Kickoff For December 7, 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:
History
Tune in to the Tummy: Vladimir Zworykin’s Radio Pill, wherein we discover a strange medical diagnostic device created in the 1950s, but which never really caught on.
For the wanderers who became the Aztecs history was a chorus of voices, wherein we learn how the Aztecs came to record and recite history in a multi-layered fashion, a way that confused and confounded the Europeans who encountered them.
The 100-Year History of Self-Driving Cars, wherein we learn that the idea behind autonomous vehicles in nothing new, and how the mistakes of the past are informing the creation of tomorrow’s self-driving cars.
Travel
Heartlands: Senzoku, wherein Rebecca Saunders takes us on a tour of a section of Tokyo centered around a large pond that’s at the same time pastoral and urban.
The Swedish staycation obsession, wherein Maddy Savage explains how Swedes are content to vacation within their own borders, and how COVID-19 has intensified that.
The Unfolding Geological Language of Taipei, wherein Jessica J. Lee takes us on a personal, slightly different tour of Taiwan’s capital, one that looks at the it in relation to the geological features around the city.
Productivity
Work Less, wherein Leo Babauta offers some advice about how you can find the middle ground between working too much and procrastinating.
How to Think Smart About Your Downtime, wherein Christian Jarrett looks at how you can use your so-called idle hours to improve yourself and advance your career.
What Does Boredom Do to Us—and for Us?, wherein Geoff McFetridge takes us into why we feel bored, how it affects us, and why boredom can be a good thing.
And that’s it for this Monday. Come back in seven days for another set of links to start off your week.