Kickoff For December 2, 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.
This time ’round, I’ve opted for a slightly different mix of categories. Two dovetail nicely, while the other really stands out. You’ll know what I mean in a moment.
Let’s get this Monday started with these links:
Writing
The Liberation and Consternation of Writing a Whole Book with Paper and Pen, wherein author Jeff Gordinier guides us, while writing this article on a train, through the joys and perils of writing a first draft (of anything) by hand.
Novelist Cormac McCarthy’s tips on how to write a great science paper, wherein the celebrated author offers up some great tips for researchers writing journal articles, and for anyone writing anything else.
The Three Words That Almost Ruined Me As a Writer: ‘Show, Don’t Tell’, wherein Sonya Huber explains why that classic bit of writing advice doesn’t always work and doesn’t always apply to what you’re writing.
Arts and Literature
On Narrative Medicine and Finding a New Language For Illness, wherein Marcus Creaghan argues that we need to find newer, more expressive ways for patients to explain what ails them and for doctors to learn how to coax that information out of those patients.
Gaugin and Van Gogh’s social networks, wherein we learn that two artists, who are widely considered to be solitary figures, actually leaned on a wide network of social and personal connections as they created their masterpieces.
Carol Reed’s ‘The Third Man’: How Orson Welles Stole a Show He Was Barely In, wherein we go behind the scenes of the classic thriller, and learn not only how Orson Welles put his stamp on the film but also get insights into the script, casting, directing, and editing.
The Dark Side of Technology
The biggest lie tech people tell themselves — and the rest of us, wherein Rose Eveleth argues that inexorable march of technology isn’t a matter of evolution, regardless of the flip and often naive pronouncements of the people who create that tech.
Omniviolence is Coming, and the World Isn’t Ready, wherein we’re introduced to the concept technology-based omniviolence, learn how easily malicious individuals can perpetrate it, and discover ways in which to combat it.
Privacy is Power, wherein Carissa Véliz walks us through what power is, how it’s used, and why your privacy is a form of power (even if you think you’re insiginificant).
And that’s it for this Monday. Come back in seven days for another set of links to start off your week.