Weekend Reading

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  • The Problem with Muzak
    Imagine you are in an airport, and you have forgotten to eat lunch. It’s a mistake you will pay for with a dull, expensive dinner.
    I like Spotify but also aware it is limiting my musical view. Something for 2018 I think…

  • Former Facebook executive has sworn off social media because he doesn’t want to be “programmed”
    While Facebook’s business is booming and the company continues to expand its tentacles to every corner of the internet, its early employees and investors are growing more and more vocal about the damage it has wrought among its users.
    Maybe something else for 2018, cut back on FB. Time to delete from my phone?

  • For the Good of Society — and Traffic! — Delete Your Map App
    I live on an obnoxiously quaint block in South Berkeley, California, lined with trees and two-story houses. There’s a constant stream of sidewalk joggers before and after work, and plenty of (good) dogs in the yards. Trick-or-treaters from distant regions of the East Bay invade on Halloween.
    Rat runs can be deadly and cause more problems than the roadworks you are avoiding. Map apps help expose those. Maybe just take your time? Why all the rush??

  • 6-year-old made $11 million in one year reviewing toys on You Tube
    When most people think back on the child celebrities of their time, they may think of child movie actors, the well-trained stars of showbiz. For some, these were stars such as Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, or Macaulay Culkin of “Home Alone” fame.
    WHIT!! I fear I sound very old when I say I’m not sure what the world is coming to these days

  • ‘Women are better writers than men’: novelist John Boyne sets the record straight
    Male authors are always pronouncing their own brilliance – or boasting about not reading books by women. So, after a lifetime of writing and attending literary festivals, John Boyne would like to get something off his chest …
    This should NOT be a surprise.

  • What do we teach small children about consent?
    Last night, my daughter asked me to snuggle in with her under her duvet to sing her a bedtime song. I obliged, and gently tickled her feet. “No! No more tickling!” she giggled, while at the same time pressing her feet to my hands in a way I know is indicative of wanting to be tickled more.
    Very aware of this with a smol niece around.

  • According to a Harvard Psychologist, People Judge You …
    Judging people is less a conscious choice and more an instinct. No shame, we all do it. But when you’re being judged, or you’re the one doing the judging, the stain on your shirt isn’t the deal maker or breaker. (Relax, no one even notices the tiny things you freak out over, anyway.)
    Another ‘scientists point out the bleedin’ obvious’ article? Well kinda but not quite (it’s me, not you).

  • Merriam-Webster’s 2017 Words of the Year
    Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2017 is feminism. The word was a top lookup throughout the year, with several spikes that corresponded to various news reports and events.
    This is both pleasing (that people are checking what the word means) and worrying (that people have to check what the word means).

  • Seedless Avocados Are Here to Keep You From Cutting Off Your Hands
    Here’s a new item in the produce aisle for people who adore avocados but are terrified of slicing the fruit themselves: seedless avocados. The strange product, which looks more like a cucumber or zucchini, is being featured by British retail chain Marks & Spencer.
    Do we REALLY need to tamper with nature so much?

  • A Drone’s Eye View of New York
    We first got to know Humza Deas three years ago, when he was a 17-year-old self-taught photographer taking the sorts of thrilling pictures of the city, often from places he wasn’t technically supposed to be, which someone who is maybe no longer a teenager would probably not attempt.
    Never been to NY, these images are driving it further up the ‘visit’ list for sure.

  • The Reckoning: Women and Power in the Workplace
    As revelations of sexual harassment break, women have been discussing the fallout and how to move forward. Here, women from across the working world take on this complicated conversation.
    Frank and revealing conversations. Still so much to learn.

  • The best compliment you can give, according to Meryl Streep
    Meryl Streep, known to many as the Queen of Hollywood, is no stranger to praise. She’s received more Academy Award nominations than any actor (20 in total), and three Oscars and eight Golden Globes under her belt.
    Aforementioned niece will be hearing this one a LOT.

  • Red Dawn in Lapland
    It was a frigid January morning on the outskirts of a Finnish military base, 62 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Daylight was still four hours away and would cast off again by midafternoon. Through darkness and gently falling snow, I could see only one of the soldiers skiing in a line ahead of me.
    Bonkers but fascinating. I do love these articles of things I’m completely unaware of.

  • Seven Years
    Have linked to this website before. This one though… *wipes tear*

  • 010: Sigrid Veasey: The Science of Sleep
    Chronic sleep loss is the silent creativity killer. It impacts your attention, your memory, your moods, and your ability to “think outside the box.”
    And yes, we are ALL suffering chronic sleep loss.

  • Wine glasses are almost seven times bigger than they were 300 years ago
    Thank Christ it’s 2017 (there’s a statement I didn’t think I’d make this year!)

  • Disney and Fox
    It’s always a risk writing about a deal before it is official: CNBC reported a month ago that Disney was in talks to acquire many of 21st Century Fox’s assets, including its eponymous movie studio, TV production company, cable channels, and international assets.
    So what? Well if you watch Netflix at all, this is big news (and once again, us customers are the ones that will get stung)

  • Can Smiling While Exercising Improve Performance?
    Many athletes have been told that smiling while sweating will make our efforts feel easier.
    HAHAHAHAHAAAA sorry… I’m always too busy bitching and moaning to smile!