Shortlisted: This week’s best links, Issue #97
The 10 most beautiful movies ever made; a gorgeous series of minimalist stamps; a bold new competitor for Amazon; and 9 more links…
Arts and Culture
Top 10 Most Beautiful Movies Of All Time
CineFix / YouTube / 11 mins
Click, switch to full screen, and bask in some truly stunning scenes.
Explaining Graphic Design To Four-Year Olds
Dean Vipond / Medium / 6 mins
A designer explains what he does in the simplest possible terms. His definition of graphic design: using “colours, letters, and pictures to help people understand things.” The exercises he has the kids do are lovely.
Basic Stamps
Duane Dalton / 4 mins
Speaking of graphic designers, this one creates gorgeous minimalist stamps for different countries. Scroll down to see some beautiful work.
‘I’m No Longer Afraid’: 35 Women Tell Their Stories About Being Assaulted by Bill Cosby, And The Culture That Wouldn’t Listen
Noreen Malone and Amanda Demme / New York / 17 mins
An extraordinary cover photo, along with an essay and personal accounts from 35 of the 46 women who have come forward publicly to date. Very powerful.
Politics and World Affairs
Al Sharpton On What Donald Trump Could Learn From James Brown
Janell Ross / The Washington Post / 3 mins
I thought there was no way this article would live up to its improbable headline, but it does. A genuinely insightful short piece.
Is The Chinese People’s Liberation Army A Paper Tiger?
Kyle Murao / Quora / 14 mins
A very interesting analysis of China’s military aspirations and abilities, particularly in terms of the role of cyber warfare. (via Albert)
The Downside of Doubling The Federal Minimum Wage
Catherine Rampell / The Washington Post / 3 mins
“In Arkansas, the median hourly wage is $14.01. In Mississippi, it’s an astoundingly low $13.76. It’s likewise below $15 in six other states, and three U.S. territories. That means a $15 minimum wage could be binding on more than half of the jobs in these places.”
Business and Economics
Can Jet.com Take On Amazon And Win?
Vauhini Vara / The New Yorker / 6 mins
This is bold: a new site has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in an effort to beat Amazon on price. The business model is essentially Costco plus technology, and requires sales of $20B per year to work.
Living In Switzerland Ruined Me For America And Its Lousy Work Culture
Chantal Panazzo / Vox / 10 mins
Granted, it helps to have an economy consisting solely of chocolatiers, diplomats, and watchmakers…but maybe we can try one or two of these things?
They Are Creating A New Job Market! Chinese University ‘Sells’ Top Graduates Online For £100 Each To Potential Employers
Jessica Mckay and Edward Chow / The Daily Mail / 2 mins
Fascinating: Kunming University is marketing some of its students on the Chinese equivalent of Amazon/eBay. As described, it seems like a bit of a gimmick, but it’s not altogether farfetched to imagine universities playing a more active role as a talent agency or headhunter of sorts. (via Sarah)
Science and Technology
Web Design: The First 100 Years
Maciej Ceglowski / Idle Words / 22 mins
Ceglowski is one of the smartest and wittiest writers on the web. This talk — about what the web means today, and why the visions of people like Marc Andreeson, Elon Musk, and Ray Kurzweil put that meaning at risk — is characteristically elegant and insightful.
The Day The Girls Learned To Code
Jaya Saxena / The Toast / 2 mins
Short, sharp, and biting satire. I admire how much Saxena is able to do in so few words.
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