Happy Friday! Did June pass by in the blink of an eye for you too?
Here are some articles I found interesting this week. Enjoy!
- Knowledge is the new money. If you’re not spending 5 hours per week learning, you’re being irresponsible.
- I grew up watching Koko the gorilla. So sad to see that she’s passed.
- Justin Peters takes stock photos and combines them into fantastical and mind-bending scenes. Stunning and very well done.
- Google’s longevity research lab, Calico, and the drug giant, AbbVie, sign a $1 billion deal to back aging research and drug development. I am very excited to see how this unfolds.
- On the other hand, amid growing calls to break up Google, are we missing a quiet alignment between “smart” government and the universal information engine?
- I don’t know how to embroider, but I’m bookmarking these whimsical free hand embroidery patterns for the day that I begin.
- Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy from Tim Urban of Wait But Why? “It’s pretty straightforward—when the reality of someone’s life is better than they had expected, they’re happy. When reality turns out to be worse than the expectations, they’re unhappy.”
- Some insurers offer members specially-tailored meals to improve their health, which has reduced ER visits, hospital admissions and health spending compared with adults who did not receive an intervention. I love this and hope the idea spreads.
- This nifty app lets you transform your handwriting or calligraphy into a font. Makes me wish I had better handwriting.
- Good fences make good neighbors. Or maybe not. Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History podcast explores the origins and consequences of our current immigration policy. Prior to the 1970s militarization of the US border, Mexicans freely entered the US to work and then 50% returned home to their families throughout the year. Today, the risk of returning home to Mexico is too high–the border is keeping illegal immigrants in instead of keeping them out. Fascinating and eye-opening discussion.
- Quote I’m pondering: “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” — Helen Keller
- What I’m listening to: Grapevine Fires by Death Cab for Cutie. Hauntingly beautiful, I think the song is a reminder to remain optimistic in troubled times. Like wildfires, life’s challenges are often followed by realizations and rebirths.
existential ergonomics 