Kickoff for July 29, 2024
Is July really almost over? I'm still trying to figure out where March went! To help ease the ache of the passage of time, a mix of interesting links.
And, in case you haven't already, please vote in this poll that'll help me determine the number of links to include in each edition of The Monday Kickoff going forward. It'll only take you a few seconds and it's anonymous. Thanks!
With that out of the way, let's get Monday started with these links:
Dark Matter — Wherein we learn about Frank Warren, who collects and curates the secrets of others, why he does it, and why people share those secrets with him.
From the article:
Is this sociology? Psychology? Voyeurism? The postcards are shaped like little windows, glimpses into someone’s life, devoid of context. Frank likes to think of them, in the collective, as a cross-section of human nature, and each week he tries to select a range of moods, including a smattering of lighthearted secrets to round out his postcard representation of the psyche, even though most of what he receives is dark.
Jonathan Haidt and smartphones: For his movement to work, parents need to give something up — Wherein we look at one person's (seemingly absolutist) ideas around getting young people to disengage with their phones and the obstacles in the way of that happening, despite widespread support.
From the article:
[T]here is a reservoir of childhood and teenage experiences inside me, and inside many people who grew up pre-phone, that feels distant and beautiful, and that I do think helped me emerge into adulthood as a grounded, confident person.
Black Capitalism, Insurance, and the City — Wherein Ginger Nolan takes us through the history of Black-owned insurance companies in the United States, the struggles and triumphs of those firms, and the role they played in the economic, political, and social life of the country during times of change and upheaval.
From the article:
Civil rights issues often dovetailed with insurance firms’ self-interests, since they needed reasonably healthy and financially stable people and places to invest in. That said, activism within the African American insurance sector generally exceeded what might be expected from pure financial calculation. Many company directors dedicated immense time and financial resources to supporting political causes, often without much likelihood of success.
The Untold Story of the First U.S.-Based Nuclear Spy, and How He Got Away With It — Wherein well learn about Clarence His key, a forgotten spy who passed early U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviets, about his handler, and about the failed attempts to prosecute both of them.
From the article:
Hiskey apparently cooperated with Adams beginning in 1941, but exactly what information he provided remains unknown. Because Hiskey went to his grave denying he had been a spy, the GRU never credited him. The Soviet practice — still observed by the intelligence services in post-Soviet Russia — was not to reveal the names of spies who had not admitted their activities. Hiskey was one of only two chemists employed by the Manhattan Project who turned over nuclear information to the USSR.
An American journalist read her own obituary online, and soon discovered the strange world of obit pirates — Wherein we get a peek into the weird, wacky, and distressing world of scammers who create fake (and sometimes convincing) obituaries of still-living people, how and why they do it, and the distress it causes.
From the article:
The murky cottage industry behind these websites seeks to take advantage of a void of information about someone's death or search interest in their name and make a quick buck.
But it is having a chilling effect on the subjects of the obits and their loved ones and has prompted one of the world's biggest companies, Google, to crack down on the practice.
Analogue technology can be frustrating – is that part of the appeal? — Wherein we uncover a few of the reasons why some people have come to embrace old-school tech, and it's not just a bunch of people indulging in nostalgia.
From the article:
Work, effort, meaning – these ideas are all interconnected for users and consumers of analogue technology. Whereas work is often seen as a means to an end, from earning a living to exercising, "analoguers" get a buzz out of the processes of setting things up, getting things right, trial and error, and building up skills.