Longform links: an uncertain future
Thursdays are all about longform links on Abnormal Returns. Wherever possible, free links for premium sites are used. You can check out...
Books
- An excerpt from “Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity” by Yoni Appelbaum. (wsj.com)
- A Q&A with Jessica A. Brockmole, author of "Pink Cars and Pocketbooks: How American Women Bought Their Way into the Driver’s Seat." (annehelen.substack.com)
- A Q&A with Dr. Adam Ratner, author of "Booster Shots: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children's Health." (npr.org)
- An excerpt from Michael Erard’s book “Bye Bye I Love You: The Story of Our First and Last Words." (thereader.mitpress.mit.edu)
Authoritarianism
- The many ways in which America is veering toward authoritarianism. (foreignaffairs.com)
- Authoritarianism turns every interaction, domestic and international, into a power play. (epsilontheory.com)
- A model of authoritarian nationalism. (scottsumner.substack.com)
Business
- Private equity-dominated firms now control the market for fire engines in the U.S. (nytimes.com)
- Why the self-storage industry in the U.S. continues to thrive. (economichardship.org)
- Dating app companies are not particularly interested in customer safety. (themarkup.org)
Technology
- A look at Apple's ($AAPL) pivot to India. (on.ft.com)
- Walmart ($WMT) is not laying down for Amazon ($AMZN). (on.ft.com)
- Ben Thompson talks with Uber ($UBER) CEO Dara Khosrowshahi about aggregation theory and autonomous vehicles. (stratechery.com)
- Who's really to blame for Google and Apple Maps changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico? (daringfireball.net)
Health
- Is there an explanation for rising cancer rates among young adults? (time.com)
- Even high-end addiction rehab facilities are no guarantee of quality care. (wsj.com)
Longevity
- Lifestyle gurus come in a lot of different flavors. (thenewatlantis.com)
- Longevity hacks are no guarantee of anything. (outsideonline.com)
Entertainment
- Saturday Night Live is a comedy machine. Is that necessarily a good thing? (wapo.st)
- How R.E.M.'s break out into the mainstream changed music. (yalereview.org)
- There is an art to voicing animated characters. Can AI ever match humans? (nytimes.com)
Longreads
- James Murdoch on his side of the story and the importance of not letting someone else define success for you. (theatlantic.com)
- How does a clearly unsafe workplace stay open for so long? (wapo.st)
- The elimination of the CFPB is a big middle finger to consumers. (nationalmortgageprofessional.com)
- The Glia monster gave us Ozempic. Now it needs our help. (nytimes.com)
- A training school that lets dogs choose their own job. (popsci.com)
- A dead tree is fuel for the ecosystem. (knowablemagazine.org)
