Kickoff For January 23, 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:
Why A4? – The Mathematical Beauty of Paper Size, wherein Ben Sparks looks at the mathematics that helped create what’s become an international standard size of paper.
Secret Life of a Leftist Doomsday Prepper, wherein Kitty Stryker explains that survivalism isn’t only the domain of right wingers with guns, and that leftist anarchists like her also see some wisdom in the prepper ethos.
Against August, wherein Haley Mlotek explains why she dreads the eighth month of the year, one full of mistakes and misfortune and melancholy.
Is Social Media a Threat to Democracy?, wherein we learn about some potential measures to reform social media platforms, and why those reforms may not be easy to enact.
America’s False Idols, wherein Scott Galloway argues that modern tech titans, while widely lauded and venerated, don’t really deserve the plaudits or veneration that are heaped on them.
Education and Indoctrination, wherein Jeffrey Aaron Snyder looks at both, how they differ, and how arguments about education and indoctrination in schools have been raise since the 19th century.
Why Isn’t Everybody Rich Yet?, wherein Timothy Noah looks at why, in the face of John Maynard Keynes’ predictions in the 1930s, prosperity isn’t equally or equitably distributed in society.
How going above and beyond at work became required, wherein Megan Tatum looks at work creep, and how employees going doing more than their job description states now feels like a built-in, minimum expectation from their employer.
The Asset Economy Strikes Again, wherein Martijn Konings examines how the focus on capital gains structures the way leading economists and policymakers think about the economy, and why that’s causing problems today.
And that’s it for this Monday. Come back in seven days for another set of links to start off your week.