Shortlisted: This week’s best links, Issue #93
The (amazing) story behind Amazing Grace, the beautiful choreography of a Japanese cleaning crew, a glimpse inside Facebook’s Little Red Book, and more…
Quote of the Week
“Wow, there’ve been so many amazing changes in the country since Donald Trump announced he’s running for president!” — Gary Janetti, via Twitter
Arts and Culture
Amazing Grace: The Story Of John Newton
Al Rogers / Reformed Reader / 6 mins
The story of the hymn’s author, who was, amazingly, a reformed slave trader. Particularly apropos this week given President Obama’s eulogy in Charleston.
7-Minute Miracle
Charli James / YouTube / 2 mins
A video showing the precisely choreographed routine that cleaning crews use to prepare Japanese bullet trains after they arrive at the station. (BRB, heading to Japan to watch cleaning crews work…)
Case #3: Belt Buckle
Starlee Kine / Gimlet Media / 51 mins
I’m enjoying Mystery Show, a lighthearted new podcast. In this episode, Kine investigates how a belt buckle depicting an omelette, chef’s toque, and toaster went missing. In other episodes she helps an author figure out why Britney Spears was photographed carrying her obscure book, and tries to settle a debate about exactly how tall Jake Gyllenhaal is.
After I Came Out, I Thought My Dad And I Would Never Be Close
Liam Lowery / BuzzFeed / 7 mins
This is beautifully written and genuinely moving.
Politics and World Affairs
It Is Accomplished
Andrew Sullivan / The Dish / 5 mins
Sullivan — whose 1989 piece “The Case For Gay Marriage” argued that gay marriage was not radical but instead “conservative in the best sense of the word” — reflects on how we got from there to here.
Behind The Lens: When The President Heard The News Of The Supreme Court Decision On The Affordable Care Act
The White House / Medium / 1 min
A great moment.
The Atlantic Slave Trade In Two Minutes (Top pick)
Andrew Kahn and Jamelle Bouie / Slate / 2 mins
Wow: each dot on this interactive timelapse is an individual slave ship, scaled to size and with supporting data. Absolutely powerful to watch. Also interesting to see how, “relative to the entire slave trade, North America is a bit player.”
ISIS And The Lonely Young American (Top pick)
Rukmini Callimachi / The New York Times / 18 mins
Gripping story of how ISIS used social media to convert a 23-year old Sunday school teacher to Islam, and nearly convinced her to move to Syria and marry a “not good looking, 45 bald but nice muslim.” Extraordinary.
Every State Flag Is Wrong, And Here Is Why
Alexandra Petri / The Washington Post / 5 mins
A witty reminder that our state flags are almost uniformly ugly. Alaska, South Carolina, and Texas: you get a pass. But the rest of you — and especially you, Alabama, Maryland, and New Jersey — what were you thinking?!
Business and Economics
Facebook’s Little Red Book (Top pick)
Ben Barry / The Office Of Ben Barry / 3 mins
Super interesting: a look inside an 2012 guide Facebook gave its employees in 2012 laying out its guiding values and principles.
Newsonomics: 10 Numbers That Define The News Business Today
Ken Doctor / NiemanLab / 7 mins
An excellent overview of the key financial, technological, and strategic trends affecting newsrooms.
Guide To Business Cultures
Gengo
Fun site showing how countries compare along factors like communication style, attitude to time, and work/life balance. Also filled with fun bits of trivia, like the following: “In Mexico, business socializing usually takes place in the morning, not evening.”
Science and Technology
What’s Really Warming The World?
Eric Roston and Blacki Migliozzi / Bloomberg Business / 3 mins
Bloomberg Business uses design more creatively and effectively than any other publication that I know of. This piece, which clearly illustrates how human activity is driving climate change, is a great example of how design can strengthen content.
Uh-Oh: Beats Teardown Apparently Used Beats Knockoffs
Rain Noe / Core 77 / 3 mins
Last week, I included a piece about how cheap and flimsy Beats headphones are. Turns out that’s because the reviewer used a counterfeit pair of headphones…so I suppose congratulations are in order to the counterfeiter for a job well done!
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