Kickoff For June 26, 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:
4 reasons why you should read old, classic books, wherein we learn that reading so-called classics is something everyone should try, if only to learn about the present by holding it up to the mirror of the past.
A fiery end? How the ISS will end its life in orbit, wherein we learn the eventual fate of the orbiting habitat/lab, and the challenges of sending the station to its final end.
Living Beyond A Life Well-Lived, wherein we learn about how millions of used vehicles from Japan gain a (long) second life in Africa.
The hunt for life in Alpha Centauri, wherein we learn why more than a few astronomers are focusing on the star system nearest to our own to find evidence of extraterrestrial life.
How Two Jewish Kids in 1930s Cleveland Altered the Course of American Pop Culture, wherein we learn how Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created, despite various obstacles in their way, one of the most iconic fictional characters of the 20th century (and beyond).
My Father-in-Law the Japanese Radical, wherein David McNeill recounts the activist life of his wife’s father, who vigorously (and often violently) opposed the construction of Tokyo’s Narita airport.
Fountain Society, wherein Shannon Mattern looks at the wondrous history and variety of the public drinking fountain, and explains why they’re unsung public amenities … (providing) free access to a vital resource.
Department Store as Dreamscape, wherein Adrienne Raphel looks at the department store, in literature and in life, and how it has a long history as the locus of fantasy and lust.
The New Workplace Surveillance, wherein Karen Levy examines digital enforcement technologies which, for the most part, are intended ot be a method for compelling compliance with the aims of management and which do employees harm in a variety of ways.
And that’s it for this Monday. Come back in seven days for another set of links to start off your week.