Kickoff For May 6, 2019
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Monday Kickoff, a collection of what I’ve found interesting, informative, and insightful on the web over the last seven days.
Sorry, no pithy (or what I think are pithy) comments this week. Maybe that’s for the best …
Let’s get this Monday started with these links:
Writing
In Praise of the Long and Complicated Sentence, wherein Joe Moran argues that to make your writing soar or be more poetic, your sentences sometimes need to be longer, regardless of what style guides and writing coaches and grammar checkers say.
Taming the Synopsis, wherein literary agent Ammi-Joan Paquette shares four steps that you can use to summarize your book before you sent a pitch or unsolicited manuscript off to a publisher.
Why I Don’t Write, wherein we’re treated to a short essay fiction that looks at something many writers, both working and wannbe, face each day.
Technology
What Will Space Suits Look Like in the Future?, wherein we discover what it takes to create a space suit, and get a peek at how designers are going about developing the next generation protective wear for astronauts.
America’s Cities Are Running on Software From the ’80s, wherein we learn that a large number of America cities are using (long) outdated applications to perform essential tasks, why it’s difficult to switch to more modern code, and how much that switch can cost.
How the Internet Travels Across Oceans, wherein we learn that the so-called cloud might be a bit soggier than we realize, and discover how much of the data the world sends relies on old-school underwater cables to reach its destinations.
Ideas
Why Misinformation Is About Who You Trust, Not What You Think, wherein the authors of The Misinformation Age engage in a wide-ranging discussion about why people believe what they do, and share some ideas about how to try to combat the spread of lies and misinformation.
Cities Aren’t Technology Problems: What Smart Cities Companies Get Wrong, wherein we learn it’s neither tech nor data that will make cities smart. Instead, it’s people who can effect change by asking the right questions.
On Owning Many Books, wherein Mik Awake expains, through the lens of his personal collection, the pros and cons of holding on to a large number of books.
And that’s it for this Monday. Come back in seven days for another set of links to start off your week.