2019: An Audio Review, from Listle
2019 has been an interesting year. It’s the year we started building Listle, the year we graduated university, moved to the Bay Area and went through Y Combinator. Basically, 2019 was full of changes. And this is, of course, not just the case with our team. A lot of things happened in the world, both positive and not-so-positive.
We’re rounding up the most representative events for each month of 2019 alongside some thought-provoking written pieces that we’ve turned into audio.
In case you want to refresh your memory on what went on this past year and get a more objective perspective, here are our picks. We’ve also created a playlist on our mobile app, which you can download here.
January: China lands spacecraft on Moon’s far side
The year kicked off with a successful landing of China’s Chang’e-4 spacecraft on the Moon’s far side. Nonetheless, some expressed their concerns on how China would compete with “global leader, the US”. Here’s a Bloomberg article depicting this, reposted on Asharq Al-Awasat.
February: 5G and the future of the Internet
Although the buzz of 5G was present for the entire year, this article from February gives a really good insight into how the telecoms industry began the transition to new fifth-generation cellular networks.
You can find plenty of other stories on the subject, on Listle, including this very thorough Wired Guide to 5G.
March: Algerian Protests
2019 was the year of protests. Unfortunately, some of these ended in chaos and violence, including the Algerian protest against ex-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. He has since resigned, but here’s an article which portrays what was happening in Algeria at the time.
April: The fire of the Notre Dame
A very insightful story on the fire that erupted in one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, during April of this year. It touches on a controversial subject that had the entire world talking: why is it that some heritage places publicly elicit more emotions than others?
May: Climate Change
As a defining theme for the entirety of 2019, climate change has been at the forefront of media outlets. This article from May is a good place to start if you want to understand more about how it correlates with extinction.
We also have a dedicated playlist on Listle, where you can listen to all things related to sustainability.
June: Hong Kong Protests
Protests didn’t end with Algeria. The world saw more than 1 million protesters taking to the streets of Hong Kong, in early June.
July: Theresa May’s Downfall
The first part of 2019 was marked by efforts to bring (once again) Brexit to an end. However, it culminated in Theresa May’s resignation. Here’s an analysis of the reasons behind why this happened.
You can also find a playlist on all things Brexit on Listle. A very good timeline of the events that unfolded after May’s resignation.
August: The WeWork Debacle
August was the start of what went on to be an entire series of events. WeWork publicly filed its IPO paperwork on August 14. A lot has happened since, including the fall of Adam Neumann, founder and CEO. Goes to show how despite huge amounts of funding, an untested and fatally flawed business model can be the demise of an apparently successful start-up.
Here’s a list of other very interesting pieces on the subject:
- Why We Should Celebrate WeWork’s Failed IPO
- WeWork and Counterfeit Capitalism
- Adam Neumann, the Boy Who Burst the Unicorn Bubble
- WeWork Lessons For Every Business
- WeWork and Adam Neumann represent all that is wrong with the business world
September: The Impeachment Era
Without a doubt, one of the events that marked 2019 is the on-going impeachment of Donald Trump. A formal impeachment inquiry was launched on September 24 and here’s one of the most listened articles on Listle, describing what went on in the Capitol that evening.
More on Impeachment.
October: The Quantum Computing Race
In October, Google claimed “quantum supremacy” over the most powerful supercomputers in the world by solving a problem considered virtually impossible for normal machines.
November: Acquisitions
Some of the most important acquisitions of 2019 included Google / Fitbit and Paypal / Honey. Here are two articles which look into the reasons behind these decisions.
More on Silicon Valley.
December: Boris Johnson’s Victory
When it comes to world politics, 2019 didn’t necessarily end on a high note. Boris Johnson won the UK election in December. This New Yorker story gives some thoughtful points on why this might be unfortunate for the United Kingdom and the future of Brexit.
As this year is coming to an end, we’re very thankful to every single person who’s tried out Listle since our launch 5 months ago. We learned a lot in the process and hopefully will do so in 2020 too.
If you decide to give Listle a try, we’d love to hear from you.
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