Kickoff For June 22, 2020
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.
Let’s get this Monday started with these links:
Ideas
If you can read this headline, you can read a novel. Here’s how to ignore your phone and just do it, wherein Judith Seaboyer argues that no matter what your age, you can learn (or relearn) how to read longer, more complex texts by setting aside a space and time to revitalise the neural pathways that once made us immersive readers
The 2010s Have Broken Our Sense Of Time, wherein Katherine Miller argues that the constant stream of information from multiple sources that’s been coming at us in the last 10 years has distorted our understanding of when we are.
The Hollow Politics of Minimalism, wherein Jill Steinhauer argues that minimalism, as practiced by many today, isn’t a lifestyle choice but an aspirational style — a measure of taste and an opportunity to announce your sophistication.
Technology
The New Uncanny Valley, wherein Jakub Stachurski looks at how communication has changed since moving online, and how that’s affected (or not) our social lives and relationships.
How SEO Ruined the Internet, wherein we discover a few more reasons to despise Search Engine Optimization and to shun those who practice it.
The Wrong Goodbye, wherein Heather White ponders the hows and whys of email marketers trying to get us to stop unsubscribing from their messages and newsletters.
Arts and Literature
From Abacus to Zen: A Short History of Tuttle Publishing, wherein we learn a bit about the background of a publishing company that introduced Japan and aspects of Japanese langauge and culture to English-speaking readers.
Tara McLeod: A Typographic Journey, wherein we’re introduced to the Kiwi typographer who decided to ply his trade not with digital tools but with a hand press from the Victorian era.
“Lights, Camera-maids, Action!”: Women Behind the Lens in Early Cinema, wherein Marsha Gordon introduces us to the forgotten female camera operators and cinematographers from the early years of the film industry in the U.S.
And that’s it for this Monday. Come back in seven days for another set of links to start off your week.