Kickoff For May 18, 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.
A bit of a mixed bag this week, but none of the articles are boring. I hope you enjoy them.
Let’s get this Monday started with these links:
Environment
Australia: The Fires and Our Future, wherein Tim Flannery laments the destructive swaths that bush fires are cutting through his country, and the denial of the link of those fires with climate change at the top of Australia’s political and business worlds.
Enduring the Ending of the World, wherein Luke Carmen ponders the bushfires in Australia, and the lessons that they offer to the rest of the world.
In the Bag, wherein Yvette Cabrera explains that not only do Latinos have a long history of being environmentalists (even if they don’t call themselves that), many consider themselves to be stewards of the environment.
Technology
Daily life with the offline laptop, wherein Solène Rapenne outlines how she set up one of her computers so that she could use it while escaping the temptations of the internet.
The Secret History of Facial Recognition, wherein we learn about the pioneering work in the 1960s of Woody Bledsoe and his colleagues, which (while secret) proved to be the basis of modern facial recognition technology.
The gadgets that refuse to die, wherein we learn about some obsolete tech that’s still kicking thanks to the efforts of people who’ve grown to love those gadgets.
Productivity
How to Be Kind to Yourself & Still Get Stuff Done, wherein Leo Babauta explains that by not being so hard on yourself you can actually boost your productivity.
Three Theories for Why You Have No Time, wherein Derek Thompson argues that technology, instead of alleviating our burdens of work at home and in the office, actually adds to those burdens.
A Radical Guide to Spending Less Time on Your Phone, wherein Ryan Holiday offers some solid tips that can help you put some distance between you and your smartphone, tips which might be able to help you become more relaxed and more productive.
And that’s it for this Monday. Come back in seven days for another set of links to start off your week.