Shortlisted: This week’s best links, Issue #96
How to invest your money, in 10 words or less; 7 apps to download if you love nature; the books with the most wisdom per page; and 9 more links…
Quote of the Week
“An editor is basically your own private Twitter backlash, in human form.” — Matt Pearce, via Twitter
Arts and Culture
My Burger Manifesto
Dave Chang / Lucky Peach / 3 mins
A fun rant, with a unique combination of swear words and footnotes. Prepare to be insulted if you like lettuce or mustard or truffles on your burger…
Which Book Has The Most Page-For-Page Wisdom?
Tyler Cowen / Marginal Revolution
What a great question. Lots of interesting recommendations in this discussion thread.
The Meticulous 10-Month Restoration Of A 355-Year Painting At The Metropolitan Museum Of Art
Christopher Jobson / Colossal / 5 mins
This video shows 10 months of work in five minutes, along with before and after pictures. I was surprised by how “low-tech” the whole process was…
The Hard Truths Of Ta-Nehisi Coates
Benjamin Wallace-Wells / New York / 22 mins
“What a strange, dark, beguiling place America is. It killed Prince Jones. It reveres Ta-Nehisi Coates.” An excellent profile of Coates, whose sheer force of language and ideas is changing how we think and talk about race in America.
Politics and World Affairs
The Really Big One
Kathryn Schultz / The New Yorker / 24 mins
Scientists estimate a 10% chance of a “full-margin rupture” occurring in the Pacific Northwest within the next 50 years, leading to an 8.7–9.2 magnitude earthquake. If that happens, says a FEMA official, “Our operating assumption is that everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast.” A gripping, frightening piece on what “the worst natural disaster in the history of North America” would look like.
You Just Got Out Of Prison. Now What?
Jon Mooallem / The New York Times Magazine / 25 mins
An entertaining and touching piece on two ex-convicts who pick up newly released inmates from prison, and help them begin the process of re-entering society. This reads like a magazine profile and works like a policy brief. Beautifully done.
The Global Flow Of People
Nikola Sander, Guy J. Abel, and Ramon Bauer / Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital
Simple data visualization showing the flow of migration. Click on each region and each line for more detail about how many people enter, how many leave, and where they come from and go.
Business and Economics
Short Investing Philosophies
Morgan Housel / The Motley Fool / 2 mins
Prominent investors share their philosophies, in 10 words or less.
Reddit Needs A Real Leader
T.C. Sottek / The Verge / 7 mins
Reddit gets read the riot act. A perceptive and sharply written argument that Reddit’s failures stem from the fact that its leaders “don’t seem to understand that their internet message board is not actually a country and their content policy is not legislation.” In short, they misperceive the type of leadership that is required (in addition to being incompetent). Really good.
Science and Technology
Our Solar System Visualized
Mark E. Potts / Los Angeles Times / 2 mins
This is a stunning video of all nine of our planets — now possible with NASA’s successful fly-by of Pluto. At times, it feels like the images must be CGI, but the credits indicate only actual photos and videos from NASA. Gorgeous. (Note: Music autoplays upon clicking.)
7 Apps That Will Convince Your Kid You Know Everything About The Natural World
Amos Kwon / Fatherly / 3 mins
Not just for parents and kids — these apps can help you identify everything from birds and bugs to flowers and trees.
There’s An App For That
Harvard Innovation Lab / Vine / 6 secs
25 years of innovation in 6 seconds. (The first Vine I’ve included…)
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