Kickoff For November 25, 2024
Here we go again. And I mean that in a good way. Well, for the most part ... Thanks for letting me drop this letter into your inbox. I hope what you read here is an antidote (or, at least, a supplement) to the strangeness that normally assails you online.
With that out of the way, let's get Monday started with these links:
People think they already know everything they need to make decisions — Wherein we dip our toes into the Dunning-Kruger Effect, learn why non experts come to believe they know enough to make informed opinions or adopt informed positions on a subject, and about the harm that can cause.
From the article:
This is especially problematic in the current media environment. Many outlets have been created with the clear intent of exposing their viewers to only a partial view of the facts—or, in a number of cases, the apparent intent of spreading misinformation. The new work clearly indicates that these efforts can have a powerful effect on beliefs, even if accurate information is available from various sources.
What Gmail did to email — Wherein Barbara Krasnoff looks at how Gmail, and web-based email services like it, radically changed the way in which we not only used email but let all those electronic messages pile up.
From the article:
There are reasons, of course, why Gmail and other cloud-based email services have done so well, even outside of the increased amount of storage. Ease of access is a major one. Having several years’ worth of emails available to summon at a moment’s notice is really convenient.
Not remotely cool: The science of “Zoom fatigue” — Wherein we learn, from both physiological and technical perspective, why video calls and conferences (long or shorter) done using services like Zoom wear us out mentally,
From the article:
When people work from home, these casual interactions either do not happen or else must be scheduled — thus interfering with the timeliness of what we feel the need to discuss. And because Zooming, email, and texting feel qualitatively different from face-to-face talk, we also weigh them as less meaningful.
The Swiss hotel cut off from the world for 12 hours a day — Wherein we visit Alp Grüm, a small hotel in the beautiful but remote town of Graubünden whose only contact with the rest of the world is a train that stops running between 8 pm and 8 am.
From the article:
The hardest part about living at Alp Grüm, according to Semadeni, who has spent 18 years here, is the unpredictability each day brings. And to put it mildly, it was one of those days. "This morning, one of my waitresses quit," said Semadeni, sighing. "She jumped on the train and left for anywhere but here. Understand, this is not only a job. It's a lifestyle being up here."
Bike Manufacturers Are Making Bikes Less Repairable — Wherein we learn that thanks to (scummy) innovations like needing an app to set up a bike and proprietary components, some bicycle makers are making it nigh impossible for owners of their wares to fix their bikes.
From the article:
Over the years, and on different continents, there may have been a few thread sizes, but a cyclist could easily buy the right part for a surprisingly reasonable price. Just as important, you’ve been able to remove the bottom bracket with one of a few simple tools. Now, though, a bike shop has to keep 20+ tools on hand to deal with all the proprietary fittings.
What Would It Take to Recreate Bell Labs? — Wherein Brian Potter looks back at a true nexus of innovation, what made Bell Labs so successful and special, and why it would be all but impossible to repeat the Bell Labs story.
From the article:
[I]n practice, such a culture is likely difficult to create deliberately. Some of the things that helped create it at Bell Labs, such as a huge initial success with a science-based technological development project, can’t be willed into existence. Likewise, having a goal attached to a lab is not the same thing as an overriding, urgent need that infuses its culture.