A nice long read about a royal hermit family tucked away in a secret patch of jungle right in the middle of one of the densest cities in the world. Where did they come from and are they legit? -Brian
This is the article that inspired the Mr. Rogers movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood with Tom Hanks. I managed to avoid crying, but barely. - Calvin
Mall’s End: What will retail look like without stores?
Courtesy of Joe D. who routinely sends me super-smart and interesting stuff. You should also take note of the source; in a world of absolutely terrible political websites, City Journal stands out as smart, sober and thoughtful. I try to read around all sides of the political spectrum and every time I wander through CJ I'm impressed. -Brian
Confessions of an eBay opium addict
Mall’s End: What will retail look like without stores?
Courtesy of Joe D. who routinely sends me super-smart and interesting stuff. You should also take note of the source; in a world of absolutely terrible political websites, City Journal stands out as smart, sober and thoughtful. I try to read around all sides of the political spectrum and every time I wander through CJ I'm impressed. -Brian
Why the world's biggest tech billionaires all love a lefty Scottish author
I've read eight or nine of the twelve books in The Culture series (which also is being adapted for an Amazon series) and it's pretty fantastic. Far into the future, a post-scarcity anarcho-communist utopia meddles with the less technologically advanced civilizations around it. And even when humanity's every need, want and desire is available on command, there's still a search for deeper meaning and some sort of relief from our inherent brokenness. I'd put it in my top five sci-fi works. If you want to dive in, I recommend starting here -Brian
Do Not Disturb: How I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain
I know, I know: everyone is writing about spending less time using phones and how decreased social media usage leads to increased happiness. So here's another article to toss on the pile, and I fully appreciate the irony of asking you to read this on your phone (because that's probably how you read these newsletters). I like this particular post because this dude is reporting on his experience versus listing out a bunch of do's and don'ts. Click the link, print the article, and go read it outside.
Thinking like a UX designer – Andrew Millen
File this under "articles loosely related to what Calvin does for a living". This piece was penned by the highly talented Andrew Millen, who sits right beside me at work. I hope our daily proximity will result in my absorption of some of his skillz, via osmosis or something. - Calvin