Kickoff For June 27, 2022
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:
Space
NASA is supporting some seriously risky missions to the Moon—it’s about time, wherein we learn about some of the smaller-scale lunar missions that the space agency is funding, ones being developed by private companies.
5 failed alternatives to the Big Bang theory and why they didn’t work, wherein we learn about some of the challengers to the dominant theory of how our universe came to be and where they fell flat.
How the “Suicide Squad” Turned Into One of the World’s First Rocket Companies, wherein we learn how three enthusiasts turned their passion, and research for one’s doctoral thesis, into a business selling rocket boosters.
Productivity
The Rise of the Tabulated Self, wherein we learn a bit about the origins modern second brain tools and how they’ve invaded both the personal and professional lives of their devotees.
Curbing a Compulsive Habit: A Primer, wherein Leo Babauta explains why we have such habits and offers advice about how to rid ourselves of them.
Why Your ‘Digital Shabbat’ Will Fail, wherein Kelsey Osgood explains just that, a big part of which has to do with the individual nature of most digital sabbaths and a surprising philosophical reason.
Writing
How to Use (or Not Use) a Hyphen, wherein we learn a bit more about the oft-misused punctuation mark, and why people either embrace or ignore it.
Notes on Craft, wherein Amy Bloom discusses the importance of listening to and observing the world to a writer, and how that helps her with revising her writing.
In praise of the ellipsis, wherein Henry Oliver pens a short paen to those three dots, lamenting how writers use them and explaining how he thinks those writers should use the ellipsis.
And that’s it for this Monday. Come back in seven days for another set of links to start off your week.