First Derivative [54]
first Derivative [54]
March 16, 2018
Welcome to all the new subscribers this week! I hope you enjoy reading fD. Always feel free to reach out with questions or comments by responding to this email. Also, a big thanks to readers Willy and Keyon for supporting fD on Patreon!
Say goodbye to the information age: it’s all about reputation now
by Gloria Origgi (Aeon)
h/t to reader G.J.B. Something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I think this is spot on—TK
Asian-Americans Can Blow Up America’s Racial Quota System. Will They?
by Wesley Yang (Tablet)
A solid piece from one of my favorite writers on the role “Asian-Americans” play now in America’s racial schema, and whether that framework is not long for this world—TK
No hugging: are we living through a crisis of touch?
by Paula Cocozza (The Guardian)
Sounds silly but I think is seriously underappreciated—TK
The Folly of Scientism
by Austin L. Hughes (The New Atlantis)
“by looking briefly at the modern understandings of science and philosophy on which scientism rests, and examining a few case studies of the attempt to supplant philosophy entirely with science, we might get a sense of how the reach of scientism exceeds its grasp.”
Reddit and the Struggle to Detoxify the Internet
byAndrew Marantz (The New Yorker)
A great New Yorker profile of maybe the most interesting site on the Internet—TK
How Capitalist Is Singapore Really?
by Matt Bruenig (People’s Policy Project)
"Is capitalism primarily about markets or private ownership? Relatedly, is socialism primarily about ending markets or promoting collective ownership?”
Billion-dollar debts control the future of tech industry
by Evgeny Morozov (The Guardian)
“There’s no understanding the future of technology without understanding the future of its funders.”
Hillary Clinton’s Trickle-Down America
by Reihan Salam (The Atlantic)
“The relative powerlessness of Trickle-Down America’s foreign-born workers is a big part of what’s made its cosmopolitan cities so attractive to high-skill professionals.”
Disney as a Service (Pt. II) and the Future of the ‘House of Mouse’
by Matthew Ball (REDEF)
“one of the brilliant aspects of Disney moving to D2C — it cannibalizes wholesale revenue but captures retail consumer spend”
Forget China or India, women will be the most disruptive economic force of the 21st century
(13D Research)
“Globally, expanding educational opportunities for girls are increasing women’s decision-making power… to further empower women around the world, including the “next billion”, the unbanked girls and women in the developing world.”
ABOUT fD
fD is a weekly newsletter focusing on signal insights and deep trends in ideas, technology, politics, economics, foreign affairs, culture, philosophy, and more. The goal is to deliver content and analyses that matter beyond the present moment.
I hope you enjoy. Questions and comments always welcome (just respond to this email)—TK
EPHEMERA
A new great film from one of my new favorite writer/directors, Taylor Sheridan: Wind River (2017). He wrote and directed (debut) this but also wrote Sicario (2015) and Hell or High Water (2016)