Shortlisted, Issue #91
The ‘yuccie’ is the new hipster, a harrowing journey to freedom, a gratitude-based resume, and more
Question of the Week
“What website or app do you love, that other people should know about?”
Enter your response in the link above, and I’ll share the results next week.
Arts and Culture
The Hipster Is Dead, And You Might Not Like Who Comes Next
David Infante / Mashable / 6 mins
Meet the young urban creative, or yuccie: “Yuccies are the cultural offspring of yuppies and hipsters. We’re intent on being successful like yuppies and creative like hipsters.”
77 Ways To Design The Letter “M”
Eric Jaffe / CityLab / 6 mins
Mass transit agencies around the world employ logos featuring an “m.” This is a fun look at the similarities, and differences, in their designs.
A Good Shot At The Facts
Dan Zak / 14 mins
A Washington Post reporter looks back on 10 years at the paper. A love letter to newspapers, and also a remembrance of what it’s like to be young and hungry and helped by colleagues as you stumble toward competence. Beautiful.
7 Reasons You Shouldn’t Go To Law School (Unless You Really, Really Want To Be A Lawyer)
Amanda Taub / Vox / 11 mins
This can be a tired subject, but Taub brings sharp thinking and new life to it. “Law school isn’t a shortcut to those other careers — it’s a longcut. If there is something else you want to do, go do it.”
Politics and World Affairs
The Journey
Patrick Kingsley / The Guardian / 27 mins
Hashem is a 40-year old Syrian who is forced to flee when his country fall to violence. This extraordinary piece follows him as he tries to make his way from Egypt to Sweden — via boat and train — to seek asylum for his family. Hashem worked with The Guardian to document the trip; photos, video, and audio bring his journey to life.
Kalief Browder, 1993–2015
Jennifer Gonnerman / New Yorker / 4 mins
Browder was arrested at 16 for a robbery he insists he did not commit; kept at Rikers for three years waiting for trial, two of those years in solitary; abused by officers and inmates; and is now, after being released, dead by his own hand. Tragic and shameful.
George Washington’s Oh-So-Mysterious Hair
Robert Krulwich / National Geographic / 4 mins
And now, for some lighter fare: an entertaining look at how George Washington got his iconic hairstyle. Amazingly, in his day, this was “the equivalent of a marine buzz cut.”
Business and Economics
“The Credit Goes To…” Resume (Top pick)
Tony Stubblebine / Medium / 3 mins
This is a lovely idea: “What if you wrote a resume completely in terms of the people who took a chance on you?”
Autopsy — Lessons From Failed Startups
Niral JP
A site with over 100 explanations from founders about why their startups failed. (Via Bo)
Science and Technology
It’s Official: Everyone Has The Same Plans For Tech’s Future
David Pierce / Wired / 4 mins
We’ve reached a point where “every powerful company has the same ideas, arrives at the same conclusions, apes the same features and builds the same products.” The only difference is whether you call it Siri, Google Now, or Cortana.
What Is Code?
Paul Ford / Bloomberg Business / 29 mins
Paul Ford is the poet laureate of computer programmers. Here, he sets out in his clear and clever way to demystify the world of coding. This is the longest article I’ve ever included — Bloomberg literally devoted its entire issue to it — and the first one I’ve not read word for word. But it’s interesting, full of fun surprises, and set up to be easily skimmed.
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