First Derivative [59]
first Derivative [59]
April 27, 2018
Where Countries Are Tinderboxes and Facebook Is a Match (NYT)
by Amanda Taub and Max Fisher
An important read—TK
Too Many Men (WaPo)
by Simon Denyer and Annie Gowen
“Nothing like this has happened in human history. A combination of cultural preferences, government decree and modern medical technology in the world’s two largest countries has created a gender imbalance on a continental scale. Men outnumber women by 70 million in China and India.”
This Start-Up Says It Wants to Fight Poverty. A Food Stamp Giant is Blocking It (NYT)
by Steve Lohr
A noble cause, David vs. Goliath, the importance of end-user APIs and data rights especially in markets with monopolistic incumbents—TK
Over 400 Startups Are Trying to Become the Next Warby Parker. Inside the Wild Race to Overthrow Every Consumer Category (Inc.)
by Tom Foster
“Comcast’s Gulati has a phrase for this phenomenon: “CAC is the new rent.” In other words, for companies reliant on paid marketing, their digital customer acquisition cost (CAC) is a lot like paying for brick-and-mortar stores in the old model, or selling wholesale. Essentially, this undermines one of the most basic precepts of the DTC movement, that these companies are cutting out the middleman and therefore can afford to charge much less for higher-quality goods.”
The Joke (Harper’s)
by Justin Smith
“As far as I can tell, jihadists think, too. They partake of the rational human essence, which involves, among other things, rationally planning elaborate ways of murdering people. Where they seem somewhat deficient, by contrast, is in the activation of a certain human capacity.”
The Hardest Job in the World (Atlantic)
by John Dickerson
A good history of how the presidency has grown too big and unmanageable for one person, regardless of who it is—TK
How Devin Nunes Turned the House Intelligence Committee Inside Out (NYT)
by Jason Zengerle
‘Avengers,’ the Most Lucrative Movie Franchise Ever, Is Wrapping Up. Why? (NYT)
by Dave Itzkoff
How America’s Mistakes In The Middle East Are Benefiting China (Federalist)
by Boris Ryvkin
“The U.S. spent anywhere from $1.7 to $2.2 trillion, and suffered almost 4,500 dead and over 32,000 wounded, to remove Saddam Hussein and his Ba’athist regime from power in Iraq…China stood to the side, pocketed the American expenditures and elimination of the sanctions imposed prior to the 2003 invasion, and emerged as Iraq’s biggest import partner.”
McMaster and Commander (NYer)
by Patrick Radden Keefe
A balanced portrait of McMaster during his tumultuous Tenure as President Trump’s national security advisor—TK
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I hope you enjoy. Questions and comments always welcome (just respond to this email)—TK
EPHEMERA
Get Me Roger Stone (2017) on Netflix