Kickoff for August 19, 2024
This week, I have nothing borderline pity or even mildly amusing to say. And it's a slightly shorter edition of the letter this time ‘round.
Let's just jump in and get Monday started with these links:
How gamification took over the world — Wherein we learn about the origins of the idea to turn whatever we do digitally into some semblance of a game, with the goal to make everything more fun and meaningful, and how the idea morphed into something far less benign.
From the article:
Today, we live in an undeniably gamified world. We stand up and move around to close colorful rings and earn achievement badges on our smartwatches; we meditate and sleep to recharge our body batteries; we plant virtual trees to be more productive; we chase “likes” and “karma” on social media sites and try to swipe our way toward social connection. And yet for all the crude gamelike elements that have been grafted onto our lives, the more hopeful and collaborative world that gamification promised more than a decade ago seems as far away as ever.
What does a world without Airbnb look like? — Wherein we learn about some of the problems that short-term rental services are said to have helped exacerbate, how those services have changed tourism (for good and bad), and what's now being done about them.
From the article:
It's all part of a wider theme: around the world, Airbnb – which dominates the short-term rental market with more than 50% of all online bookings – and others, including VRBO, Booking.com and Expedia.com, are being scrutinised at the same time as questions are being asked about who tourism is for, and where the balance lies between benefits for tourists and locals alike.
The Man Who Thought Too Fast — Wherein we learn about the short, but brilliant, life of Frank Ramsey who, in his 26 years on this planet, contributed major insights in the fields of mathematics, economics, and philosophy.
From the article:
Ramsey not only died young but lived too early, or so it can seem. He did little to advertise the importance of his ideas, and his modesty did not help. He was not particularly impressed with himself—he thought he was rather lazy. At the same time, the speed with which his mind worked sometimes left a blur on the page.
My family and other Nazis — Wherein Martin Pollack recounts his efforts to confront, understand, and try to reconcile the unwavering beliefs in national socialist ideology that the older members of his family held.
From the article:
Today we are confronted with the rise of violence and naked force again. Democratic Europe seems ill-prepared for this. People seem to prefer to close their eyes and ears once more. Let my family’s story be a warning.