Apparently, the market for Kidnapping & Ransom has become increasingly businesslike – insurance companies are involved, there's market prices for different countries, and there are frequently ex-military or other specialists that make sure everything goes smoothly. A fascinating look into the history of this criminal enterprise.
https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/05/09/kidnapping-efficient-business/

Next up, visit WIRED for this amusing photo series of children posed with all of their pink-or-blue colored clothes, toys, and errata. I'm often fascinated by the meanings of colors, which are often culturally influenced.

Click through to see the whole gallery.
https://www.wired.com/story/color-coded-childhoods-photo-gallery/

Relevant to this piece, it's worth mentioning that the idea that boys should wear blue and girls should wear pink didn't actually become A Thing until around 1940. If you're interested in the history of this convention (including that it used to be flipped!) check out this piece at the Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/when-did-girls-start-wearing-pink-1370097/

I was fascinated to read about the history of the US Postal Service and Post Offices, written by House Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ). This quote provides a bit of context:

"Post offices are open gates to American history and markers of an optimistic past. Even as smartphones and electronic communication permeate every crevice of daily life, the United States Postal Service (USPS) forms a lifeblood circulatory system connecting every community in the Union."

The piece is lengthy and dives deep into the policies that have jeopardized this important service but, hopefully, provides some suggestions for what can be done to improve the situation.
https://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/april-may-june-2019/congress-is-sabotaging-your-post-office/

On a lighter note, NASA has a new app where you can do Citizen Science by helping them measure trees. Apparently it's supposed to help compare satellite data against ground-based measurements to help improve the data that our satellites can provide. I like this app because it gives us something helpful to do to improve the world, and get out in nature, too. It's easy to imagine future apps of this sort including more game elements like Pokemon Go!

https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/15/18308044/nasa-app-point-smartphone-trees-picture-height-satellite-why

Another piece from one of my favorite publications, The Verge, discusses an unfortunate turn for NYC's "Algorithmic Accountability Task Force". It seems that the group has been unable to make much progress towards their stated goals, hampered by the City's politicians failing to define key terms ("Automated Decision Systems" and providing required data. Here's hoping that this negative publicity forces some response from the city's representatives, and this effort towards much-needed regulation and transparency of algorithms makes headway.
https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/15/18309437/new-york-city-accountability-task-force-law-algorithm-transparency-automation

Finally, a lovely bit of lighthearted news to wrap up this edition: Vietnamese supermarkets are using banana leaves for packaging instead of plastic! Just look at these… okra? Are these okra?

https://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/industries/vietnamese-supermarkets-go-back-to-leaves-leaving-plastic-bags-3903583.html

Well, that's it for this issue. Let me know what you liked, didn't like, and generally what you thought! Hope that this made you more informed, thoughtful, or amused. Have a great day, and I'll be back next month.

Best,
Alex