Kickoff For May 27, 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.
I’ve got nothing pithy or marginally profound to say this time ’round, so let’s get this Monday started with these links:
Ideas
How the apocalypse could be a good thing, wherein Sumit Paul-Choudhury ponders whether or not dystopian fiction actually points to something resembling a utopia, one which many of us would never consider to be a utopia.
The History of Humanity, As Revealed By Its Walls, wherein Paul Crenshaw eloquently takes us on a tour of walls — ones which defined long-gone civilizations, and one which define use from birth to death.
A Night in the Engadine, wherein John Kraag recalls his attempts to literally follow in the footsteps of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and trek through the Engadine, where he tried to become closer to Nietzsche and his ideas.
The Dark Side of Technology
Will China’s Ever-Growing Digital Firewall Wreck the Internet?, wherein we learn that more and more countries are following China’s lead and censoring or blocking the internet, and discover how that can affect all of us.
Privacy’s not an abstraction, wherein Alex Pasternack ponders privacy, and how easily it can be invaded or taken away from us.
Silicon Valley isn’t just a technostate – it’s something much bigger, wherein Navneet Alang muses about the power and influence that tech giants wield, power and influence they really shouldn’t have.
Crime
The Mortician and the Murderer, wherein we discover how the unscrupulous son of career morticians took the family business to new, and highly illegal, heights.
The Minnesota Murderess, wherein we hear the tale of Ann Bilansky, the state of Minnesota’s first convicted murderess, the charges against her, and her eventual fate.
The Courtroom Artist Who Sketched Trump on Trial, wherein we learn about the work of illustrator Marilyn Church who went from sketching fashion to visually chronicling high-profile court cases for TV and newspapers.
And that’s it for this Monday. Come back in seven days for another set of links to start off your week.