Kickoff For 18 August, 2025
This edition of the letter marks the start of an experiment that involves a slight change of format. Let me know whether or not you're liking that change by replying. Thanks!
With that out of the way, let's get Monday started with these links:
How sleeping in old schools is reviving rural Japan — A look at a creative way in which the country is trying to inject new life into sometimes remote towns and villages that have seen a massive exodus of residents in recent decades.
From the article:
As younger generations increasingly trade rural areas for cities, roughly 450 schools close every year, according to Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). In response, a growing number of these once-empty buildings are now being reimagined to revitalise Japan's depopulated regions.
Beware the new eugenics — For a variety of reasons, I'm not surprised at the revival of interest in the titular discredited science, nor am I surprised at how it's being driven by modern technologies with little regard for the horrors embracing that could inflict.
From the article:
This idea is gaining influence, particularly from the wealthiest and most powerful forces of our age. Threatened are our longstanding notions of morality, family, and self-governance critical to democracy and our flourishing as humans.
The secrets of self-optimisers: why ‘microefficiencies’ are on the rise — While I think the idea of saving time is a silly one, this is a fascinating (though brief) look at why and how some people try to save time and to streamline or eliminate any supposed friction in their lives.
From the article:
One can’t help but wonder, though, whether our love of efficiency speaks to how much store we set by productivity. Consultant counselling psychologist Dr Ritika Suk Birah, who has delivered keynote speeches on burnout, high-functioning anxiety and our cultural obsession with output, thinks our fascination with microefficiencies suggests we have internalised an idea that every moment must be maximised.
Why Wooden Architecture Is Making a Comeback in Japan — What's new is old again, in this case venerable materials and older construction techniques and how they're being combined with contemporary methods to build modern high-rise (and other) buildings in Japan.
From the article:
Engineered wood at this monumental scale and structural integrity uses advanced technologies such as laminated timber (CLT). This combines strength, durability and fire resistance to meet rigorous safety standards for public use. Prefabrication techniques allow structural components to be assembled off-site with precision, reducing waste and construction time.