Greetings, friends!
As someone who finds sustenance in in-depth, long-form content, I've been pretty bummed by how prevailing algorithms nowadays appear to prioritize brevity over substance. So here’s my monthly (!!!) curated roundup of some of the articles and talks that have inspired me during my moments of leisure this past month.
I have even more recommendations… should I post a part two?
Michael Lewis on luck and what we owe to the people around us (speech)
An intellectual argument for humility as part of Lewis’s 2012 Princeton commencement speech.Should Black Women Stop Going on Love Is Blind?
So Love Is Blind promises an equalizing dating experiment, but often ends up reinforcing harmful stereotypes and placing Black women in challenging and sometimes degrading situations. Through the lens of Amber Desiree (AD) Smith's experience in season six, the article touches on broader issues related to dating as a Black woman, including the perpetuation of stereotypes such as the hypersexual Jezebel or the nurturing mammy.
“What we’re seeing is that external constraints like racism and sexism are always in the pods even though the show has tried to create this other reality.” - Sarah Adeyinka-Skold, sociologist, discussing how the show's format cannot escape the societal structures that disadvantage Black women.
“Black women understand that it’s on them to keep Blackness afloat. It’s on them to breathe the respectability of Blackness. It’s on them to show other people we can have Black love and Black families. Black men don’t care about this because first of all, they’re men. They are rewarded regardless.” - Discussing the double standards and additional pressures Black women face in dating and in representing Black love and families.
Why Do Some Humans Love Chili Peppers?
As someone who *loves* spicy food, I really enjoyed this exploration of the origins, cultural significance, and wide-ranging appeal of chili peppers across the globe, stemming from their initial domestication in Mexico and subsequent spread through the Columbian exchange. It delves into the biological, psychological, and cultural reasons why people are drawn to spicy foods: the interplay between human evolution, sensory experience, and cultural identity in shaping dietary preferences. “Unthinkable as it may sound today, the cuisines we have come to associate with spiciness—Indian, Thai, Korean, and Chinese, among others—had no chili peppers at all before their introduction in the 16th century onward.” So interesting!
Uber-style Pricing is Coming for Everything
There is an increasing adoption of "dynamic pricing" across various industries, mirroring the variable cost strategy used by companies like Uber. This pricing model, where costs fluctuate based on demand and supply, is spreading to sectors such as fast food, with Wendy’s exploring it for their menu pricing. Although dynamic pricing is not new, its expansion into everyday purchases like food has sparked maaajor consumer backlash, particularly at a time when food prices are already high! The practice raises concerns over the unpredictability of prices for consumers and the potential for manipulation through data-driven algorithms. The article highlights the historical shift from haggling to fixed prices for transparency and fairness, and how the digital age has made dynamic pricing more prevalent and sophisticated, affecting everything from insurance rates to online retail and potentially now, fast food.
How Google is Killing Independent Sites Like Ours
Why you shouldn’t trust product recommendations from big media publishers ranking at the top of search engine results pages.
John Cleese on Creativity (talk)
A really good breakdown of what goes into creating creative outcomes.
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