Saturdays are the day we catch up with all the non-finance related stuff we didn’t get to during the week. You can check out last week’s edition here.
Quote of the Day
"Most good writing is a byproduct of good reading. You’ll never meet a good writer who doesn’t spend most of their time reading."
(Morgan Housel)
Autos
- Automakers around the world are facing a shortage of chips. (theverge.com)
- Why fatality rates on U.S. roads rose last year. (wsj.com)
- Ferrari is getting dragged kicking and screaming into the SUV era. (nytimes.com)
- How to think about the new automotive industry. (asymco.com)
Batteries
- We are going to need to start recycling batteries to help make more EVs. (axios.com)
- The next wave of EV adoption relies on better, cheaper batteries. (wsj.com)
Energy
- How long before we stop thinking of energy and oil/gas as the same thing? (wsj.com)
- How small floating power stations could harness thermal energy in the ocean. (wired.com)
- There are dams already in place not generating power. Why not hook them up? (ft.com)
- Towns in the West are seeing surging revenues from wind projects while revenues from fossil fuels decline. (hcn.org)
Environment
- 2020 ties for the hottest year on record. (washingtonpost.com)
- The U.S. saw 22 major weather-related disasters last year. (scientificamerican.com)
- Big swaths of the Earth are set to dry as climate change takes hold. (theconversation.com)
- VCs are increasingly viewing climate change as an opportunity. (axios.com)
Air travel
- The U.S. is going to require all passengers have proof of a negative coronavirus test. (wsj.com)
- American Airlines will launch a mobile "health passport" for international travelers headed to the US. (businessinsider.com)
- Not all business travel is created the same. Some will bounce back post-pandemic, others not at all. (ft.com)
- More air cargo means more air cargo construction. (nytimes.com)
Technology
- Platforms have an obligation to act when it comes to an incitement of violence. (theverge.com)
- Telegram and Signal are the big winners in the crackdown on hate speech. (nytimes.com)
- Networks of nanosatellites are going to change how we think about what we can track. (wsj.com)
Science
- Covid shows why scientific journals should be opened up. (marginalrevolution.com)
- Can someone be a good scientist and a horrible person at the same time? (daily.jstor.org)
Behavior
- Memories get built one on top of the other. (fs.blog)
- Why you shouldn't depend on willpower to build new habits. (elemental.medium.com)
- The science behind sibling rivalry. (nytimes.com)
- How to be kinder to yourself. (hbr.org)
- How to avoid toxic positivity. (fastcompany.com)
- Is your therapist on TikTok? (nytimes.com)
Health
- Paula Span, "Wider adoption of FIT could also save patients and insurers, notably Medicare, a boatload." (nytimes.com)
- Pre-pandemic U.S. cancer death rates were falling. (wsj.com)
- More on the link between HPV and cancer. (nytimes.com)
- A new drug combo could help those addicted to methamphetamine. (axios.com)
- Why are we so afraid of fevers? (nytimes.com)
Food
- Relaxation drinks are more about marketing than anything else. (theverge.com)
- Appel wants to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables with a new coating. (wsj.com)
- Another step toward the mainstreaming of bugs as food. (wsj.com)
- The case for eating more rabbit. (eater.com)
- Australia is awash in lobster. (wsj.com)
Sports
- The NBA season is already going off the rails. (nytimes.com)
- Sports, sports media and sports betting are becoming intertwined. (wsj.com)
- The Tokyo Olympics are increasingly at-risk. (nytimes.com)
Entertainment
- Old network shows are still the backbone of streaming service viewing. (nytimes.com)
- Disney+ ($DIS) is the current customer retention king. (secondmeasure.com)
- For streaming services, Wattpad has become a go-to source for new YA material. (theverge.com)
- How Letterboxd became a hub for film lovers and cinephiles (nytimes.com)
- A graphical look at who owns what in Big Media today. (vox.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Coronavirus links: good enough. (abnormalreturns.com)
- What you missed in our Friday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Podcast links: tail-risk strategies. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Introducing 'The Goldmine' a new audio feed where you can hear your favorite financial writers read their best content. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Are you a financial adviser looking for some out-of-the-box thinking? Then check out our weekly e-mail newsletter just for advisers. (newsletter.abnormalreturns.com)