports
- How long before some officially breaks the 2 hour marathon barrier? (kottke.org)
- The art of 'sticking around' in the NBA when you are not the most talented. (theringer.com)
- Why are some sports rivalries more heated than others? (nytimes.com)
Kids
- Does social media harm kids? (marginalrevolution.com)
- Athletic trainers recommend limiting the time children participate in competitive sports. (nytimes.com)
- Online grading systems are a sinkhole for helicopter parents. (wsj.com)
College
- Why middle class kids are disappearing from college campuses. (hechingerreport.org)
- How are families having fewer kids going to affect colleges? (hbr.org)
- European universities are upping their tech transfer game. (wsj.com)
- What is the consumption value of college? (papers.ssrn.com)
- Some good advice for new college students. (nytimes.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Longform links: creative teamwork. (abnormalreturns.com)
- What you missed in our Friday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Podcast links: a multi-disciplinary game. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Most everything we try will take longer and be harder than we think. You better have stamina to succeed. (abnormalreturns.com)
- We recently celebrated the fourteenth of anniversary of this blog. (abnormalreturns.com)