Kickoff For November 20, 2023
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:
Aikido: A Japanese martial art practiced by millions, wherein we learn about the history and practice of a non-violent system of self defense created in the 20th century, and about the global community of practitioners that’s developed around it.
Got Tape?, wherein BK Loren walks us through the effort, the joys, and the pains of putting together a grassroots organization in a small American city, and the challenges of keeping it going.
Can Innovation Serve the Public Good?, wherein Shobita Parthasarathy looks at whether the process of innovation can be adjusted to reduce inequality and, if so, how to do that.
What an amusement park can teach us about central banks, wherein Tim Harford uses the place in the title as an analogy to illustrate how economies react to decisions made by central banks.
Are we ‘Amusing Ourselves to Death’ in 2023?, wherein Talia Barnes argues that digital media is a cause of insidious ways our modes of communication degrade the quality of our speech and thought.
She Sacrificed Her Youth to Get the Tech Bros to Grow Up, wherein we learn about Patricia Moore who, in the 1970s and 1980s, disguised herself as an elderly woman to gain insights about how the aged navigated daily life, and used that experience to develop the concept of universal design.
Did You Even Know This Movie Exists?, wherein Adam Nayman takes us into the world of so-called stray movies, and whether any really worthy stray movies are falling through the cracks.
Is the digital dollar dead?, wherein we learn about some of the issues, and roadblocks, around governments creating and adopting digital currency.
Tired of ‘circling back’ and ‘touching base’? How to handle all the workplace jargon, wherein we’re reminded of how annoying, irrational, and nonsensical corporate speak can be, and are offered some advice about dealing with it.
And that’s it for this Monday. Come back in seven days for another set of links to start off your week.