First Derivative [40]
Michael Flynn charged with making false statement to the FBI
Pleading guilty to making false statements to the FBI means he had something to offer that was more valuable to Mueller—TK
In 2008 two economists, David Blanchflower and Andrew Oswald, published a paper in which they presented evidence for the assertion that “psychological well-being is U-shaped through life”. The argument, in other words, was that the…
If you can't get past the paywall, google the title and click the link. 'Pursuing goals... is what makes our lives meaningful. But... in achieving them, paradoxically, our “days are devoted to ending, one by one, the activities that give them meaning”.—TK
The fall of Harvey Weinstein and other celebrity sex monsters feels like a cultural turning point. The social contract between men and women is being rewritten before our eyes. There is a new resolve to make the workplace more respectful and…
“But we'll never have the great awakening we need to have if we succumb to the forces trying to turn this instead into a sex panic.”
This essay was written with the assistance of Kunyi Li, BlockTower investment analyst, and Ian D'Souza, NYU Stern Professor and BlockTower Board Adviser. The total market value of cryptocurrency has increased from $18 billion at the start of the…
'Investing in the internet in 1994 wasn’t easy... the more ambitious projects were too early... you may have wanted to invest in social media, but Facebook wouldn’t be born for another decade. These same problems exist for cryptocurrency... in 2017.'
Can Ford Turn Itself Into a Tech Company
The Tech & Design Issue: Life After Driving On a sunny afternoon in early October, I drove across a parking lot in Ann Arbor, Mich., and down a sloping road to a second, private lot. A fence lining the lot's perimeter was covered in black fabric…
What an Internet Analyst Got Wrong About Net Neutrality
The Federal Communications Commission's plan to jettison its net-neutrality rules found a surprise supporter this week in respected technology industry analyst and blogger Ben Thompson. In a blog post Tuesday, Thompson argued that he supports net…
'The nation's largest broadband providers have been bound by some sort of net-neutrality regime for most of the past 12 years, so you shouldn’t expect to see many violations.'
What Trump Really Told Kislyak After Comey Was Canned
On a dark night at the tail end of last winter, just a month after the inauguration of the new American president, an evening when only a sickle moon hung in the Levantine sky, two Israeli Sikorsky CH-53 helicopters flew low across Jordan and then…
“Trump betrayed us,” said a senior Israeli military official bluntly, his voice stern with reproach.'
A thrilling but chilling read—TK
“Whether we're fighting or up to no good, we all stop to cheer when Fei's in the ‘hood.'” When Ah Fei's with his friends, they like to joke around. “It doesn't matter who's in town, mention ‘Fei' and your street…
Cool read from an interesting new publication—TK
When Gut Bacteria Hijack the Brain
By now, the idea that gut bacteria affect a person's health is not revolutionary. Many people know that these microbes influence digestion, allergies, and metabolism. The trend has become almost commonplace: New books appear regularly detailing…
'A growing group of researchers around the world are investigating how the microbiome, as this bacterial ecosystem is known, regulates how people think and feel... could play a crucial role in autism, anxiety, depression, and other disorders.'
Secrets of the Marvel Universe
On a sweltering October weekend, the largest-ever group of Marvel superheroes and friends gathered just outside of Atlanta for a top-secret assignment. Eighty-three of the famous faces who have brought Marvel's comic-book characters to life over…
If you hate superhero movies, I have bad news for you. For better or for worse, they've dominated popular culture and cinema for the last decade and probably for the next too. A feature of the characters behind the scene running the most successful studio—TK